A ceremonial guard already stood at attention before the palace gates.
Xue Qinghe carried himself with graceful dignity. He stepped forward at just the right moment, an impeccably warm smile spreading across his face.
"Lord Sima, honored envoys of the Divine Realm Empire, thank you for enduring the hardships of your journey. On behalf of my imperial father and the Heaven Dou Empire, I welcome your delegation."
Sima Lanxiao, the delegation's chief envoy, cupped his hands in return, his expression equally composed. "Thank you for welcoming us in person, Your Highness. It is my honor to visit Heaven Dou on behalf of the Divine Realm Empire. The magnificent sights we have seen along the way have filled us with admiration."
Their hands briefly clasped in midair. Their gazes met for an instant, both wearing flawless diplomatic smiles.
"You flatter us, Lord Sima." Xue Qinghe smiled, his reply leaving no opening. "My father had intended to greet you personally, but affairs of state have kept him busy of late, and his imperial health is somewhat poor. He therefore instructed me to welcome you here. I hope you will forgive us, Lord Sima."
"His Majesty labors over affairs of state; his health must come first. Having Your Highness welcome us in his stead is already a tremendous honor."
"How do you think they manage that?"
Long Yue used Sound Transmission to grumble to Joander beside him. "They've clearly never spoken face-to-face before, yet the moment they meet, they're as friendly as old friends reunited after years apart."
"That's bureaucracy for you."
Joander chatted casually with Long Yue, his mind still on the report he had to write that evening.
His earlier, fleeting tour of Heaven Dou City had come with a filter over it. Now that he had calmed down and looked again, he realized that, aside from the palace, the city looked nowhere near as wonderful as he had first imagined.
If he compared the capitals of the Divine Realm Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, whether in the scale of public buildings such as shops and squares, the construction of infrastructure such as roads and bridges, or the symbols of national wealth, the Divine Realm Imperial Capital undoubtedly surpassed Heaven Dou City.
That was the dividend of being "people from the future."
After the brief welcoming ceremony, Xue Qinghe did not immediately lead the delegation into the palace. Instead, he turned slightly and gestured.
"You must be tired after your long journey. Though a banquet has been prepared in the palace, I imagine you would appreciate a little time to rest first. My father specifically ordered that a quiet residence be readied in the south of the city for His Highness and the delegation. If you have no objection, shall I take you there now?"
"Sorry for the trouble, Your Highness."
The ceremonial guard cleared the way ahead, and the procession moved once more, passing through Heaven Dou City's broad streets toward the south.
Compared with the solemn order surrounding the Imperial City, the southern district had a noticeably more leisurely, prosperous air.
The streets were wide and clean, with more carefully tended flowers and trees lining both sides. The delegation stopped before an exceptionally spacious residence.
Its vermilion gates were imposing, and two stone lions stood before them, fierce and solemn. A brand-new plaque hung above the entrance, but no words had been inscribed upon it.
"Here we are." Xue Qinghe raised a hand to introduce it, his tone warm. "Though this residence is not as luxurious as the palace, it is quite spacious. Everything you might need has been prepared, and the servants have all been carefully selected. If you require anything, Lord Sima, simply give them your instructions. Should anything be lacking, please inform me at once."
Sima Lanxiao's gaze swept over the residence's high walls and secluded courtyards, then the well-trained servants with their lowered eyes and deferential manner. He understood.
Someone would certainly be watching them. They couldn't act as they had in Longxing City this time.
His expression unchanged, Sima Lanxiao cupped his hands again.
"His Majesty and Your Highness have gone to great trouble. Your arrangements are most thoughtful. As a foreign envoy, I am deeply grateful."
"As long as you are satisfied, Lord Sima."
Xue Qinghe nodded with a smile. "Then I will leave the delegation to rest. A welcoming banquet will be held in the palace this evening, and I will send someone to escort you there."
"We shall await Your Highness's invitation."
Xue Qinghe said no more. He gave Sima Lanxiao a slight nod, then slowly departed amid the ceremonial guard.
