Cerydra, who had been sitting motionless on the sofa, also heard Fu Zhu's voice. Her eyes widened as she looked towards Stelle, trying to find Fu Zhu's figure beside her. But unfortunately, aside from the perpetually pink, fluffy, mysterious animal, there was no one else.
Cerydra tentatively called out in the direction the voice came from, "Fu Zhu?"
"Yes, I'm here."
The moment Fu Zhu replied, Stelle couldn't help but scratch her head and complain, "Big Bro, you sound like an AI assistant on a phone."
Fu Zhu ignored her and spoke directly to Cerydra, "Let's go, Imperator. For certain reasons, I can't reveal myself directly right now. I'll lead you out first. The others are all waiting for you in Okhema."
Cerydra nodded and rose from the sofa, unable to suppress a sigh. "To think that I originally intended to bring you back, but in the end, it's you who's taking me back instead."
"Your sentiment is more than enough. If you have to blame someone, blame that Lygus."
After their chat, Fu Zhu prepared to guide Stelle and Cerydra out of the mist formed from Memoria.
Although Lygus had intentionally constructed the mist of Memoria to confuse those who 'strayed' into it, like Cerydra, trapping them inside like a maze, it was no obstacle for Fu Zhu, who had a god's-eye view of the entire situation.
Just as Stelle and Cerydra were about to leave, Lygus emerged, like a lingering ghost, from a collapsed wall.
"To think that Sir Fu Zhu would personally come to escort someone."
Fu Zhu turned to face Lygus. Though Lygus couldn't see him, it didn't hinder their conversation.
"What? Are you planning to stop us?"
"No, no, no," Lygus shook his head repeatedly. "I know my own strength. Trying to stop you here would be a fool's errand. I just wanted to inform you that The Irontomb's hatching is now a certainty. The Coreflame for this cycle has already arrived. I hope that when the time comes, you will be in the best viewing box to witness this grand ceremony."
With that, Lygus chuckled twice and vanished from before the three of them.
Stelle snorted in annoyance and grumbled, "That guy is so pretentious. Big Bro, can you stand this? Why don't you drag him back here and give him a couple of slaps?"
Fu Zhu didn't reply, but he was a bit curious. What had Lygus done to allow The Irontomb to hatch ahead of schedule, ignoring the conditions?
Still, even if The Irontomb hatched early, it wasn't a major problem.
"Let's go. We'll talk after we get back."
Fu Zhu led Stelle and Cerydra out of the mist. As soon as they left its confines, the three of them discovered that the entire patch of mist had simply vanished.
Evidently, Lygus had realized Fu Zhu was leading Cerydra out and, deciding the mist no longer served a purpose, had erased it.
Cerydra looked at the spot and murmured, "This is for the best. Later, we can move the graves of those citizens to a better place."
Over the past thousand years, they had kept her company for a long time. The people of Aidonia had also expressed their willingness to join Okhema back then. As their sovereign, she would not abandon these people.
Cerydra took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their usual sharpness. She turned to the now-visible Fu Zhu and said, "Let's go, Lord Nameless. It's time to go back."
Fu Zhu opened a spatial corridor and made a welcoming gesture at his side.
"If you please, Your Majesty."
---o---
Passing through the spatial corridor, the three of them appeared before the great doors of Okhema's council chamber.
Cerydra looked at the familiar architecture, a bit dazed.
She hadn't expected that after a thousand years, this place would remain the same as it was before. It seemed the Dux Goldweaver had done a fine job over the years; she had not misplaced her trust.
Cerydra closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Just as she opened them and was about to step forward, she heard a sudden, booming shout from beside her, full of vigor.
"Okhema, your Imperator has returned!"
Pfft!!!
Cerydra lost her composure and choked on her own saliva, coughing repeatedly. Her face flushed red as she turned to stare at Stelle, completely baffled.
"What are you doing?"
Stelle put her hands on her hips and said with a grin, "Imperator Your Majesty, you've been away for so long. Someone has to welcome you back, right? Otherwise, it would be a huge loss of face! So I helped you shout it out. I'm sure someone will come to receive you soon. You don't have to thank me. If you insist on thanking me, just give me a little reward money?"
Cerydra chuckled twice, rolled her eyes at Stelle, and then walked straight inside.
Seeing Cerydra ignore her and walk away, Stelle scratched her head, pouted, and muttered, "Your Majesty is so stingy."
As it happened, just as she finished speaking, Cerydra's voice drifted back from ahead.
"From this day forth, I bestow upon you the title of Duke of Clamor."
"Duke of Clamor?"
Stelle frowned and shook her head.
"Unacceptable, unacceptable. I am a Star God of The Hunt, how can I be a vassal to another?"
Fu Zhu, finding the scene both funny and exasperating, patted her on the head and pushed her shoulder to get her moving.
"Come on, stop with this nonsense."
…
The three of them walked into the council chamber. Because of Stelle's shout just now, all of the Chrysos Heirs had come out.
Aglaea stood at the very front. Although she could no longer see, the trembling of her golden threads told her that Cerydra had truly returned.
Aglaea curtsied gracefully towards Cerydra.
"Your Majesty, Sir Fu Zhu, welcome back."
Fu Zhu stepped forward with a smile and gestured to Cerydra, who was a few heads shorter than him.
"Mission accomplished. It was thanks to the Imperator completing the trial of [Law] that we were able to hold out until I found her."
Hearing this news, Aglaea was both surprised and delighted.
"Your Majesty, you have become a Demigod of [Law]?"
Cerydra nodded. She then noticed that Aglaea's eyes were different from before and immediately understood, adding, "Yes, and it was thanks to the two hundred Iron Golems I brought with me that I was able to complete the trial."
"That is wonderful. The banquet is already prepared. If everyone would please come this way."
Aglaea took the lead, with the others following closely behind.
Just as Fu Zhu took a step, March 7th and Hysilens appeared at his side as if out of nowhere, flanking him and boxing him in. They even squeezed Stelle, who was originally next to him, out of the way.
The displaced Stelle widened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar black-haired woman before her.
"This is my spot!"
Hysilens turned around and smiled apologetically at Stelle. She then produced a bottle of exquisite-looking honey wine.
"My apologies, Little Gray Fry. Please allow me to borrow this spot for today. This will be my gift of apology."
Stelle took the bottle of honey wine, which was made entirely of gold, and the dissatisfaction on her face vanished without a trace.
"No problem!"
On the other side, March 7th glared at Stelle, shouting, "Stelle, you traitor!"
Stelle and Fu Zhu instantly realized what was happening.
This reaction from March 7th… something was definitely up between her and Hysilens!