Chapter 167 The Imperial Capital of Rhein

  The airship gradually slowed down and slowly arrived above Noraad.

  Han Ming, holding Xiao Qi in his arms, stepped off the airship.

  "Xiao Qi, hang in there. You will definitely pull through," Han Ming said softly to Xiao Qi in his arms.

  Xiao Qi weakly lifted his head and looked at the person who had been tirelessly treating his injuries day and night.

  "No need to speak. Rest peacefully. I'll take you to someone," Han Ming said.

  A mass of dark clouds approached from the horizon, covering the sun's light. The world suddenly became pitch black.

  Before long, a torrential downpour fell.

  The rain lashed at the ground like a whip, making a whooshing roar.

  Han Ming donned an ice shield on his body and walked briskly through the rain, holding Xiao Qi in his arms.

  Outside the Imperial Palace of Noraad.

  Several palace guards were taking shelter from the rain in the corridor at the palace gate, watching the people hurrying by on the distant streets. This sudden heavy rain caught many people off guard, and they were drenched through.

  In the distance, a frail figure stood in stark contrast to the ordinary people.

  This person was in the rain, holding a small person in their arms, walking steadily towards the palace.

  "Halt! This is the imperial palace. State your business," a guard said upon seeing the ice shield on Han Ming's body, recognizing him as a water-type magician and immediately respectfully dissuading him.

  "May I ask if Mr. Maren from the Mont Empire is in your palace?" Han Ming asked.

  The guard was taken aback for a moment and replied, "King Maren... indeed he came, but he is not in the palace now. If you are looking for His Majesty Maren, he should be at..."

  The palace guard gave Han Ming directions to Maren's residence.

  Han Ming thanked him with a smile and left the palace, holding Xiao Qi.

  "King Maren... sigh..."

  Hearing the word "king," Han Ming thought of Queen Vivian. A myriad of worries surged in his heart.

  Thinking of Queen Vivian's last wish, Han Ming felt as if he bore the weight of a thousand pounds on his shoulders.

  The Mont Empire must be reclaimed.

  Knock knock...

  Han Ming gently knocked on the huge wooden door in front of him.

  The wooden door slowly opened, and an old butler-like figure greeted him with a smile.

  "May I ask if you are Mr. Han Ming?" the butler asked.

  Hearing his name being called, Han Ming knew he had found the right place.

  "Mr. Han Ming, greetings. His Majesty the King had instructed that you would surely find your way here. I am the former chief steward of the Mont Empire's imperial palace. Please follow me," the butler said.

  Han Ming nodded slightly and followed the old butler into the courtyard.

  This was a huge manor with over a dozen courtyards. Han Ming noticed that due to the heavy rain, not a single person could be seen in the manor. After passing through three courtyards, they finally came to a corridor where about a dozen people were standing and chatting idly.

  Han Ming observed that each of these people was a top-notch expert, with the weakest being at least a fourth-stage combat soul.

  "It seems that a significant portion of the elite of the Mont Empire is here," Han Ming thought to himself.

  These experts were scattered in twos and threes, chatting idly in the corridor. Servants respectfully came up to offer tea and water, their eyes filled with admiration for these top experts of the Northern Alliance continent, whom they could not possibly integrate with.

  Moreover, Han Ming noticed that each of these experts had someone beside them, respectfully saying something.

  "Mr. Sok, the Arabella family sincerely invites you to be our guest elder," one conversation went.

  The entire corridor was filled with such discussions.

  Han Ming understood that these people must be representatives of the major power families of the Rhein Empire, here to recruit the experts of the Mont Empire.

  The Mont Empire had fallen, and a large number of citizens and experts had fled to the Rhein Empire. Naturally, these local powers of the Rhein Empire did not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They were all trying their best to recruit these experts, or at least establish a deep friendship.

  This would be a force not to be underestimated.

  Han Ming followed the old butler through the crowd.

  The experts had all heard of Han Ming's name. After all, although the Three Kingdoms League had not been held to its conclusion, the ultimate victors were Han Ming and another green-robed elder. It was obvious that the green-robed elder had sneaked in and could be ignored. Naturally, Han Ming had become the overall champion of the Three Kingdoms League.

  The experts nodded in goodwill towards Han Ming, who returned their smiles.

  "Who is this..."

  A portly man asked an expert beside him.

  "Han Ming, the only person in history to defeat a high-stage fire-type magician with a low-stage water-type magic. He is also the ultimate champion of the Three Kingdoms League," the expert replied.

