The long voyage of over two months at sea had finally come to an end.
When that massive cruise ship slowly sailed into the Star Luo Empire port, everyone on board couldn't help but rush to the deck, greedily breathing in the air of the land, which carried the fresh scent of soil and vegetation.
For over two months, the deck beneath their feet had been constantly swaying, the blue sky and white clouds above had remained unchanging, and their ears had been filled with the constant sound of waves slapping against the hull; even these highly cultivated Spirit Masters were utterly fed up with it.
Now that their feet had finally stepped back onto solid and stable land, many even felt a sense of unreality, as if they were living in another lifetime.
This return visit and exchange by the Federation to the Star Luo Empire was of a very high level, and the itinerary was extremely packed. It would be carried out comprehensively across multiple dimensions including politics, military, soul tool technology, and the cultivation of Spirit Masters, visiting several important cities on the Star Luo Continent.
The first stop of the exchange was the capital of the Star Luo Empire—Star Luo City.
The group of hundreds took the soul guidance train from the port city, heading towards Star Luo City along the tracks that traversed the Star Luo Continent from north to south.
Not long after the train started, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan became restless. One kept looking out the window, while the other simply spread out their mental force to be constantly vigilant of the surrounding movements.
It was truly because whenever they rode the soul guidance train together, accidents always happened, making it impossible for them to feel at ease.
If it hadn't been for the fact that they were acting in unison with the official Federation delegation this time, the two of them would never have chosen the soul guidance train as a means of transportation again.
Fortunately, the journey was calm and peaceful, and no accidents occurred.
A few hours later, the train slowly pulled into the platform of the central station in Star Luo City.
This brand-new Star Luo City was, naturally, worlds apart from how it had been Ten Thousand Years ago.
The architectural style after Ten Thousand Years was more concise and fluid, with various products of soul tool technology visible all over the streets, exuding an atmosphere of technology and civilization everywhere.
However, in the overall layout of the city, Huo Yuhao still saw many shadows of Ten Thousand Years ago.
Because the Federation inspection delegation was large in number, even as the imperial capital, the Star Luo side could not find a hotel that could accommodate so many people at once, so everyone was arranged into several different hotels.
Huo Yuhao and the others stayed at the Star Luo Grand Hotel. This hotel was located in the most prosperous area of the city center of Star Luo City and was one of the highest-class hotels in the entire Star Luo Empire.
Early the next morning, under the arrangements of the Star Luo Empire, the Federation inspection delegation officially began their exchange activities in Star Luo City.
According to the itinerary drawn up by Star Luo, all members of the inspection delegation had to first be formally received by Emperor Dai Tianling at the Star Luo Imperial Palace.
This kind of official meeting was nothing more than the usual stale procedures: His Majesty the Emperor would give a welcoming speech, the head of the Federation delegation would give a thank-you speech, and both sides would exchange gifts.
Then came the long and boring back-and-forth of pleasantries, with one set of diplomatic jargon after another, making people feel sleepy.
Huo Yuhao stood in the crowd and didn't find it unbearable; he just silently circulated the Spirit Power in his body to cultivation. Anyway, in such occasions, one only needed to keep smiling and applaud at the right time.
After finally enduring the long reception ceremony until it was declared over, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to leave the Imperial Palace and return to their respective hotels.
Just at this moment, a gorgeously dressed youth walked through the crowd unhurriedly, heading straight towards Huo Yuhao and his group.
This youth looked to be of similar age to Huo Yuhao, but his physique was more burly and robust.
His short golden hair was neatly combed back, revealing a face with distinct, sharp features and an imposing, heroic aura.
After approaching, his gaze merely swept over the few people before locking directly onto Huo Yuhao, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny and curiosity.
"You must be Huo Yuhao, right? His Majesty wishes to see you alone; please come with me."
Before Huo Yuhao could speak, Han Tianyi, who was standing beside him, had already stepped forward, blocking half of his body in front of Huo Yuhao.
His tone was full of undisguised vigilance: "Why does the Star Luo Emperor want to see Yuhao?"
Although Han Tianyi was also Huo Yuhao's teacher, there were many secrets he was not aware of.
Huo Yuhao reached out and gently pressed Han Tianyi's arm, giving his teacher a reassuring look, then turned back to the golden-haired youth and said: "You are from the Star Luo Imperial Family, right?"
