CHAPTER 676: REALIZING WHO HE IS

Although Emperor Rozwald sensed that Aldrian’s words implied something deeper, he brushed off the feeling and said to Aldrian,

"Then please follow me, Your Excellency. Let’s move to a more private place, it will be more comfortable than here," Emperor Rozwald said as he began walking out of the throne hall. Aldrian and Butler Norris followed the emperor until they exited the hall.

They walked for another five minutes before Emperor Rozwald entered a room that served as his private guest room. Only selected individuals were allowed to enter this space, as it was reserved exclusively for his most important guests.

The room offered a view of the outer garden, with a large glass panel providing a wide view of the calming scenery. Uniquely, the glass was one-way, allowing those inside the room to see out, while preventing those outside from seeing in, ensuring privacy while still allowing them to enjoy the view.

After entering the room, the imperial maids served them herbal tea, while the emperor and Aldrian sat on sofas facing each other. Butler Norris stood to the side of the room, as if he were the emperor’s personal guard.

"So, Your Excellency, let me introduce myself properly. Although you might already know my name in some way, I feel it is only courteous to introduce myself," Emperor Rozwald said.

"My name is Rozwald Avilandis, the current leader of the Avilandis family and the emperor of this empire. If I may ask, how should I address Your Excellency?"

Behind the mask, Aldrian smiled at the question, but he still answered the emperor.

"Your Majesty, before I answer your question, may I take off my mask? It would be better to show you my face while introducing myself," he said, causing Emperor Rozwald’s eyes to widen slightly.

This mysterious man was willing to show his face so easily?

"Of course, Your Excellency. If that makes you more comfortable, then you may do so," the emperor replied. He was truly curious about the face behind that mask, the very face that had caused such an uproar that even the other stars had come to try to meet him.

Butler Norris also looked at Aldrian with interest as they both watched him raise the hood of his robe, revealing his long red hair. Then, Aldrian removed his mask. The moment his face was revealed, both the emperor and his butler widened their eyes.

The young, handsome face behind the mask was not what they expected. They had assumed this person must be a middle-aged man—or even an old man. Yet they sensed no disguise technique, which led them to believe this was truly Aldrian’s real face.

Aldrian said nothing. He simply set the mask beside him and looked directly at the emperor.

The emperor remained stunned, staring at Aldrian’s face. Then, a split second later, something stirred in his memory. There was something familiar about that face.

"Wait, where have I seen this face before?" he thought for a moment, before his eyes widened. "Wait, that face—"

It was the day he saw the most terrifying thing in his life, and the day he saw a person who overturned everything he thought he knew. At that time, he and many other powers had attempted to reach the untouchable continent, seeking the cause behind the strange occurrences there, which they believed might be the work of devils.

But instead, they witnessed the greatest battle he had ever seen.

The battle that day, between the mysterious man and the immortal in the sky was something he would never forget. It was truly mind-blowing, a clash far beyond anything within his capabilities. That battle also determined the fate of the world, because he knew that if that eye had won, the devils would have easily conquered the Ancient Blue Gate World.

If the creature the devils had summoned had managed to defeat the mysterious man, then there would have been no hope for him or for anyone else other than evacuating to another star, which would have triggered a large-scale exodus.

Fortunately, the mysterious man won.

He could still vividly remember the giant avatar. Though not as large as the eye, it was able to match its strength head-on. That giant avatar was far greater than any avatar technique he had ever seen.

If he compared his own avatar technique to that one, then it was simply ridiculous. He believed that man’s avatar would only need a flick to break his avatar.

Although he had not seen the man who controlled the avatar because of the distance, he had clearly seen the avatar’s face. At the time, he had not thought much of it, since an avatar’s appearance does not always reflect the cultivator’s real body.

Many avatars manifest based on the nature of the cultivation technique, and they can appear either ominous or sacred.

