“Being so disrespectful in front of the emperor, does Mr Westin Ayala disregard even the most basic etiquette between sovereign and subject?” Zain Guthrie’s brows furrowed as he responded solemnly.
“Humph!” Westin Ayala snorted coldly. “I was just…”
“Enough!” Tate Guthrie’s voice cut him off sharply from the throne.
“Everyone, disperse. Tell your subordinates to cease all actions immediately, or face charges of treason!” Tate Guthrie’s tone brooked no argument.
“Your Majesty…” Westin Ayala wasn’t ready to relent so easily.
“Do you not understand my words?” Tate Guthrie interrupted him again, then turned to address Arian Tran.
“Prime Minister, you have three days to find your son. Regardless of the circumstances, he must provide an explanation for this matter.”
“I will!” Arian Tran bowed in response.
Tate Guthrie then ignored the others, rose from his seat, and left without another word.
Watching Tate Guthrie’s departure, Westin Ayala’s eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. He glanced at Arian Tran before striding away, a chill surrounding him.
Soon, only Arian Tran and Zain Guthrie remained in the hall.
“My Lord…” Arian Tran began, bowing.
“Prime Minister, you may leave. I will speak with you later,” Zain Guthrie interrupted.
“My Lord, it seems that Westin Ayala has other intentions. We must be cautious…” Arian Tran continued.
“You may leave,” Zain Guthrie waved his hand.
“I take my leave then,” Arian Tran bowed and exited.
“My Lord, His Majesty requests your presence,” a senior approached Zain Guthrie, bowing respectfully.
“Hmm,” Zain Guthrie nodded.
The next day at noon, Billy and his companions gathered in the courtyard, chatting casually. Shadow Eighteen had already briefed them on the situation inside the palace and the city.
Earlier that morning, the fighting in the palace had subsided temporarily, but everyone knew it was just a moment of calm before the storm.
“Boss, do you think they will escalate the conflict?” Judge asked Billy.
“Judge, just sit back and enjoy the show. It’s bound to happen!” Casey replied for Billy.
“Zain Guthrie hasn’t come to see us yet. Do you think he won’t show up?” Judge continued.
“Don’t worry. He will come,” Casey reassured again.
“According to Shadow Guards’ feedback, the strongest member of the imperial family is Zain Guthrie’s uncle, Asher Guthrie, who is at the ninth-rank Sacred Realm,” Billy explained.
“Besides him, Zain Guthrie’s brother, the Emperor is at the eighth-rank Sacred Realm.”
“On the Northfortia side, aside from whether the Blood and Devil Sects will intervene, just Westin Ayala and the hidden number one figure are enough to give the imperial family a headache.”
“The number one figure is undoubtedly at the ninth-rank Sacred Realm, enough to hold off Asher Guthrie.”
“And Westin Ayala is at the half-step into ninth-rank Sacred Realm, half a rank higher than Tate Guthrie. Even if Zain Guthrie joins forces with him, they may not be a match for Westin Ayala!”
“Furthermore, Westin Ayala’s other associates are also formidable, much stronger than the palace ministers on Tate Guthrie’s side.”
“So, if the imperial family doesn’t want to be wiped out, they’ll have to seek external assistance!”
“That makes sense,” Judge nodded again.
“Billy Boy, when do you think Zain Guthrie will come to see you?” Amber asked with a smile.
“It should be soon,” Billy replied with a smile.
“Boss, we haven’t shown ourselves in public these past few days. How would Zain Guthrie know you’re in the imperial city?” Stout asked, rubbing his chin.
“Stout, do you think Skydragon Shadow is just for show?” Frostblade replied with a faint smile.
“Okay,” Stout nodded, understanding.
The shadow guards lurking in the imperial city would naturally find a way to let Zain Guthrie know that Billy had arrived. And without a doubt, the shadow guards would cleverly inform Zain Guthrie that they had just arrived today.
After chatting for a while longer, Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird walked in from outside.
“Azure Dragon, is everything settled?” Judge asked.
“Yes,” Azure Dragon nodded with a smile.
“Tell us, what was the reaction of the Prime Minister’s mansion upon seeing Sullivan Tran’s body?” Judge asked eagerly, with Soul Chaser and Stout also looking curious.
This matter was naturally entrusted to Billy!
Before Billy took action yesterday, he had already let the shadow guards understand Sullivan Tran’s character and personality. So, from the beginning, there was no intention of sparing his life, and it conveniently served as another fuse.
“Arian Tran flew into a rage and directly led people to the Praetorian Guard’s headquarters. Both sides have already started fighting!” Azure Dragon replied.
“So soon?” Judge smirked.
“With the preparations from yesterday, this time, both sides probably won’t stop fighting so easily!” Azure Fang added.
“Billy Boy, the fire in the Crimson Flame Empire is truly blazing now!” Casey remarked to Billy.
“Yes,” Billy smiled faintly.
After chatting for another twenty or thirty minutes, a group of people hurriedly entered through the gate.
At the head was Zain Guthrie, dressed in a python robe, his expression grave.
“I apologize for not greeting you properly upon your arrival at the Crimson Flame Imperial City, Mr Billy. Please forgive me for the oversight,” Zain Guthrie bowed respectfully upon reaching Billy.
“Your Highness, nice to see you again,” Billy smiled faintly.
“I wonder, what brings Your Highness to visit? Is there something important?” Billy asked.
“To be frank, the situation is urgent. I’ll get straight to the point,” Zain Guthrie said, turning to Billy.
“I’ve come to see you regarding the cooperation we discussed a few days ago at the Five Elements Sect.”
“Do you have any new ideas, Your Highness?” Billy asked calmly.
“To be honest, the imperial family has officially declared war on Northfortia and the Westerners,” Zain Guthrie took a deep breath before continuing.
“I know that Mr Billy came to the Crimson Flame Imperial City for the people of Northfortia.”
“As long as Mr Billy can help Crimson Flame Empire quell this internal strife, we will fully assist Mr Billy in searching for the people of the Blood and Devil Sects!”
“Has the head of Northfortian shown up?” Billy inquired.
“Not yet,” Zain Guthrie shook his head. “But rest assured, you only need to deal with Westin Ayala. My uncle came out of seclusion this morning, and if the other party dares to make a move, my uncle will definitely confront him immediately!”