The youth clearly didn't expect Huo Yuhao to be able to see through his identity so directly. He was slightly stunned for a moment, then frankly admitted: "I am the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire, Dai Yueyan. My imperial father specifically instructed me to ensure I invite you over."
Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Han Tianyi and Gu Yue, lowering his voice to say: "Teacher, Gu Yue, you go back to the hotel first. I will go with the Fourth Prince."
Gu Yue just nodded silently, while Han Tianyi still frowned, obviously still worried about Huo Yuhao's safety.
Seeing this, Dai Yueyan smiled and said: "Senior, please rest assured. Young Master Huo is an honored guest of our Star Luo Imperial Family. I, Dai Yueyan, guarantee in the name of the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire that I will safely return him to the Star Luo Grand Hotel."
Han Tianyi then reluctantly nodded, thinking that the Star Luo Empire wouldn't resort to harming a guest they had invited; they should at least have that much of a bottom line.
Afterwards, Han Tianyi and Gu Yue left the main hall of the Imperial Palace with the inspection delegation, while Huo Yuhao turned and walked in the opposite direction, following Dai Yueyan.
Along the way, Dai Yueyan led the way in front, while Huo Yuhao followed unhurriedly behind.
The two passed through long corridors with carved beams and painted pillars, their shoe soles making crisp and rhythmic echoes on the marble floor.
The two never exchanged many words, but beneath the surface silence, their thoughts were not calm.
Dai Yueyan walked in front, Huo Yuhao's face repeatedly flashing in his mind.
It looked like him; it was truly too similar.
He had grown up in the Star Luo Imperial Palace and was accustomed to the portraits of ancestors hanging in the gallery of past emperors. He had seen the portrait of the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao from Ten Thousand Years ago no less than a thousand times, and every detail was already deeply imprinted in the depths of his mind.
And the youth from the Federation behind him, whether it was the contours of his eyebrows and eyes or the lines of his face, was exactly the same as the ancestor in that portrait.
He did not know why his imperial father was so impatient to summon this youth alone as soon as the reception ceremony ended, but he guessed that it was nine times out of ten related to this appearance.
While Huo Yuhao followed behind Dai Yueyan, his gaze seemingly casually swept over the exquisite reliefs and murals on both sides of the palace, but his mind was also calculating rapidly.
Leng Yaozhu had reminded him before departure that the Star Luo Imperial Family would definitely take the initiative to approach him. Now, just on the second day of arriving in Star Luo City, the Emperor had indeed "made a move."
The reason he agreed to come to see this Star Luo Emperor was naturally not because of the other party's status as an emperor, but because he was a descendant of the Duke of White Tiger lineage from Ten Thousand Years ago.
Perhaps the Star Luo Imperial Family still preserved some secret records from Ten Thousand Years ago, some secrets that even Shrek Academy and the Spirit Pagoda had never recorded.
These things were what he was truly interested in.
The two walked one after the other for about ten minutes, and Dai Yueyan finally stopped in front of a large door carved with intricate golden patterns.
He raised his hand and gently pushed the door open, turning to the side to make a gesture of invitation to Huo Yuhao.
Judging by the layout here, it should be a study, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ink and old paper.
That Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianling, who had been wearing solemn imperial robes and a heavy crown not long ago, had now changed into a simple white casual outfit, looking less majestic and more easygoing and refined.
He had originally been sitting behind the desk reviewing some documents, and after hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, he slowly raised his head.
When his gaze fell on Huo Yuhao's face for a moment, a ripple that was extremely difficult to conceal clearly flashed in his eyes.
He put down the pen in his hand, walked around the desk, and walked straight towards Huo Yuhao.
With a warm and familiar smile on his face, without any airs of an emperor, he laughed: "Yuhao has come. I have been looking forward to meeting you."
Huo Yuhao's expression was calm; he bowed slightly and said in a neither humble nor pushy tone: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
While speaking, his gaze unconsciously crossed over Dai Tianling's shoulder, landing on the huge portrait hanging on the wall behind the desk.
The man in the painting had an upright posture, a delicate face, but possessed an imposing aura that commanded respect without anger, and a pair of deep eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.
And that face was at least ninety percent similar to his, looking exactly like what he would look like after reaching adulthood.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.