However, looking at Aldrian’s face now, he could not help but recall that avatar, the face of that giant avatar was the same as his. Though the avatar wore a crown and appeared far more regal, he was convinced: Aldrian’s face was identical to that avatar’s.

The moment he realized it, his eyes trembled and his heartbeat quickened. He kept staring into Aldrian’s calm blue eyes, unable to look away. His body froze, then slowly began to tremble.

Butler Norris, seeing Emperor Rozwald acting strangely, frowned before turning a wary gaze toward Aldrian. He had not accompanied the emperor that day, having remained at the palace to manage affairs as usual, so he had not witnessed the battle directly. Although he had read the report about the battle, it had not included any details about the avatar’s face.

It was only natural that he did not recognize Aldrian after seeing his face. Instead, he suspected that Aldrian might be doing something to the emperor. From what he could sense, his master’s body was reacting as if he had seen something terrifying.

Seeing that something was clearly wrong, Butler Norris spoke to Aldrian in a hostile tone.

"What are you doing—"

"You seem to know who I am, Your Majesty, for you to react like that," Aldrian cut him off, making Norris frown even deeper.

His master knows this person?

Aldrian calmly picked up the teacup from the table and took a sip, enjoying the taste for a moment.

"Senior... is that really you?" Emperor Rozwald asked, finally speaking after his shock had somewhat settled.

Aldrian did not answer immediately. Instead, he smiled.

"Who do you think I am?" he asked, setting the cup back down on the table.

After a moment of silence, Emperor Rozwald opened his mouth again and suddenly bent his body toward Aldrian.

"Senior, please accept my respect and gratitude for what you’ve done for this world. Since that day, I’ve truly wished to meet you, and today seems to be my fortunate day. To meet you here, in my own palace, I feel deeply honored," he said.

Seeing the emperor bowing, Butler Norris widened his eyes in shock and looked at Aldrian again. Who is this man?! Why is my master acting like this?

Aldrian’s expression had already returned to its usual calm as he silently watched the emperor bowing before him.

"Why do you think like that? I could be anyone, and you’d be bowing for nothing," he said.

"Just by saying that, Senior has already proven you are the real one, the one who fought the immortal that day. I am confident I haven’t misidentified you," Emperor Rozwald said as he lifted his head and looked directly at Aldrian’s face.

What the emperor meant was that for Aldrian to understand his words could only mean that Aldrian was the real one. Only the person who had fought the immortal himself would have known what those words truly meant.

Hearing what Emperor Rozwald had just said, Butler Norris widened his eyes and turned to look at Aldrian again. The person in front of them... is the one who fought the immortal? The one who has been the subject of endless talk ever since that day?

"Fair enough," Aldrian said.

With those words, there was no longer any doubt. He was indeed the same man who had fought the immortal that day. The emperor smiled in response, but that smile froze the very next moment as Aldrian spoke again.

"So, is spreading information about the Barisan Continent and undermining my name also how you show your respect and gratitude? Are you doing all of that thinking I wouldn’t find out?"

The moment Aldrian said that, Emperor Rozwald realized something was wrong, and he couldn’t help but frown.

"Senior, what do you—" he wanted to ask, but stopped mid-sentence as the meaning behind Aldrian’s words finally hit him. His eyes widened, Aldrian must have been referring to the information spread by the Information Center!

He had no idea how Aldrian knew that the Information Center was one of the imperial family’s organizations, but at this moment, he didn’t care.

The emperor quickly bowed his head again, his voice hurried and anxious.

"Senior, please listen to me first. This was never my doing. I have an explanation for this situation."

Aldrian’s expression didn’t change. He simply continued to stare at the emperor in silence.

Taking that silence as permission to continue, Emperor Rozwald went on.

"Like I said, this situation wasn’t my doing, but I have to admit, it happened because of my negligence. Senior must understand, I would never allow such information to spread, even if it were true. That would only bring harm to me and my interests, especially after you opened the Barisan Continent to the world in the future."

He let out a sigh.

"It’s because of that girl..."