258 A Strange Existence (2/2)

”We have waited year in and year out for someone from outside of the continent to come to visit us, but it has never happened—not before now at least.”

Xue Wei's raised eyebrow sunk down to a frown with the other. ”What is this 'existence,' you speak of?” he asked, but the King just shrugged her shoulders.

”I do not know,” she said honestly.

”The Garden of Shadows is the most mysterious place in the entire continent. They are guarding this information with their lives; even the previous King only managed to scratch the surface of this mystery.”

Xue Wei felt confused by something. Why would the Garden of Shadows harbor an existence that was a disaster to their nation, and why would they go to such lengths to prevent it from being seen by others?

And even more, they expected outsiders to solve their problems for them? They were dealing with such a huge problem with such a lax attitude.

”I understand your concern,” the King said with a sigh as she saw Xue Wei's knitted eyebrows, ”but we really have not been able to solve the situation ourselves despite many attempts.”

”Can you give us some more details about what we can expect to encounter?” Xue Wei asked tentatively. He was not exactly sure what waited at the end of this road, so he was suddenly quite worried.

This also made him understand why Elder Sun had been so eager to recruit them into the Garden of Shadows when they first met.

Xue Wei pondered for some time while waiting for the King to explain the situation, but she just shook her head dejectedly.

”I can't explain it,” she said again. ”You will have to experience it for yourself. If you manage to solve our problem, I will without a doubt grant you a spot in the delegation that is leaving for the Demon Phoenix Continent next time.”

Xue Wei had been wondering whether or not it would be worth it for him to actually do anything about this strange and unexplainable phenomenon of theirs, but his hesitation came to a swift end when he heard the King's promise.

Merit points were a bother. Gathering them took too much time, and it was not easy to get enough to be admitted to the delegation. Not to mention that he was not alone. Every single one of them needed to reach the requisite threshold to qualify.

”If you can promise that the four of us will get a spot on the ship towards the Demon Phoenix Continent, then we will do anything in our power to solve this riddle and rid you of your worries,” Xue Wei promised.

The King looked at the solemn expression on Xue Wei's face and nodded her head. ”I promise,” she said.

Although it was quite a lot to send all four of them to the Demon Phoenix Continent, if they could solve the longstanding prophecy related to the Garden of Shadows, then it was definitely worth it.

The King went back to her throne and casually sat down before she waved her hand. The doors to the hall opened again, and the many officials who had been asked to leave earlier swarmed back into the hall.

All of them looked at Xue Wei and his friends with hostility, but there was also a curiosity in their eyes. It was clear that all of them wanted to know what their conversation had been about.

”I am very honored to have guests from outside of the continent visiting,” the King announced as the first thing, ”and thus I am hereby awarding the four of you a free pass to always enter the Imperial Palace to look for me.

”I hope that you will come often to tell me about your current achievements and thoughts of Yan Dalu—and at the same time, should you need something, do not be shy to ask for it.”

Hearing the voice of the King, many showed dissatisfaction, but no one dared to speak up about it.

Truth was, these experts were all scheming against one another, from the beginning to the end of the day. They did not like that these four foreigners had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and actually gained the favor of the King.

Not only this, the King was actually going quite far to accommodate them and even gave them a free pass to enter the Imperial Palace!

They understood that these four people were from outside of the continent, but there was no denying that Xue Wei and the others were 'normal' people compared to themselves. They did not have their innate abilities, nor did they have their superior cultivation talent. What right did they have to actually gain their King's favor?

Xue Wei was used to running for his life, so he had never been involved in the political game before, but he was not oblivious so he quickly figured out what the reason behind the many glares he was getting was.

It was truly difficult to be popular!

Together with the officials, Elder Sun also returned to the hall. His eyes were not filled with the same curiosity as the officials. It was clear that he knew what they had been talking about.

Although his eyes did not gleam with the same curiosity as the officials, they still contained a hidden fear as he glanced at Xue Wei, unable to understand what the end of their conversation was.

In the end, would Xue Wei help them? He did not know, but he kept praying in his heart that he would.

”Elder Sun, our guests must be tired. It is not suitable for them to stay any longer. They have been granted a free pass already, and should they ever want to see me, they can come whenever they want. For now, lead them back to the academy and look after them well.”

Hearing this, Elder Sun bowed deeply to the King in acknowledgment of the order before he gestured for Xue Wei and the others to follow him, his heart hammering rapidly. Was it maybe possible for this group of youngsters to solve their century-long problems?

He did not know, but something about these kids gave him a good feeling. He just hoped that they could live up to his expectations.