During this period, their weapons were confiscated;
The reason for the confiscation was not "prohibition of carrying weapons into the palace", but simply because their ranks were not sufficient and they did not have the qualification to carry swords into the palace.
Once inside the palace, they soon realized that the layout here was much more rigorous than the city outside, with almost every building adhering to the golden ratio in terms of aesthetic significance.
The magical spells imprinted on the walls on both sides were enough to make any powerful mage who came to cause trouble feel a sense of despair in magical confrontation.
The two teams of patrol soldiers that the knights saw along the way were all covered in new armor and dressed appropriately, giving them an imposing appearance from the outside;
Each of them had reached the level of a "thousand-slayer" in terms of strength, and just a glance from an ordinary person would induce a sense of palpitation.
The exterior of the grand hall appeared majestic from the outside, but those inside would find that the interior space was more than twice as large as the exterior;
Tall stone pillars were spread throughout, and the surface of the visible ceiling had magical arrays that allowed sunlight to evenly shine in.
The entire space appeared transparent and spacious, without any excess decorations;
Many of the stone pillars had giant statues on them, with a dignified and ancient appearance.
Those statues were the sculptures of past Inran emperors, and the current emperor, under the gaze of many previous emperors, managed the vast empire without daring to slack off.
"Would anyone believe such words if they were spoken out?"
Well, almost no one in Inran believed it!
The current empress was notorious for her laziness, incompetence, and aversion to trouble;
She entrusted the governance of the country to reliable ministers and took on the role of a figurehead, idling away her days...
In the center of the grand hall stood two important figures, one on the left and one on the right!
The person on the left possessed a pair of wise eyes and probably had a face that appeared to be in his thirties;
On that somewhat ordinary face, thick eyebrows were grown like ink strokes, and there was a short beard on his chin.
Just by standing there, the entire interior of the grand hall seemed to be filled with heroism;
The Griffin Knights who came to report couldn't help but shift their gaze and couldn't take their eyes off him.
The power structure at the top of the Inran Empire was not as complicated as one might think.
Below the emperor was the prime minister, followed by four marshals, and then some minor lords.
The person in front of the knights was one of those four marshals, Le Song, who held the title of Southern Marshal.
The reason why the name sounded so different from the Dibiles side was because Inran absorbed too much Eastern culture a hundred years ago;
After a long period of time, the Inran Empire had gradually moved towards Easternization, and the majority of its citizens were given non-Western names at birth.
"Your Excellency Marshal, the knights who went to search the border have returned."
The leader of the knight squad bowed and reported to Le Song, and the content he had to report was related to the missing envoy.
Since the Sapele group was abducted by the Crusaders led by the Holy Maiden, they had naturally not been able to return home;
This caused a significant concern among the top Inran officials;
The marshals had dispatched soldiers stationed at the border to carefully search along the national border, hoping to find one or two members of the envoy group.
But as reported by their subordinates, they had completely found nothing!
To Le Song, who was unaware, it seemed as if the entire Sapele group had vanished from the world, leaving behind no traces before or after their disappearance.
"Alright, thank you for your recent search efforts. Take a few days off when you go back and reward yourselves!"
After dismissing the few people, Le Song furrowed his brows and entered a contemplative state.
The tragedy of the envoy group was already anticipated, and their motives for going to Dibiles were no different from provoking a war with another country;
Almost no one could imagine a scene where the Earl Sapele successfully returned to the country after offending the decisive and resolute Empress.
The outcome had been foreseen long before it happened, and the high-level officials who issued the order had already treated those people as expendable.
Until now, only a small number of conscientious compatriots sincerely hope that those people can come back alive.
The majority of the cold-hearted individuals, however, eagerly wish for the entire envoy to die for the country. You should know that:
"By taking advantage of the excuse of the disappearance of our compatriots during their visit, we can tear up the century-long alliance with Dibiles. Now is the time for war!"
The young man on the left, who spoke, was wearing a delicate full-body armor that shimmered with a silver glow.
The only parts of his appearance exposed to the outsiders were his eyes, which had a faint red glow, and the black hair tips that protruded from behind his helmet.
"Even us, the living, can make use of the pawns. We must live well, along with their share..."
"Don't talk about our compatriots as if they're already dead! I won't acknowledge the Marquis and the others leaving this world until we find their bodies."
"Hmph, Marshal Nan is still so traditional, unable to value even a few lives!"
"It's still better than the Marshal Bei, who disregards the lives of our compatriots and wishes for their demise!"
Not everyone in their lifetime can meet the person they dislike the most.
In this regard, the two Marshals were really fortunate.
When they enlisted, they happened to meet their former comrades, current colleagues, and eternal opponents.
Does one need a reason to dislike someone?
No, one doesn't need it, and it doesn't even exist!
Some people just dislike each other from birth, no matter how you look at it. Such situations are not uncommon in interpersonal relationships.
The relationship between the two can be described in one sentence:
They staunchly oppose whatever the other supports and fully support whatever the other opposes!
The palace is like a battlefield, and this statement is not wrong at all.
"Please be quiet! This is not a place for you two to argue. The Emperor is present, and as his ministers, we must not be insolent."
