Even when Elara used her spiritual power, she could only vaguely hear the names of three forces: Dark Sky Hall, Yellow Springs Hall, and Divine Attendant Palace, but she couldn't clearly understand what kind of relationship they had with each other.
Just as she was thinking about how to get a bit closer more secretly, a gaze suddenly came from the front left side of the hall.
Elara immediately looked up and saw someone... dressed in a deep blue silk robe, with refined and elegant features, but his belly was swollen like a man nine months pregnant.
In Carnation Kingdom, pregnant men weren't uncommon. Earlier that day when Elara and the others arrived, they saw several pregnant men with large bellies on the streets.
But this pregnant man was different. The moment Elara's eyes met his, surprise flashed across her gaze. Because from this unfamiliar man, she clearly sensed a familiar feeling.
It was the aura that only her blood puppets would release.
But when had she ever contracted with a blood puppet who was this pregnant?
And why had he appeared out of nowhere, in a place thousands of miles away from Plumera Kingdom?
"Xue Yan, what's wrong?"
A deep, cold female voice from behind the screen seemed to notice the pregnant man's pause.
The elegant pregnant man in the dark blue silk robe calmly looked away from Elara. Perhaps due to the weight of his large belly, his pale hand reached out from his sleeve to gently support his round abdomen, and his voice was gentle and clear.
"Nothing."
After he spoke, he lightly supported his belly and walked behind the screen.
But even though this strange blood puppet didn't reveal the position of Elara and the others, the woman behind the screen instantly sensed something unusual.
"Who is there?"
Elara instantly moved back, dodging the powerful internal force that rushed at her.
Several folding screens in the main hall shattered, revealing the real faces of the people behind them.
Elara only had time to catch a clear look at the noble and elegant woman sitting in the main seat who had attacked her. Then, under the force of continuous deadly attacks, she swiftly retreated with Prince Yu and Prince Leland.
The Gu insects hidden in the surroundings became agitated and active the moment the woman spoke.
That woman was a skilled Gu master. If they stayed any longer, they would be surrounded by the poisonous insects, making it hard to escape.
Elara, Prince Yu, and Prince Leland quickly took action. One guarded the rear, one cleared the path, and the three of them instantly dashed downstairs.
Why didn't they use the windows? Because outside the windows were dense swarms of Gu insects, stepping out would be walking straight into a trap.
When they returned to the third floor, a huge swarm of poisonous insects was already chasing them closely.
The quarrel on the third floor hadn't ended. The flamboyant man was already covered in bruises, and the beautiful young man was still angrily swinging a whip. Servants and guards from both sides were still tangled in a chaotic fight.
In the midst of the chaos, the movements of Elara and the others going downstairs weren't very noticeable. But when the spectators on the second floor saw the swarm of terrifying Gu insects behind them, the playful laughter turned into panicked screaming and fleeing.
But it was already too late.
Just as Elara and the others reached the third-floor entrance, they heard a woman's angry scolding from the fourth floor above, "Useless. You couldn't even find a safe place for a secret meeting. Clean up this place immediately. No one who entered this building today is allowed to leave."
As her shouting ended, the once lively flower pavilion suddenly burst into flames.
Blazing fire erupted from the ground floor and every door and window frame on every level, sealing off all exits and trapping everyone inside the building.
Everyone inside froze. The ones who were still fighting, mocking, or laughing just moments ago were stunned by the sudden blaze.
A few seconds later, the entire building erupted into chaos, screams, curses, and panic all at once.
Combined with the swarm of terrifying Gu insects chasing behind Elara and the others, everyone now faced death from two sides. Even the guards and servants who were fighting moments ago became terrified, throwing aside their masters, the flamboyant man and the beautiful young man, and tried to flee in every direction.
The flamboyant man, who was already lying on the floor, was trampled several times during the chaos and completely lost consciousness.
The beautiful young man was also afraid, but he still held his whip, trying to remain calm and call his panicked guards back to order.
But they were closest to the entrance on the third floor, and the swarm of terrifying insects would reach this area first.
Terrified people around them violently shoved the young man, as if trying to sacrifice him to the insects in exchange for more time to escape.
That push sent the young man stumbling right in front of Elara, who had just dropped down from the third floor.
Seeing his face, which looked very similar to Leif's, Elara suddenly remembered a suspicion that had long lingered in her mind.
