Chapter 73 - The Second Prince
Lu Sulan and the other two ladies released satisfied sounds as they gulped the wine from their silver cups.
"Ah~ this wine... This will be good during the summer." Lu Sulan said while looking at the empty silver cup in her hands.
Hestia and Theia nodded their heads in agreement. They then took a glance at Jiu Shen with heated looks.
At that moment, another line of words appeared on the small blackboard.
Frozen Origin - 55 True Crystals
Jiu Shen ignored the three ladies' gazes and slowly walked towards the entrance of the store. He then opened the door and was met with the sun's brilliant illumination.
It was still the middle of spring, but the light from the sun was beginning to turn warmer.
After that, Jiu Shen glanced at Lu Sulan and the other two with a calm look and said. "Business will begin soon, so make sure that all of you are prepared. Also, the new wine is ready to be served."
Jiu Shen went to the wine storage after he said those words. He still had to transfer the Frozen Origin in the display bottles...
* * *
A fancy-looking carriage was being pulled by two 5th-rank Spirit realm Fire Leopards. The two savage beasts had red armor-like scales that covered their humongous bodies. Transparent crimson flames were also emitted by them as they pulled the carriage forward.
Circling the luxurious carriage was a team of soldiers dressed in gold and silver armors with the insignia of the Silveria Imperial Family engraved on their capes. All the soldiers were riding a 3rd-rank Crusader realm spirit beast, the Brute War Horse.
"That... The person inside should be one of the three eldest princes, right?" The crowd whispered when they saw the majestic line up of soldiers protecting the carriage.
The people were very familiar with the insignia of the Silveria Imperial Family, but they also knew that only the three eldest sons of the emperor had the authority and power to have such a strong team of soldiers escorting them.
A soldier leading the team frowned when he saw the people standing foolishly even in their presence. He glared at the people and shouted in a ferocious voice. "Insolence! How dare you lowly commoners not kneel in the presence of His Highness the Second Prince! Kneel down!"
The citizens immediately prostrated on the ground after hearing the angry soldier's command. They did not even dare lift their heads in fear of being punished.
Cold sweat trickled down their backs as they shivered in dread as they quietly listened to the footsteps of the savage beasts as they continued to walk forward.
"Stop." A gentle voice echoed from inside the carriage surprising everyone in the scene.
The leading soldier heard the command and instantly gestured his men to stop their mounts.
He then went to open the carriage, revealing the handsome and gentle face of the second prince.
The latter stepped out of the carriage with a warm and kind smile on his face. The second prince then stared at the commanding officer leading his escort and patted his back forcefully, making the officer's heart skip a beat.
Then, the second prince turned his gaze to the shivering people who were still prostrating on the ground in fear. And with a voice that was as heartwarming as the morning air, he said. "Everyone, don't be scared. I will apologize on behalf of my men's stubborn attitude."
The people heard the second prince's comforting voice were confused. Why would someone from the imperial family apologize to the commoners?
Nonetheless, all of them remained silent and stayed prostrating on the ground.
"Everyone, please stand up. I just came here to visit a store to satiate my cravings." The second prince smiled at the people before he went back inside his carriage.
The commanding officer heaved a sigh of relief and glared at the prostrating people for one last time before he gestured for his men to proceed moving forward.
After the second prince and his men left the scene, the citizens slowly stood up from the ground.
"The rumors are indeed true! The second prince is truly a kind person. He even apologized to us on behalf of his men."
"Yeah, but among His Majesty's three eldest sons, he has the weakest military strength. What a pity! If only he had more authority, our Silver Wing Empire might be able to prosper for the next centuries to come."
"I agree with you. But the ones with the highest chances of succeeding the throne is the crown prince and the third prince. Their military strength and connections are way ahead compared to the second prince's. Sigh."
* * *
In front of Jiu Shen's store stood the majestic team of soldiers escorting the second prince.
With his head slightly sticking out of his carriage's window, the second prince glanced at the unassuming store in front of them.
"The Immortal's Wine... What a bold and imposing name! The owner must be confident with his wines to name his store like this. Haha!" The second prince chuckled to himself as he stepped out of his carriage.
When he came near the store, he stopped for a brief moment with his eyes flickering with surprise.
'Interesting...' He thought to himself as he resumed walking inside the store...
The moment the second prince stepped on the store's entrance, he felt the space vibrating for an instant, making him smile.
He glanced curiously at the store's interior while searching for the reason of his visit, the Earth Origin Dragon Tree...
And as expected, he saw four identical spiritual plants lying undistinguished in different corners of the store.
"It's true..." He muttered with a bit of surprise.
"Please don't block the store's entrance if you don't want me to kick you out." A melodic but cold voice echoed beside the second prince's ears stupefying him greatly.
Slowly, he took a glance at his side and saw a peerlessly beautiful young lady with golden hair. She was wearing a knight's light armor and had a short sword strapped behind her back. Her snow-white arms and legs were exposed making her look both seductive and valiant.
But the second prince's attention was not on her assets but on the overwhelmingly strong aura he was feeling from her.
He then clutched the pendant on his chest while looking at Theia with widening eyes.
The second prince's breathing became erratic, but he swiftly took a deep breath to calm his shaking nerves. While putting up a gentle smile he said. "I apologize, young lady. We were just stunned by the store's stellar capabilities. We'll find ourselves a table, please excuse us."
After that, the second prince smiled at Theia and led his men to a vacant table.
Theia furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the figure of the second prince. "That jade pendant... Why does he have that?"