Chapter 735 734. The Imperial Welcome
?"Greetings, traveler... from another world."
"You are?" Sylvester inquired and stepped further into the room. "I don't take kindly to those who sneak behind my back."
"But I'm right in front of you," the feminine voice came, and the woman walked towards him. "Is that hair real?"
Sylvester nodded and folded his arms. "What of it?"
"An Imposter, bearing the looks of your own," she replied, taking off her hood from her head. "I am Oracle of the Empress, Sylvester Maximilian. You have been prophesied more than the end of the world—The history speaks of your descriptions, and the ancient scriptures foretell your great purpose."
'No wonder they were desperate to find me.' Sylvester didn't say anything and waited to look at her face, wondering if this was the person he was looking for.
"When I was informed about the spatial anomaly, I believed it was the doing of the Grand Prince again. But this is a much better surprise." She finally removed her hood and revealed her features. She appeared old, with almost wrinkly pale blue skin. Her hair was white, and she had only two shining yellow eyes. "Oracle is what I am called."
"No name?"
"Forgotten in the millennia passed."
Sylvester didn't bring down his guards. Clearly, the other party was being careful, so it was counterintuitive to lay all his cards out openly. For all he knew, Diana might not even be there.
"If we're going to fight, I suggest moving away from the innocent people." Sylvester took the moral high ground before anything happened.
"Fight? Didn't you come here to meet the Empress? We are not barbarians, traveler. Your world may call us demons, but to us, you are the same—demons, aliens; Many names," the Oracle replied and retreated to sit down on the couch. "We are headed to the Imperial Capital."
Sylvester sat down opposite her. "The previous airship was attacked. The fact that you arrived here so fast... You must be able to fly quite fast."
"Some 'demons' have working wings."
"Ah, you're from those clans!" Dalgan exclaimed just then, earning her attention.
"Greetings, General Dalgan. It seems despite going into Artius for the Grand Prince. You ended up becoming a major key behind fulfilling the Prophecy. You will be rewarded by the Empress," the Oracle praised him in her usual monotonous tone.
Dalgan sighed and didn't react to her. "I chase no glory anymore. I have nobody waiting for me at home."
"Why were they after you?" Sylvester quickly changed the topic. "Who was it that bombed the airship?"
"They were men under the command of one of the Supreme Commanders. Of course, he will soon be an ex-commander. He may hold hatred towards my kind, but going after my life was a sin worse than treason."
"Why the hate?"
She sighed and looked out of the window. "Ignorance. Those with wings are an extreme minority, and on top of that, I am an Oracle with yellow eyes, considered to be a devotee of the Anti-God—a mere hoax."
'The scent never lies in the end.' Sylvester noticed the hint of bitterness with a burning sensation. It was hate within her heart. 'If I was the Empress, I would have never trusted her.'
"Do you know why I'm here?" Sylvester inquired, keeping his senses open to everything.
"I have only hints. The truth is only passed down through the generations of the Empress. I am a mere guide..."
"Sylvester is my name."
"Sylvester. I am the advisor, the guide of the Empress. I am tasked to warn of danger before it arrives. Alerting her to all the hidden spies and knives," she spoke, her yellow eyes glittering. "She is the only one who will lead us forward. Just as the visions say, as the Void ordered."
'She reminds me of myself.' Sylvester felt her manner of speech was too similar to his own. And the fact she could see visions alerted him. 'What if you're the one with knives? I can't correctly assess her strength either. Could she be a reincarnator like the previous Popes and Saint Scepters?'
He decided to test her reaction, "I know someone who said the same back in America once." nove(l)bi(n.)com
Crunch!
Oracle also tried it eventually. "We don't have these here."
"You don't have potatoes?" Sylvester asked. "In that case, we have the first eligible product to trade between our worlds. Mind if I show you a few more things?"
From there, Sylvester, the merchant, got to work.
...
It took them almost a day to arrive at the Imperial Capital. The magnificent, humongous city was so crowded that even the airship had to wait for its turn to enter the region. Eventually, with the Oracle's access level, they were able to head straight towards the Imperial Palace, a seeming city within a city reserved for Imperial administration matters.
Sylvester watched the mesmerizing view from the window. It was nighttime, and he could see lights everywhere as if in a futuristic sci-fi city with sky-high skyscrapers, the gap between which wasn't easily distinguishable.
"What do you use to light up the city?" He asked as they proceeded towards the landing site inside the Palace. "And what's the city's population?"
"A discovery of the Empress. She harnessed thunder using the warmth beneath our world. The subterranean lava fields helped produce all the electricity we need in the city—home to eight million people."
'Geothermal power plants? Makes more sense if the heat is widely available throughout the world.' Sylvester whistles at the size and numbers. 'At best, only Maximilia City has a million people back home.'
"We have arrived." The Oracle got up, "Follow me, I shall lead you to the Empress."
"It won't be easy," Sylvester commented out of nowhere. "Your friends are waiting outside... I can see it."
Confused, the Oracle looked left and right but saw nobody.
"He can see everything, Lady Oracle," Dalgan clarified like a good assistant. "They are probably outside."
"Perfect opportunity to ask them what they want from you," Sylvester suggested, walking faster than the Oracle, reaching the main exit.
Amidst the flashing lights from various tall buildings outside, Sylvester walked down the stairs and stepped on the huge tarmac area. Before him, there were almost a hundred demons in armor and weapons, with four tall and golden-cloaked ones in the lead.
'All four Supreme Commanders want to kill her?'
"Greetings," Sylvester spoke when the Oracle arrived behind him. "Can you tell me why you wis—"
"Catch the sacrifice!"
"Go!"
The four Commanders shouted all of a sudden. A few soldiers detached from the formation and rushed at them. But, amusing Sylvester, they passed him and grabbed the Oracle's arms before cuffing her wrists behind her old, fragile body.
"Sacrifice?" Sylvester was amused. "What would that achieve?"
"Take the two men as well!"
Quickly, the demons tried to grab Sylvester's arms, but they couldn't, no matter how much they tried. From two, their number increased to four, and they still couldn't move Sylvester, or even make him twitch. The same was the case for Dalgan, who was a Grand Wizard in his own right.
"You know, I can predict the future for the four of you," Sylvester started speaking, making no sense. "O' lord, with great sadness, I am having to bring you this news..."
"Shut his mouth!" A commander roared, aiming his spear-like weapon forward.
"My sisters, I feel your pain..." Sylvester continued even when six men tried to subdue him.
Finally, the four commanders became more serious, realizing these were no ordinary men.
"What are you rambling? Why are you? Why are you with the heathen? Speak, or I will flay you myself!" roared one of the commanders. "Supreme Commander Bakillan orders you to!"
Sylvester sighed and started moving with ease. "...I know it's hard to swallow... but your husbands committed suicide!"
BOOM!