  Upon hearing this, the representatives of the lofty family powers looked at the young man passing by with surprise and respect.

  The old butler led the way, gently knocking on a door.

  "Come in," a voice called from inside.

  The old butler opened the door and respectfully said, "Your Majesty the King, Mr. Han Ming is here to visit."

  Maren was quietly reading a book at the table when he heard that Han Ming had arrived. He quickly stood up and personally welcomed him.

  "Han Xiao You! I knew you would make it out safely. And this is..."

  Maren smiled and chatted with Han Ming for a moment, then looked curiously at the little boy in his arms.

  Han Ming glanced around and remained silent.

  Maren nodded slightly, sent away the servants beside him, and gently closed the door.

  The two sat opposite each other at the table.

  "Mr. Maren... no, I should call you Your Majesty the King," Han Ming began.

  Upon hearing this, Maren's face immediately darkened with sorrow, and he said softly, "Just call me Mr. Maren. You and I, along with Vivian, are not outsiders to each other."

  Han Ming sighed softly and nodded, saying, "Mr. Maren, have you ever heard of an innate purification constitution?"

  Maren's body jolted, and he stood up abruptly. He was such a clever person that with just a hint from Han Ming, he immediately guessed the gist of it.

  "Are you saying... the child in your arms has an innate purification constitution?" Maren asked.

  Han Ming nodded and said, "A while ago, I encountered him by chance and discovered his special constitution. But later, people from the Dark Point took advantage of the situation and almost beat him to death. That's why I brought him to the capital, hoping to find a wood-type magician to save his life."

  Maren's body trembled with excitement. He tried to calm himself down and said softly, "Do you realize how important this innate purification constitution is? We have been struggling to find a way to destroy the magic array that opens the seal of the demon realm, and now you've brought this little guy here."

  "What? Do you mean to say that this innate purification constitution can destroy the magic array of the demon realm?" Han Ming asked.

  Maren nodded repeatedly, excitedly saying, "To destroy the magic array of the demon realm, someone must break the formation. The power of the magic array is simply too strong. Even a sixth-stage expert cannot survive inside for more than a minute. It can be said that once the magic array is activated, it cannot be closed. A while ago, I had an in-depth discussion with envoys from the other two countries and finally came up with a plan to forcibly terminate the magic array. However, we have not yet selected a person to execute this plan."

  "Please speak slowly," Han Ming said, noticing Maren's urgency and reminding him kindly.

  Maren hurriedly took a sip of tea and continued, "This innate purification constitution can purify all filth in the world. And that magic array is filled with dark power. Without this little guy, it would indeed be a big problem. Han Xiao You, you are truly the lucky star in my life, bringing good news to me at my most difficult times."

  At this point, Han Ming frowned slightly and said, "Let's not even talk about whether this child can be saved. Even if he can be saved, sending him to close the magic array... that's the lair of the demon realm. Although many experts from the demon realm have left for the human world, sending this little guy to break the formation would be like throwing him back into the fire, wouldn't it?"

  Maren laughed heartily and said, "Don't worry. When the time comes, I will contact a group of experts and personally lead them, taking the little guy with us. It's not too dangerous. Even if we encounter trouble, I can risk my life to save this child. It's just that..."

  Han Ming quickly asked, "Just what?"

  Maren gave a wry smile and said, "It's just that the only person who can save this child now is probably one person in the world. And this guy, as the vice president of the Rhein Empire's magic guild, has a very peculiar temperament. If you can get along with him, everything will be easy. But if he looks down on you, even if you offer him mountains of gold and silver, he may not care."

  Han Ming nodded slightly and asked, "Is he a wood-type magician?"

  "Yes, a fourth-stage first-rank magic elder. His name is Chai La De. The reason why he is the only one who can save this child is that the child's current condition cannot be cured by wood-type healing magic alone. It must be combined with various rare herbs and some rare life-saving prescriptions. This old guy is extremely obsessed with these things. With the herbs he prepares and his own powerful wood-type magic, there is a chance to save this child. But this matter, I'm afraid you will have to handle it yourself, because a while ago, I had a bit of a friction with this old guy, and I'm afraid he will refuse immediately when he sees me with you."

  Upon hearing this, Han Ming nodded slightly.

  At the same time, he made up his mind in his heart that no matter how stubborn and peculiar this old guy was, he must persuade him to save Xiao Qi.

  Xiao Qi, at present, seemed to be the only hope for their Northern Alliance continent.