The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 485: Back to Vindas Empire

Emperor Herman smiled at Aldrian.

"You’ll see later. Well then, how about I take you there after this? Do you have any business left here?" he asked.

"No, I’m already done here," Aldrian replied.

"If you don’t, then let’s go. It’s better to leave now than later. I’d also feel more at ease if I could bring you there sooner."

Aldrian then looked at Pope Claudius.

"My apologies, but it looks like I have to leave earlier than expected, Your Holiness. If I have time in the future, I’ll visit again," he said.

Then he looked at Angelica, who was already showing a rather sad expression, knowing he had to leave again. His expression softened as he saw her like that.

"Angelica, don’t be sad. I’ll visit again in the future. It’s not like we won’t see each other for a long time."

Angelica sighed.

"I know. It’s just... I can’t help but feel sad. You just got here, and now you’re leaving again," she said.

"I’m sorry. But next time I come, I’ll make sure to spend more time here."

Pope Claudius looked at Angelica and Aldrian, then asked her gently,

"Do you want to go outside with young Aldrian?"

Hearing the Pope’s question, Aldrian and Angelica were stunned. Even Emperor Herman raised his eyebrows.

However, before Angelica could show her happiness, the Pope’s next words made her pause.

"If you can master every technique I’ve taught you since you were able to walk, then you may go outside with young Aldrian the next time he visits. If you master them, I’ll feel more assured when you’re out there."

Angelica remained silent. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed, but she understood the Pope’s concern. She sighed inwardly—at the very least, she had found a new reason to push herself. She would do her best to master everything, so she would never be a burden to Aldrian.

"Alright," she said softly after a small sigh.

Pope Claudius turned to Aldrian with an apologetic expression.

"I’m sorry, young Aldrian, but could you give this child of mine a chance to go outside with you in the future? I know this is a selfish request."

"No, Your Holiness. It’s my honor and pleasure to take Angelica with me," Aldrian said. "In fact, the only thing that held me back from asking her to follow my group outside was your permission. I understand what you’re worried about, and I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position."

He then looked at Angelica.

"I hope you can reach your target and come see the wider world with me. I’ll be waiting, Angelica."

Angelica nodded with determination, her expression firm.

"Yes. I’ll do my best and won’t disappoint you."

Pope Claudius could only shed tears inwardly. His Angelica had already begun to forget about him and now saw Aldrian as her source of motivation. Why had she said she didn’t want to disappoint Aldrian? What about him? Where was her love for him?

But even with those thoughts, his gaze softened. He watched her change before his eyes. She had become far more expressive since meeting Aldrian and ever since she had learned to walk and see the world for the first time. It was a striking contrast to the past, when she had been like a beautiful bird kept in a cage.

She had potential, yet her condition and status had forced her to remain inside the church. It felt as though fate had been cruel, deciding that she would live like that until the end.

However, Aldrian changed all of that. Now, she could do what others could do. For him, as her father figure and the one who truly loved her, this was a sign that the bird was ready to leave the cage. She would now spread her wings to explore the wide world without worry, free from the burden of her condition and status.

What he could do was continue to guide her and, in the end, watch her become free. Even though she was a saintess, he would not let that status keep her confined here. She would be a free saintess, one who explored the world.

With Aldrian by her side, he felt more assured that she would be safe. In fact, he believed there was no place safer for her than with Aldrian at this time.

"Alright then, it’s time to go," Aldrian said as he and Emperor Herman stood up. After exchanging a few parting words, Aldrian stepped outside the room. But then, he noticed two figures standing beside the door, looking toward him. They were a man and a woman, and once they saw Aldrian, they immediately bowed.

"Master," they said simultaneously.

They were the Golden Phoenix and the Great Peng in their human forms.

Aldrian nodded.

"It looks like you’ve done well here. There’s nothing wrong while you’ve been here, right?"

"No, Master," they replied.

"Keep behaving well and stay here. I’ll be leaving again."

Hearing that Aldrian was leaving once more, they felt a twinge of sadness, something Aldrian could clearly sense. He then spoke to them.

"I will bring you out when the time is right, so be good and wait here until then."

"Yes, Master."

Emperor Herman looked at the two figures with a solemn expression. This was the first time he had encountered them, and his instincts immediately tingled, warning him that these two were far stronger than him in a direct confrontation. He wondered who they were, especially since they called Aldrian "Master." But Aldrian had already walked past them.

He glanced at them for a moment before continuing on, following Aldrian.

Aldrian and Emperor Herman then walked out of the church, escorted by the Pope and Angelica. However, they exited through a different gate, one reserved for important guests entering or leaving the church. Aldrian had also donned a robe to cover his body and face. Given his fame, he would undoubtedly attract attention if he walked through the public areas without disguise.

"Why don’t you just change your face to another one? Isn’t that much easier?" the Emperor asked, using voice transmission.

"Well, that is true, but then it would become a never-ending cycle if I had to change my face every time I go out. I don’t know, I just don’t like that style. Changing faces so often makes me feel like I’m not confident in myself."

"I feel that if it’s not really urgent, then I only need this one disguise. In fact, I only use the transformation technique to hide my features so people can’t guess my parents. If it weren’t for that, I would show the world my real face," Aldrian replied.

Aldrian knew that this reason might seem ridiculous and arrogant, but it was how he truly felt deep inside. If he had to be honest, one of the technique he disliked was the transformation technique, as it forced him to hide his face—a face that had become a symbol of his parents’ unity and pride.

He also thought that maybe all of those feelings came from his inner self as the emperor in his past life, which was deeply embedded inside him and had instilled in him high pride and confidence.

As the person with the title ’The Great Emperor of All Heavens,’ he thought that his preferences from the past had been carried over into this life, shaping his mindset and character.

Emperor Herman smiled at Aldrian’s answer, thinking that Aldrian truly had high confidence, even arrogance, but he found it rather appealing. Aldrian had the strength to back up that confidence. Without it, he would be nothing more than a fool, swimming in a sea of idealism destined to drown to death because he was too rigid to adapt.

Aldrian and Emperor Herman then used the teleportation station to travel to Finna, the capital city of the Vindas Empire. After they arrived in Finna, the emperor led Aldrian in the opposite direction of the imperial palace, which could be seen from the teleportation station in the city.

They flew toward the northern direction, quickly moving beyond the city walls. A few city guardians and imperial knights, some at the king and even emperor stage, initially intended to stop this unauthorized flight by an unknown emperor-level cultivator. However, once they realized it was their emperor, they fell silent and allowed them to pass.

Emperor Herman and Aldrian continued flying until they reached a mountainous range, about 400 kilometers from the capital. Emperor Herman landed beside a high cliff, followed by Aldrian.

However, once Aldrian landed, he sensed strong flows of faith moving towards the inside of the mountain. The thick power of faith seemed to be coming from everywhere, and he instantly knew that this was the place where the Vindas Empire’s entire faith gathered.

Aldrian was truly astonished. All this time, he had always found that the place where the entire faith of the empire gathered was within the imperial palace area, where their secret vault was hidden. But this place was far from the imperial palace or the capital city, which made Aldrian curious about what the emperor wanted to show him.

Emperor Herman then touched the cliff wall and injected his energy. A yellow light shone from the hidden formation, followed by a mechanical sound before a secret passage opened in front of them.

"Follow me, don’t fall too far behind," the emperor said, looking at Aldrian with a smile.