Immortal Kingdoms



From Leonardo's perspective, the Core Mainland was just another Arcadia, only somewhat larger. There were plenty of secrets to discover about this place, but many of them, if not all of them, were none of his concerns. 

One of the vital questions in his mind rested with the origins of this Grandmaster Sin, as he could still recall the moment he encountered the first Memento Mori member; the man had black blood. 

Furthermore, the man was called a devil by the others, in a frightened tone nonetheless. 

Leonardo partly helped Emily create this disturbance to solidify her resolve and chances to boost the influence of House Qing in the Seven Stars Province, and partly out of selfish motives. 

"I should get going," Leonardo popped the last piece of grape in his mouth and got up. 

"Where to?" Emily was still grappling with Leonardo's earlier statement when this caught her off guard. 

Leonardo gave her a look. "You can handle things from here on out without my help, I'll come back when the heat cools down a bit and we're ready for the next stage of this game. As for now, I'll take advantage of this mess and sneak my way past the Seven Stars border into the fertile and prosperous grounds of the Jin Dynasty." 

Having flipped through thousands of information cards in the library, Leonardo wasn't so clueless as to the customs and general knowledge of the Jin Dynasty's culture. Furthermore, he had this nagging feeling that Xavier from all the way back in Arcadia had made it into the political circle of the Jin Dynasty after all these years. 

If that's true, his talent and brains would've attracted enough attention for the young man to garner some special care and nurturing, perhaps he was already a rebirth realm cultivator at this point in time. 

Leonardo had no idea how well off or worse off Xavier might be for now, but he knew this guy would one day become a thorn in his side if left unchecked for an extended period of time. 

Emily didn't know what to say. Their deal aside, Leonardo was simply staying in the Qing Sector as means of getting adjusted to the unfamiliar environment. Now with that done, he could move further inland without a hitch. 

Emily suddenly suggested. "Do you want a letter of referral from me? I can get you inside the political circles of the Jin Dynasty as my personal attendant under the name of my Qing family, that would be much better than stretching your hands in the dark." 

Leonardo was surprised. "Aren't you scared I might implicate your entire family if I was found out? Moreover, why would they bother with a little attendant like me?" 

Emily explained. "I've brought a lot of merit to the family with this opportunity, but I can mention in the letter of referral that this entire thing was partially your idea, and we could also have Lord Renhuang's signature of testimony. That way, you'd have the support of two influential families while inland, and not many people would dare mess with you even as a personal attendant." 

Leonardo thought about it. 

If the status of the personal attendant of a 7th-tier powerhouse wasn't enough to deter some bored young masters, then the combined support of both Emily and Roxfield ought to work like a charm. 

However… 

Leonardo chuckled. "If you give out that referral letter, you might as well paint a target on my back for House Xia, House Freya, and House Levi. The last might even suspect my true identity." 

Emily's eyes didn't even flinch. "I'm willing to take this risk; don't tell me you're not half as bold as me, a woman?" 

Leonardo rubbed the back of his head and sighed. 

He said, "Fine! Just note in the letter that I'm a 5th-tie cultivator, lest some blind fools take my energy fluctuations for granted."

If Leonardo could infiltrate political circles so easily, he wouldn't need to bother with hatching up long-term schemes the same way he did on planet Arcadia. Furthermore, this would also save him the trouble of stirring the pond so much it attracts the attention of the dragons slumbering in its depth. 

Although the mask hid it, Emily's eyes were smiling as she said, "You have to fight for benefits for my Qing family on my behalf, though. The better you do, the more I can help you." 

Leonardo shrugged, a teasing smile on his face as he suddenly approached Emily, pinching her pointy chin as he said, "That almost sounds like I'm nurturing a sharp knife in the back of not only the Qing family, but the entire dynasty." 

Emily was shocked stiff by the sudden initiative, finding it even more unbelievable how easily Leonardo maneuvered through her defenses and held her face. If so he desired, that could have been a knife to the throat. 

She immediately remembered the few seconds of utilizing Leonardo's innate martial intent, dispelling most of her shock, even as the exotic, unfamiliar sensations slammed her heart pounding. 

Leonardo also realized his actions weren't too appropriate, quickly lowering his hand with an awkward smile. "My bad, I got a little carried away there, didn't I?" 

Emily blinked, setting her emotions in order as she turned her back to Leonardo's swirling, pure black holes even as her fists clenched beneath the sleeves of her robes. 

She said, "You can wait for my news in the library, I'll task someone with accompanying you all the way inland, preferably when the Judicial Inquisitors from the Interstellar Supreme Court arrive in the province." 

On that awkward note, Leonardo left the Commander's Pagoda. After he left, Emily touched down on her chest, feeling very unnatural and unnerved by the entire thing. 

Her emotions had been a rollercoaster of a mess ever since Leonardo brought up the catastrophe which befell the Levi Sector, otherwise, she wouldn't be acting so uncharacteristically to herself. 

For the following few days, Emily hadn't stepped foot out from her pagoda, and neither did Leonardo go over to pay her a visit. He understood his charm very well, and if he wasn't in disguise wearing such an ordinary-looking face, things might have escalated beyond control back there. 

His charm wasn't only in his eyes and handsome visage, but the promise of benefits obtained through dual cultivation with him. 

With a perfect body of law and a superior bloodline, who wouldn't be tempted? Even overlooking all these things, Leonardo had plenty of other opportunities to offer. 

From powerful techniques and a promising future, a future too surreal for most people to comprehend. 

Very quickly, two weeks passed and the Judicial Inquisitors finally touched down on the soil of the Seven Stars Province. They must have rushed their way here at full speed. 

Also on this day, the people from the Renhuang Sector arrived at the Qing Sector to escort Leonardo inland. The left-wing advisor was among the procession, but the man hid away from Leonardo and didn't feel like crossing paths with the latter. 

After all, he lost the bet fair and square, and from his perspective, he lost to a mere 2nd-tier cultivator, a mortal. Many people were still oblivious to Leonardo's supposed 5th-tier cultivation. 

At the entrance to the Qing Sector's outer region, Sivan and Gal stood side to side with reluctant expressions on their faces. 

"Don't give me that look, I'm not headed to my death you know?" Leonardo laughed brightly at the pair, giving each of them a friendly hug. 

For the past two weeks, these two would often disappear on Leonardo, but he didn't think too much of it since everyone must have their own little secrets. 

Everyone knew how much the Commanding General valued Attendant Ye, and the latter in turn valued the servant Gal and the maid Sivan, putting them under a lot of attention both good and bad. 

Competition existed everywhere, even in the core region.

Just as dragons struggled, ants do the same, in their own ways. Leonardo didn't like to waste his time on these small details and thus he overlooked them while he waited for this day. 

Now that he planned to leave, he knew things would get tough for these two as the good connection between them and the Commanding General, namely Attendant Ye, was about to be removed from the picture. 

"Say, why don't you two follow me inland as well? I could use some company," Leonardo spoke after a bit of hesitation. 

Sivan's eyes which were on the verge of reddening suddenly shook at the sudden proposal, her body growing stiff for a moment. 

Gal was also stunned. "We can't just pack up and leave wherever we want; we've been born and raised as servants to Her Eminence, and we're destined to die doing the same." 

Sivan didn't say a word, but her lips thinned even harder with a pale face. Everyone was courteous and polite to them these good days, even if these people hated it deep down. 

An elevated status built on the shoulders of someone else could only get you so far, and when the person you rely on is gone, the fall would be too much to bear. Especially when Sivan thought about all those generals and lieutenants.