As the boy was about to fall, Elara quickly caught him by the waist, pulling him into her arms. Silent spiritual energy spread from her back, wrapping around herself and the boy, as well as Prince Yu and Prince Leland who followed behind her. Shielded by that energy, the four of them dashed out from the inferno and the swarm of Gu insects, escaping the blazing building.
Taking the young boy out of the brothel, Elara immediately sensed a group of highly skilled secret guards rushing over from a distance. The emblem on their clothing matched the one worn by the boy's guards.
Based on how those people had just addressed him as "Your Highness," it was clear this boy held a high status.
Although those secret guards were powerful, they still fell short compared to the three of them. Elara gently stirred their shared mental energy, and in a flash, their figures vanished from the spot and headed toward a hidden courtyard.
Once they arrived at the hidden location, Elara put the boy down.
The moment she released him, the boy seemed to realize what had just happened. His delicate face turned red, and he quickly stepped back several paces, glaring at her in anger and embarrassment as he shouted,
"Who... who are you people?! And you! How could you..." Even if it was an emergency, how could a strange woman just carry him like that!
Elara withdrew her mental energy and looked at the boy. "Don't worry, we mean no harm. If we did, we wouldn't have pulled you out of that deadly situation. We just have a few questions to ask."
Prince Leland and Prince Yu also walked over at that moment.
Gladiolus Kingdom had recently formed trade ties with Zhaiyun Pavilion. Prince Leland had seen Leif before. They weren't close, but now that he got a good look at the boy's face, he too was surprised.
Prince Yu had already stepped up to the boy. "Prince Ling, please don't worry. We have no ill intentions. Just like Miss Bai said, if we meant harm, we wouldn't have rescued you."
"We only want to ask a few questions. Your Highness, are you of Gerbera Kingdom's royal family? Do you have an older brother from the same mother who went missing?"
When the boy heard what Prince Yu asked, the anger and embarrassment on his face turned into confusion. His eyes moved from Elara to Prince Yu, and he frowned.
"Who exactly are you? Yes, I am part of the Gerbera Kingdom royal family. I am the only phoenix-born under Her Majesty the Empress, and Gerbera Kingdom's only prince. But how could I have a missing full brother? This involves state secrets. Even if you're outsiders and saved me just now, making up such things is still a serious offense."
Prince Yu thought for a moment and turned to Elara. "Do you have the Zhaiyun Pavilion token with you?"
Elara recalled that Prince Yu once told her Leif had built Zhaiyun Pavilion using the power left to him by his mother. The symbol on the Pavilion's token might be taken from that same legacy.
Elara reached into her sleeve and looked at Uno.
Uno pulled out a sandalwood token carved with an intricate and unique pattern from his chest.
The boy's eyes widened slightly when he saw the token.
The pattern on it... although it wasn't the royal emblem of Gerbera Kingdom, that was precisely why he had to believe it somewhat. He had only ever seen that pattern in his mother's private chambers. Not only was the design exactly the same, but he had also seen his mother staring at it in sorrow before.
Seeing his reaction, the three of them became more certain about their suspicion.
Prince Yu stepped forward with the token in hand.
"Prince Ling, it seems you recognize this token. This matter came upon us suddenly, and we don't have more items from Leif. For now, we can only hand this over to Your Highness. Take it home and show it to the Empress. If Her Majesty wishes to acknowledge it, we will bring more proof in three days."
The boy stared hesitantly at the wooden token in his hand. After a long pause, his gaze shifted briefly toward Elara. He pressed his lips together and asked, "Then where are you staying? If this token is real, I need to be able to find you."
Seeing him accept the token, Prince Yu gave his usual smile. He pulled out a fan from who-knows-where, opened it with a "swish," and said with a faint smile,
"There's no need to worry about that. If Her Majesty is willing, three days from now, pick a meeting place outside the palace, and the three of us will show up."
If Leif really was a royal prince of Gerbera Kingdom who had been lost to the outside world, and the Empress's son, then this matter with Gladiolus Kingdom would be resolved easily.
Based on everything so far, that possibility seemed quite high.
After leaving the hidden location, considering the full-scale search being conducted by Lianhuang Sect and the leaders of several nations, Elara and the others left the capital of Gerbera Kingdom that same night and returned to Gladiolus Kingdom's Bluestar City.
Once they arrived in Bluestar City, the first thing Prince Yu did was write a letter to Leif. He explained everything that had happened and asked if Leif was willing to send a portrait of himself and any tokens from his childhood.