Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 530 - 528: Imperial Family Crisis

Mute girl Yang?

The Emperor didn't show up? 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Doesn't care about the machina crisis?

When there are enough coincidences, they are no longer coincidences. Eliminating all impossibilities, the last remaining scenario, no matter how inconceivable, must be the true answer.

Is it really... her?

Lu Luo remembered that woman, as radiant as the sun! Her carefree demeanor didn't seem characteristic of someone capable of such actions. But if it wasn't her, nothing else made sense...

"Lu Luo, have you thought of something?"

"I've thought of something terrible!"

Lu Luo didn't hide his emotions. He looked directly at Nolan and said, "Madam Nolan, do you have someone you can trust?"

"Someone I can trust? What do you need to do?"

"The Imperial Palace may no longer be safe."

"I know, but I need to know what you're going to do next to decide how to help you."

Nolan was smart; she had probably guessed some of it, but she still felt she needed more information before choosing whether to help Lu Luo.

Lu Luo, however, shook his head. "No, I can't tell you anything, because telling you would put me in great danger. You have only two choices now: trust me or don't. I'm a free man. At worst, I can abandon everything in the Imperial and leave this place. But you can't. Everything you have is here. That's the difference between us."

Nolan was rather helpless against Lu Luo's unreasonable assertiveness, but indeed, as Lu Luo said, she had no other choice. The feeling of danger grew stronger and nearer. She didn't know when true danger would descend upon her. The perceptive abilities of an Eighth Order Transcendent were beyond doubt. She could even sense some aspects of her own fate, and Lu Luo was someone who could influence her destiny.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Help me with all your might. Your child, your family, your resources, and your power—I need them all."

The sudden request startled Wu Ye Ji. She didn't understand how the conversation between them had shifted so swiftly. Just moments ago, they were exchanging probing, vague words, and now Lu Luo dared to make such an unreasonable demand. What in the world was going on?

"Lu Luo? Isn't this inappropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about it, because we're out of time. Madam Nolan should understand what I mean."

Nolan nodded slightly. Indeed, there was no time left. But Lu Luo asking for everything she had, even with her resolve, was difficult to accept in an instant.

"Can I have a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Nolan took a deep breath, walked to her dressing table, and opened a secret compartment. From it, she took out a small, broken mirror. It looked like an ordinary glass mirror. She held the mirror, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully handed it to Lu Luo.

"Take this, and you can have everything you want. Plus, you'll have my personal assistance."

Hearing Nolan's sudden commitment, Wu Ye Ji was shocked! What on earth was happening? Why had things taken such a sudden turn? What was the situation in the Imperial Palace? Goodness!

"Lu Luo, can you two tell me what exactly is going on? Why are you acting like this?"

"We can't," they said in unison.

Wu Ye Ji's mouth twitched, but in the end, she remained silent. "Fine then."

As Lu Luo picked up the broken shard, he immediately received some information from it.

[Broken Mirror: When you hold this shard, you can ascertain the things you wish to know. Main use: Confirming information about anomalies.]

Lu Luo gazed at the shard for a moment, then turned to Nolan. "This thing..."

"This isn't just my token; it's also something I had prepared to confirm certain matters. Now, you should understand its purpose."

"Yes, I understand now."

"You said earlier that you already knew everything, so the mirror isn't needed anymore. Take it; my son will also help you."

Nolan's promise was swift, and the information and support she offered were sincere. That must be a powerful figure's survival instinct! Perhaps only those who truly feel death can have such a strong will to live.

"Madam Nolan, will you come with us?"

Hearing Lu Luo's words, Nolan shook her head. "I have a feeling he is still brewing his plans. My presence might make him lower his guard slightly. But if I leave, he will certainly appear immediately. Neither you nor I have the power to oppose him. So, don't bother with futile efforts. You're going to be very busy, Lu Luo!"

"Yes, I understand, Madam Nolan. I will move quickly. Madam Nolan, take care."