Only after Xue Qinghe had left did Long Yue say resentfully, "That eldest prince of Heaven Dou did this on purpose, didn't he? Look who's living next door to us."
Everyone looked over.
The neighboring estate occupied an enormous area. Its thick, towering walls rose more than four meters high, and its gates were over two feet thick. Without sufficient strength, one probably could not even push them open.
The estate's gatehouse stood more than six meters tall, with a plaque hanging high above it bearing the word "Strength."
"The Strength Clan? Another Single-Attribute Clan?" The corner of Joander's mouth twitched despite himself.
Long Yue said, "Does Xue Qinghe think trouble breaks out wherever we stay?"
Sima Lanxiao glared at Long Yue. If they were talking about trouble, hadn't he been the one to stir it up in the first place?
The delegation entered the gates. Within the residence assigned to them, winding paths threaded among several courtyards, all exquisitely designed and decorated.
There was also a pond in the grounds, with a stone boat at its center. Long Yue could go swimming whenever he was bored.
"How about visiting our neighbors?" Long Yue had barely stayed quiet for a few minutes before he was bored out of his skull again. "I remember the Strength Clan being the Tang Sect's headquarters."
"No." Joander rejected Long Yue's suggestion. "Given your previous behavior in Longxing City, the foreign minister does not believe you can be allowed to act alone again."
"What about my senior brother, then?"
"You needn't concern yourself. His Eminence Qilin Douluo will carry out his own assignment."
The imperial palace.
"What happened in Longxing City does not prove that the Divine Realm Empire's delegation had anything to do with the Defense Clan." Xue Ye closed the book in his hands and looked at his eldest son, Xue Qinghe, before him. "Yet you lodged them beside the Strength Clan's compound..."
Xue Qinghe lowered his head in a show of obedience. "Father, although quite a few people heard words such as Spirit Hall and Clear Sky Remnants at the time, the timing of the Divine Realm Empire delegation's presence was far too coincidental."
"Only a coincidence." Xue Ye looked listless. He lifted his medicinal decoction and drained it in one gulp, then could not help frowning.
It was too bitter.
"Never mind." Xue Ye's eyelids felt heavy. After taking his medicine, he wanted only to rest, and he waved a hand. "Since you are responsible for this, do as you see fit."
"Please get some rest, Father." Xue Qinghe bowed his head and took his leave.
He still had to receive the Divine Realm Empire's delegation that evening. After drinking his medicine, Xue Ye needed to rest and gather his strength.
Qian Renxue left the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace, two figures following her like shadows. Strangely, the palace attendants around them seemed completely unaware of the pair.
"Uncle She Long," Qian Renxue asked, "did you notice anything?"
The man she called She Long was none other than the Spirit Hall elder titled Snake Lance, a trusted confidant of the Angel Clan.
Qian Renxue had lodged the Divine Realm Empire's delegation beside the Strength Clan in hopes of observing the person within the empire who harbored sinister intentions and had splashed dirty water onto Spirit Hall's name.
"No. Those people... are very strong. Among those I could sense, at least five were at the same level as me." Snake Lance Douluo had been staying at the delegation's other neighboring residence.
In other words, the residences were arranged as follows: [Snake Lance Douluo] [Divine Realm Empire delegation] [Strength Clan].
"Five? Five Titled Douluos!" Qian Renxue was truly astonished by the Divine Realm Empire's deep reserves.
Even now, the two great empires of the Douluo Continent could not produce a single Titled Douluo, yet the Divine Realm Empire of the Spirit Ice Continent had five Titled Douluos in its delegation alone.
"Could the Divine Realm Empire have sent every last one of its Titled Douluo retainers out in force just to flaunt its national strength?"
No matter how she thought about it, Qian Renxue could never have imagined that a rank-seventy Soul Saint was guaranteed the combat power of a Titled Douluo as long as they were a Two-Word Battle Armor master.
The five Titled Douluos Snake Lance Douluo had mentioned were merely a misunderstanding.
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