Chapter 33: The Challenge
"I have already heard about you from the imperial teacher, and your feats in Balin are truly unbelievable. When I heard about it, I wanted to rush there myself to watch," Emperor Ladwin said.
"It's only my duty to get rid of evil entities like the devils. My feat can't be compared to the elves of Balin. With their help, we were able to catch and prevent the devils from executing their plan," Aldrian said.
"You're a truly humble young man. If not for you, we would still be in the dark about their infiltration and plans. And that hydra? That is no small feat. No, it's impossible. Are you truly 12 years old and at the Viscount stage?"
"I don't have any means to convince you, Your Majesty, but it is as it is," Aldrian said.
"Your Majesty, may I suggest something?" one of the elves suddenly said. Everyone looked at him as he stood among the conservative faction.
"What is your suggestion, Marquess Andra?" Emperor Ladwin asked.
"Because we are still unsure about his origin, age, and cultivation stage, we need to test him to reveal the truth. We don't want him to be a scammer who only seeks your good grace," Marquess Andra said.
Emperor Ladwin looked at Aldrian. "What do you think, young man?"
Aldrian looked at the emperor. "If Your Majesty wants to test me, of course, I'm ready for whatever it is. After all, it's also a way to clear up any misunderstandings. But let me be clear—" he then looked at Marquess Andra,
"I am here because I was invited by the imperial teacher. It's not my obligation to be here in the first place. If you think you can humiliate me, I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen." He then looked at the others in the conservative faction. He had already read their intentions and minds using his mind reader technique, and the result was that they truly hated him for potentially being granted access to their most sacred place.
"Shrine of the Heavenly Tree? I also heard about it from Olivia." The center of the blessing place for the Ivory Empire is under the World Tree of Evergreen, the first sacred place established when the Ivory Empire was founded millions of years ago. The Shrine of the Heavenly Tree is the most sacred place for the elves of the Ivory Empire.