Zhao Haiâs previous carriage wasnât that large, it was a vehicle that was used by common nobles. The one he was using right now was something that a Great Clanâs Patriarch would use, it was beautiful and elegant.
Randolph gave Zhao Hai this carriage because Zhao Haiâs status was now different. Zhao Hai was now qualified to sit in this kind of carriage, he was now treated the same as the Patriarchs of millenium-old clans.
When Zhao Hai boarded the carriage, he asked the driver about why the Emperor was looking for him, but naturally, the servant had no idea. This made Zhao Hai very confused.
When the carriage entered Carson City, all of the people who saw the vehicle immediately gave way. All residents of Carson City was well aware that someone who rode such a carriage didnât have a simple status. These were people that they cannot offend, so they backed away immediately.
Before long, the carriage arrived outside the Imperial Palace. Rosen Empireâs Imperial Palace was extraordinary. Its outside fence was several feel high, in front of the gates were two rows of Warriors, numbering 40. All of them wore full-body armor, the material that it was made from looked very uncommon either.
Outside the palace was a moat, with a bridge connecting the two sides. Zhao Haiâs carriage stopped in front of the bridge, the servant went down from the carriage and informed Zhao Hai, âYoung Master Zhao Hai, the carriage has reached its destination. You need to walk to the bridge and have your name registered, after that, people would lead you to see His Majesty.â
Zhao Hai nodded, then he went down the vehicle and walked towards the bridge and crossed it. When he reached the other side, he was blocked by two of the Warriors. Looking at Zhao Haiâs carriage, these Warriors naturally didnât look down on Zhao Hai as one of them said, âMister, please head inside and have your name registered.â Then he gave a gesture.
Zhao Hai followed the direction he was pointed to and arrived in a place with small rooms, it seems like these were used for registration. Zhao Hai nodded and walked into the room he was led to.
He opened the door and walked in. The room wasnât very big, but it was warm. The inside of the room was quite simple, it has one table and four chairs. Sitting on one side of the table were two men, both of them looked approximately 30 years old, they were very white and flawless. They wore a patterned dress that looked beautiful.
Seeing Zhao Hai come inside, the two men immediately stood up and gave him a bow before saying, âWe have seen mister, may we ask misterâs name?â Their voices were a bit thin. When he heard their voices, Zhao Hai immediately knew that these two men were eunuchs.
Although Zhao Hai didnât have much liking towards eunuchs, he was still very polite. In the history of China, there were a lot of incidents were eunuchs were the principal cause. Who knows what these people could do, so Zhao Hai became polite and returned the bow before answering, âI am Buda Clanâs Patriarch, Zhao Hai Buda. I came here to answer His Majestyâs summons.â
As soon as the two eunuchs heard the name of Zhao Hai, they immediately became even more respectful, they quickly nodded and said, âWeâll take care of misterâs registration before Mister can go, another eunuch will be waiting for you inside.â
Zhao Hai nodded, after the two eunuchs registered his name, they gave him a golden token. One the eunuchs said, âMister can take this and head inside. Someone will be leading you to His Majesty.â
Zhao Hai nodded and received the token, then he turned around to leave the room and walked towards the Imperial Palace. The guards inspected the token in Zhao Haiâs hand before allowing him passage.
When Zhao Hai entered the gate of the Imperial Palace, he saw that a eunuch was already waiting for him there. The eunuch wasnât young, he looked over 50 years old. However, Zhao Hai didnât dare underestimate the eunuch. The eunuch had an imposing manner, a kind of attitude that someone of a high position would have. Moreover, he also had a very heavy killing aura around him.
Upon seeing this eunuch, Zhao Hai immediately knew that he wasnât simple. He reckoned that this man should be an assassin, an advanced level assassin.
When the eunuch saw Zhao Hai, he immediately went forwards and gave him a bow before asking, âPatriarch Zhao Hai?â
Zhao Hai didnât dare neglect the gesture as he returned a bow and said, âMister is too polite, this one is Zhao Hai.â
The eunuch immediately replied, âMister Count, please come with me. His Majesty is already waiting for you.â Then he walked towards the interior of the palace, Zhao Hai followed him behind. While walking, the eunuch gave Zhao Hai instructions about how he should give courtesy to the Emperor.
Giving respects to a monarch in the Ark Continent was not quite the same as in Earth. On Earth, when you see an Emperor, you would need to perform a kneeling ritual, if you meet for the first time, a kowtow would be needed. However, in Ark Continent, as long as one held a Noble title, they wonât need to kneel in front of the Emperor, a bow would suffice.
Bowing naturally had its own rules, it was different between noble ranks. Lowest nobles would need to bow 90 degrees, the scale lessens as the rank increases. All of these were introduced to Zhao Hai.
