Chapter 689
The King's Inner Court
Chapter 689 The King's Inner Court
"elder brother?!"
Gao De was taken aback by Liu Ying's address at first, but he quickly realized the situation.
I spent so much time with Liu Ying in the desolate and barren Soul Realm.
He already knew everything about Liu Ying's family, including that she had a biological brother named Richard Wang Mian, who was a high-ranking officer in the Silver Dragon Cavalry.
At this moment, Liu Ying was already waving happily at the tall man.
The man, who had been exuding a cold aura, suddenly lost all his imposing presence the moment he heard the word "brother."
His sharp eyes softened instantly, and even his tightly pursed lips relaxed unconsciously.
“Liu Ying,” Richard Wang Mian’s voice was slightly hoarse as he glanced at the luminous veins beneath the girl’s exposed skin, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes, “you have suffered these past few days.”
"I've been very happy these days," Liu Ying said earnestly, shaking her head.
Pain is the norm for her, but the experience she has been going through these days is unprecedented.
Upon hearing Liu Ying's words, Richard's gaze instinctively turned to Gao De, who was standing silently to the side.
His gaze was incredibly sharp, sweeping over Gao De's entire body as if trying to see through his origins, strength, and even his character.
That was all. He didn't say anything more, but instead looked away and said to Liu Ying in a deep voice, "Let's go home first. We'll talk about the details when we get home."
The red gem on the soul rune box hanging from his waist was fluctuating more and more violently, indicating that Liu Ying's physical condition was no longer optimistic.
For Richard, nothing was more important than his sister's safety.
The most urgent task at hand is to send her back to the Light-Concealing Array in her home to suppress the divine radiance energy within Liu Ying's body.
"Brother, wait a minute."
However, the usually obedient Liu Ying was very stubborn at this moment, and solemnly said to Richard, "This is Gao De, my friend and my savior. Without him, I would not have come back, and I would not have survived until now."
Richard, seeing Liu Ying's "rebellious" side for the first time, had a glint in his eyes.
However, on the surface, he immediately turned around and nodded slightly to Gao De.
He was tall and upright, and even with a slight bow, he still exuded an innate sense of authority.
Then, he placed his right hand on his chest, palm facing Gao De, while his left arm hung naturally at his sides. The tip of the silver dragon longsword at his waist lightly touched the ground, producing a crisp metallic sound.
This is the standard Silver Dragon salute, the highest form of etiquette used by Silver Dragon Cavalry to express gratitude and respect.
“I am Liu Ying’s older brother, Richard Wang Mian.” His voice was steady and powerful.
"Thank you very much for taking care of Liu Ying during this time. Since you are Liu Ying's savior, you are also the benefactor of the Wang Mian family. If you have any needs in the future, as long as it does not violate classical doctrines and the laws of the dynasty, the Wang Mian family will definitely do its best to help you."
This unexpected courtesy surprised Gaode.
For someone of Richard's status and position to perform such a grand ceremony and make such a solemn promise to a substitute member of a mage team.
But his eyes were fixed on him, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
While there was gratitude in it, the sense of scrutiny was stronger than before, and there were even more complex and indescribable emotions.
This made Gaode feel slightly uncomfortable.
Unexpectedly, just as his unease was growing stronger, the aristocratic Richard had already withdrawn his gaze from him.
Then she smiled slightly at him.
His warm smile softened the sternness and coldness that surrounded him.
Richard said apologetically, "I should thank Master Gaode properly, but Liuying's condition is not optimistic and she needs to go home as soon as possible. I hope Master Gaode won't mind."
“If I remember correctly, Master Gaode is a substitute member of our country’s mage representative team. He must also be returning to Liuge County, right? If so, would you like to travel with me? I can give you a ride.” He thought for a moment and then suggested.
After a moment's thought, Gao De nodded in agreement.
Etherland County and Luggage County, one in the south and the other in the north, spanned the entire Plantagenet dynasty.
Even taking an airship takes a lot of time, so why not take advantage of the "ride-sharing" opportunity?
The eldest sons and daughters of the Wang Mian family would naturally not travel by airship, a "low-end" mode of transportation.
They were using a teleportation array.
Teleportation arrays are mainly divided into two types based on their purpose.
One type is a temporary teleportation array, which is mostly used for emergency evacuation or short-distance teleportation of small teams.
It has poor stability, extremely high energy consumption, and is easily interfered with by anti-magic devices.
It could even lead to dangers such as coordinate shifts and spatial tearing.
Another type is a permanent teleportation array with fixed coordinates.
This is the most common teleportation array, which enables bidirectional or unidirectional teleportation to fixed points with pre-anchored coordinates within the same plane.
This is a core strategic facility of the top kingdom, the Mage Guild, the ancient family, and the powerful Mage Tower.
