Lord of Prayer

"Where are we right now?"

"The Royal Tower has a total of 188 floors. We’re on the 180th floor, in the Royal Rest Area, which also serves as an emergency shelter for members of the Royal Family and high-level government officials. The thirty floors below are residences for the Royal Family, and above us is the ’Imperial Palace’ of the King of North Carolina," said the man with crystalline pupils, who wore the appearance of the Minister of Agriculture.

"Residences?"

Zhou Chen paused to think. "There are other members of the Royal Family in the tower?"

"Of course. The Royal Tower uses space-folding technology, making it the equivalent of a small city. It has every recreational facility you can imagine—swimming pools, shopping malls, golf courses, hot spring resorts. Unless absolutely necessary, the members of the Royal Family never leave the tower.

But don’t worry, they can’t violate the Rules of the tower either. The ones we need to be wary of are the ’Tower Guards.’"

The man with crystalline pupils said, "The Tower Guards are fiercely loyal to the Royal Family. They’re responsible for maintaining order and stability in the tower. They are sanctioned peacekeepers who are allowed to disregard the Royal Tower’s regulations and kill at will. If we run into them, we’ll be in big trouble."

’The Tower Guards can ignore the Rules and kill at will...’ A sense of alarm rose in Zhou Chen. This was very bad. "Then let’s not waste any time. We need to get to the top floor, now."

"The elevators are shut down. Getting up there won’t be that simple. We’ll have to climb, floor by floor." The man with crystalline pupils pulled two invitations with Gold Foil Stamping from his pocket. "The 181st floor marks the beginning of the King of North Carolina’s Imperial Palace. Unauthorized intruders will be punished. These are the invitations. Take one. They’ll save us a lot of trouble."

Zhou Chen took the Gold Foil Stamped invitation. An invitation phrase was written on it in the North Carolinian language. He feigned a look of confusion. "Where did you get this?"

"I had a feeling the Salvation Army might come to the Royal Tower, so I made some preparations in advance. I wanted to lend you a hand," the man with crystalline pupils replied sincerely.

Although it sounded unbelievable, under the influence of that strangely affable aura, even the most suspicious person would gradually come to believe his words. If not for the blessing of the Prayer Space’s Power, Zhou Chen feared he too would have unknowingly "fallen" for it.

’This guy probably wants to use me as a scapegoat, a human shield...,’ Zhou Chen cursed inwardly. He lifted up the member of the Royal Family. "Do we still need a royal to clear the way for us as we go up?"

"Bring him. Just in case."

"N-No, please... I’m just from a side branch. Why don’t you go grab someone from the direct line...?" the royal begged pitifully.

Zhou Chen thought for a moment. "That does make sense."

So he put the man down and went back to grab a member of the North Carolina Royal Family’s direct line. This one was a middle-aged man in his forties, bald, with heavy bags under his eyes and a sallow complexion, looking thoroughly debauched. The bald man couldn’t stop himself from cursing out the previous royal. "You cowardly bastard! I hope you die a horrible death!"

Meanwhile, the first royal scrambled and crawled his way to the back of the crowd, where he curled into a ball and shivered.

"Let’s go."

Zhou Chen moved forward, dragging the bald middle-aged man. The "Minister of Agriculture" followed, but the Painter, disguised as the "Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council," didn’t come along. He remained hidden in the crowd, plotting who knows what.

After opening several doors in a row, Zhou Chen finally found the elevators. But just as the "Minister of Agriculture" had said, they were out of service. Their only option was the staircase to the side.

The interior of the Royal Tower used space-folding technology, making the internal area of each floor much larger than it appeared from the outside. Even the stairwell was exceptionally spacious and luxurious, with steps as white as jade and warm lights illuminating both sides of the path.

Hauling the two men, Zhou Chen ascended the long flight of stairs. Soon, he saw a golden door at the top of the white jade staircase, carved with ornate patterns. It was opulent and solemn, radiating nobility. Behind this door lay the "Imperial Palace" of the King of North Carolina.

Arriving at the door, the "Minister of Agriculture" took out his Gold Foil Stamped invitation. Seeing this, Zhou Chen also held his invitation tightly in his hand. Two beams of light immediately shot out from the golden door, striking the two invitations and leaving the insignia of the North Carolina Royal Family on each.

"This means we’re now considered invited guests."

"What about this guy?" Zhou Chen asked, looking at the bald middle-aged man.

"He’s a member of the Royal Family’s direct line. He can enter and exit the Imperial Palace freely without an invitation."

The great doors to the Imperial Palace slowly swung open. A gust of fresh air, tinged with the scent of flowers, washed over them. A lush, verdant scene unfolded before their eyes. As far as the eye could see were garden landscapes and exquisite sculptures the likes of which Zhou Chen had never seen. A marble fountain stood directly opposite the gate, spouting a continuous stream of water, its dense mist swirling over the surface of the pool. Behind the fountain was a magnificent royal building.

This must be the front Garden of the Imperial Palace.

"Hurry up. We don’t have much time," the Minister of Agriculture urged.

Without another word, Zhou Chen grabbed the two men by their collars, flapped his wings, and shot toward the royal building at high speed.

"Who goes there?"

Suddenly, a furious roar echoed. An Armored Knight, which had looked like an art sculpture, abruptly came to life. With a CREAK and a SQUEAL of grinding steel, the Armored Knight shot out like a cannonball, swinging its massive Heavy Sword down at Zhou Chen without a word of warning.

A Tower Guard!

’This is bad,’ Zhou Chen thought. He decisively accelerated, dodging the Tower Guard’s attack, and charged into the royal building with the two men in tow.

"Go forward... turn right... straight on... through the hall... turn left..." The Minister of Agriculture seemed to be very familiar with the layout, directing Zhou Chen forward.

Aided by his terrifying speed, Zhou Chen reached the door to the 182nd floor in less than two minutes. The invitation seemed to be working, as the door opened automatically. The scene behind the door was not another staircase, but yet another royal building.