Chapter 63 - Gathering at the Royal Palace (1/2)

Under the guards' guidance, Hei walked away with Lian and led the buffaloes who were carrying the carriages to the stables assigned to the mounts used by the arriving guests for the king's celebration.

It was an immense stable, worthy of being part of the royal palace, and inside, it already contained many animals that were resting quietly. However, the calm inside the stable was suddenly disturbed by the arrival of the imposing buffalo herd.

The momentary occupants of the stable awoke all of a sudden and watched the approach of this herd. Even powerful animals such as lions and tigers became nervous when the buffaloes arrived. They could easily perceive the strength of the albino buffalo leading the approaching herd. Regardless of their numbers, they couldn't win against such a being and realized that it had to be a strong spirit beast.

Some beast tamers, who were in charge of guarding the animals on behalf of their respective sects, looked at each other nervously. They were lesser beast tamers and could at best control simple animals or spirit beasts with very little spirit power. But from the presence of the albino buffalo comparable to a sixth stage spirit apprentice, nearing the second level, they sensed that there was a formidable beast tamer at the helm - a real and talented one, not false imitations like them.

But to their astonishment, instead of a great character, they saw only two youths next to the buffaloes. Seeing them, they were immediately filled with disappointment because they wanted to meet an expert beast tamer and not some children. However, they managed to refrain from asking questions of the two youths since it went without saying that the two youths were from an important sect, perhaps one of the five big sects.

Hei led the buffaloes to first park the carriages in the place designated for the Flower Sect, before placing them in a stable wing. Given their number and the presence of other animals, they had to be a little tight, but it was nothing they couldn't stand for a while.

”Shui, I'm sorry, but you guys have to stay here for now. Get your strength back in the meantime. I guess you will be tired from the journey,” Hei said as he adjusted the herbs he had cut close to each buffalo so they could eat when they wanted.

Shui shook its head as if to say it was fine. But since its companions weren't as sturdy as it was and they needed some rest, it didn't insist.

”I'm sorry, Mi, but you and the bees have to stay here too. Being small, you could come with us, but the queen bee has left you a part of the hive bees. A good leader must stay close to her subordinates, right?”

Upon hearing those words, Mi let out various buzzing sounds as if she wasn't totally in agreement, but she knew she couldn't walk away, leaving the other bees alone.

”I will see if I can bring you something good, okay?” Hei promised as he greeted Shui, Mi, the buffaloes, and the bees.

So with his mother and his little sisters hidden on his body, Hei walked with Lian towards the royal palace.

The guards, who had witnessed the arrival scene of the Flower Sect, recognized them and had them pass inside under the escort of a guard who led them inside the building to the banquet hall used to welcome the guests.

When they entered the banquet hall, the word that immediately came to Hei and Lian's mind was luxury.

A massive room with a gilded ceiling from which large golden chandeliers hung. The walls were filled with frescoes depicting vivid images of the history of the royal family and the kingdom. The floor, in turn, was composed of a detailed mosaic depicting other historical scenes. The furniture, however, except for the long tables on the sides of the room, was non-existent. They had removed the various pieces of furniture to make room for the audience who had come for the celebration of the king.

Hei and Lian, therefore, had to extricate themselves from that sea of people and found that they were all martial artists. Fortunately, being one of the five big sects, the Flower Sect group was easily identified due to the crowd that had formed around them to greet the sect leader and the other two elders.

Making their way through the crowd, they finally managed to reach the group. The sect leader gave them a quick look before quickly returning to converse with the sect leaders and elders of the other sects. The same was valid for the other two elders, who were greeting the various acquaintances.

This scene continued for quite a while. Given the number of representatives, even if it had been limited as much as possible, it was still high. Furthermore, although the Flower Sect was one of the five big sects, it wasn't appropriate to offend the other sects by showing an attitude of superiority. Often, it was more suited to maintain the facade of respect and friendship. After all, even if they had less power, joining together, they would form a considerable strength.

Hei, Lian, and the other personal disciples remained close to the sect leader and the elders in silence. As they were considered members of the younger generation, they had no right to participate in the conversation. Except for a few glances, the representatives of the other sects would have flown over them. Although they were curious about those geniuses, it would have been rude to try to speak directly with them since it would have been seen as an attempt at external recruitment.

But this didn't apply to the members of the younger generation of the other sects. These, like the Flower Sect geniuses, were next to their sect leaders and elders. They were looking defiantly at anyone who could be a rival, in particular, those from the five big sects.

There would be room for a sparring competition during the actual celebration banquet. For those from minors sects, it was an opportunity to show off their skills and show that they are stronger than those with a higher background. For those who came from a powerful sect, it was an opportunity to challenge old rivals and impose their superiority on others.

As members of the Flower Sect younger generation, Hei and the others were receiving the most looks. The only ones who boasted such a quantity were the geniuses of the Tree Sect younger generation.

But despite the tension in the air among the young martial artists, it wasn't yet time to fight. At one point, one of the king's ministers entered the reception room and announced the beginning of the auction.

”Good morning, all our esteemed guests from all over the kingdom. On behalf of the king and the entire kingdom, we thank you for your presence today on this day of celebrations. As you know, the banquet will take place in the evening. During the day, there will be an auction with the objects prepared by the king for the occasion and those brought by your esteemed guests. Our experts have finished the assessments, and now we can start. Since you are many, please follow the order in which we will call you and place yourself in the positions assigned to you.”

The minister then had a parchment delivered to him by his assistant. Above were written the names of the sects and families participating in today's event. So it started with the most illustrious guests.

”Tree Sect.” Proclaimed the minister.

A group of six people came out of the crowd and headed for the minister. There were three adults, the sect leader and two elders, and three young martial artists, the geniuses of the Tree Sect.