The Medallion

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 Laney completely. 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 Palace City to see the emperor. Even though she couldn't completely 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 was coming.

"General Marcia, is there anything urgent?" She had never shown up on her initiative in the Palace 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 glance 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 elaborate 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? Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.

"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.

"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 he come 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's lands.

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

"Okay. You have my full permission to enact any plan 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 exclaimed, unable to hold back his excitement. The thought that his younger son was still alive made him feel much younger himself. The ruddy complexion on his face flattened his wrinkles. And the melancholy, which had always occupied 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 the last time she spent time outside her palace, 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 her later. 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 relax 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 palace.

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 collapsed 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 blank-faced. She didn't even glance 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 Palace 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 place 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 blank-faced and silent.

Marcia continued to describe the good it would bring to her and the baby if she had a change of place. At last, Isis couldn't resist the temptation and surrendered. After packing up her necessities, she left the Palace 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 Palace City. Just in case, she brought Isis to her father, who would protect her well. Besides, if Marcia could bring Basil back successfully, Isis could see him as soon as possible at this place because it was much closer.

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