Chapter 1308: Gold Brick Paves the Path
“Alright!” Braydon Neal carried his daughter in his left hand and held his son’s hand in his right as the family of four made their way to the palace.
“Northern King, what’s the current situation in the 16th ruin?” Zavier Leach inquired.
“You’re asking about the number of pinnacles in the Northern Army, right?” Braydon replied with a faint smile.
“Two years ago, Luther mentioned that the Northern Army already boasted 5,000 pinnacles,” Dominic Lowe interjected.
“Now that two years have passed, there should be even more pinnacles, right?” Kieran Normand probed, his curiosity piqued.
They all listened intently, eager to learn the core secrets of the Northern Army.
“The Northern Army has a million soldiers, and about 70,000 of them are pinnacles,” Braydon revealed softly.
“What?!” Dominic’s hair stood on end. The number was simply too terrifying!
The Northern Army boasted a million soldiers and tens of thousands of pinnacles! If news of this spread, it would likely send shockwaves throughout the hundred countries around the world. But was it real?
Of course, it was false!
In reality, there were definitely more than 70,000 pinnacles in the Northern Army.
Despite officially having a million soldiers, the actual number was closer to 800,000.
The hidden agents of the Northern Army were individuals with exceptional talent. For example, the 19 Qilin sons, the mute No. 0 hidden agent, and the No.1 hidden agent, Haven Downing—were all hidden agents!
Not only did the hidden agents boast a large number of pinnacles, but they also had emperors among them.
About 90% of the 800,000 were transferred to the 16th ruin two years ago.
Their growth speed was undoubtedly on par with, if not faster than, those on the outside.
Additionally, Luther Carden had been overseeing the Northern Army and was in charge of military supplies.
Because everyone knew that Luther controlled another secret power of the Northern Army, the power of the hidden agents, which required a large amount of resources.
Hence, Luther was solely in charge of the Northern Army military depot, a responsibility unsuitable for anyone else due to the inability of outsiders to contact the hidden agents.
Additionally, there was the power controlled by the ten ruthless men of the Northern Army; Cole Colbie’s Northern Army imperial guards, Yuri Qualls’ northern arts group, Laird Xenos’ Northern King’s cavalry, and so on.
Braydon had been in charge of the Northern Army for over ten years and held many powerful forces in his hands, constituting the core strength of the Northern Army.
There was also the power indirectly controlled by the Northern Army, such as the Northern King’s cavalry controlled by Joshua Mandor and others.
The number of pinnacles from these forces was not even counted.
In times of danger, Braydon could mobilize hundreds of thousands of pinnacles.
Two years ago, Braydon had secretly ordered Luther to mobilize the elites of the Northern Army to enter the 16th ruin, undoubtedly the best decision made.
At this moment, all the big shots in the capital fell silent.
The Northern Army was like a dragon in Braydon’s hands.
At the gates of the capital’s inner palace, no one dared to stop Braydon’s group.
Sutton Wall personally led the way.
Martial Emperor Yanagi was in the Spring Harmony Courtyard.
He seemed to be ten years younger, having returned to his youth.
Rejuvenation!
Martial Emperor Yanagi must have entered the emperor realm, with a lifespan of 700 years making his body even younger.
Back then, he had already entered seclusion, and now, he had come out of seclusion again.
“Gramps!”
Trevon Neal and Judith Neal ran over.
The Martial Emperor was Braydon’s teacher, and he was like a teacher and a father to them. In other words, he was the grandmaster of the two children, making it perfectly natural for them to call him grandpa.
Martial Emperor Yanagi obviously adored them too.
He bent down, picked up Judith, and seated her on his lap.
Then, he playfully pinched Trevon’s nose and asked softly, “Trevon, did you bully your sister again?”
“No!” Trevon never bullied his sister.
“That’s right. You’re the older brother. You have to protect your younger sister,” Martial Emperor Yanagi said gently.
Trevon nodded.
The little guy was still as quiet as ever.
Martial Emperor Yanagi couldn’t help but sigh.
“Trevon reminds me of Braydon when I was young. He’s practically carved out of the same mold. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed.”
“Teacher, you have entered the emperor realm. In the future, Iyou’ll be able to see Trevon get married and have children,” Braydon said while pouring tea.
“I hope I can see that day!” Martial Emperor Yanagi said softly, letting out a faint sigh, indicating that he also knew the situation he would face soon.
Braydon’s hand paused as he poured the tea, glancing at Heather Sage.
Heather then carried the two children away, saying, “Trevon, Judith, don’t you like the white crane that grandpa raised? Let’s go. I’ll bring you to play with it.”
The two children, still young, immediately followed their mother upon hearing they could play with the little white crane.
“Martial Emperor, we’ll take our leave now,” Dominic and the others said in unison, looking at each other before bowing.
“There’s no hurry. Sit down!” The Martial Emperor motioned for them to stay and took out a scroll containing all the details of the 16th ruin.
As for who had provided him with this information, it wasn’t hard to guess that they were core members of the Northern Army.
Braydon didn’t inquire about the source.
“I asked Colton about the situation over there. He gave me all this information,” Martial Emperor Yanagi volunteered.
Braydon wasn’t the only student of the Martial Emperor; there was also Colton Jansky.
When the Martial Emperor inquired, Colton provided him with all the details about the Northern Army.
“Colton is practically your hidden agent” Braydon chuckled involuntarily.
“He’s your younger brother after all. Deep down, his loyalty lies with you, his older brother.”
Martial Emperor Yanagi knew that Colton was Braydon’s cousin, a relative by blood.
The bond between the two brothers was as strong as if they were born of the same parents.
Beside them, Dominic broke out in a cold sweat after perusing the information on the scroll.
They had never expected the situation to be so dire.
With only ten months remaining in the thousand-year imperial decree, the challenges ahead seemed insurmountable.
However, Martial Emperor Yanagi and Braydon, who had long been aware of the impending crisis, remained calm as ever.
“Dominic, you’ll be tasked with one thing next: selecting talented youths,” Martial Emperor Yanagi said softly.
Dominic was already aware of the significance of the 16th ruin and the purpose behind the Northern Army guarding it.
The glimmer of hope that the 16th ruin represented was not lost on him.
“It’s better to be prepared,” Martial Emperor Yanagi added quietly.
“Yes, sir!”
Dominic replied, stowing away the scroll and sealing it in the box.
What he had seen tonight was perhaps the most classified information, accessible only to a select few.
As the long night wore on, no one left their seats.
They delved into discussions about state affairs and the strength of the Northern Army stationed at the 16th ruin.
Braydon didn’t withhold any information; he laid it all bare for everyone present.
At this point, the Northern Army could no longer conceal its strength.
It was essential to share this knowledge with Dominic and the others to provide them with a glimmer of hope.
For without hope, life would be akin to walking dead.
As the eastern sky gradually brightened, Martial Emperor Yanagi imparted to Braydon the imperial path.
The imperial path unfurled, stretching to a length of 300 meters, resembling a golden path infused with the true essence of imperial fate.
In the imperial path, Braydon could sense the power of the nation’s fate—the foundation upon which the imperial path was forged.