Prince Rowan's Palace, inside one of the halls.
"What did you say?"
"Someone broke into Myra's manor?"
"And in the end, Myra couldn't do anything to stop him and just let him leave?"
After hearing his subordinate's report, Prince Rowan Vance fired off three questions in a row, showing just how shocked and surprised he was. Although Princess Myra was a woman, she commanded her own army—something that made many princes and princesses both envious and jealous.
Among the imperial sons, Prince Rowan was one of the more outstanding few. He also commanded his own army—the Scarlet-Scale Army—but overall, its strength was a notch below the Myriad-Phenomena Army. In several drills, it had lost to Myra's troops, a fact that Rowan had always brooded over.
"Yes, Your Highness, that's exactly what happened!" Nolan Han nodded.
The Central Empire's emperor had far too many children, so only the truly outstanding ones were granted the title of prince or princess. Most of the imperial sons and daughters never received any title at all.
Of all the emperor's children, seventeen had been made princes and fifteen had been made princesses. Among the princesses, Myra was the brightest star.
After calming himself down, Prince Rowan asked again, "Did you find out who that person was?"
Nolan Han replied, "That man is Evan Chu, a son-in-law of the Ward Family from the Sky-Sun Region. Previously, when Princess Myra Vance toured the region, she tried to recruit Evan Chu as her personal guard, but he actually refused her and left. Myra seemed to value him highly, so she took his wife Lynne Ward as a maid and brought her to the capital!"
Then yesterday, Evan Chu arrived in the capital, and today he stormed the Myriad-Phenomena Palace and took Lynne Ward away!
"Interesting! Very interesting!" Prince Rowan Vance couldn't help but laugh and clap his hands. "This is just too amusing. Who would've thought Princess Myra would finally get put in her place!"
Suddenly, his tone shifted and he grew serious. "If Princess Myra values Evan Chu so highly, he must be truly extraordinary!"
"That's right!"
Nolan Han nodded. "Evan Chu's strength is truly exceptional—he's absolutely one of the top ninth-tier War Generals. On top of that, he has a close relationship with the Dragonfolk Third Prince. Yesterday, he entered the city together with the Third Prince, and now he's living at the Dragonfolk Liaison Station!"
Hearing this, Prince Rowan's eyes lit up. He stared at Nolan Han and asked, "Nolan, do you think I have any chance of recruiting Evan Chu?"
Nolan Han gently shook his head. "It's difficult—really difficult!"
Hearing Nolan Han say this, Prince Rowan couldn't help but feel disappointed. He trusted Nolan Han quite a lot; Nolan's advice had been crucial to him being made a prince, and now Nolan served as his chief strategist, involved in nearly every major matter of the palace.
But Rowan still wasn't ready to give up. "Is it really impossible?"
Nolan Han sighed, "Your Highness, this man didn't even care about Princess Myra's offer. Clearly, he's not someone who would willingly serve under others. Plus, with his cultivation level, he's a top prodigy even in the Central Domain. He can live well without joining any faction, so..."
Prince Rowan waved his hand, signaling Nolan Han to stop. "If we can't recruit him, then let's make friends instead. Go send out some invitations—I'm inviting all the top young talents, and make sure Evan Chu gets one!"
Nolan Han's expression darkened slightly as he considered, "Won't this make Princess Myra unhappy?"
"Don't worry about her!" Prince Rowan waved it off. "No matter what, she's still a woman and can't inherit the throne. Plus, with her personality, she's never going to side with any of us. So there's no need to keep giving her face!"
Since Princess Myra rose to power, he and the other princes had all tried to win her over, but she was completely unmoved and showed no interest in aligning with any prince.
But she was also deeply loved by the emperor, so all the princes were outwardly polite to her.
An hour later.
Inside the manor of the Dragonfolk Liaison Station.
"Prince Rowan? Why would he send me an invitation?" Ian Song (Evan Chu) looked at the newly delivered card, a little surprised.
Drake Liu grinned, "Heh, obviously it's because Boss, your dramatic raid on Princess Myra's estate has already spread!"
Drake Liu chuckled.
"So, what kind of person is Prince Rowan?"
Ian Song (Evan Chu) asked Silver Xiu.
Silver Xiu replied, "Reporting to Lord Chu, Prince Rowan is Princess Myra's elder brother. Among all the princes, he has a good reputation—gentle temperament, kind to others, and just like Princess Myra, he commands his own army!"
Ian Song teased, "Then why is he inviting me? Does he want to stand up for his little sister?"
Silver Xiu shook his head. "Probably not. Princess Myra is way too independent and doesn't get along with the other princes and princesses. I guess Prince Rowan mostly wants to win you over, Lord Chu."
"That's a good analysis!" Ian Song nodded. "In that case, I'll go tonight. Might as well check out Cloud-Heaven Pavilion!"
Cloud-Heaven Pavilion is the largest, most luxurious restaurant in the capital. Supposedly, its secret owner is Prince Lorenzo Vance, who is the emperor's younger brother.
Evening.
Ian Song and Drake Liu rode in a carriage driven by Bella Bai, heading toward Cloud-Heaven Pavilion.
Soon, they arrived at Cloud-Heaven Pavilion.
Cloud-Heaven Pavilion has ninety-nine floors and rises over a thousand meters, making it one of the tallest buildings in the capital.
Even though the restaurant's threshold was high, it was still packed—after all, there were plenty of nobles and big shots in the capital.
"You must be Young Master Chu. I am Nolan Han, waiting here on Prince Rowan's orders to welcome you!"
As soon as Evan Chu stepped out of the carriage, a gentle scholar in green robes—who looked as if he couldn't harm a fly—came up and greeted him politely.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Han!"
Evan Chu smiled in response. Before coming to the banquet, he had learned some basics about Prince Rowan and knew that Nolan Han was Rowan's chief strategist and trusted adviser.
"You're too kind, Young Master Chu!" Nolan Han then bowed to Drake Liu. "Greetings, Your Highness the Third Prince!"
"Mm, lead the way!"
Drake Liu nodded proudly.
Nolan Han wasn't offended at all—in fact, his smile grew even warmer. "Young Master Chu, Third Prince, please come in. Prince Rowan is waiting for you on the ninety-ninth floor!"
The ground floor of Cloud-Heaven Pavilion was huge, and it even had a teleportation array that led straight to the ninety-ninth floor.
The moment they stepped onto the teleportation array, Ian Song and his companions were instantly transported to the ninety-ninth floor.
Tonight, Prince Rowan had reserved the entire ninety-ninth floor of Cloud-Heaven Pavilion.
But it was nothing like they'd imagined—the ninety-ninth floor looked ten times bigger than the outside, clearly using Sumeru-space techniques. There were gardens, pavilions, towers, and even a small waterfall.
Under Nolan Han's guidance, Ian Song and Drake Liu entered a lavish great hall.
The hall was spacious, and when Prince Rowan saw Ian Song arrive, he stood up with a smile and greeted them, "Welcome, Brother Chu, welcome, Third Prince!"
Besides Prince Rowan, there were dozens of extraordinary young men and women in the hall. Seeing the prince treat these two unknown youths so respectfully, everyone was shocked and started speculating about their identities.