The guard proceeded to let them inside of the boundless guard and they slowly walked along a road passed with polished limestone bricks.

The garden was truly too large, as the guard then sped up his pace so it didn't take the entire afternoon to reach the main palace.

After a short while of walking and appreciating the rare flower and plant species of the garden, they were finally in front of the ginormous palace.

The guard knocked and two people opened the gates.

They were dressed in loose attire and they both had a red dot on their forehead.

Alex wondered what its signification was and asked one of the men.

Fortunately, he was kind and he cupped his head and informed him, "Sir, the Bindi is to keep God in the center of our thoughts through our third eye."

Alex thanked the man and cupped his hands back.

The guard then whispered something to one of the two men and it seemed like he had to go back to his shift.

The man in question hinted at them to follow him and fortunately guided them through the otherwise labyrinth-like palace.

"This place is very...big..." Alex giggled and remarked.

The man nodded and stated, "Originally, Lord Ashoka wished for a small palace but everyone refused and we all contributed to building this palace for Him."

'Sounds like a nice dude.' Alex thought to himself.

While they were walking across a corridor, large windows greeted his sight with a small courtyard and Alex had a strange expression.

The courtyard was a peaceful garden with a pond and a simple gazebo.

However, there was a man in the garden.

He had long, tied-up hair and brown skin. His eyes and hair were similarly brown.

The man seemed to have a reserved and quiet demeanor and he was practicing movements with a sword.

Alex instantly identified the man as the arrogant prince from Olep, Aadityapal.

But instead of the annoying 'sh*thead' Alex met back then, he now seemed very mature and calm.

As if Aadityapal felt a gaze on him, he turned around in their direction.

When he saw Alex, all of his movements halted and he stared at him with wide eyes.

The two exchanged stunned stares until Alex crossed into another corridor and they couldn't see each other any longer.

"You okay, Alexei-boy?" Hermes looked at him confusingly.

"Yeah, everything's fine..."

They resumed walking and the man halted in front of a tall gate.

"Inside, Lord awaits you."

He then bowed to them and left.

"Thank you for your service."

_____________________________________________

There were sandals and footwear carefully placed outside of the gate, and it seemed like Hermes and Alex also needed to remove their footwear.

They did so and Hermes knocked at the gate.

"Enter." A comforting voice said.

The two opened the gate and entered a large hall.

There was a big rectangular table that stretched from one end of the hall to another, and many people were sat.

Upon the opposite side of the table, a man sat upon a seat that was larger than the others.

He had black hair and a trimmed mustache.

His skin glowed from the soft light of the sun, and he seemed like a young man in his thirties.

He wore a light red fabric and could be distinguished from the other people in the hall.

There were two empty seats on each side of the table near him, and when he saw them, he stood up and greeted, "You must be the two sirs Alex and Hermes."

He even spoke in Koine Greek, demonstrating his politeness and welcoming attitude.

"We thank you for the welcome, Sir Ashoka."

"It is entirely my pleasure. Please seat yourselves and the best gastronomy of my land will be served to you."

The two obliged and sat on the two empty seats.

Ashoka laughed and whispered to the two, "No need to be so formal, I'm only acting this way because the Brahmins take this very seriously."

The Brahmins were the priests and they could be easily distinguished by the maroon Bindi on their glabella.

Ashoka then stood up and coughed, gathering the attention of the entire crowd.

"I present to the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and monks of this banquet, our two guests, Alex and Hermes, gods from western lands."

Kshatriyas were warriors and small kings.

When they heard that, they all stood up and greeted them, to which the two reciprocated.

After the uproar calmed down, Ashoka once again, "Under the eyes of the most respectable people of my land, I wish to make an announcement."

"This shall be my last banquet."

Suddenly, the havoc wreaked among everyone.

Even the monks, who were normally quiet, started speaking among themselves and the room was noisy.

Ashoka once again coughed and the room quieted down.

"I have ruled the land under the name of the Mauryas for 150 years, and in this time, I have achieved eternal life. After all this time, I feel that the position of Emperor does not fit me anymore and I wish to instead travel the world and spread dharma and goodwill to this land and beyond."

'He seems like a very nice person...' Alex got the impression that Ashoka was an honest man from the way he spoke and addressed himself.

Chaos once again spread throughout the hall, and one of the Brahmins even whispered something to his servant, who swiftly left the hall.

A Brahmin who seemed to hold a particularly esteemed position stood up and asked, "Lord Ashoka, do you have any of your children in mind to inherit your position...?"

Suddenly, a sense of anxiety and tension spread throughout the hall.

Ashoka rubbed his head and replied, "I can't make any decisions right now, but I suppose Ranya and Aarush are some of my greatest children and would make for good rulers."

*Fsssk*

A person in the room seemed to hold a glass particularly hard and broke it, making it shatter into many pieces.

The person apologized, and servants came over to clean it up.

'There must be some court drama in here...' Alex and Hermes exchanged a glance and immediately understood what the other was thinking.

After that, appetizing food was served and Ashoka spoke, "Brahmin Aarya, I have heard of your recent mission to Tamil Eelam. Could you perhaps share any of your stories with this audience?"

The tension dissipated and everyone started eating while the Brahmin recounted many tales.