Chapter 1022 Counting Down


    The room was tense, as Marcia stared at Laney down, her beautiful eyes narrowed in thought. "Does


    he know that Isis is pregnant with his child?" she asked.


    Laney nodded but didn''t say anything else.


    "I see. Let Rocky know that he doesn''t have to worry about anything. I will take care of things here, and


    I will protect Isis and the babe from Alston myself. Your princess is right, though. A despicable man like


    Alston will undoubtedly stir up trouble again if he finds out that his younger brother is still alive. We


    need to get ready for that." Although Marcia still didn''t know why Alyssa would help Rocky, she had to


    admit that Alyssa had a point.


    "General Marcia, I''ve told you everything I know. But if you have any questions, please don''t hesitate to


    ask. I will tell you everything I know!" Laney volunteered, looking into Marcia''s eyes to prove her


    sincerity.


    "Tell Alyssa that I will go to the Timber Deity Empire in person." As cautious as Marcia, she would never


    trust Laneypletely. She would go to the Timber Deity Empire in person, and if they were telling the


    truth, and Rocky was alive, she would take him back then. But before anything else, she needed to


    confirm it first.


    "I will. If there''s nothing else, I''m leaving now. If you need anything from me, you can find me in the


    Fragrance House, where I will be staying for now." After that, Laney bowed respectfully and left.


    When she was gone, Marcia got up to leave the mansion and rushed to the Pce City to see the


    emperor. Even though she couldn''tpletely believe what Laney had told her, she still needed to let


    the emperor know. After all, it was about his son.


    The emperor immediately summoned her when the servant told him that Marcia wasing.


    "General Marcia, is there anything urgent?" She had never shown up on her initiative in the Pce City


    unless something important came up. The fact that she was here told him that there must be something


    special going on.


    "Your Majesty!" Marcia greeted and cast a meaningful nce at the maids, who were standing behind


    the emperor.


    The emperor caught her gaze promptly, and his curiosity ratcheted up to ten. "Leave us alone," he


    immediately ordered, waving his maids outside.


    The maids left immediately, leaving only the two of them in the hall.


    "Go ahead. Do you need to tell me something important?" Seriousness also crept on the emperor''s


    face when he saw how serious Marcia was.


    "Yes, Your Majesty. It''s about Basil — he''s still alive!" Marcia said, unable to contain the emotions that


    stirred within her, making her voice tremble.


    The emperor looked at her in shock and fell heavily on his chair, his legs trembling weakly. The news


    was too much for him. First, his son had died, but now he was alive again?! Sabina, Marcia''s


    apprentice, had witnessed Basil''s death with her own eyes, so did she get it wrong? Or was this an


    borate prank on Marcia''s end?


    "General Marcia, what''s wrong with you? This isn''t a good joke. I won''t forgive you if you insist on


    saying these things," replied the emperor softly. He wondered what had provoked Marcia to do this


    cruel thing. Was she no longer a general he could trust?


    "Your Majesty, I know it''s hard to believe, but it''s true. The Dragon Twined Wood, which I used to seal


    the power of the Holy Dragon Bead inside Basil, still grows today. It indicates that the power of the Holy


    Dragon Bead still exists," Marcia insisted. To back up her words, she took out the Dragon Twined Wood


    and handed it to the emperor.


    "Oh, how could this be?" the emperor cried brokenly. "Basil is still alive? Where is he now?" His


    questions came one after another, as joy and confusion warred in his heart. Even though he still had


    some doubts, at that moment, he chose to believe Marcia. He sat up in his chair excitedly, and his face


    glowed with one of his rare smiles. He had been thinking of his younger son every day, and this news


    was like a balm to his aching heart.


    "He is in the Timber Deity Empire now," Marcia replied promptly. She understood the emperor''s


    reaction. After all, she had just experienced the same thing herself.


    "He''s in the Timber Deity Empire? Did they kidnap him? Since when? And how? This is unforgivable!


    Besides, why did they make us believe that Basil was dead when he was with them all along? What


    benefit did they get from it? No, I can''t wait anymore. I must send an army to rescue Basil, no matter


    what the price is. I just want him back!" The emperor shot up from his seat, as his eyes filled with


    venom at the thought of his son in captivity.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    "Your Majesty, the opposite is true. As far as I know, he is free and unrestrained in the Timber Deity


    Empire," Marcia replied with a bitter smile.


    "Then why didn''t hee back if there''s nothing holding him back?" the emperor couldn''t help but ask.


    He was greatly confused and felt a little betrayed that his son was willingly spending time in the


    enemy''snds.


    "I believe that he has his reasons to stay, but I need to look into it before reporting to Your Majesty. This


    time, I n to go to the Timber Deity Empire myself. If everything goes well, I''ll bring him back as soon


    as I can," Marcia reported, waiting for the emperor''s approval to proceed as she nned.