"Hmm, you take care as well."

Their goodbye was just as abrupt. Upon leaving the palace, Wu Ye Ji was still in a daze.

Lu Luo pointed towards the palace gates. "Let's go. We need to leave the Imperial Palace."

"Aren't we going to continue the investigation?"

"There's no need for that now. The Imperial Palace is no longer safe. Running into Madam Nolan was already a stroke of good fortune for us."

Lu Luo knew he was indeed very lucky. Of course, it wasn't just luck. The situation in the entire Imperial Palace was truly complex. The number of people in the palace was decreasing—guards, envoys, concubines—all were diminishing. Perhaps those outside had noticed but hadn't spoken about it. They were likely interpreting this situation as a signal, a signal for advancement. That was the most laughable part!

"Sigh, let's go. Once we get out, there'll be plenty to do."

Lu Luo's face showed a hint of worry, which surprised Wu Ye Ji. The usual Lu Luo, no matter what happened, always appeared completely unfazed. What could possibly make him look so troubled?

"Is it difficult to resolve?"

"It's a life-and-death crisis. Does it feel sudden?"

"Not really. Just like Madam Nolan said, we have to face it head-on!"

"Yes, we do need some head-on confrontation!"

Leaving the Imperial Palace with Wu Ye Ji, Lu Luo felt a strange mix of emotions: a little fear, some anticipation, but mostly, excitement. Because Lu Luo knew that from this moment on, he was truly going to confront an Angel Envoy face-to-face!

「...」

After Lu Luo and Wu Ye Ji returned to the debriefing room, Wu Yi was already there waiting for them. Watching the two figures, one after the other, Wu Yi's gaze flickered slightly.

"Back already? That was fast. I thought it would take you a long time."

"Today's situation is a bit different. We didn't take long, but we definitely learned something. Let's leave quickly!"

"Learned something? Good, let's talk outside."

Wu Yi also understood the priorities. This was not the time to question the situation between Lu Luo and Wu Ye Ji. After a brief preparation, the trio left the Imperial Palace.

After their departure, Aotu suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. Looking in the direction of the departing trio, his expression showed some annoyance.

Why is that Lu Luo fellow leaving? I didn't even get to see him. If I can't fulfill Meiqi's request, the loss will be huge!

Aotu rubbed his yellowed teeth, then, shuffling his hunchbacked body, he moved towards the depths of the Imperial Palace. By his side stood a servile attendant with captivating eyes. Although this person appeared quite enchanting, his flat chest and prominent Adam's apple made it clear he was a man.

"Ancestor, are you going back now?"

"Xiao Si," Aotu suddenly asked, "have you felt that there are fewer people in the Imperial Palace recently?"

The attendant Xiao Si shook his head. "Ancestor, what does the number of people in the Imperial Palace have to do with us?"

Aotu paused for a moment. "Yes, the number of people in the Imperial Palace has nothing to do with us!"

Aotu, accompanied by the attendant, continued walking into the gloomy depths of the palace. This grand and luxurious palace was now tinged with an aura of death.

「...」

After the trio had left the Imperial Palace, Wu Yi immediately asked Lu Luo, "Lu Luo, can you tell me what's going on between you and Wu Ye Ji?"

Lu Luo and Wu Ye Ji were both startled. They clearly felt the emotional turbulence in Wu Yi. Has she finally figured it out?

Lu Luo pondered for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment. "Wu Ye Ji and I are just friends with benefits."

"Get lost, scumbag!" Wu Ye Ji was clearly unhappy with the term "friends with benefits," but she didn't offer a better alternative, indirectly acknowledging their relationship.

This blunt confession, although somewhat perplexing to Wu Yi, did ease her mood slightly. "You two aren't even going to try to hide it?"

"There's no need to hide this," Lu Luo said frankly. "The only reason we hid it before was to avoid causing friction in our cooperation. Now that you've found out, it's better to be straightforward. It will ease some of your concerns."

