Chapter 70: The Empress
"It had better be something important... or you won’t like the consequences."
"Your Majesty, what I’ve brought isn’t merely important—it is of the utmost importance. If we handle this properly, our sales in The Eternal Night Heaven may increase severalfold, at the very least.."
Manager Delar dropped to one knee and spoke anxiously.
The Empress narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously.
"Speak."
"Your Majesty... someone with a golden assistant visited us today."
The Empress didn’t immediately process his words.
But as the meaning gradually sank in, her eyes slowly widened.
"...What did you say?"
"Your Majesty, I’m telling you that someone with a golden assistant visited us today."
Delar bowed even deeper and raised his voice.
"A-And... how did you treat him?"
The Empress’s voice trembled involuntarily as she rose to her feet, staring at Delar with both anxiety and urgency.
"Your Majesty, I didn’t dare do anything to him or deal with him without informing you first.."
Delar shook his head.
"He’s currently waiting in the manager’s office inside The Eternal Night Heaven. It’s only been about two minutes. He’s looking through our product catalog and drinking our finest beverage... Soul Nectar. I came here immediately to report this to you."
"You did well."
The Empress smiled in relief after hearing his explanation.
"I’ll be waiting for you in The Eternal Night Heaven. I want to see you there immediately."
She waved a hand dismissively.
Then she crossed her legs beneath the colossal tree once more, leaned back against its trunk, and slowly closed her eyes.
"As Your Majesty commands."
Delar gave one final respectful bow before immediately leaving to prepare his consciousness to enter The Eternal Night Heaven.
---
The Eternal Night Heaven
Rios sat inside the Green Branch Palace manager’s office, browsing through the enormous product catalog.
Eventually, he frowned and scratched his head in annoyance.
"This is such a pain... choosing from all of these."
"Oh? What’s bothering you, Sir?"
Lily landed on his shoulder and asked curiously.
"This catalog contains hundreds of different crops, thousands of fruits, and thousands of different kinds of plants. I have no idea which ones I should choose."
He rubbed his forehead with an irritated sigh.
"The problem is... I’ve never even heard of any of them."
"Hahaha! Sir, doesn’t choosing from so many different varieties sound exciting rather than annoying?"
Lily laughed, fluttering upward with her transparent wings before gently landing atop Rios’s head.
"To hell with excitement."
Rios looked at Lily and raised an eyebrow.
"What’s exciting about looking through all this stuff?"
A second later, however, he smiled.
"But what really is interesting... is how everyone reacts when they see you with me."
Hearing that, Lily closed her eyes into smiling crescents.
"That’s perfectly natural, Sir. Throughout the entire universe, there are fewer than one million people who possess a golden assistant."
"O-Only one million?!"
Rios was stunned.
A million might sound like an enormous number...
But compared to a universe containing countless lifeforms and billions of empires...
One million was astonishingly small.
"Generally speaking, assistants represent one of three things, Sir."
Lily floated lazily around Rios, lying on her side with one hand supporting her cheek.
"First: strength or talent. The color of your assistant is determined by how powerful or talented you are."
"Second: status. Just like strength and talent, your standing within the universe also affects the color of the assistant you’re granted."
"And third: wealth. Based on how much you’ve spent within The Eternal Night Heaven during a single year, if you exceed certain thresholds, you’ll receive an assistant whose color corresponds to that level."
"So assistants are famous throughout the universe."
"And their masters are even more famous."
"An assistant reflects its master’s strength, talent, status, and wealth."
"So don’t be surprised, Sir. When you’re among ordinary people while accompanied by a golden assistant..."
"...you’re someone they can only dream of becoming."
Lily continued floating upside down above Rios’s head as though she were drifting across water.
Ordinary people?!
Rios was inwardly shaken.
A planetary empire is considered ordinary?
If even they’re ordinary... then what does that make me and my little city?
The realization struck him hard.
But he kept those thoughts to himself.
Just then—
"My deepest apologies for the delay, Your Excellency."
Manager Delar gently pushed open the door and entered.
Behind him walked the Empress.
Resting upon her shoulder sat a palm-sized white flower shaped like a tiny human.
It was...
...a white assistant.
Rios barely spared Delar a glance.
Instead, his gaze settled directly upon the Empress, making no effort whatsoever to hide his scrutiny.
He had to admit it.
The woman who had just entered was every bit as beautiful as Thandria.
As for comparing her to his wife, Elena...
That would simply be pointless.
Across both of his lifetimes, he had never seen—or even heard of—a woman more beautiful than Elena.
The only reason he compared this woman to Thandria was because Thandria ranked second after Elena in his mind.
The Empress noticed Rios openly examining her.
Rather than taking offense, she simply smiled warmly.
She walked past Manager Delar and gracefully took the seat opposite Rios.
"You may leave now and wait outside, Manager Delar. I’ll call for you if I need anything."
She waved a hand, ordering him to leave.
"As Your Majesty commands."
Delar bowed deeply before immediately withdrawing from the room.
The Empress looked at Rios, her gentle smile never fading for even a moment.
"Welcome, young sir, to my humble Green Branch Palace."
Her voice was soft and soothing.
"Tell me how I may assist you, and I’ll gladly be at your service."
Rios studied the gentle woman before him.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned back comfortably in his chair, then smiled confidently before pointing toward Lily.
"Lily... who is this stunning beauty?"
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Mister XD:
1. Thank you to everyone who has read the novel so far. We’ve reached Chapter 70, and there’s only a little left before the end of the first volume.
2. Leave a comment, guys—it really motivates me to keep going and improve the quality of my writing. If there’s anything you don’t understand or if you have any suggestions that could improve the writing or the progression of the story, feel free to leave a comment about it.
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