Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 500 - 498 Imperial Capital

That evening, Wu Liji was resting in her palace chamber. As a princess, she naturally received respect when outside. However, in the Imperial Capital, where princes and princesses were aplenty, her days as a princess without real power were actually quite boring. Apart from cultivation, there was little left but amusement. But if you really chose to indulge in amusement, your future would hold no opportunities, and even your later years might not be fulfilling. This pattern was, in fact, a form of selection for princes and princesses. If one couldn’t even possess self-discipline, then one couldn’t talk about having any real abilities.

"Your Highness, here’s your dinner."

A maid brought over dinner. Wu Liji casually nodded. "Leave it there; I’ll eat in a bit."

"Understood."

After the maid left, Wu Liji, feeling extremely irritated, tossed the food into the trash bin. Such a life, akin to confinement, had already lasted nearly a month. The reason was simple: Lu Luo.

In the month since Lu Luo returned to the Inner Ring, even Wu Liji, the princess, had been implicated. This was the intention of the Inspection Department headquarters or, rather, the Emperor himself. Wu Liji had no thoughts of resistance; she only felt bored, and the daily meals were exceptionally unpalatable.

"Little Sister, such wastefulness isn’t befitting of a princess."

After Wu Liji dumped the food from her plate, a very elegant voice spoke from the doorway. It was the Fourteenth Princess, Wu Yi. She had very distinctive golden hair. Unlike most princes and princesses, Wu Yi had a markedly Western appearance: golden hair, blue eyes, and very sculpted facial features. Clearly, her mother was Caucasian.

The relationship between her and Wu Liji was not harmonious; the sisterly bond among princesses could almost be described as insubstantial. Perhaps it truly existed, but at least not for Wu Liji.

"Sister, you’ve come again, huh? You’ve been coming over to keep me company quite often lately; I truly appreciate the effort. Has something happened today for you to visit?"

Wu Liji knew Wu Yi had an agenda in seeking her out, as they had barely seen each other before. Apart from the Imperial Family’s routine meetings, there was almost no interaction between her and Wu Yi. But recently, Wu Yi had been visiting her with unusual frequency. Wu Liji guessed some reasons, such as Lu Luo! But she never understood Wu Yi’s intentions in suddenly cozying up to her while Lu Luo’s matter had yet to progress. What was the significance?

"Little Sister, today I have brought you some good news!" Wu Yi announced.

"Good news?" Wu Liji mused. "Given my current situation, I wonder what kind of news could be considered good."

"The person you’ve been waiting for has arrived. Does that count as good news?"

"What?"

Even though Wu Liji possessed great composure, upon hearing this news, she couldn’t help but feel a stirring in her heart. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Many people knew about Lu Luo’s situation. He had asked the Imperial Family for a month, and they had granted him that time. But when the month ended, he still hadn’t appeared, not even at his own home. Under such circumstances, most people assumed Lu Luo must have fled. The Inspection Department wasn’t anxious because they knew that within the Empire, no one could escape their grasp. No matter how formidable or powerful you were, in the eyes of the Inspection Department, you were just a high-profile fugitive. Moreover, even if Lu Luo had fled, his career, network, and even his wife and children remained in the Empire. If he really ran away, these people would all become playthings for certain individuals within the Empire. Therefore, the Inspection Department wasn’t in a hurry; some people even opened betting pools on whether Lu Luo would flee. This was the decadent Imperial Capital.

"Surprised, aren’t you?" Wu Yi said. "His time is running out, and I don’t know where he’s been this past month. Now he’s running through the pipelines, rushing to his destination. It’s rather amusing, right?"

Not at all amusing, Wu Liji thought. She originally had great confidence in Lu Luo. Although her interactions with him were few, she could distinctly sense his confidence and strength. A person like him wouldn’t run away over something like this. But with nearly a month gone by without any news, Wu Liji felt quite uneasy. She couldn’t tell if Lu Luo would come at all. If he doesn’t, then I, a Princess, might be confined here forever.

"Not particularly surprised," Wu Liji said, her expression still calm. "That guy is different from ordinary people."