    "Okay. You have my full permission to enact any n that you see fit. Go and bring Rocky back from


    the Timber Deity Empire as soon as possible. I will announce this good news with our people at once!"


    the emperor eximed, unable to hold back his excitement. The thought that his younger son was still


    alive made him feel much younger himself. The ruddyplexion on his face ttened his wrinkles.


    And the mncholy, which had always upied his face, had now gone.


    "Please don''t, Your Majesty! Please don''t say anything until I bring him back. Don''t we want to make


    sure that everything goes smoothly? I think we should keep a low profile, just in case," replied Marcia


    hurriedly, standing up and almost reaching in her haste to stop the emperor. It wasn''t a good idea to


    shake the bush to rouse the sleeping serpent. Even though Alston was not in the Holy Dragon Empire


    now, Priest Dean was there in his stead. They were on the same side, so if Priest Dean found out


    about it, he would surely report it to Alston. Marcia didn''t want a fire at her backyard.


    "You are right." As calmness returned to him, the emperor nodded approvingly. He had been a little


    carried away, and he had almost made a mistake, if not for his general''s wisdom.


    "Your Majesty, how is Isis doing recently?" Marcia asked as if the thought had just crossed her mind.


    "She''s fine, but she is always low in spirit. I can''t remember thest time she spent time outside her


    pce, and she doesn''t want to see anyone or talk to anyone. Why don''t you tell her this good news?


    Maybe it will cheer her up!" the emperor suggested.


    "I''ll go and see herter. Your Majesty, please promise that you won''t tell a single soul that Basil is


    alive. Please, promise me! We need to be cautious," Marcia exhorted with concern.


    "I won''t tell anyone, I promise," the emperor replied sincerely. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment


    as if he was thinking about something deeply; then he took out a golden jade token from his pocket. It


    had a unique shape.


    "Give this jade token to Basil for me," he said and handed the token to Marcia.


    "Is this the jade token passed down from emperor to emperor in generations?" Marcia didn''t take it


    immediately, for she was taken by surprise. She didn''t expect that the emperor would give it to Basil


    now. It was a huge matter because it meant that the emperor had chosen Basil as his heir.


    "I know what I am doing. Just take it, and don''t ask any questions." Despite his blunt words, the


    emperor was smiling as he handed her the jade stone. It was like he had regained the hope that he had


    lost.


    "If you don''t mind, I''d like to take Isis back to the Crimson Dragon Group. Maybe she will rx there,


    and it will be good for both her and the baby," Marcia asked after she put away the token.


    "Go ahead and ask her. It''s up to her if she wants to do that," replied the emperor with a concerned


    expression. He didn''t want to push Isis, but he was getting worried for her too. Perhaps, this was the


    push that she needed so that she could recover from her grief.


    They talked for a while after that, and then Marcia left and headed to see Isis in her pce.


    When the maid led Marcia into the bedroom, Isis was sitting on her bed. Her eyes were swollen, which


    made it obvious that she had been crying. It was noticeable that she had lost a lot of weight, and she


    seemed to be getting thinner every day.


    Basil''s death disheartened Isis, and if it weren''t for the fact that she was pregnant with Basil''s child,


    which pushed her to go on, she would have copsed long ago.


    "Isis, I''m going to the Timber Deity Empire for something urgent. How about you going with me to the


    Crimson Dragon Group? You haven''t been back for a long time, have you?" Marcia asked Isis as she


    stepped forward so that Isis would look at her.


    However, Isis was nk-faced. She didn''t even nce at her when she shook her head and said, "I


    don''t want to go anywhere."


    "I think a change of environment would do you some good. Staying in the Pce City all day long isn''t


    doing you any favors, you know? Even if you don''t care about your physical condition, you need to


    consider the baby. I think that you should take him to the ce where his father used to live and tell


    him what kind of person his father is. In that way, this child can be as brave as his father in the future.


    Besides, I think your father might also want to see you around," Marcia insisted once again. It broke


    her heart to see Isis in the throes of her despair.


    Meanwhile, Isis remained nk-faced and silent.


    Marcia continued to describe the good it would bring to her and the baby if she had a change of ce.


    Atst, Isis couldn''t resist the temptation and surrendered. After packing up her necessities, she left the


    Pce City with Marcia and went to the Gehenna Border.


    Marcia''s intention was not only to improve Isis''s moods. She was worried that Isis would be


    endangered once the news that Basil was still alive broke out, so she needed to bring Isis out of the


    Pce City. Just in case, she brought Isis to her father, who would protect her well. Besides, if Marcia


    could bring Basil back sessfully, Isis could see him as soon as possible at this ce because it was


    much closer.


    After Marcia departed from the capital, the countdown of Rocky''s return to the Holy Dragon Empire


    began.