Sophia wore a pale yellow gown adorned with tiny mana stones, her petite figure light and graceful, resembling a girl next door who had stepped out of a court painting. Her fair cheeks glowed with a healthy flush, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared, radiating natural innocence.

Aurek took her hand and led her into the Divine Spring Palace.

Inside the palace, the warm spring water from the earth's veins rose in a mist, blending with the soft glow emitted by the crystals in the hall, creating a dreamy, ethereal atmosphere.

The light fabric of their clothes swayed gently as the two figures appeared and disappeared within the mist and shifting lights.

Outside the palace, the empire's griffins and elegant unicorns occasionally soared by.

The gentle murmur of the spring combined with the whispering winds enhanced the tranquility of the palace.

...

Moonlight Palace

Henna quietly reported.

"Your Majesty… tonight, he is staying in the Divine Spring Palace."

"Is there something strange about that? The whole court has long since accepted the closeness of her sisters and mentors to His Majesty."

Elizabeth's tone was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Mentor?"

Henna's beautiful almond eyes showed a flash of surprise.

"You mean... Gloria and the others..."

"His Majesty is, after all, a ruler—a powerful one at that."

Elizabeth interrupted, her gaze falling on Henna, carrying an air of scrutiny.

Henna possessed a unique charm, different from most palace women, a trace of the martial vigor that came from her past as the commander of the former empress's guard.

Just as Henna began to feel uneasy under Elizabeth's gaze, the latter suddenly spoke.

"Display your talents and loyalty well. His Majesty appreciates more than just one kind of excellence."

Henna, upon hearing this, hurriedly knelt on one knee, assuming it was a test from Elizabeth, her voice filled with fear and respect.

"I would never have any improper thoughts, Your Majesty!"

"Why would you not?"

Elizabeth stood and walked to the window, her gaze drifting toward the distant, layered palaces and the towering silhouette of the Divine Sanctuary. Her eyes were deep and contemplative.

"Look around the palace. Who among us hasn't harbored hopes?"

"Even after stepping into the Divine Sanctuary above the clouds, the boundaries between master and servant, the distance between favor and neglect, are ever-present."

Having once been an empress, she deeply understood this.

Henna knew exactly what Elizabeth meant. How could she not have entertained at least a fleeting thought?

After all, the ruler of the empire—his accomplishments, charisma, and dominion over the heavens—was difficult for anyone to remain indifferent to.

"You are to leave the palace and deliver this letter to Merolle!"

Elizabeth handed Henna a memory crystal sealed with a magical imprint.

"When you return, perhaps I can find a chance to help you demonstrate your worth in front of His Majesty."

Henna took the crystal with both hands, rising and giving Elizabeth a deep look before quickly leaving.

...

It was unclear how much time had passed.

In the Divine Spring Palace,

Sophia leaned on a soft couch by the window, gazing at Aurek, who was flipping through ancient books. Her cheeks flushed with a slight redness.

She hesitated for a moment before shyly speaking.

"Aurek, Lucy mentor gave me a set of... what she said was a technique to promote energy resonance between two people... Do you think we should... try it?"

"Energy resonance technique?"

Aurek raised his head from the book, slightly puzzled.

Sophia's face turned bright red, her voice barely audible.

"It's... a technique where two people synchronize their mind power to guide energy into a circulating loop... it's said to be very beneficial for stabilizing ranks and understanding laws."

Aurek paused for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization.

Looking at Sophia, her shy yet hopeful expression made him chuckle, feeling a bit helpless towards the playful Lucy mentor.

It seemed that even his composed empress had been subjected to similar whimsical ideas from her!

In another side hall,

Lucy, deep in meditation, suddenly sensed a faint disturbance. She pulled herself out of her meditation, her eyes flashing with a strange light. She carefully checked her surroundings but found nothing amiss.

Shaking her head, she attributed it to a fleeting distraction during her meditation and once again immersed herself in her comprehension of the laws.

Under Aurek's personal guidance and protection, Sophia attempted the special technique.

Through deep energy resonance and mind power interaction with a being as powerful as Aurek, Sophia's rank saw a remarkable and solid increase.

She unexpectedly jumped several small ranks and reached the level of a quasi-God General.

Aurek stayed in the Divine Spring Palace for several more days.

He took the ancient books obtained from the giant elephant demon race and carefully studied them.

The contents mainly focused on the race's origins and some fragmented records regarding the Endless Starry Sea.

According to the records, the giant elephant demon race had once been a powerful faction on the edge of the Hell River.

At one point, they had a Sage Lord of the 9th level commanding them.

With such a Sage Lord-level expert at the helm, even a Divine Empire-level force wouldn't be taken seriously by the giant elephant demon race.

However, everything changed with the arrival of the Aetherian Sanctuary.

The Aetherian Sanctuary wasn't crafted by any mere Sage King artisan, but originated from a force higher than even a Divine Empire—an ancient source called the Starry Court.

The legendary Sage King artisan was merely a guardian spirit of the Gold Giant Gate, and he was the ancestor of the giant elephant demon race's Sage Lord.

The Starry Court was also destroyed because of the Aetherian Sanctuary.

After losing their leader, the ancestors of the giant elephant demon race grew greedy for the Divine Sanctuary and, in doing so, brought upon an unfathomable curse.

Not only did the Sage Lord suffer, but the entire race was struck with misfortune, nearly exterminating them.

Only the high priest managed to save a portion of the race through forbidden techniques that obscured fate, leading them to escape the Endless Starry Sea into the Abyssal Demon Realm.

They later endured a harsh blow from the Council of the Dark Order and retreated into the Giant Elephant Mountains.

Where exactly is the Hell River?

What kind of taboo did they break?

What misfortune did they encounter?

What is the origin of the Starry Court?

Aurek didn't delve deeply into these distant and vague records.

He was more concerned with the Aetherian Sanctuary itself.

For several days, he pored over all related ancient texts, piecing together some clues.

The Aetherian Sanctuary had fallen into the Abyssal Demon Realm a long time ago, originally crashing into the Snail Sea.

The giant elephant demon race came to the Demon Realm, first following the will of their ancestors, and secondly, to break the curse in their bloodline.

Only by finding the Aetherian Sanctuary could they hope to undo the curse.

The ancient texts vaguely mentioned that a shocking secret was hidden within the Divine Sanctuary, and it was this secret that led to the fall of the Starry Court.

It seemed that the ancestors of the giant elephant demon race had sensed something and tried to claim it for themselves, ultimately bringing upon the curse that nearly wiped out their race.

But there were many illogical points in the story.

For instance, why did the taboo curse the ancestors of the giant elephant demon race but not affect the Divine Sanctuary?

Aurek did not find it entirely absurd.

After all, these were fragmented records from the limited perspective of the giant elephant demon race.

The true cause of the catastrophe was their ancestor, and their race likely only knew a small portion of the truth.

The deeper connections were likely beyond their comprehension.

However, one thing did stand out.

There was indeed a colossal secret hidden within the twelve layers of the Divine Sanctuary.

And even though Aurek had absorbed the law origins of the Divine Sanctuary, he had yet to uncover even a glimpse of this secret.

A secret powerful enough to bring down a force greater than the Divine Empire.

Such a secret's significance could hardly be overstated.

Now, it seemed that all of this was slowly but surely shifting toward him.

He had no choice but to take it seriously.

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