Her demeanor made Wu Yi, standing beside her, feel a bit uneasy.

"Li Ji, you have a lot of confidence in Lu Luo. Do you like him? I heard he already has a wife and children. Being a Princess, you probably wouldn’t be able to be with him."

"Be with him? Haha, too trivial," Wu Liji laughed casually, her tone somewhat dismissive of Wu Yi’s comment.

"Trivial? What’s trivial? Did I guess wrong?"

"What I mean is, your perspective is limited, Sister. As a Princess yourself, why do you always constrain your thinking to matters of romance? There are many things in this world far more interesting than so-called love and affection."

"For example?"

"A revolution... for freedom?"

Wu Yi’s eyes narrowed in alertness. She didn’t pursue that topic, only speaking after a moment of silence. "You really are a madwoman. Some things shouldn’t be said. Don’t you know that?"

"I’m already under house arrest here. What difference does it make whether I say it or not?"

Wu Liji’s attitude left Wu Yi somewhat helpless. If Wu Liji couldn’t be swayed by either threats or persuasion, it would be difficult to find a breakthrough with her. Especially a breakthrough concerning Lu Luo!

"Actually, Little Sister, you don’t need to be so pessimistic," Wu Yi said. "The higher-ups value this matter greatly, and your situation isn’t as bad as you imagine."

"Is that so? It seems you have some information I’m not aware of, Sister."

"Indeed, there are things I can’t discuss in detail with you. So, tell me about Lu Luo. What kind of person is he?"

Wu Yi steered the conversation towards Lu Luo; after all, he was her target. To her, Wu Liji, a Princess under house arrest, actually wasn’t of much value.

If it had been before, Wu Liji might have aimlessly chatted with Wu Yi simply because she was utterly bored here with nothing to do. She could only use Wu Yi’s visits to pass the time and vent her emotions.

But now, things have taken a turn. This Wu Yi before me... No, that’s not right. If it were Lu Luo, he would surely make use of anything. So, could this Wu Yi have some other use as well?

"Lu Luo," Wu Liji began, "is someone with a guarded heart, and he’s incredibly cautious."

"Guarded? Cautious?" Wu Yi furrowed her brows slightly. She could understand those words, but if Lu Luo was truly like that, then approaching him would be quite troublesome! "Can you be more specific?"

"Ah, Lu Luo. He is indeed a man blessed with talent; you could even call him a peerless genius. At least among the people I’ve met, no one is more talented than he is. But Sister, you should also understand that talented people often have some character flaws."

"That’s very normal. Unique individuals always have their own quirks," Wu Yi nodded, agreeing with Wu Liji’s statement.

"Lu Luo’s personality is just like that. Beneath his freewheeling exterior, he is actually cautious toward most people and things. When dealing with Lu Luo, it’s best to be sincere. Only sincerity can move him. After all, he’s a fellow who lacks love."

Wu Liji’s expression was very serious. As she described Lu Luo’s character, it was as if she were describing something beautiful. Wu Yi, standing by, observed all of this.

She pondered. A freewheeling exterior with a tender heart? That’s a mindset common among many wanderers, quite normal. But I suspect the actual situation with this Lu Luo is more complex than what Li Ji says. I’ll need to be careful when I interact with him.

As Wu Yi pondered, she continued to ask, "Then is there any way to approach him effectively? After all, everyone would want to befriend someone like that. Does he have any particular likes? People, items, money, anything?" She paused. "Um, Li Ji, you won’t be upset by me asking this, right?"

"Befriend him?" Wu Liji shook her head.

"What is it?"

"Lu Luo is a man who views money as dirt and women as insignificant. All those things you mentioned are utterly meaningless to him."

"Money as dirt? Women as insignificant? Is that true?"

At this point, Wu Liji was telling blatant lies.

"It’s true, truer than pure gold. Lu Luo is just that special. In his eyes, benefits and the like are all nonsense. Only those who earn his acknowledgment can truly be acknowledged by him!"

