It wasn't long before Darius, supported by his servants, staggered and climbed into the specially prepared carriage for him.
He slowly settled inside, leaning back slightly against the soft seat, then reached out and lightly tapped the carriage window, producing a crisp sound.
The coachman outside saw this and dared not delay in the slightest. He hurriedly climbed onto the driver's seat, gripped the reins tightly with both hands, and prepared to drive toward the palace.
The coachman's movements were swift and practiced—clearly well-trained. After all, anyone slow or clumsy working under Darius would have long since had grass growing tall over their grave.
With a shout from the coachman, the carriage slowly started moving. The wheels rolled forward rhythmically.
Darius sat quietly inside the carriage, but his thoughts had already drifted far away—his mind filled entirely with the words Hitogami had spoken in the World of Nothingness.
He was greatly anticipating what "good thing" would come to him today. He had no idea what was about to happen, nor did he realize he had already been deceived by Hitogami.
At the same time, on the outer perimeter of the palace, Dan Feng was quietly concealed in a secluded corner. Using Cloud Chant techniques, he had completely hidden his figure.
He silently observed the activity at the palace gates. Group after group of nobles streamed in without end—every person in those carriages dressed in magnificent attire and exuding an air of grandeur.
These nobles had all come to participate in the street-patrol event alongside the king of the Asura Kingdom.
From the sheer scale of it, it was easy to imagine just how grand and spectacular the upcoming procession would be.
"As an upper minister, Darius still hasn't arrived? Could Hitogami have already noticed something unusual?" Dan Feng wondered silently to himself. He decided to keep waiting. If the street patrol began and Darius still hadn't shown up, then he would take the initiative to go find him.
Time passed minute by minute, yet there was still no sign of Darius.
Just as Dan Feng was about to take action and kill Darius himself, an obviously extremely expensive carriage drove straight in through the palace gates without the slightest pause.
Compared to the other carriages, this one stood out distinctly.
All the others had to undergo strict questioning and inspection by the guards at the entrance to verify the passengers' noble status.
Yet this carriage seemed to possess special privileges—it bypassed all those tedious procedures and entered the palace directly.
Anyone who could so easily skip the standard checks was undoubtedly a frequent visitor to the palace, and their status must be extraordinary.
Aside from the upper minister Darius, it was hard to imagine anyone else receiving such exceptional treatment.
Darius wielded immense power within the palace; his position was supremely exalted, so naturally he did not need to go through the cumbersome inspection process like other nobles.
As the carriage slowly drew nearer, Dan Feng immediately recognized that nauseating face.
Greasy and bloated, the fat cheeks involuntarily reminded one of a plump raccoon dog. The lecherous, hideous expression plastered across his face filled anyone who saw it with disgust and revulsion.
This was none other than the upper minister, Darius Silva Ganius.
Dan Feng silently memorized Darius's carriage, then watched as it continued deeper into the palace.
By the time Darius arrived, virtually all the key figures were already present.
The moment he stepped down from the carriage, his gaze was immediately drawn to Grabell Zafin Asura and another upper minister standing nearby.
"Oh? The upper finance minister and upper advisory minister arrived so early?" Darius greeted them with a leering grin across his face. "To think I arrived so late—how embarrassing."
However, Grabell and the other minister did not respond to his enthusiasm. They merely cast a sidelong glance at Darius with expressionless faces, then silently turned away without a word—putting distance between themselves and this repulsive figure in their eyes.
Seeing this, the corners of Darius's mouth curled upward in a barely noticeable smile.
He knew full well that though Grabell and the other were also upper ministers, the power they wielded was far inferior to his own.
Thus, they had always harbored resentment toward him, and the relationship between them was quite strained.
However, today Darius had no mind to bother with them.
Because right now, his heart was fully occupied with anticipating the "good thing" Hitogami had spoken of—an event now tied directly to Hitogami in his mind, carrying enormous weight.
Not long after, the current king of the Asura Kingdom slowly emerged from his resplendent golden palace.
His steps carried a certain solemnity, as though each one bore the weight of the entire kingdom.
At his side, a group of knights holding long swords followed like shadows. Their armor gleamed coldly under the sunlight, exuding an aura of majesty.
This was the knight order of the Asura Kingdom—the strongest kingdom in the entire world.
Behind the king walked a group of servants dressed in uniform attire.
They kept their heads lowered, silently following the king's footsteps without the slightest slackness.
When the king finally stood at the wide main gate of the palace, the previously noisy surroundings instantly fell deathly silent.
All eyes turned in unison toward this revered monarch, as if time itself had frozen in that moment.
Immediately after, a neat and orderly sound of footsteps rang out. Rank upon rank of knights surged in like a tidal wave from all directions.
Their movements were swift and disciplined. In the blink of an eye, they had formed a massive square formation in the plaza before the palace.
When the last knight took his position, the entire formation suddenly became eerily quiet.
Yet this silence did not last long. At a single command, the knights slammed the butts of their lances against the ground in unison, producing a deafening roar.
The sound echoed throughout the entire city, leaving everyone awestruck.
"The street-patrol commemoration of the Hero Ars now officially begins!" Accompanied by the king's resounding voice, the words thundered in every ear.
Under the gaze of the crowd, the king of the Asura Kingdom stepped steadily onto the magnificent carriage reserved exclusively for the ruler of the kingdom.
This carriage was truly a work of art—its level of luxury was staggering.
Compared to the carriages ordinary nobles rode in daily, it was like comparing heaven and earth.
When the king gracefully took his seat inside the carriage, the motion seemed to serve as a signal, heralding the official opening of the grand street-patrol ceremony.
By tradition, aside from the king, ministers, dukes, and other highly exalted individuals who were permitted to ride in carriages, everyone else was required to walk on foot, following closely behind the king's carriage.
Darius—this upper minister who wielded immense power in the Asura Kingdom—had a smug, triumphant smile plastered across his face.
Without the slightest attempt to conceal his sense of superiority, he swaggered aboard his own carriage, preparing to depart the palace alongside the king and take part in this magnificent street-patrol ceremony.