Chapter 270: Surrogate Pregnancy
The legendary Battle Qi and will remaining in the wound were easily decomposed and cleared by the Domain. The unobstructed wound began to heal, and the damaged internal organs were slowly repairing.
But this was not enough.
This thing was the veteran assassin of the Flesh and Blood Church, the Bloody Witch Chima, but she had changed quite a bit. She had gone from a glamorous witch to a sashimi platter of intestines. Since being captured by Owen, she had been constantly studied, and now that she had no value, she had been reduced to synthetic material.
Ignoring the pink intestines twisting and turning, begging for mercy, Owen ruthlessly extracted the consciousness and soul of the Bloody Witch Chima.
That’s right, Owen gave up on mechanical modification and also gave up on simple system enhancement. Instead, he chose surrogate pregnancy, borrowing Vanessa’s womb to give birth to herself. He gave himself ninety-nine points for this operation.
As the cells continued to divide and the embryo gradually took shape, Owen linked Vanessa’s soul to it. Then, as the embryo grew and the mother’s body weakened, the soul and consciousness would gradually transfer to the developing fetus, ultimately achieving rebirth.
“I never thought I would have the day when I would become a mother and give birth to a child.” At this moment, Vanessa completely ignored the ability Owen had displayed and didn’t care that she was nurturing a smaller version of herself. She focused all her energy on her lower abdomen, revealing a maternal smile.
Owen looked at the data and found that it was due to the influence of pregnancy hormone secretion, so he stopped paying attention to her.
After modifying the coffin and installing a life support system, Owen secured Vanessa, who had fallen into a deep sleep at some point, inside. After setting the system to inject nutrients according to her body’s changes, he closed the lid.
But before Owen could take a nap, he heard the sound of the troops preparing to depart. He had no choice but to gulp down a cup of coffee and set off.
Along the way, Owen carried the coffin back to his tent every day and connected with Bryan and the others to make various adjustments.
The others found this very strange. After all, it was hard not to find it odd that he slept with a coffin every day. Only Count Dekla smiled somewhat ambiguously, thinking that young people liked peculiar things.
Indeed, a legendary human stick was naturally rare, just not something ordinary people could enjoy.
However, this act made the number of people following them dwindle. They obviously mistook it for Owen doing something terrible to Vanessa, and the worse and more painful her life was, the happier and more delighted those people would be. Therefore, they no longer maintained constant attention, which also dispelled Owen’s idea of having Shinobi bury them all.
Time passed quickly. Half a month later, Owen and the others finally saw the towering walls of the Imperial Capital.
Instead of entering the city directly, they were settled in a separate manor outside the city, with troops stationed around it, guarding against them.
No one had any objections to this, nor did they dare to.
The Imperial Capital not only had despairingly high walls but also the most elite legions. There were more than one or two knight orders composed entirely of Battle Qi Knights, and the number of overt and covert forces was simply outrageous. Owen didn’t even dare to let Shinobi easily venture out to probe, for fear of her being caught.
After settling the Enfeoffment Group, the three members of the Envoy Mission couldn’t rest either. They had to report to the Imperial Palace immediately. Even if the Emperor didn’t have time, they had to be there.
As for when the Emperor would receive the Enfeoffment Group and when the titles would be bestowed, no one could say for sure. It mainly depended on the Emperor’s mood.
In fact, the Emperor’s mood came much faster than they expected. Early the next morning, Marquis Bergasos, who hadn’t slept all night and was full of fatigue, rushed over, bringing etiquette instructors to teach them some manners, because the Emperor would receive them this evening.
Although the etiquette instructors were not nobles, they were proficient in all kinds of etiquette and very strict in their requirements. Many members of the Enfeoffment Group, who came from noble families, were scolded like children.
These people were unable to inherit titles, so their noble education was somewhat lacking, and these flaws were intolerable mistakes in the eyes of the etiquette instructors.
Only Ferrier received a nod from the etiquette instructor, and then there was Owen, who the instructor didn’t quite know how to handle.
In terms of appearance, the etiquette instructor couldn’t find any fault. Secondly, Owen’s speech and behavior clearly showed he had received a good education, and his scholarly aura couldn’t be faked. As for etiquette, although he seemed unfamiliar, it was undeniable that he had his own unique and quite mature set of manners. They didn’t know whether they should change this.
Finally, Marquis Bergasos instructed the etiquette instructor to simply teach them what they couldn’t do in the presence of the Emperor.
After receiving etiquette guidance, everyone changed into their ornate and elaborate noble attire, boarded the designated royal carriages, and headed for the Imperial Palace under the escort of the Royal Knights.
The whole process was different from what Owen had imagined. The carriage curtains were not allowed to be opened, so he couldn’t see what the Imperial Capital looked like, let alone the Imperial Palace. He couldn’t even hear any human voices because there was a dedicated avenue leading to the palace, and ordinary people were not allowed to step on this avenue, let alone approach it. Even glancing at it could result in being executed. Only those summoned by the Emperor and the Royal Knights could enter.
Sitting in the carriage, Owen didn’t dare to make any unnecessary movements. This was not the superficial stuff of the secret auction. He keenly sensed that there were many powerful restrictions inside the carriage.
The power of these restrictions might not pose a fatal threat to him, but once triggered, it would be impossible to explain. He would most likely be caught and confronted by the Royal Knights on the spot.
The avenue outside was also extraordinary, possessing a kind of acceleration ability. Whether it was the carriages or the Royal Knights, their speed on it far exceeded their normal state, giving Owen the feeling of a maglev train. He couldn’t help but marvel at the Empire’s profound foundation.
Therefore, due to the speed, the group quickly arrived at the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately, Owen and the others didn’t get to see what the palace looked like. By the time they got off the carriage, they were already inside a certain part of the palace.
Inside, they were even less allowed to move around freely. Moreover, because it was an informal summons, the location they entered was somewhat remote. Coupled with the high walls and courtyards, they couldn’t see their surroundings at all and didn’t know what they were supposed to do next.
The group looked at each other, not knowing how long they waited. Finally, the Emperor summoned them.
The Emperor was a middle-aged man who looked very dignified. He didn’t have any special features or an astonishing aura. If it weren’t for the legendary swordsman guarding him, it would be hard to associate him with the Emperor.
Seeing this, Owen felt a sense of strangeness, but before he could regain his composure, the audience was over.
The Emperor came and went in a hurry, only offering a few words of encouragement before leaving. The whole process didn’t exceed a minute, and they had traveled for nearly two months for this, even spending a whole day learning etiquette.
Compared to Owen, who was lost in thought, the others were uncontrollably excited. Helpless, he could only board the carriage first.
On the way back, Owen even suspected that the person might have been a body double for the Emperor. This possibility was quite high, as their value wasn’t significant enough for the Emperor to make a special trip. Moreover, because of his presence, the level of danger was uncertain.
