I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

As Ji Tian walked, he weighed the holy sword in his hand. There was a ring of fine golden runes around the hilt, and it was warm to the touch.

He could feel the newly acquired power flowing slowly inside the sword. This power did not need to be "activated"; it was a state in itself.

If he wanted, he could use the [Liberated Holy Sword] as a normal weapon:

The Holy Sword itself will absorb the energy consumption of the first few breaths, and the spiritual power, life force and memories required afterward are not a problem for Ji Tian.

The problem is how to stop.

You can't expect yourself to radiate holy light even when you're meditating or sleeping, can you?

Based on past experience, closing [Liberation] requires either consuming a Demon King or using immense power to break the Holy Sword...

Just as they were thinking this, the group arrived at the palace gate.

The high priest's eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life, calmly gazed at Ji Tian, ​​a mysterious smile appearing on his lips, as if he had seen something both expected and unexpected.

"The aura of the Holy Sword has changed; it seems you have gained its approval. Go forth; Her Majesty the Queen should already be waiting for you."

Ji Tian nodded and walked out of the hall.

As he passed by the other man, the two were very close, and he heard the old man's voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh:

"If you ever meet the goddess, please pass on my message—'That sapling has grown up.'"

"it is good."

Behind them, the doors of the temple slowly closed, the moonstone doors shut tightly, completely isolating the dimness inside the temple from the twilight outside.

Inside the door, the aged figure stood for a long time in the dim light.

He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to a sound only He could hear, and after a moment whispered:

"The time is almost up, but the sequence... is still eight bits short of the prophecy?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure began to fade away, like mist being blown away by the wind, gradually becoming transparent, and finally completely disappearing from the spot.

His cane fell to the ground with a soft thud, then transformed into strands of emerald green light, seeping into the cracks in the stone slabs beneath his feet, climbing upwards along the roots of the ancient tree, and merging into the vast and boundless network of the entire ancient tree of life.

Outside the hall, Alwin was already waiting at the bottom of the stone steps.

He changed into a more formal silver-gray robe, and the family crest on the collar was replaced with the standard emblem of the Royal Court's Foreign Affairs Department.

"Hero, Her Majesty the Queen has been waiting in the government hall for quite some time. Please follow me."

The group walked along the main corridor of the palace, with exquisite brocades hanging on the walls on both sides, embroidered with famous scenes from the history of the elves:

The first diplomatic relations with humans, the signing of an alliance with dwarves, the grand sacrificial ceremony under the moonlight...

One by one, the crystal lamps between the pillars lit up, illuminating the entire corridor as if it were daytime.

The doors of the government office were wide open.

Contrary to Ji Tian's imagination of the queen sitting on a throne, what came into view was a low table made of ancient wood that had grown naturally.

A piece of silver-gray brocade was laid on the table, upon which were placed several thin-walled porcelain cups and a white porcelain teapot.

On the corner of the table was a plate of exquisite pastries, including dried fruit coated with icing sugar, thinly sliced ​​honey cake, and several small cookies shaped like flower petals, all neatly arranged on a silver plate.

The Queen, dressed in a light blue loungewear dress, sat on a cushion on the side of a low table, her long silver hair cascading down, giving her a friendly, approachable look.

She greeted Ji Tian and the others with a smile as they entered:

"Please sit down."

Ji Tian sat down opposite her, Elena sat to his right, Lilith sat next to Elena, and Ophelia sat quietly to the side, her eyes lowered, her posture as usual.

Alwin stood by the door without entering, bowed slightly, left, and closed the door.

The white porcelain teapot on the table seemed to come to life on its own, pouring a cup of tea for everyone.

The tea was a pale golden color, gently swirling in the cup, emitting an aroma somewhere between floral and herbal. She picked up the cup, took a sip, and then said:

"This is a new batch of tea from the Southern Territory, grown on a high slope at the border of the Elven Royal Court and the Dwarven Mountains. The soil there is harder and the sunshine hours are shorter, but the tea grown there is actually more resistant to brewing than the tea grown locally in the Royal Court."

As she spoke, she took another sip before putting the teacup back on the saucer.

"I often lose track of time when I'm reviewing documents. Sometimes a cup of tea gets cold and then hot again, and by the time I remember to drink it, it's already been gone for who knows how many times. So whenever someone comes to have tea with me, I always make sure to get a fresh pot."

She spoke casually, then glanced at Lilith, who was examining the untouched pastry in front of her, and introduced it with a smile:

"Those are honey pancakes, made with buckwheat flour from the north side of the Dwarf Mountains. They have a softer texture than regular flour. You can try them."

Lilith paused for a moment, then whispered, "Thank you, Your Majesty." She carefully picked up a piece, took a bite, her eyes brightening slightly. She took another bite, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

Queen Serenetil did not immediately ask questions such as "Why did the High Priest personally receive you?"

She first asked with concern, "Are you tired from the journey?" and "Are you used to the accommodations in the capital?" She also asked if she was used to the climate in the border region.

Among the group, Ji Tian easily kills a conversation with just a few words, Ophelia doesn't like to talk, Lilith only shows her talkative nature to acquaintances, and the power of diplomacy is entirely handed over to Elena.

Elena continued the conversation, talking about the treehouses and domesticated slimes she had seen in the border village; Lilith also mustered up the courage to add, "The white deer is beautiful," and the Queen smiled and nodded, saying that she had also raised one when she was a child.

The conversation then shifted from the climate of the borderlands to the length of the rainy season in the Elven royal court, from the variety of the laurel tree to the aquatic plants in the demigod lake outside the capital…

Serene Thiel subtly steered the conversation toward the question she wanted to ask.

"Arwen told me that the High Priest himself came out to greet you. He doesn't usually go out much, and he rarely even appears when I come to the temple."

Knowing that the other party was about to get down to business, Ji Tian put down his teacup and said, "He did come out."

Outside the window, the last golden rays of the sunset were fading. The Queen waited a few moments, and seeing that he said nothing more, she didn't press for details, and continued speaking to herself:

"As you probably know, the High Priest lived longer than any of the kings of the Elven Court, but few people know that he was not a true elf."

Lilith, who had already convinced herself that the other person wasn't a bad person, was greatly puzzled by this.

"If the High Priest of the Elf race isn't an Elf, then what is he? Don't the Elf race have any objections?"

There are also high priests among the demons, but Lilith has never seen one. It is said that he has not appeared much since the destruction of the old demon king's city.

If it weren't for the disciples who also served as priests frequently performing miracles in the demon realm, Lilith would have even thought that the demon race had never had a high priest.

Serenetil, upon hearing this, was somewhat amused and exasperated, and said:

"No one will have any objections. You might not know this, but the High Priest's real name is actually 'Elwindel'."