Prophecy

The town was not large, built at the foot of a gentle slope and surrounded by many white birch trees. From a distance, it appeared neat and clean.

Having been notified in advance, the mayor and several town officials were waiting at the entrance. Temporary lodgings, stables, fodder, and hot water were all prepared, making the resupply process much smoother than expected.

Venus had no particular reaction to this, merely nodding when the mayor bowed to her.

The rest of the delegation, however, felt a great sense of relief.

At least tonight they could sleep in actual beds instead of being jolted awake in their carriages until dawn.

Considering that even if they continued their journey now, they would only reach the royal capital in the middle of the night, Vina decided to set the departure time for early the next morning after consulting with Baron Grayer and the others.

This time, Venus did not object.

She only offered her habitual reminder:

"Don't dawdle tomorrow."

The temporary lodging in town was originally a large hostel used by traveling merchant caravans, which had been cleared out well in advance.

The largest room was temporarily arranged as Venus's private quarters.

As night fell, the newly installed magic lamps flickered to life.

Venus sat on a wooden chair by the window, her long legs casually crossed, as she toyed with an ancient compass in her hands.

A small crack remained on its surface from the day Oslama was injured. The compass needle sat quietly in the center, trembling occasionally with Venus's movements as if attracted by something.

Noah and Leah stood before the table, their postures impeccably formal.

Venus looked at the compass in her hand, her brow slightly arched, appearing disinterested and somewhat lethargic.

"Are you sure this thing can find the person who holds the key to the Empire's survival?"

Noah immediately replied,

"Grandfather was certain of it. The compass contains a trace of time from that individual. Although it cannot provide a direct location, the needle will react once we come within a certain range."

Venus gave the compass a light spin. Finding it no different from an ordinary clock hand, she instantly lost interest.

"Sounds unreliable."

Leah said in a small voice,

"But... Grandfather's predictions have never been wrong."

Venus glanced at her, and Leah immediately lowered her head, seemingly afraid to meet her gaze.

Watching the siblings' nervous behavior, Venus suddenly let out a laugh and casually tossed the compass back to them.

Leah jumped in fright, hurriedly catching it and tucking it away with extreme care, terrified it might get chipped.

Venus leaned back against her chair, her tone laced with laziness.

"That little fellow Oslama's predictions have almost never been accurate."

Noah and Leah remained silent simultaneously; they wouldn't dare agree with such a statement.

In the entire Empire, there were very few people who dared to call Patriarch Oslama a "little fellow," and the woman before them happened to be one of them.

Venus propped her chin on her hand, suddenly recalling an amusing memory from the past.

"Fifty years ago, he told me with a straight face that I would meet someone I loved when I turned one hundred and forty-eight."

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a faint, mocking smile.

"And the result?"

Noah and Leah continued their silence because the result was obvious—there was no one.

Not only was there no one, but over the past fifty years, any man who dared to show a clear interest in Venus had generally met a miserable end.

It wasn't that they were directly eliminated, but being told to their faces that they were "incompetent," "an eyesore," "like a mouthpiece," or "less sensible than my horse" was enough to keep their heads bowed forever.

There was even an unofficial saying within the Empire—Lady Venus despised all men who tried to approach her equally.

Of course, there were exceptions—

For instance, Royal Preceptor Hogg of the Kingdom of Kajinson.

Or High Priest Kane of the Federation.

And Master Keljin of the Imperial family.

At least those three could be called "somewhat interesting people" by Venus. As for the rest, in her eyes, most could be categorized as "vermin."

Noah and Leah naturally didn't dare to voice these thoughts. Seeing how quiet they were, Venus found it somewhat amusing instead.

"You two don't need to look like that. I'm not going to eat you."

Noah said in a low voice,

"Your juniors simply believe that Grandfather's judgment shouldn't be wrong..."

"Your grandfather is getting old now. Maybe he just likes to exaggerate things,"

Venus said dismissively, before changing the subject.

"Though it was quite rare for him to nearly get down on his knees to beg me this time."

The comment was made casually, but Noah and Leah's hearts tightened simultaneously. Oslama had indeed strongly insisted that Venus participate in this mission.

Despite his unhealed injuries, he had personally written three letters to her. The first two were brushed aside by Venus with a simple "not interested."

When the third arrived, Emperor Kevinlit himself delivered it and came to her door to persuade her.

Combined with the dire warnings Oslama had written in the letter, Venus finally relented and agreed to serve as the delegation's ambassador.

Furthermore, their grandfather had even intended to come in person for this visit, but the idea was met with unanimous opposition from the family.

The backlash from his divination had been too severe; even now, the old man had not fully awakened. Even during his brief moments of consciousness, he could only manage a few words before falling back into a deep slumber.

With no other choice, the task had fallen to the two siblings.

Venus looked at them, her tone becoming slightly more serious than before.

"Oslama said that man named Li Yuan holds the key to the Empire's survival."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I'd like to see exactly what kind of person he is to make your grandfather speak like that."

Leah carefully placed the compass into a specially made box and whispered,

"Grandfather was severely injured at the time, yet he still repeatedly emphasized that we must find this person... He must have something special about him."

"Mhm." Venus nodded slightly. "Fulfill your duties well after we reach the royal capital tomorrow. But don't be in a hurry to make a scene; wait until the compass reacts."

The two nodded in response.

"Yes, milady."

"Also, don't go running off once we reach Kajinson." Venus gave them a look. "That place is no less complex than the Imperial Capital... Not only is Hogg presiding over it, but that bunch of Kingdom nobles aren't pushovers either. Especially since our scale is so large this time, they will certainly be on guard. Our movements will likely be restricted at every turn."

"Understood."

Venus waved her hand.

"Alright, go down and rest. We set out first thing tomorrow morning."

The siblings bowed in unison.

"Goodnight, Lady Venus."

After the two exited the room, the door clicked shut softly.

Venus sat alone by the window, picking up a glass of water from the table to take a sip as her gaze fell upon the dark horizon outside.

Happy Town was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of horses lightly stamping their hooves in the distant stables.

Venus leaned back against the chair and let out a long sigh.

"The Empire's path to survival..."

Then, a faint smile played on her lips. If anyone else had said those words, she would have thought there was something wrong with their head.

But since it was Oslama who said it... she had to take it somewhat seriously.

That child, who had been annoyingly cautious his entire life, would never have said such a thing unless he had seen something truly extraordinary.

Because the Empire was strong. Looking across the entire continent, one could not find a single nation that dared to oppose the Empire alone.

At that thought, the laziness in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a rare flicker of interest.

"Li Yuan, was it?"

She repeated the name once, a smile appearing on her lips.

"I hope you don't disappoint me too much."