It is not only the lifeline of rapid transportation, but also the key to wartime troop deployment and material transfer.
Therefore, every faction regards it as a top priority and protects it strictly.
These types of magic arrays cannot temporarily change their destination. Their coordinate sequence is unique, like a fingerprint, and is protected by multiple layers of encrypted runes. They can resist most spatial interference and magical attacks, and the risk of teleportation is almost zero.
According to the official records of the Golden Flower Dynasty, in the past hundred years, there has only been one minor accident involving the permanent teleportation arrays throughout the country, and no one has died.
Compared to temporary teleportation arrays, it can carry more people and travel farther at a time, making it the optimal choice for cross-regional travel.
A powerful nation like the Golden Flower Dynasty has at least ten permanent teleportation arrays in each of its counties.
Some were reserved for military use, while others were reserved for nobles and merchants.
There are only one to three public facilities.
The tickets for public teleportation arrays are extremely expensive; the cost of a single inter-county teleportation can bankrupt a small merchant. Therefore, teleportation arrays are also known as the mode of transportation for nobles.
Even more restrictive is that the number of daily teleportation slots is limited, and having money doesn't guarantee you a spot.
Building a permanent teleportation array is not a simple task.
Even a small magic array that can only accommodate 3-5 people at a time and has dual controls on weight, quantity, and items requires an extremely high cost to build.
This time, they were using a medium-sized teleportation array located in Xiguang City.
Dawn City is the second largest city in Etherland County, located only 60 kilometers from the east coast where they are currently. It is the closest large city with a teleportation array.
“Let’s not delay, let’s set off now,” Richard said immediately.
All three used flight spells, their figures simultaneously rising into the air and speeding towards the direction of Xiguang City.
The teleportation array for Xiguang City is located in the main hall on the third underground floor of the Xiguang City Mage Association.
This is because teleportation arrays have extremely strict requirements for site selection; they cannot be built simply by finding any open space.
First, stay away from void rifts, elemental turbulence, anti-magic zones, graveyards, and areas rich in negative energy.
Secondly, the ground surface must be flat and hard; it is absolutely forbidden to build on soft soil or flowing water.
Finally, the location selection must also consider concealment and defensive capabilities.
They are usually located underground in the city's core area or deep within a castle, surrounded by multiple layers of protective magic arrays and military fortifications to ensure that enemies cannot easily approach. When Richard arrived at the Dawn City Mage Association with Liu Ying and Gao De, the mage guarding the gate immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Richard, skipping even the routine inquiry.
Richard's status allowed him free rein in most parts of the Plantagenet dynasty.
The three were led directly into the association's main building and boarded a lift powered by magic crystals, somewhat similar to the elevators in Gaode's memory. They descended smoothly to the third underground floor and arrived at the main hall where the teleportation array was located.
The entire hall is made of obsidian, and the walls are inlaid with countless glowing fluorite stones, illuminating the spacious area.
In the center of the main hall was a medium-sized teleportation array with a diameter of about twenty meters.
The base is cast from a single large piece of refined gold, and after polishing, the surface is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the faint light of fluorite.
On the base, layers upon layers of circular runes are engraved, which are its coordinate anchoring sequence.
At this moment, four monks dressed in dark blue robes were already waiting in the main hall.
They are the dedicated mages guarding this teleportation array.
The teleportation array is not something that can be used once and for all after it is built; it requires dedicated personnel to guard it around the clock.
One is to perform routine maintenance and charging.
If left unused for an extended period, the magic array's energy will gradually dissipate, and the rune array may also show signs of wear and tear.
Another crucial aspect is the protection of the teleportation array, which is of paramount importance in city defense.
Because teleportation arrays are usually set up in the heart of a city.
No one can guarantee that hostile forces might have cracked the coordinate sequence of the teleportation array and used it to reach the heart of the territory.
Therefore, the mages on duty need to monitor energy fluctuations at all times, and immediately shut down the teleportation array and issue an alarm if any abnormality is detected.
The four guards were all experienced high-ranking mages, wearing the official badge of the Mage Association on their chests.
The leader was an elderly man with gray hair named En'er, who was the captain of the four guarding mages. He had been guarding this magic array for 130 years and was deeply trusted by the Mage Association.
Upon seeing Richard and his party, En'er immediately stepped forward and performed a standard monk's salute to Richard.
“General Richard, routine check,” he said to Richard in a deep voice, “According to the regulations for the use of the teleportation array, all personnel entering the teleportation array must undergo a contraband check. Please cooperate.”
Yes, Richard's rank was indeed General, a truly high-ranking officer, and a General of the Silver Dragon Cavalry, which was extremely prestigious.
Although Ener felt awe towards someone like Richard, he still maintained a professional and businesslike attitude.
