Chapter 382 The Holy Sovereign Arrived
After thinking it over, Zara said, "We can wait here for a while. Now that an entire city has resurfaced, my uncle will probably come in person. So, Lucian, let's figure out exactly how much compensation we should demand."
Lucian calmly pulled up a list. "I've already prepared everything. You don't need to worry about it."
Zara stared at the densely packed list of demands, her eyes widening. "Lucian, this is a little excessive. How did you even come up with all this?"
As far as Zara was concerned, demanding money was usually enough. But judging by the sheer number of items on the list, Lucian clearly wanted far more than cash.
Lucian gave her a patient look. "You wouldn't understand."
If he had abilities like hers, he would have been set for life long ago.
Yet every time she demanded compensation, she settled for a few measly million. She had absolutely no vision.
What was truly valuable in this world?
Mystic beast materials, of course. They had immense research value, along with the Divine World's advanced technology.
Those were the resources that really mattered.
Lucian had already learned a great deal about this world from the information he obtained during their last visit. After reviewing the latest data, he had gained a fairly clear understanding of what circulated through its markets and which resources were in highest demand.
He knew exactly what to ask for to maximize their gains.
He was a businessman, after all. Naturally, he focused on different things than Zara did.
Zara looked over the list again, shaking her head with a sigh. "Lucian, you're ruthless."
Lucian was speechless.
How did she have the nerve to say that to him?
Their prediction soon proved correct. An incident of this magnitude was bound to bring Valerius there in person.
When he saw the ancient city rise from the sea, even he looked horrified.
Valerius and the High Priest could hardly believe their eyes.
"How did it resurface?" Valerius demanded. "How could that city possibly reappear?"
The High Priest's expression was equally grave. A screen before them displayed the first live footage sent back from the scene. As he stared at the majestic city floating upon the sea, he said solemnly, "Someone broke the seal."
Valerius's face changed dramatically. "That was an ancient seal. How could anyone possibly undo it? Didn't the one from the forbidden zone say no one in existence could ever break it?"
The High Priest turned his wrist and traced several symbols through the air with his fingers. "I can't find any information. We have no idea who broke it. But... I have a very bad feeling about this."
Valerius fell silent.
The High Priest was not the only one.
Valerius had felt uneasy all morning, and his eyelid had not stopped twitching since he woke up.
His expression twisted. "She's here, isn't she?"
The High Priest stared at him in surprise, then shock.
"Even if she is, that was an ancient seal.
If she can break something like that, then there can be no question about her true identity.
But that doesn't make sense. If she really has ties to the forbidden zone, your brother would never have needed to take her away in the first place. "
If she had remained here, who in the entire Upper Realm could possibly have stopped her?
Valerius's face darkened. "Her identity is no longer the main problem. The problem is the secret buried with that city. We can't keep it hidden anymore."
The High Priest fell silent.
His expression became even graver.
The situation was far too serious.
The city's return meant the truth buried alongside it would inevitably come to light.
And if the mystic beast clans and ordinary people learned what had really happened...
It could trigger a catastrophe.
If Zara had truly done this, then provoking her in the first place might have been the worst mistake the Upper Realm had ever made.
"The Holy Sovereign is here."
Zara sat on the railing of a high-rise balcony, smiling as she gazed up at the sky.
Several lavish airships were approaching in formation, surrounding the vessel in the center like an honor guard.
After the last incident, Lunelle's position had become rather awkward. Still, she had acquired the powers of the Holy Sovereign and officially inherited the title, temporarily assuming its responsibilities.
In reality, however, Valerius was still the one in control.
She was little more than a figurehead, though she had no intention of remaining one forever.
With an incident this serious, she naturally had to arrive at the scene as quickly as possible in her capacity as Holy Sovereign.
As the airships streaked overhead, Zara turned to Lucian, who was studying online reports and analyzing the latest intelligence.
"Wait here, Lucian."
He looked up at her. "What are you planning to do?"
The moment the question left his mouth, he realized there had been no need to ask.
Zara looked almost giddy. "I'm going to do something big."
[I've never kidnapped anyone before. Hahaha. This is the perfect chance to take their Holy Sovereign hostage.]
Lucian was speechless.
Before leaving, Zara removed the red cord that bound the captive woman to her wrist. During their earlier interrogation, they had learned that the woman's name was Sylphra.
Zara handed the cord to Lucian. "This controls her. If she tries anything, lash her with it."
Lucian fell silent.
So did Sylphra.
Her face shifted between pale and livid. Setting Lucian's intimidating presence aside, she would not have dared make a move even if someone had handed her the courage.
She still had no idea where the terrifying power inside him had come from.
Lucian looked at Zara with mixed emotions. "Go ahead. I'll wait here. Be careful."
"Got it!"
Zara no longer bothered concealing her abilities. She handed Lucian the backpack containing Aurelion and Dino, pushed off the balcony railing, and launched herself directly into the sky under her own power.
Lucian watched her soar away, uncertain what to make of everything.
Perhaps Uncle Robert approaching her in the first place had been a mistake...
Then again, maybe it had not been.
Even without Zara, this world might still have begun to change, and Lucian would not have learned the truth nearly as quickly. He would have been left reacting to events he barely understood.
As the head of a major company, Lucian had to admit that he preferred knowing the secrets shaping the world rather than remaining a wealthy man who understood nothing beyond his own business.
Sylphra was equally stunned to see Zara fly without the aid of any device or mystic beast.
She stared after her and murmured, "Who is she, really?"
In all her life, she had never encountered anyone like Zara.
Because her master ruled a forbidden zone, Sylphra had always known how elevated her own status was.
She had believed everyone beyond the forbidden zones was hopelessly ignorant, forced to bow before powers they could never comprehend.
Only now did she realize that she had been the ignorant one all along.
Her gaze returned to the city floating upon the sea, and she bit her bloodless lips.
Her master must already know.
Why had he not come?
And once he learned the truth, what punishment would she face?
Most likely, death.
Sylphra closed her eyes.
The secret buried within her bloodline for a thousand years was finally going to be revealed.
Someone, whether human or mystic beast, would have to pay for everything that had happened back then.