Chapter 1702 (2/2)

“Next!” The guard bellowed. And when the monkey moved to speak, two other guards stepped forward and raised their weapons, leaving the monkey to whimper and drag himself away.

Randidly coughed lightly as he stepped forward It was finally his turn. “I… hello. I’m here to see Claudette. She should be expecting me.”

The words were like a spell, slowing the panting and the whispering of the people who had filled in behind Randidly while he had been waiting. Even some of the other guards paused in their yawning conversations and swiveled their heads over to look at the man who dared claim that Claudette Beigon was expecting him.

And considering most of the people here are just here to drop off weird gifts… I guess she doesn’t have many friends that stop by…? Haaah, what a hassle...

The guard folded his arms across his chest, looking Randidly up and down from his bare feet to his chin-length black hair. “You expect me to believe that Mistress Claudette wishes to meet someone like… you…?”

The guard didn’t even give Randidly a chance to respond. He just kept speaking. “Let me tell you a secret; there is actually a method by which she could have told us to let you through. It has just happened so rarely that we no longer bother to check it. And because I’m feeling generous, and honestly in need of entertainment, I don’t mind checking today.”

The people behind Randidly were now whispering furiously with each other. At the same time, the other guards of the Beigon family began to gather around, nudging each other with their elbows. The receiving guard leaned forward, his pristine white armor glimmering in the warm sunlight that suffused this whole place. “...however. If I go back and check and find out that you’ve taken me for a fool… if you’ve lied and used the name of our mistress in some batshit scheme to lie your way into the Beigon compound… well. I suppose you will have to take responsibility for entertaining us. I hope you don’t break easily, boy.”

Randidly reached up and scratched his jaw, feeling somewhat helpless. He couldn’t decide what sort of expression he should be showing. Not that any of you are weak… but even Alana could come here and rip a hole through your defenses. You are definitely not the true guards to this compound… And you want to threaten me…?

Ultimately, it was a moot point. Randidly decided to overlook their foolish swagger and simply nodded. The guards chuckled and one stepped forward and bowed theatrically. “I wish for the honor of finding out this man’s fate!”

“Go, go,” the gift-receiving guard said, waving his hand and chuckling. The younger guard who volunteered then sauntered forward, taking his sweet time as he walked up to the main gate and approached a small and inconspicuous box sitting there.

A slippery amphibian humanoid stood behind Randidly and leaned forward to whisper in his hear. “You best not anger them. The Beigon Family and all their affiliates will hold a grudge against you for as long as you live. They will never allow you into Alymian.”

“I… am telling the truth.” Randidly shook his head.

After making a great show of producing a key and raising it above his head to show everyone the crimson metal and silver stylings on the handle, the young guard inserted it into the box and twisted. The door swung open, revealing several small chambers.

“Bahaha!” The young guard threw back his head. “The young mistress’s box-”

But then he choked. There was an awkward moment of silence. Randidly tilted his head to the side, curious. The young man reached forward with trembling hands and removed a small scroll from within the container. After reading it, he spun around. “Open the gates!”

“What?” The guard in front of Randidly was dumbfounded. All of the waiting beings were frozen with looks of shock on their faces. One by one, they turned to look deeply at Randidly.

“The main gates!” The young guard gestured frantically. “Open them.”

The gift guard spun around and looked at Randidly with wonder. Randidly could only shrug helplessly. I did tell you…

The Engravings moved first, flowing backward across the heavy gates in a mythical pattern that had Neveah swooning. Then the physical gates moved, opening a space of about a hundred meters just so Randidly could walk forward. Then the gates rumbled back into place behind him.

Randidly followed a floating light orb through a dazzling array of flowering gardens and strange sculptures. The entire area was dyed the color of sunsets, either with paint or material. Everything he saw stank of money and power, to the point that Randidly had to resist a very literal urge to wrinkle his nose; the scent of the flowers was overpowering.

If Randidly walked past one more perfectly blooming rose bed before getting to Claudette, he considered very seriously whether he could set the damn thing on fire without anyone knowing it was him.

If he gripped it with the slightest bit of Mana, in a few minutes they would all transform to ash anyway...

But due to his time on the farm, Randidly recognized that his emotional reaction was to due the thick image of ‘quality’ layered over every inch of this place. The Beigon Family seemed to think very highly of itself.

Finally, Randidly was led into a small drawing-room that gave the occupants a perfect view of the gorgeous bubbling spring in a nearby courtyard. But the figure within was not who he had expected.

“So,” A middle-aged man took a sip of tea then set down his cup. He sat with his legs folded beneath him, his heavy-lidded eyes seeming to scan every inch Randidly. “Why have you come on this day, to my house, to meet my daughter?”