"Previously, my father had brothers, many uncles of mine. One of them was very fond of researching ancient technology, but he also caused a lot of trouble.
He was originally the heir apparent, but it's said he used palace maids for experiments, turning them into monsters.
Originally, the royal family would have tried their best to suppress such a scandal, especially since he was the future emperor.
But those monsters escaped and wantonly slaughtered civilians in the streets. They were eventually barely suppressed by the city defense army, and over two thousand people died in the incident.
The incident was impossible to contain, and the public demanded an explanation. Therefore, he was expelled from the royal family, and my father ascended to the throne."
Dolores recalled.
"So that's how it is... Do you know where we can find him?"
Zhang Chen asked.
He also needed to have a good talk with this guy about Xu Ruina.
"I don't have the ability to do that right now, but when I regain the throne, I can mobilize all the intelligence personnel of the Valen Empire to find his whereabouts.
With the strength of the Valen Empire, if there's someone we're determined to find, there's no one we can't find."
Dolores said confidently.
"Alright, since you say so, let's settle this throne issue quickly!"
Zhang Chen waved his left hand, and a teleportation portal instantly opened.
The group passed through the portal and found themselves before a majestic, colossal city wall that soared into the clouds.
"This is the capital of the Valen Empire, the Pinnacle of the World!"
Dolores took a deep breath, as if wanting to remember the scent of the place forever.
"This is called the Pinnacle of the World?"
Zhang Chen was stunned upon seeing the high walled city.
Wasn't this one of the previous seven high-walled cities?
It's just that after several centuries, people had renovated and decorated the walls, making them look even more magnificent and spectacular.
Such high walls could even withstand mutated creatures, making it utterly impossible for any human army to conquer such a city.
With walls over a hundred meters high, even ladders wouldn't reach that far, and a fall from such a height would result in utter annihilation.
Calling such a city the Pinnacle of the World was not an exaggeration.
"Wow, the walls are so high, they seem to connect with the clouds!"
"I really want to stand on the wall and look down, I bet I could see really far!"
"As expected of the Valen Empire, to be able to construct such a grand edifice!"
The three little cats' eyes widened, their tails wagging with excitement and amazement.
"Actually, according to ancient texts, these high walls were left behind from the mythical era.
It has been proven that this is the only high-walled city in the world, and no one in later times has been able to build such a magnificent structure.
The walls here are all built from huge, uniform stones. The weight of each single stone exceeds twenty tons, and every stone is identical in size, weight, and shape.
Even with current technology, no one can replicate this.
This shows the boundless wisdom of the ancient ancestors. What is recorded in ancient texts, especially many things we consider myths, may not necessarily be false. It's possible that due to a technological gap, our level is too low to grasp the essence."
Dolores said, mimicking what her father had told her.
This was also why the Valen Empire so firmly believed in ancient books and made them mandatory readings for every monarch.
Zhang Chen nodded.
The wisdom and combat power of ancient times were truly beyond what people of the present could match.
This world felt like it had regressed. The technological level had fallen back to ancient civilization, and individual combat power had collapsed to an absurd degree.
The group walked towards the bustling entrance of the city.
Rows of soldiers in gleaming silver armor, armed to the teeth, stood on either side.
The ground was covered with flower petals, and looking inside from the city gate, the shops on both sides of the street were adorned with colorful ribbons, and the pedestrians on the road were jubilant, as if celebrating a festival.
"Is this some kind of festival? Why is everyone so happy?"
Miao Ke asked curiously.
"There's no festival these days!"
Dolores frowned and said.
"Hello, may I ask why it's so lively today? Or is it always this lively here?"
Miao Qi, curious, pulled over a cat-eared maid carrying a basket of fruit into the city.
"Didn't your master tell you? The old emperor is preparing to pass the throne to the second prince, and today is the day of the new king's enthronement!
All slaves and servants can eat fruit and meat on this day, we've been looking forward to this day for a long time!"
The cat-eared maid said gleefully.
"Enthronement? Succession?"
"Heh, this second prince is too impatient!"
Dolores immediately pulled off her hood, which concealed her face, and shouted loudly:
"Dolores, Princess, the first heir to the Valen Empire, is here! I've returned to inherit the throne!"