Before using the teleportation array, you must undergo a necessary security check.
If prohibited items such as highly toxic substances, negative energy creatures, cursed items, or otherworldly creatures are brought into the teleportation array, they could potentially contaminate the array, cause spatial disorder, or even lead to the leakage of coordinates.
Unless it is a public teleportation array, the rune coordinate sequence of each teleportation array is a core secret that the faction must strictly guard.
Richard nodded slightly to the old man, indicating that he could begin.
Ener immediately raised the staff-like object in his hand.
As he swung his staff, a pale blue light beam shot out from the tip, sweeping across Richard, Liu Ying, and Gao De like flowing water.
When the light screen swept across Richard, it created a golden ripple.
That was the positive energy fluctuation emanating from his armor and sword; there was nothing unusual about it.
When the light is swept across the fluorescent light, the screen becomes colorful and fluctuates violently.
This is because the divine radiance elemental energy within her body is powerful, and the extraordinary equipment she wears is of an extremely high level, but there are no contraband items.
When scanning Gaode Maps, the screen becomes much calmer.
Gao De's most powerful extraordinary equipment, "North Wind," was hidden in his spirit space. The travel dial was exceptional, but it was severely damaged.
In addition, although there are other unusual and strange items such as spell bottles, their energy is not particularly strong, and naturally, their effects are not significant.
“General Richard, no problem.” Ener put away his staff and said respectfully.
He paused, then followed the procedure to confirm, "Do I need to teleport to the inner court of the Mithril City Royal Crown Castle using the preset coordinates? This coordinates are a private teleportation array used by the Royal Crown family. Currently, the energy is sufficient, the coordinates are anchored normally, and there is no interference."
“Exactly.” Richard nodded, his voice steady. “I’m in a bit of a hurry right now, so I’d appreciate it if you could all speed things up.”
"Understood," he replied immediately, then gave a wink to the other three guarding mages.
The three immediately sprang into action, with one checking the energy bars at the edge of the magic circle to ensure there were enough magic crystals;
One person calibrates the coordinate sequence and reconfirms the connection status with the Royal Crown Castle magic circle;
One person activated the inner energy barrier to prevent external interference.
The preparations didn't take much time. En'er gestured for the three of them to proceed and said in a deep voice:
"Please enter, three of you. During the teleportation process, please refrain from using magic, touching the rune array at the edge of the magic circle, and avoiding any unnecessary movement, so as not to interfere with the stability of the spatial passage and cause unnecessary danger."
The three followed his instructions and entered the magic circle, after which En'er activated the teleportation magic circle.
The base of the teleportation array, made of refined gold, immediately emitted a gentle energy fluctuation.
The surrounding runes began to light up one by one, the rune array began to rotate rapidly, and the light quickly enveloped the entire magic circle.
The space began to distort slightly, and the surrounding scenery became blurred, like an oil painting thrown into water, gradually blurring and dissipating.
A wave of dizziness, as if the space itself were distorted, washed over me.
However, for Gao De, who has experienced multiple interplanetary teleportations, this level of stable spatial teleportation no longer causes any discomfort.
Before long, the blurry light and shadow in front of him began to coalesce and recombine.
But instead of the previous black hall, it was a completely different hall.
The smooth texture of the gold underfoot has transformed into white marble with warm, lustrous veins.
He knew that he had arrived at the teleportation array inside the Wang Mian family castle.
This is a magnificent circular hall.
The hall is over thirty meters high, and its dome is not a solid structure, but rather composed of countless interwoven silver-blue runes, like a star net in the night sky.
At this moment, several attendants and monks stood on both sides of the main hall, their expressions respectful.
The one leading them was the middle-aged mage Marcus.
Upon seeing Richard and his entourage arrive, he quickly stepped forward: "Your Highness Richard, Your Highness Liuying."
"I'll take Liu Ying to the Concealing Light Formation, and then I'll go see my father later," Richard said briefly, without any further pleasantries.
"Don't go, wait for me a moment." Just before leaving, Liu Ying, whose face was already showing pain, actually endured the pain and said earnestly to Gao De.
Clearly, this was something no one present, including Gaode Maps, had expected, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
In the end, Gaode was the first to react, nodding and saying, "Okay."
"This is Master Gaode, the benefactor of Liuying. Treat him with the courtesy due to a distinguished guest." Richard glanced at Gaode, his thoughts unknown, but he still gave Marcus this instruction before leaving.
“Yes, I understand,” Marcus replied immediately.
Richard then quickly left with the fluorescence, which was becoming increasingly severe due to photochemical phenomena.
Marcus watched the two leave with a worried look before turning to Gao De and gesturing for him to follow. "Master Gao De, please follow me."
(End of this chapter)