His frankness gave Wu Yi a measure of confidence. She hesitated for a moment. "Lu Luo, I feel that there's something wrong with the Imperial Palace today."

"You've noticed it too?"

"'Too'? What do you mean?" Wu Yi caught the implication in Lu Luo's words.

"The Imperial Palace has very few people these days. We even met Madam Nolan. But the current state of the Imperial Palace is indeed very bad."

"How bad?" Wu Yi had also noticed some issues with the palace, but she wanted to hear about Lu Luo's experiences today before discussing her own findings.

"There are very few people in the Imperial Palace!"

"Very few people?" Wu Yi thought instinctively. Does a sparse population even count as a problem? However, she quickly realized that something was amiss. If other places were sparsely populated, like the suburbs, it wouldn't be an issue. But a place like the Imperial Palace should never see a decrease in its population. Now Lu Luo was saying there were very few people! This already indicated serious problems.

"What's the situation?"

"His Majesty the Emperor hasn't been seen for over three months. You should all be aware of this, right?"

Lu Luo brought up the Emperor. Wu Yi and Wu Ye Ji exchanged glances and nodded.

"Father-Emperor hasn't appeared; our guess is that he's in the process of selecting a successor. This is something every generation of the Imperial Family does, so we didn't think it was strange. He'll come out when it's time. What, is there a problem with Father-Emperor too?"

"Yes, there is. Madam Nolan said that His Majesty the Emperor isn't just in normal seclusion; he's missing."

"Missing?"

Wu Yi wanted to say this was impossible. Besides anything else, the Emperor's strength wasn't something most people could challenge. Added to that were the Imperial Palace's strict defenses and numerous top-tier experts. No force could compare to such a lineup.

"Lu Luo, if you're saying something happened to my Father-Emperor, especially something involving force, I find that highly unlikely. Father-Emperor's strength is tremendous, and the might of the experts under his command, his hidden power reserves, are immeasurable. With such combat capabilities, no force in the Imperial could possibly contend with him..."

Before Wu Yi could finish, Lu Luo interrupted her. "I know what you're trying to say, but I still think it's possible."

"You don't know how strong my Father-Emperor truly is."

"No, it's you who has no idea how terrifying the Angel Envoys' strength is!"

"Uh!" Once again, Wu Yi was at a loss for words. She truly didn't know how powerful the Angel Envoys could be. However, she did have an understanding of Lu Luo's strength. Even a prodigy like Wu Ye Ji had to admit defeat before Lu Luo. Lu Luo's actual combat power allowed him to hold his own against some top experts for a time. Such combat strength was indeed difficult to misjudge!

"Are the Angel Envoys' powers really that great?" Wu Yi asked uncertainly.

"Very strong. Unprecedentedly so. Not only are they strong, but they also command their own rules and possess their own Domains. Besides their formidable Sequence Energy, their rules, and their Domains, their physical bodies are the largest and strongest in this world. A thousand years of accumulation have endowed them with endless experience and combat expertise. It can be said that in frontal combat, probably no human Transcendent could stand on equal footing with an Angel Envoy. Not even the Emperor!"

Lu Luo's tone made Wu Yi uncertain again. If the Angel Envoys were truly that strong, then it was very likely that something had indeed happened to their Father-Emperor.

"So what should we do now?"

"Seek help, accumulate enough strength, and then... unite!"

"Unite? Are you talking about the Princes and Princesses?"

"Yes. Actually, the succession system involving the Princes and Princesses is very good. They greatly bind the strength of the entire Imperial Family and the collective power of a large number of officials. The sides these officials take are, in fact, a form of investment. This was originally an excellent means of pooling resources. However, most of the time, this method of yours for pooling resources has been used for power struggles. This practice was unproblematic in the past because everything was under the control of the Imperial. But now, it's indeed time for a change. Because the Imperial Family today is truly facing some crises unknown to the public. It's just that none of you have sensed it yet!"