Dragon Rock City, the lord's manor.
Lin Qin leafed through the report Soros had submitted. His fingers turned the pages at a steady pace, four thousand years of accumulated affairs reduced to concise figures and summaries on paper. Soros stood beside him. His hair had grown much whiter since Lin Qin's departure, but he remained vigorous, his gaze as sharp as ever.
"The Baruch Empire's current territory," Soros said, pointing to a region on the map, "extends from west of the Magic Beast Mountain Range all the way to the Far East Grassland. It is the largest empire on the Yulan Continent. Emperor Wharton has governed it well, except—"
"Except what?"
Soros paused. "Except that over the past four hundred years, the Odin Empire has become increasingly active along the border. You know Emperor Wharton's temperament. He never provokes anyone, but he never backs down either. There have been constant clashes between the two sides."
Lin Qin set down the report and looked out the window.
"Twenty years ago," Soros continued, his voice lowering, "Emperor Wharton's youngest son, Theodore, was ambushed by men from the Odin Empire while inspecting the border. Theodore was only at the Saint Realm then. They sent three Gods."
Lin Qin's fingers tightened slightly.
"Theodore died in battle. His body was hung from the gates of a border city in the Odin Empire, put on display for three days. Emperor Wharton personally led troops to recover his body. Odin himself appeared and humiliated him in front of everyone. If Lord Beirut hadn't intervened, Emperor Wharton might have—"
"Might have what?"
"He might not have come back."
Silence.
The air in the study seemed to freeze.
Lin Qin rose and walked to the window. People bustled through the streets of Dragon Rock City. The cries of vendors,