Throughout the palace, there was a tower every five paces and a pavilion every ten.
Even a full day probably would not have been enough to explore the entire place.
The palace before them was considerably larger than some ordinary cities.
"Epang Palace!"
Feng Xi and Zhang Jue exchanged a glance. They both knew what the palace before them was.
It was Qin Shi Huang's imperial retreat, and the largest imperial palace in the world: Epang Palace.
However, Xiang Yu had burned Epang Palace down after Xianyang fell, leaving only some foundations for later generations.
They had never expected to see this palace in such a form.
They were not the only ones. Everyone else was stunned by the magnificent palace before them.
Even Iskandar and Gilgamesh were no exceptions.
After all, neither had seen such a lavish palace during his lifetime.
Once his shock passed, Gilgamesh, humanity's oldest Gian, felt nothing but embarrassment and jealousy.
Someone had actually outdone him at flaunting wealth. What an utter humiliation.
"This is a Reality Marble!"
Elsewhere, once Kayneth recovered from his shock, he immediately understood what was happening.
A Reality Marble was Magecraft that materialized one's inner landscape. It was also the Magecraft closest to "True Magic" and had already been classified as forbidden by the Mage's Association.
He had never imagined he would witness a Reality Marble being deployed in his lifetime. It truly lived up to its status as forbidden Magecraft.
"Hahaha, so this is your imperial retreat, Qin Shi Huang."
Iskandar laughed. "What a lavish residence. Even I want to seize it for myself."
Qin Shi Huang smiled faintly. "If you think you can, then try."
He clearly thought nothing of Iskandar's "provocation."
Tap, tap, tap...
Suddenly, synchronized footsteps rang out from within the palace.
The sound was so imposing that it seemed as though thousands of troops were marching together.
A moment later, a group of stone figures wearing Qin armor and carrying weapons marched out of the palace in neat formation.
"Well, damn. The Terracotta Army!"
Zhang Jue did not recognize the stone figures that appeared this time, but Feng Xi did.
Was this not the world-famous Terracotta Army of the First Emperor of Qin?
Every one of His Majesty the First Emperor's terracotta soldiers could actually move freely, no different from a living person.
Thud!
The terracotta soldiers took their positions on either side of the road, forming orderly lines of guards.
"Well, damn. So this is Qin Shi Huang's army!"
Waver and the other Masters were stunned once again.
"Hmph. Nothing but puppets."
Gilgamesh felt aggrieved again.
This Qin Shi Huang was even better at showing off than he was.
"Gentlemen, please proceed to the hall."
With those words, Qin Shi Huang suddenly vanished.
Seeing this, everyone could only follow the road flanked by terracotta guards, making their way to Epang Palace's great hall.
"Dispense with the formalities. Come in."
Qin Shi Huang, who had just vanished, was already waiting inside the hall.
They entered the great hall and saw the First Emperor seated high upon an ornate dragon couch.
Apart from the dragon couch, there was nothing else in the great hall.
Even so, painted pillars, carved beams, pearl curtains, and ornate doors filled the hall, making it incomparably lavish.
"Everyone, please take your seats."
The First Emperor waved a hand, and rows of low tables and couches appeared on either side of the great hall.
"Mongrel, you would have me sit beneath you?!"
Gilgamesh felt deeply insulted at the sight, his expression turning ugly.
"An impudent petty king. Even admitted to the hall, you remain unfit for civilized company."
Qin Shi Huang snorted coldly. "You deserve only the seat at the very back."
"What?!"
Gilgamesh was about to erupt when his body suddenly walked involuntarily toward the rearmost seat on the right.
Enraged, Gilgamesh tried to resist, only to discover that he could not.
Just like that, Gilgamesh was confined to the rearmost seat on the right, unable even to stand.
"What have you done to me?!"
Gilgamesh had never encountered anything like this before. He was about to explode with rage.
Qin Shi Huang replied indifferently, "In my palace, an outsider like you has no right to object."
Chapter 48: The Banquet of Kings Begins
"This is Imperial Privilege!"
After a moment's thought, Feng Xi finally understood what Qin Shi Huang had done to Gilgamesh.
An order that could not be resisted-was that not Imperial Privilege?
Although Imperial Privilege was also called Beggar's Privilege in the game because of its lousy effects, in the real world, it was absolutely a cheat-level divine skill.
It allowed its user to acquire skills they did not possess and receive the world's special favor. It was a skill that truly let one "do whatever one pleased."
Even if the emperor called a deer a horse, it really would become a horse. That was Imperial Privilege in a nutshell.
Not every emperor possessed this skill. Only emperors historically renowned for being "self-centered" would awaken it.
As the first emperor in history and a notorious autocratic tyrant, Qin Shi Huang possessing Imperial Privilege was hardly surprising.
Moreover, they were inside Qin Shi Huang's Reality Marble, where Imperial Privilege would naturally be even more powerful.
On top of that, Gilgamesh's Magic Resistance was only E, making him even less capable of resisting Qin Shi Huang's orders.
But even if Gilgamesh could resist, Qin Shi Huang would use a Command Spell to order him.
After all, Qin Shi Huang had descended as a Ruler this time, with three skills granted by the Counter Force.
Servant Identification, True Name Discernment, and Divine Judgment.
Servant Identification was an enemy-detection ability that could nullify even an Assassin's Presence Concealment.
True Name Discernment could see straight through every Servant's identity.
Divine Judgment allowed him to use two Command Spells on each individual Servant.
Although Gilgamesh could withstand the order of a single Command Spell, with Imperial Privilege added to it, he could only obediently follow orders.
"Damn you, mongrel!"
As soon as Gilgamesh regained control of his body, he wanted to flip the table, but the system issued a warning privately in his mind.
[Warning, group member King of Heroes. If you defy the system's rules again, the system will impose punishment directly.]
At that same moment, Gilgamesh felt an intense sense of danger.
If he made a move, he would probably be sent straight back to the Throne of Heroes.
Earlier, Bluebeard had merely committed a violation, so the system had only given him a minor punishment. Gilgamesh, however, was knowingly breaking the rules, so the system naturally would not show mercy.
Though his heart blazed with fury, Gilgamesh still followed his survival instincts and settled down.
Once Gilgamesh quieted down, everyone else took their seats as well.
The Caster, Saber, and Berserker teams sat on the left, while the Rider, Lancer, and Archer teams sat on the right.
Hmm, something seemed to be missing.
Although etiquette dictated that all guests should sit on the right, Qin Shi Huang had never been one to follow convention.
Besides, Qin Shi Huang was the only host here. How strange would it look if everyone sat on the right?
"Forgive my inadequate hospitality. Please, help yourselves."
Seeing that everyone had taken their seats, Qin Shi Huang waved a hand, and all manner of fine wines and delicacies immediately appeared on the tables.
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