It's so hard being a hero!

If she hadn't lectured the old emperor with those grand principles back then, saying that the empire should unify the continent and end the conflicts, the old emperor might not have been so fixated on it.

"Alright, I'll go then, but I can't guarantee I can persuade him to stay."

Sofia finally agreed.

"You don't need to make any guarantees. It would be best if you could persuade them. If you can't, then we'll proceed according to our original plan."

Frey said in a deep voice.

Sophia glanced at her, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just nodded.

The three of them made the decision.

That afternoon, Frey raised her hand and tore open a spatial rift, taking Sophia and Vic directly into the capital.

They did not go directly to the Duke's mansion.

Instead, it landed in a remote part of the city.

"You wait here for a bit. I'll go in and make some arrangements so that the people in the palace know that Su Lan's soul has been summoned back. Otherwise, her sudden appearance would be too abrupt," Frey said to Sophia.

Sophia nodded.

Frey turned and walked out, leaving Vic and Sophia staring blankly at each other in the yard.

Vic leaned against the wall, arms crossed, glanced at Sophia, and clicked his tongue twice.

"You know what, you really do believe it, the way you look is actually quite convincing as your past life."

Sophia rolled her eyes at him.

"Can you say something useful?"

“What I said will definitely work. Think about it, the palace still has photos of you when you were young. The old emperor even has a portrait of you in your youth hanging in his study, and it looks at least seven or eight parts like you now. When you stand in front of him, you won't even need to say a word; he'll be stunned for a long time,” Vic said with a grin.

Sophia breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

This is indeed an advantage.

About two hours later, Frey returned, but this time it was the real Frey, not the one in disguise.

"It's all arranged. You will come to the palace with me as a student. Just say that I am your mentor and will take you to the palace to meet His Majesty."

Sophia nodded.

“Once we get to the palace, I’ll find a private opportunity to have the old emperor face to face with you. What you say then is up to you,” Frey continued.

"clear."

Sofia then changed into the outfit Frey had prepared for her.

She wore a simple white robe with a dark blue belt, and her hair was tied in a ponytail, making her look clean and neat.

Vic glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, not bad, it's a bit like the outfit you wore in your previous life. The old emperor would be confused at first glance."

Frey also glanced at her, and surprisingly didn't find fault, only saying something.

"Let's go."

The three of them headed directly towards the palace.

The closer you get to the palace, the tighter the security becomes.

There were significantly fewer pedestrians on the streets, replaced by patrols of fully armed soldiers.

Sophia noticed that checkpoints had been set up at several intersections, and even ordinary people were being checked when entering and leaving.

"Such a large-scale mobilization?"

She asked in a low voice.

Vic explained in a low voice, "This is just the beginning. The streets you see usually don't have any checkpoints, but now even vegetable vendors have to have their ID checked."

Sophia frowned slightly.

It seems the situation is more serious than she thought.

The three of them soon arrived at the palace gate.

The palace now has a new gatekeeper general.

He was a middle-aged man wearing heavy silver armor, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, exuding the aura of a tough soldier.

Sophia paused slightly when she saw the other person.

Because she knew her.

Griffin, one of the previous generation of holy warriors, a powerful being in the Holy Realm.

Back when Su Lan was young, he was already a well-known powerhouse on the Starfall Continent.

After the old emperor dismissed Vic, he took over Vic's original position and was responsible for guarding the palace.

Griffin showed no surprise when he saw Frey and Vic approaching.

But when he saw Sofia behind the two of them, his gaze paused slightly.

His gaze lingered on Sophia's face for two or three seconds, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his stern and impartial expression.

"Frei, Vic, what are you doing here?"

Griffin asked in a deep voice.

“General Griffin, I have already informed His Majesty in advance that I will be bringing my students to the palace to pay homage to him.”

Frey explained.

Griffin glanced at Sophia again, then stepped aside to make way.

"Go in."

So the three of them passed through the palace gates and entered the palace.

Sophia walked behind Frey, subtly observing her surroundings out of the corner of her eye.

The atmosphere inside the palace was even more tense than outside.

Every few steps down the corridor stood a fully armed guard.

From time to time, one could see court officials dressed in long black robes hurrying by, each with a busy and anxious expression on their face.

"It seems things have been quite turbulent in the palace lately," Sophia thought to herself.

Frey led them through several corridors and finally stopped in front of a side hall.

"Wait here for a moment, I'm going to see His Majesty. I'll call you when the time is right," Frey said, turning to Sophia.

Frey pushed open the door and went inside. Vic stood at the door without following her in, but leaned against the door frame and winked at Sophia.

Are you nervous?

Sophia glanced at him.

"What do I have to be nervous about?"

"That's true. You've even met Lilith, so what's there to be afraid of in an old man?"

Vic smiled.

Sofia did not respond.

She stood at the entrance of the side hall, listening to the faint voices coming from inside, silently preparing what she would say later.

About fifteen minutes later, the door to the side hall was pushed open from the inside.

Frey stood in the doorway and nodded slightly to Sophia.

"Come in."

Sofia took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The light inside the side hall was dimmer than outside, with heavy, dark curtains hanging over the windows, blocking most of the sunlight.

The old emperor sat in a large, armchair, his clothes changed to casual attire, and he was not wearing a crown.

He certainly looked much more energetic than Sofia had seen at the last investiture ceremony.

Chapter 98 The Ideal of a Great Ruler

The old emperor's complexion was indeed better than when he last saw the empress, but the problem was that his eyes were full of excitement.

He was visibly dazed after Sophia came in.

But this sense of disorientation was quickly replaced by reason.

After all, no matter how much Sophia looks like Su Lan, she can't possibly be Su Lan.

"Is she the student you were talking about?"

The old emperor looked at Frey with great interest and asked a question.

Frey nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty, her name is Sophia. She was discovered by the Holy See. She has an affinity for all elements and was then given to me. At the age of twelve, she is already a Bronze-level cultivator."

After listening, the old emperor nodded in surprise, then looked Sophia over again.

"Not bad, twelve years old and at the Bronze level, he's a good prospect."

But as he spoke, his expression suddenly drifted into reminiscence.

"Speaking of which, Su Lan was also admitted to Tianxing Academy at the age of twelve, right?"

Upon hearing this, Sophia sighed inwardly.

She sensed the weariness in the old emperor's tone, a feeling of a hero's twilight.

But Frey definitely didn't come to tell him that.

“Your Majesty, there’s another matter I wanted to discuss with you today,” Frey said solemnly.

The old emperor was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

"what's up?"