Chapter 1119: Foreign Scenery
There were islands that were as small as towns or villages from the mainland of Anril, and were inhabited by only a few households. There were also islands with unique sceneries that only had one castle on them. They were obviously owned by the nobles of the Gilded Kingdom.
But, there was one notable thing about the islands surrounding the main navigation route. All of them were bustling with energy regardless of their surface area. There were countless large and small ships sailing in and out of the many ports, and large alchemy machinery were loading and unloading cargo from the ships.
On the way, Lin Li and the others were also invited by Forcus to stop by a few of the more popular islands owned by the Gilded Kingdom. They got to witness the Gilded Kingdom culture firsthand, and were invited to celebrate the Independence Day in the Gilded Kingdom.
Of course, the scenery they saw was only a small part of the Gilded Kingdom. The defining feature of Gilded Kingdom was its capital that was located on Four Seasons Island, the cultural and political hub of Gilded Kingdom.
Although people tended to associate Four Seasons Island with the capital of Gilded Kingdom, the area of the island was as huge as half of Felan Kingdom. In addition to the capital of the Gilded Kingdom, there were also dozens of large and small cities. Moreover, there was no extreme weather on the island at all. It was made up of “four” seasons of spring and filled with bird chatter and the smell of blossoms. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a fairyland on earth.
When the battleship and The Star slowly steered into the biggest port of the Gilded Kingdom—Helena Port, they found themselves received by a large-scale welcoming ceremony. A long red carpet had been rolled all the way to the pier, and navy guards stood neat on the sides of the carpet and played melodious music with elements that resembled the Dark Age’s music. The officials of Helena Port as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Gilded Kingdom were standing on the dock, awaiting the arrival of Lin Li and the others.
Although the forces from the Breezy Plains were each a hegemon of one of its regions, the grand ceremony made them feel like savages setting foot in the city. After all, such a high-quality ceremony was usually only conducted between kingdoms to welcome ministers of foreign affairs. It was not something that these forces would commonly experience.
“Master Felic, our Majesty, the king of our country, is very happy to hear that you have accepted our invitation. Therefore, he has specifically ordered us to welcome you all with a ceremony that is of the highest standard,” Forcus explained as he stood beside Lin Li.
Lin Li nodded and remained silent. He stepped onto the red carpet and led the representatives of the other Breezy Plains forces out of the pier under the guidance of Forcus. To be honest, Lin Li had never experienced or witnessed such a grand scene. If it had been in the past, he would have felt very lost now. However, now that he was already a sanctuary powerhouse, these objects of vanity could hardly cause the slightest excitement in his heart.
Behind Lin Li, Claus, Joseph, and the other representatives of the various forces from the Breezy Plains couldn’t help but feel a little nervous despite being all Legendary powerhouses. After all, they would not have received such niceties if they had come to Gilded Kingdom alone. They were very clear that the ceremony was conducted for Lin Li, and they merely shared the spotlight.
The music played by the Royal Military Orchestra engulfed the entire pier with a majestic yet solemn atmosphere. After the music stopped, more than two dozen salutes[1] sounded continuously, bringing the entire welcoming ceremony to a climax. The number of salutes clearly represented the high status of its guests as well as the great importance Gilded Kingdom placed on them.
In order to welcome Lin Li and the representatives of the various forces of the Breezy Plains, the Gilded Kingdom definitely put a lot of effort into the welcoming ceremony. The scale of the ceremony was unprecedented, and this naturally invited speculation from countless people. It was difficult for them to imagine whom the Gilded Kingdom would greet with such a grand reception.
At the same time, Sea Dragon from the Fifth Fleet appeared silently near Helena Port. On the observation platform of the battleship, Delano and his adjutants and several other officers of the Fifth Fleet were also watching the commotion at the pier.
The Fifth Fleet had its own naval port, but Delano was not a person willing to take any losses. Furthermore, the humiliation he experienced in front of so many followers felt more uncomfortable than death. Therefore, after ordering the other battleships to return to the military port, he let the Fifth Fleet’s flagship enter Helena Port from a distance. He wanted to find out why Forcus would want to greet the people from the Breezy Plains in person.
Delano knew that these people were representatives of various local forces in the Breezy Plains from an introduction in the past. This was what made him not give the group any importance despite the grand welcoming ceremony they were given.
Every Gilded Kingdom Independence Day celebration would attract big and tiny forces from all directions. Therefore, it was not a big deal to be invited to the celebration. Being invited did not mean that they were valued more highly than one another.
Delano was highly suspicious of the relationship between Forcus and the president of Tower of Dusk. Otherwise, how would Forcus greet the latter in person? The borrowing of a luxuriously decorated battleship for this purpose was not a problem with Forcus’ status. As Forcus was not to be trifled with, it would be impossible for him to take revenge on the president if Forcus was involved.
