Immortal Supreme: Sovereign of the Grand Dao-Chapter 278: The Three Mysteries Pavilion

After the president agreed to the deal, Arthur’s expression became more serious.

His casual demeanor shifted. "President Aldric, I’d like to speak with you privately for a moment," he said.

His tone was polite but carried weight that suggested the conversation would be important.

The president nodded without hesitation. "Of course, Your Highness." He understood immediately that Arthur had more business to discuss.

He turned to Ava who stood near the wall. "Granddaughter, please escort Princess Anastasia and Miss Helia to the tea garden. I’m sure they’d enjoy seeing our rare spirit herbs."

Ava smiled warmly at the request. "It would be my pleasure, Grandfather."

She stood gracefully and gestured to Anastasia and Helia with an elegant hand motion. "Princess, if you’ll follow me. We have some truly remarkable specimens that were just transplanted last week."

Anastasia glanced at Arthur with curiosity written across her face.

Her eyes asked silent questions. But she stood without complaint. "Don’t take too long," she said to him.

Arthur knew she just wanting in on his secrets, but thought nothing of it. Even though he had jokingly promised her to reveal somethings to her, he didn’t mean it much.

"I won’t," Arthur assured her, while planning on how to appease this princess.

Ava led both women out of the room. Their footsteps faded down the corridor. Helia followed quietly as always.

Once they left and the door closed with a soft click, Arthur activated a privacy formation with a wave of his hand. Energy rippled outward from his palm. An invisible barrier sealed the room completely.

The president’s eyes widened slightly at the casual display of formation skill.

Arthur had activated a formation without any hand seals or verbal components. That level of control was impressive for someone his age 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

’So the young Prince is also a formation genius.’ he noted as Arthur became more interesting in his heart.

"President Aldric, I want to ask you about something," Arthur began.

He leaned forward slightly in his seat. His eyes became sharp and focused. "The Alchemist Association is one of only three forces that maintains connections to immortal level powers, correct?"

The president’s face showed shock. His expression froze. His tea cup paused halfway to his lips. The liquid inside trembled from his suddenly unsteady hand.

"How do you know about that?" he asked carefully.

His voice dropped lower. "That information is strictly guarded. Only the highest ranking members of our association are aware of those connections."

Arthur didn’t answer directly. His face remained calm. "After the continent split into five regions, does the Alchemist Association still have ways to communicate between branches on the other continents?"

President Aldric set down his cup with more force than intended. The porcelain clinked against the saucer. His hands weren’t quite steady anymore. "Your Highness, where did you learn these secrets?" His voice carried genuine surprise and wariness.

Sweat began forming on his forehead. "These matters are not spoken of outside our inner council."

"That’s not important," Arthur said simply. His tone suggested he wouldn’t be answering that question."I just need confirmation."

The president studied Arthur’s face for a long moment. His eyes searched for any hint of Arthur’s sources.

But Arthur’s expression revealed nothing. Finally, the president sighed heavily. His shoulders sagged slightly. "Yes. We do have methods of communication between continents. But it’s extremely limited."

Arthur’s posture relaxed slightly. Good. The information from his past life was still accurate. "Please explain if you can," Arthur said simply. These few words carried a hint of authority.

"The same phenomenon that split the continents also disrupted long-distance communication formations," President Aldric explained.

He spoke slowly and carefully. "We can receive messages from the other branches, but we cannot send anything back. And even what we receive is minimal. Only the most critical information gets through. Messages arrive maybe once every few months at best."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully. This matched what he remembered from his past life as the Mortal Emperor.

Although he was a bit disappointed, but not by much.

The splitting of the continents had caused massive disruptions to spatial formations. The phenomenon had torn apart the carefully constructed networks that once connected the entire realm.

Within the Serene Palace Painting’s inner world, Cora’s voice spoke in his mind through their connection. ’Arthur, how do you know about the immortal connections? Even I didn’t know the Alchemist Association had maintained those links. I thought all of them were severed during the splitting.’

Arthur didn’t respond to her yet. He kept his focus entirely on the president sitting across from him. Cora would have questions later. Many questions.

But right now he needed to gather all the information he could without having to venture out himself.

"Is there any other organization with better communication capabilities?" Arthur asked.

He picked up his own tea cup and took a small sip. His movements were casual but his attention remained fixed on the president.

President Aldric thought for a moment. His brow furrowed in concentration. He tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "There is one," he said slowly.

"A force called the Three Mysteries Pavilion. They recently became active and are responsible for the Rising Dragon Rankings."

Arthur’s interest sharpened immediately. His eyes narrowed. The Three Mysteries Pavilion. He’d never heard that name in his past incarnation as the Mortal Emperor.

During his reign, no such organization existed. He’d never encountered it in his original past life either.

A completely unknown force with such capabilities was extremely intriguing. And maybe concerning.

"Tell me more about them," Arthur said. He set down his tea cup. His full attention was now on this new information.

"Even Emperor Hartfield tried to investigate them," the president continued. His voice took on a tone of respect mixed with frustration.

"But he came up empty-handed. The emperor deployed his best intelligence agents. He used every resource at his disposal. But they found nothing. They’re incredibly secretive. All we know is they deal in buying and selling everything. Information, artifacts, resources, techniques. Everything has a price with them. If you have enough to pay, they can get you anything."

"Where can I find them?" Arthur asked directly.

"They have a branch here in the capital," President Aldric replied. "In the upper district near the Rankings Tower. The building has no sign or markings. But those who know can find it. It’s a three-story structure with black walls and red doors. But getting an audience isn’t easy. They choose who they meet with. Many powerful people have been turned away at the door."

Arthur smiled slightly. His lips curved upward. "I’ll manage."

The president looked at Arthur with newfound respect mixed with caution.

This young prince knew secrets that should be impossible for him to know. Secrets about immortal connections. About the continental split. About hidden communications. His eyes showed he was reassessing everything he thought he knew about Arthur.

"Thank you for the information, President," Arthur said. He stood to leave. His movements were smooth and unhurried. "I trust this conversation remains between us."

"Of course, Your Highness," President Aldric agreed quickly. He stood as well and bowed deeply. "You have my word. Nothing we discussed will leave this room."

Arthur deactivated the privacy formation with another casual gesture. The barrier dissolved. He turned and walked toward the door.

President Aldric watched him go with a complicated expression. ’That young man is far more than he appears,’ the president thought to himself. ’I would need to report this to the council on any such matter. But what do I even tell them? That the prince might know secrets older than most of us?’

’Never mind. I sensed he was probing me too. He surely wants to form a connection. I won’t break it for the association.’

Little did he know that Arthur sensed his thoughts with the soul gem.

But this has won him a point in Arthur’s heart.