"Huh—wait, what?" Lucas Hua stared at her in surprise.
"Open. The. Main. Gate!" Grace enunciated each word clearly.
Lucas Hua paused, then said no more. With a wave of his hand, the Falcon Team opened the gate.
Grace strode forward, stood at the front, and declared loudly: "Everyone! The main gate of the Spirit Alliance has no arrays, no poison gas—it's basically wide open to any Spirit Master! That's because the Spirit Alliance has always been protected by its own army, and never once has there been an invasion!"
She paused, then looked at the assembled crowd: "What’s happening today is clearly Prince Zane Tuoba abusing his power for personal revenge!
I, Grace, am saying this right now—whoever dares step through this open gate is invading the Spirit Alliance!
I will report everything to His Majesty, the Emperor! If you’ve got the guts, come on in!"
The Gallant Riders looked at each other, hesitating. For a moment, not one dared to step inside.
The Spirit Alliance is sacred—even the Emperor doesn’t dare offend it. Do they really want to barge in?
Especially... given Prince Zane Tuoba’s usual behavior, it’s not impossible he’s just out for revenge.
If the Emperor blames them later, it could mean certain death...
"Why are you all just standing there? Go in and arrest her!" Prince Zane Tuoba barked.
"Move!" The Gallant Riders' general waved his hand, and a squad of a dozen soldiers rushed in, heading straight for Rina Chu.
Lucas Hua and his team blocked their way, and the two sides clashed violently.
But the Falcon Team was outnumbered; Lucas Hua and his people were quickly wounded.
Grace glanced down the mountain... It should be about time for him to arrive, right?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a commanding voice rang out: "His Majesty, the Emperor, has arrived!"
Prince Zane Tuoba’s face changed—why is he here?
But he quickly regained his composure.
With all the evidence and witnesses, the Emperor’s arrival is actually better!
Then, they could punish Grace right along with her!
After that announcement, a yellow imperial procession appeared, followed by two squads of palace guards in striking purple armor—imposing and impressive.
Emperor Henry, dressed in his dragon robe, ascended the steps.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live His Majesty!" The shouts echoed from the mountain, shaking the air.
"Rise, all of you!" Emperor Henry said. "What’s going on here?"
"Your Majesty!" Grace said, "Yesterday, Prince Zane Tuoba came to the Spirit Alliance as an inspector, but instead of doing his job, he harassed one of our Spiritual Alchemists! My assistant couldn’t stand it and gave him a beating! I never expected him to come back today with soldiers and surround the Spirit Alliance Mountain!"
"Nonsense!" Prince Zane Tuoba snapped. "When did I harass anyone? Yesterday, I discovered Rina Chu acting suspicious, possibly stealing the Defense Blueprint, so I confronted her. She turned out to be far stronger than I expected—even I couldn’t handle her! How can you just make things up?"
"If she really were a spy, and you caught her yesterday, why would she still be here waiting for you to arrest her today? What kind of spy is that dense?"
Prince Zane Tuoba was speechless for a moment, then bowed to Emperor Henry: "Your Majesty, if you want to know whether she’s a spy, just search her quarters! The missing Defense Blueprint might still be with her! Please, grant permission."
Emperor Henry glanced at him, nodded, and ordered his men: "Go search Rina Chu’s quarters."
Immediately, the palace guards went in to search.
Prince Zane Tuoba exchanged a look with the Gallant Riders’ general, who led his own men in after them, all in a rush.
The servants all lived in the same quarters.