Of course, Delano was a little dumbfounded when he saw the grand welcoming ceremony from the platform he was standing on. Forcus’ status was not ordinary, but it would not be easy for anyone to conduct a welcoming ceremony of such a large scale. If there was not enough reason for the ceremony, Forcus would be impeached by the ministers even if he were the disciple of Elder Zumar.
“Damn it! Who the hell is that kid? How did he manage to make Forcus organize such a grand ceremony to welcome him?” Delano said through gritted teeth as he threw an angry fist on the guardrail.
Delano was not a fool. The sight of the welcoming ceremony was enough to help him realize that the identity of these people from the Breezy Plains was unlike that of the usual attendees of the Independence Day celebration. They had to be formally invited guests who were held in high regard by the king. It definitely would not be easy for him to seek revenge if they had the support from the royals of the kingdom.
Although Delano had an amazing father, it didn’t mean that he could be unscrupulous in the Gilded Kingdom, especially if the royal family was involved. If the people from the Breezy Plains were really important guests of the royal family, he would be asking for a beating if he were to seek trouble with them. If that were to happen, his father would definitely not forgive him.
While Delano was determined not to give up on revenge, he could only look in the direction of the dock with a gloomy face.
“My Lord, are you worried about the difficulty of seeking revenge?” asked Delano’s adjutant knowingly.
“Unless you have any thoughts about this?” responded Delano. He knew that his adjutant had to have an idea around the situation for him to come forward.
“My Lord, we can do it like this…” Hajis said as he smiled, and leaned towards Delano’s ear to whisper his idea.
“Well, good idea, good idea! Let’s do it!” exclaimed Delano excitedly with a glow in his eyes as he nodded profusely. Hajis’s suggestion took Delano’s gloominess away.
Lin Li and the others left Helena Port with Forcus after the ceremony on a luxurious carriage to Hopra, the capital of the Gilded Kingdom that was located on Four Seasons Island. Although labelled as a carriage, the vehicle operated using alchemical power. To Lin Li, it resembled a car from the world he was in before transmigrating. The speed of an alchemy carriage was naturally much faster than that of an ordinary one, and it was also very stable when traveling at high speeds.
Hopra was not in the center of Four Seasons Island, but rather located slightly closer to Helena Port. This was also one of the reasons why they chose to welcome Lin Li there. Therefore, they took only half a day to see the majestic city walls of Hopra City. Otherwise, with the enormous area of Four Seasons Island, it would have taken four to five days to reach the central area with the speed of this carriage.
Although Lin Li and the others lost a lot of time at sea, there was still a long way to go before the Independence Day celebration. However, there was a festive atmosphere everywhere throughout their journey, and they could see every single civilian beaming with joy.
Preparations for the celebration had already begun in Hopra City. For instance, holiday decorations were hanging on city buildings, and there were many temporary stages built to prepare for festive performances. The shops on both sides of the streets hung out slogans that screamed celebratory phrases, and rolled out many holiday discounts for their customers.
Furthermore, the buildings in Hopra City, the cultural and political center of Gilded Kingdom, had inherited the elements of the Dark Age. It did not matter which social class the buildings belonged to. Not only extravagant and luxurious apartments, but also civilian houses emitted grace and elegance. They were picturesque.
The residents of Hopra City also donned costumes that had strong Dark Age elements. No one among the foreign guests knew if this was casual street fashion or festive clothing, yet they could tell the contrast in fashion between Helena Port and the capital’s streets. The people at the port were dressed in clothing closer to modern fashion despite the Dark Age styles.
Lin Li and the rest couldn’t help but gaze at the streets of Hopra in admiration. Even Lin Li himself started to fantasize that he would have happily settled down in the beautiful city if he had been an ordinary person.
However, Lin Li also knew that this sight had to be a facade, for there would always be dirty corners hidden from the sun. While the city seemed to be full of grace and elegance, there had to be the darker sides that the people of Hopra weren’t aware of.
Since the people in the Gilded Kingdom were all caught up with the preparation of the celebration, the king of the Gilded Kingdom didn’t have time to meet Lin Li yet. Hence, Forcus brought Lin Li and the rest directly to the luxurious apartments that they had prepared for them.
After helping Lin Li and the rest settle down, Forcus apologized to everyone that he had to return to his teacher, Elder Zumar. However, before leaving, he deliberately assigned some followers to arrange tour guides to bring them around.
Lin Li and the rest were either Sanctuary or Legendary powerhouses. Although they had been sailing on the sea for a long time, no one felt worn out by it. Hence, they did not plan to take a break after Forcus’ departure. Instead, they found their own guides, and were ready to explore Hopra City.
This time, Lin Li did not bring his two Undead followers here, and the sailors of The Star were still on the ship. He called no one when he left his apartment, and started to wander aimlessly in Hopra City.
[1] Probably it’s about gun salutes or something of the sort.