It was Zhao Haiâs first meeting with this eunuch, it wasnât good for him if he were to ask too much. He just quietly walked at his side and listened to the eunuch, but Zhao Hai wanted to try gaining his favor.
When they arrived in a hallway, Zhao Hai looked around to make sure that there were nobody else before he turned his hand and retrieved an item that he had looted from the Robert Family. This was a piece of magic crystal, an alchemy product. He didnât know how the alchemists made this but he can see that there was a formation engraved in it. The formation was very beautiful, all of it was inlaid with gold along with some other materials. The formation seemed to sparkle, and along with how the formation itself, the crystal became even more beautiful.
The crystal wasnât very big, only the size of oneâs palm. It might look small, but its function was very nice, it can help in regulating a personâs temperature, eliminate fatigue, as well as remove any strange odors in oneâs body. It was a rare plaything.
Zhao Hai gently handed the crystal over to the eunuch and said, âThis is the first time that I had met eunuch, so I was not prepared. I would like sir eunuch to accept this small plaything as a gift from me.â
The eunuch looked at the crystal in Zhao Haiâs hand. He was a person who was keen on noticing an itemâs worth and he saw how extraordinary Zhao Haiâs crystal was. He immediately said, âThe Count is too kind. Iâm just a eunuch, it wouldnât be proper for me to accept such a gift.â
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, âSir eunuch is too polite. For His Majesty to trust you meant that you are absolutely worthy of this small gift. The current weather is very cold, this little thing can keep Sir eunuchâs body temperature at a comfortable level. Sir eunuch would also be by his Majestyâs side all the time, this thing can also relieve fatigue. Additionally, this one can eliminate any odors in oneâs body, even if it didnât have much use, it should still be able to take care of the small nuances in Sir eunuchâs day to day living.â
The eunuch looked at Zhao Hai, the first two points wasnât much of a problem for him. Just as Zhao Hai has suspected, the man was indeed an assassin, an 8th rank assassin. With his strength, the cold and heat wasnât a problem, he doesnât get tired easily as well. However, the last point of eliminating odors attracted him.
Eunuchs have this problem, because of their function, they didnât have the advantages that a normal man might have, there were things that they canât do. Moreover, they are easily prone to odors. Because of this, they rarely eat in the morning, they rarely drink water as well. Their tasks were stressful. One should know that if the King notices a strange smell in them, there was a high possibility of them being executed. If not, they would fall out of favor, and for them, falling out of favor was much worse than death.
Therefore, this issue of body odors was a very important issue to these eunuchs. Besides eating and drinking a little, they would also constantly change clothes. They would also sprinkle powders along with other methods in order to mask the smell of their bodies.
With Zhao Haiâs crystal, all of these issues would be solved. The eunuch became elated when he heard Zhao Hai point out the uses of the crystal.
Seeing the eunuchâs expression, Zhao Hai immediately handed the crystal over and said, âI ask Sir eunuch to receive it and give me face. Right, Iâve been very disrespectful, I still donât know Sir eunuchâs name.â
The eunuch didnât decline this time, he received Zhao Haiâs crystal and placed it near his chest. He immediately felt the benefits of the crustal, in his usually cold body, the temperature began to rise. The eunuch smiled and then turned to smile at Zhao Hai, âThe Count is too kind, we donât have any names. But in my generation, Iâm number three. Later on, people began to call me Third Eunuch.â
Zhao Hai quickly said, âThis count has met Third Eunuch. If mister has any needs in the future, please donât hesitate to inform me.â
Third Eunuch laughed and said, âVery well, I will do so.â
Zhao Hai didnât believe that this gift would completely buy Third Eunuch. He just wanted to earn his good favor, it might make things more convenient in the future.
Actually, with his current strength, he didnât have to earn Third Eunuchâs favor. But Zhao Hai still did it in order to establish relations. He knew that he still couldnât offend a lot of people. After all, nobles still held control of the matters in the continent. People who didnât have any good relationships in this world wouldnât be able to survive.
At this time, they have arrived outside the Imperial Palace great hall. This was the place where the Emperor handles his day to day politics. The place didnât have an elegant name, it was just called Hall of Administration. Like the rest of the continent, itâs naming was a practical one.
The Hall of Administration had a few dozen steps in it. Third Eunuch asked Zhao Hai to wait at the bottom of the steps while he goes in and reports his arrival. Before long, Zhao Hai heard a voice announcing his presence, âMister Zhao Hai has arrived!â
Zhao Hai patted his clothes to make them proper before ascending the steps. He was going to see the Emperor of the continentâs most powerful nation. If he said that he wasnât anxious, then he would be lying.