At the entrance to the palace, Xiao Han, Paul, and Natalie showed guards their invitation scrolls and were let inside without any delays.
Once they were walking through the long corridor leading to the throne room, Xiao Han reminded the two of them about some basic rules, just to be on the safe side, since sometimes all it took was one wrong word to have a lot of trouble or even to lose one's life in this place.
The massive doors to the throne room were opened for them by two guards, unveiling before them a massive throne room with rich decorations and dozens of ministers and royal guards inside.
-The Province lord of the Storm Wind Province, Xiao Han, has arrived, Paul Marshal has arrived, Natalie Yeager has arrived.
The herald announced their arrival in a loud, calm voice, turning the attention of everyone present in the throne room to them.
The three of them walked in calmly with Xiao Han in the center, Paul on his right, and Natalie on his left.
All the people in the court looked closely at the young man and the girl, who they saw for the first time, and they had to admit that they were both stunning.
At the designated place, a few meters away from the throne, they stopped and bowed.
-Long Live the Emperor.
All of them said at the same time.
-Raise your heads.
The emperor said.
He was a handsome man in his late forties or early fifties, at least at first glance, but in the cultivation world, nothing was as deceptive as looks.
-So, you are Xiao Han's adopted nephew?
The monarch asked, looking closely at Paul.
-Yes, your majesty.
Paul answered shortly.
He knew that the less he talked, the better and the faster this would end.
-Despite your young age, you have quite a few praiseworthy accomplishments to your name.
Creating bombs to help defend White Cloud Town during the beast siege.
Saving slaves from goblins slightly improved our relations with other races.
Flooding the ant tunnel here, helping uncover many illegal activities and capture many wanted criminals.
Forcing the culprit who controlled the beasts to leave this realm, and even spreading a slavery spell, which does not require branding.
The emperor listed most of his accomplishments.
-And here we have Natalie Yeager.
The emperor looked at the girl.
-The young lady who came up with the idea to flood the tunnel, saving the capital and countless people's lives in the process.
He said.
-I was informed that the two of you wish to ascend to the higher realms. Is this true?
The emperor asked suddenly.
-Yes, your majesty.
The two young people answered.
-Since that's the case, then granting you a noble title is pointless, since they hold no value over there.
In that case, I will award Natalie Yeager with ten thousand crystal coins and one item of her choosing from the first floor of the royal treasury, for her contributions to the empire.
-Thank you, your Majesty.
Natalie bowed again, in the way Xiao Han taught her.
-Paul Marshal, for his contributions, will be rewarded with a hundred thousand crystal coins and two items of his choosing from the third level of the royal treasury.
-Thank you, your Majesty.
This time, Paul bowed.
-Xiao Han, for your contributions in this crisis, and all your achievements as the province lord.
You will receive ten thousand crystal coins, and your noble rank will be elevated to that of a count.
-Thank you, Your Majesty.
It was Xiao Han's turn to bow.
-Since this is over, the guards will escort you to pick up your rewards from the treasury.
The emperor said, waving his hand as a sign that they could leave.
All three of them bowed, took three steps back, turned around, and left the throne room with the assigned royal guards.
After going through the maze of corridors, the guards brought them to the treasury.
-These two young people were rewarded by choosing items from the treasury.
One of the guards said the moment they arrived, before an official in front of the treasury.
The official looked at them and nodded after hearing the details from the guards.
Soon after, four guards opened the heavy steel door leading into the treasury.
-This is the first floor, so you can choose your item, young lady.
The treasurer said.
-Where do I even start?
Natalie asked in awe as before her was a room as big as a warehouse and filled to the brim with all kinds of treasures.
-I suggest first figuring out what kind of treasure you want to find.
Xiao Han said, trying to be helpful.
The problem was that she had no idea what these treasures did, and even the pills looked like a special kind.
Additionally, she never expected to be able to choose an item from such a magnificent place as a reward and was caught off guard.
Natalie regretted not studying more at this moment.
-I'll leave you here for now, so you can decide, and if it'll help you in any way, then all the treasures here are labeled with their name and a short description of their properties.
After that, the official left her and Xiao Han on the first floor and brought Paul to the third floor to retrieve his items.
The treasurer brought him to a staircase and led him two floors down.
-Welcome to the third floor of the royal treasury, young man.
It had been many years since the last person who earned a reward came to pick it up.
The man said, nodding at the guards to open the doors.
Inside the room was not smaller than the first floor, but there were not that many items inside.
On the other hand, the items that were kept there were many times more valuable than anything on the first floor.
-Let me warn you, young man, that most of these items' abilities are unknown.
As much as I love to study them, there is a limit to what I can find out about them.
The treasurer said, with regret in his voice.