"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Christina was even more shocked now. Her legs gave out, and she dropped straight to her knees.
Only then did Westerlin and Lauren slowly bow. "Greetings, Emperor Yale."
Monica and Brian, still in Lauren's arms, were rather bewildered. They had no idea what great figure had arrived this time, and they stared at him without even blinking.
Dole smiled faintly and stroked Monica's head. "This is Emperor Yale. Hurry and greet him."
Monica froze. An emperor? The ruler of the Glory Empire?
Imitating the adults, she gave a slight bow and called out sweetly, "Greetings, Emperor Yale."
Although Emperor Yale carried considerable majesty, it was nothing compared to Dole's. Monica did not feel much from it, merely seeing him as an uncle with fairly decent strength.
Emperor Yale swept his gaze around, nodded, and said, "This isn't the royal palace. No need to be so restrained. Besides, I've already abdicated." He waved a hand and looked at Westerlin. "I originally came to see my daughter. But she's in seclusion, so there's nothing to see. I'll just look at you instead."
Westerlin smiled. "What's there to look at? I'm already an old man."
Emperor Yale laughed heartily. "If I remember correctly, you're still twenty years younger than me."
Westerlin said, "Mm."
East Ring Empire.
Within a pitch-black small mountain range where not even light existed, dense deathly aura blanketed the entire land.
A black tree several thousand meters tall stood there, not a single leaf upon it—only black, withered branches. On its trunk, an enormous face-like shape was vividly etched.
The great tree was clearly not an inanimate object, but a living being. Its aura was slowly rising as streams of power belonging to death surged up from the ground and shot into the sky. Before long,