Huh? Is she trying to confuse me with a tongue-twister? Wu Yi really wanted to retort, but at this moment, Wu Liji was her only source of information. If she wanted to get to know Lu Luo well, or even intercept him, she couldn’t afford to offend Wu Liji now.

"I see. Li Ji, your description is certainly unique."

"Really? I think so too."

Observing Wu Liji’s expression, Wu Yi was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Hehe, since the message has been delivered, I won’t stay any longer. Little Sister, you should prepare well. After all, Lu Luo is nominally your man. Whether he truly belongs to you or not, the Imperial Family and the Inspection Department will probably want to meet with him under your name. Whether they intend to win him over or conduct an internal cleanup, you’ll need to navigate the negotiations. Understood?"

"Thank you for the reminder, Sister. I understand. I will take this matter seriously."

Seeing that Wu Liji seemed to have no desire to continue the conversation, Wu Yi didn’t press further to avoid a snub. She had achieved her objective: gaining insight into Lu Luo’s character from Wu Liji.

A man not swayed by profit, who values emotions, and views money, beauty, and power as worthless. This type of person seems difficult to deal with. However, Wu Yi wasn’t particularly concerned, because such people usually shared a common weakness: idealism. And Wu Yi also knew that Wu Liji was an idealist. Only among idealists can such a strange alliance be formed! And dealing with idealists is all too easy!

Hehe, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting!

Wu Yi walked away in her high heels, leaving Wu Liji’s residence.

「Elsewhere.」

Lu Luo was rapidly dashing forward, now very close to the Imperial Capital. Given his current pace, he could reach the Imperial Capital by 4:00 a.m. the next day. In other words, he even had time to take a bath, change his clothes, and have a meal, all of which he could do with ease.

"It seems my speed has improved!" Lu Luo exclaimed.

[Indeed. After the Inner Ring, your strength has advanced further.]

"Is that so? That’s rather interesting."

Lu Luo was quite satisfied with his current strength; his attribute values were nearing their maximum. What he needed to do now was to master the Dust Devil state as quickly as possible. This might become his trump card against Eighth Order humans in upcoming battles.

The Imperial Capital! I’m actually quite excited!

Lu Luo’s sprint continued until he neared the Imperial Capital, where he stopped as planned. He took a brief rest outside the city, found a river to bathe in, and changed his clothes. Though his Constitution was so strong that he could go entirely without sweating, he hadn’t blocked all the dust along the way. Not that he couldn’t, but doing so would dull most of his senses, which would be dangerous.

After his bath, Lu Luo hunted some game on the spot. The desire for food was his most primal urge, and even at his current level, he hadn’t managed to overcome his appetite.

"Well fed and watered, time to hit the road!"

[You make it sound as if you’re heading to your demise.]

"It’s pretty much the same thing!"

Lu Luo’s gaze grew stern, and then he headed towards the great gates of the Imperial Capital. He had thought his glory would begin here... yet before he could even enter the city, someone stopped him.

"You there, wait!" a soldier guarding the city called out to him.

Lu Luo looked at the man—a Third Tier Transcendent. How preposterous! Are the people guarding the gates of the Imperial Capital all this powerful? Their strength could rival that of the Wall Guardians! But their numbers aren’t on the same scale. Is this really a place where Transcendents are as common as dogs and the mighty roam freely?

"Um, Officer, is there an issue?" Lu Luo asked.

"You’re not a local, are you?"

"Do they differentiate between locals and outsiders in the Imperial Capital?"

Lu Luo was somewhat puzzled, but he sensed the man wasn’t specifically trying to give him trouble. There really was no need for a Third Tier guard to bother him. But Lu Luo didn’t intend to cause trouble either; after all, this was the Imperial Capital, an unfamiliar place, and it was better to keep a low profile.

"Outsiders need to register their identity here and apply for a temporary residence permit," the guard explained. "You’ll need this permit even after you’re inside the city. Here’s the registration form; please fill it out. The Imperial Capital doesn’t prevent outsiders from coming here, but if you want to live in the Imperial Capital, a temporary residence permit is mandatory."

Upon hearing this, Lu Luo understood and began to obediently fill out the application for the residence permit.