Legacy of the Void Fleet

Standing behind her, Arya pressed her lips together as she watched the unusually emotional behavior of her Empress. The confrontation between Valoria and Vivian had also left a significant impact on her own thoughts.

As the Grand Admiral of the Imperial Forces, Arya rarely paid much attention to the Empire’s internal affairs. Because of that, she had never been fully aware that incidents like those Vivian mentioned had occurred. Yet from the way Vivian had spoken, and knowing her as well as she did, Arya could tell there had not been even a shred of falsehood in her words...

And yet the Empress she knew, an Empress who ordinarily possessed absolutely no tolerance for such matters, had reacted strangely. No... more than strange. Arya felt that Valoria had not merely disagreed with Vivian, but had almost instinctively rejected everything she said outright.

Something about that did not sit right with her.

It made Arya feel as though her Empress had been behaving unusually today. Or perhaps not just today...

As that thought surfaced, several memories of past incidents she had previously paid little attention to suddenly appeared in her mind. Events similar to this one. Situations where she had felt something was off but had ultimately dismissed the feeling and moved on.

Now, however, as she connected those memories together, Arya began noticing a pattern.

A very troubling pattern.

In many of those situations, whenever evidence pointed in one direction, the Empress had somehow ended up choosing the exact opposite conclusion...

And for the first time, Arya found herself wondering whether this was truly a coincidence... or if something else was at play entirely.

But before Arya could spend more time thinking about it, Valoria’s voice came from the front. She still sounded furious.

”Arya, go brief everyone regarding their stay here and have the fleet move toward that mothership. Inform me once we reach the Celestial Void Empire’s central star system.” Saying that, she began walking toward the exit of the command bridge.

However, after taking only a few steps, she suddenly turned around and added, ”And yes, compile all those conversations we had with Vivian, or whatever her name is, into a file for me. I intend to present it to the Imperial Emperor of the Celestial Void Empire. Let’s see what he has to say about one of his subordinates behaving in such a disrespectful manner toward a guest.”

Arya frowned upon hearing this.

She had a strong feeling that doing something like that would not end well and might even backfire on them instead. Worse, it could undermine their plans for a partnership and potentially make such an outcome impossible altogether.

But before she could even organize her thoughts, Empress Valoria had already walked away. Watching her leave, Arya could only let out a deep sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted.

The thoughts that had surfaced in her mind earlier returned once again, making her more and more doubtful about the Empress’s current condition. She genuinely felt that something had happened to Valoria, something she herself was unaware of.

No... I can’t think like that. It may not be what I’m imagining. But if, by some chance, it is... then I need to investigate this matter more deeply.

Arya remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. That can wait for now. First, let’s get these matters dealt with.

With that, she pushed aside her growing concerns and turned her attention back toward her duties, though the seed of doubt had already been planted firmly within her heart.

Time passed, and within a few tens of minutes, everything was settled by Arya. The Elven flagship finally broke away from its fleet formation and moved toward the mothership, eventually settling within one of the enormous hangars after a slight delay caused by the events that had just transpired.

”Hmph. Causing trouble for me, huh? Whatever. Who cares?” Shrugging her shoulders, Vivian gave her next order. ”Okay, everyone, move out!”

Whoosh!

With that, the mothership, along with Vivian’s own fleet, departed the star system’s outer zone and rushed toward the Celestial Star System at incredible speed.

Only a few tens of minutes later, the fleet re-entered real space, exiting hyperspace and appearing near the Celestial Void Star. Soon after, they docked within the enormous spaceport orbiting the world.

Valoria’s eyes widened. She could not stop the gasp that escaped her lips. ”Wow... so beautiful...”

Her astonishment drew the attention of both Vivian and the Arch Duke, who had been happily chatting, sharing stories, and catching up with one another.

Vivian suddenly slapped her forehead as she remembered something she had completely forgotten. ”How could I forget that?”

Turning toward the Duke, she quickly corrected herself. ”Fa... no, Duke! Please come near the viewport with me and behold the beauty of our capital world’s Central Continent. I can tell you definitely haven’t seen a place that is so heavenly, yet so real.”

Saying that, she practically dragged him toward the viewport and pointed outside, proudly showing him the magnificent landscape of the capital world.

Towering mountains covered in snow stretched across the horizon. On one side lay lush green forests so dense that they looked endless, while on another side vast grasslands flourished with countless varieties of plants and vegetation.

Then there were the floating islands. Some were enormous, rivaling small continents in size, while others were much smaller. Water cascaded down from them like celestial waterfalls, forming vast lakes and rivers below.

All around, countless animals and magical beasts could be seen drinking from the crystal-clear waters. Birds swooped down from the skies, catching fish that leaped from the lakes before soaring away once more. The entire scene was captivating beyond words...

Hiss... The Duke could not help but draw in a sharp breath.

He felt the beauty of this place, its rich magical energy, and the profound connection it possessed with the Laws of Nature. Yet beyond that, there was something else, something deeper and more mysterious hidden beneath the surface.

That indescribable feeling made him shudder in delight, as though he had stumbled upon an immeasurable treasure.

”This... this...” Empress Valoria seemed to realize exactly what the Arch Duke had felt and muttered in astonishment, finding it difficult to believe what she was sensing.

Even though she had no idea exactly what it was, the feeling of her main Law, the Law of Life, being suppressed made her instinctively understand that whatever this presence was, it was unimaginably important and precious at the same time.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she turned toward the Duke and noticed the same astonishment written across his face. Knowing that he had sensed something as well, she immediately sought confirmation. ”Duke... did... did you feel that just now? The suppressive force acting on our Laws?”

Hearing this, the Duke turned toward her with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head.”Suppression?” he repeated thoughtfully.

”No. Not exactly. Or at least, I do not feel it as suppression.” His gaze drifted back toward the magnificent world beyond the viewport.

”What I feel instead is something of a superior nature to the Laws themselves...”vThe moment those words left his mouth, the astonishment on Valoria’s face deepened even further.

Vivian did not intervene in their conversation and instead maintained a neutral expression. However, inwardly, she was quite happy because what her father had said was exactly correct.

What they were feeling was a kind of suppression, one that occurred naturally in certain places and was not entirely uncommon among cultivators and law-comprehenders. But this case was different. It was both a suppression and not a suppression at the same time, because the pressure originated from something far superior to the Laws themselves... the #@%**.

At the same time, Vivian also felt relieved. Her father’s response told her something important. It confirmed that the path ahead of him was stable and solid.

After all, this phenomenon could only be perceived by someone who was truly in tune with the Laws they had comprehended, someone who had reached a certain balance and harmony with them. Only then could they sense the deeper nature hidden beneath the apparent suppression.

As for why the Empress had not felt the same thing, Vivian could already guess the reason. The Laws Valoria had comprehended were not truly in harmony with her current self, nor had they reached the balance necessary to perceive that deeper layer. Without achieving that balance, progressing further along her path would become increasingly difficult.

Because of that realization, Vivian could not help but cast a faintly pitying look toward the Empress before quickly hiding it once more.

All the while, the Empress could not get a clear picture of why she was perceiving things differently. She simply did not feel what the Duke had described. Instead, she genuinely felt a kind of suppression acting upon her, which only made her more doubtful and confused.

What she did not know was that, in Vivian’s eyes, this difference had already become a form of evaluation.