How could this be?
Ge Zheng looked different at the badge in his hand. Yes, it was a badge, not the familiar sword pill that the practitioners usually used. "This..." Ge Zheng was at a loss for words. The badge was very small, with a light golden surface depicting a small blue-green sword floating above a circle of text: "Flying Sword Summoning Badge". What surprised him the most was that the circle of text was written in bird-shaped characters!
With a flick of his finger, the badge flew out, transforming into a blue and golden light, swirling around Ge Zheng, and creating a real flying sword with wisps of glowing flames. He then pressed a finger, and shouted, "Return!"
"Ding," the badge fell into his palm. Ge Zheng smiled wryly. How did this perfectly fine flying sword turn into a badge? And how could he store it inside his body and refine it with his own essence and blood? With a thought, the badge disappeared. Ge Zheng looked inside his elixir field and sure enough, found it there.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Although our flying sword was a bit strange, every mixed-blood child was different from other families. Ge Zheng comforted himself.
After putting away the flying sword, Ge Zheng also simultaneously put away the summoning badge for the Golden Armor Tree Demon. The sleeping Golden Armor Tree Demon and the steamed bun formed from its roots disappeared.
...
Sorgvillen carefully followed behind. Ge Zheng was able to defeat the beast king without a scratch, which raised Sorgvillen's assessment of Ge Zheng by a notch, fearing he had ventured too close and might be discovered by Ge Zheng.
"What is that?" Sorgvillen saw a yellowish steamed bun rising on the wasteland, feeling that something was amiss. He hurried forward but it was too late; the steamed bun had nearly closed. Anyone who did not want to be discovered had no choice but to fly up to the small opening at the top before it closed completely. The wise giant dragon hesitated for a moment and the opportunity passed. The steamed bun completely sealed off.
"Alas!" Sorgvillen sighed. The wise dragon had no doubt that if he had attacked the steamed bun he would have been discovered by Ge Zheng immediately.
The infatuated dragon lingered outside, unconsciously losing track of time. It was already dark and dawn, and the shining sun woke Sorgvillen, who had fallen asleep at some point. He blinked, and in the span of two blinks, the giant steamed bun had disappeared!
Sorgvillen thought he might be seeing things and rubbed his eyes, but it had indeed disappeared. To his delight, he once again saw his dream lover!
Solid limbs, a proud head, sharp dragon horns, a thick tail, and sky-blue scales. It was beautiful! In the eyes of the giant dragon, every divine dragon was an unparalleled beauty. Sorgvillen was captivated at first sight, and this was no coincidence.
The wise dragon's brain short-circuited at that moment and, with one hand on the stone and the other pressed to his chest, he gazed helplessly at the Sacred Frost Dragon, who stood high and proud.
This Sacred Frost Dragon was akin to the "Ice Mountain Beauty" among the dragon tribe. Just like in human society, the more outstanding a man considered himself, the more he liked to conquer such a woman. Sorgvillen was no exception.
Unfortunately, tender moments were always fleeting. In just a moment, it seemed like thousands of years had passed, and Ge Zheng recalled the Dragon Chamber of Ice. In an instant, the lover in Sorgvillen's eyes disappeared.
Having experienced this before, Sorgvillen was not surprised this time but inwardly regretted being so infatuated, like a fool who couldn't move or speak in front of the beautiful dragon. He had missed a chance to get close to the noble dragon.
Sorgvillen immediately flashed behind the stone, worrying that he might have been discovered by Ge Zheng. Ge Zheng shook his clothes and returned to the camping site.
Don't mention it, this round of vomiting and diarrhea has given many people a chance to thoroughly clean the toxins accumulated in their bodies. The eating habits of the Star Refining World aren't good, these knights are used to indulging in rich and heavy foods. They have accumulated quite a few toxins in their bodies, and this collective excretion has created a foul odor in the camp. However, after the second day, the slightly recovered knights all felt refreshed.
It's said that Ge Zheng brought back some detox medicine and distributed a bowl to each person. The knights were skeptical when they saw the clear and bland detox medicine, but after drinking it, they felt much better, and couldn't help but admire Ge Zheng even more.
Ge Zheng soaked the poison dragon pill in water, one bowl for each person, and the effect was good.
Due to this incident, the team took another day to recuperate before setting off. At this point, it had been twenty days since they left the city of Obaka.
Seeing their loved ones, even if it was just for a brief moment, Solgewiren reminisced for over ten days. Along the way, he had no thoughts other than eating and drinking. When he finally came to his senses, the team had already left the wilderness and entered the core territory of the empire. Although there were wilderness forests and magical beasts here, the highest level was only around seven or eight, so they posed no real threat to Ge Zheng. Solgewiren could only bide his time.
They arrived at Delson Royal City without speaking and reached their destination steadily in the second half of the journey.
The majestic city wall appeared on the horizon, and everyone was excited. The knights, who had been on a long journey, suddenly felt a sense of exhaustion when they relaxed.
A ring of dust rose on the yellow road in front of the city gate, a team of elite knights swept in. The sound of hooves was loud, and the front knight held a long narrow flag, galloping forward and loudly asked, "Is this the Maris Principality mission?" Cody rode forward and pounded his chest with his hand resoundingly, saying, "Greetings from Cody, Commander of the First Cavalry Brigade of the Maris Principality Royal Guard. What is the status of the visitors to the Royal City?"
That pair of knights, numbering only about thirteen or fourteen people, saw a person in silver armor stepping forward after bowing. "Wood, Commander of the Third Platoon, First Cavalry Brigade of the Imperial Guards. Sir Cody, members of the national army are not allowed to enter the Royal City. Please follow us to the cavalry camp in the west of the city."
They exchanged documents, Cody dismounted and went to the princess's carriage. He knelt in front and said, "Your highness, after settling in, the 50-person unit will immediately come to serve you." Miss Fei Fei was still a princess of the Principality, but having grown up without much exposure, she was quite spoiled. Except for His Highness, Maris, there was hardly anyone in the entire Principality who could control the princess.
Seeing the majestic royal city, Fei Fei's eyes met the blue-gray city wall when she looked up from below. It seemed to merge with the clear blue sky, giving a grand and imposing feeling. There was a bustle of coming and going through the city gate, indicating the prosperity of the royal city. Fei Fei was already eager to leave, waving her hand casually and saying, "Okay, go ahead."
Cody left twenty elite knights as the personal guards of the princess and followed Wood with the rest of the brigade to the western cavalry camp.
The capital of the empire did have a different atmosphere. The city walls, fifteen zhang high, were all built with giant stones, and there were three layers of arrow holes on the top. The wall itself was thick and heavy, making defense easier. The city gate could accommodate six carriages side by side, was over thirty meters deep, and had three iron gates in the middle, with another heavy iron-encased wooden door behind them.
The princess exclaimed as she jumped off the carriage in the quiet area of the royal city, "The streets were filled with goods and people, and it was bustling with visitors. The continent of the other world had a developed business, with no discrimination against merchants, which made trade more frequent."
Ge Zheng smiled inwardly. This was like the "king's feet" in ancient China. Leaving that aside, the public order was at least good. On the main streets, there was a constant stream of activity, but in the alleys, crime seemed to be inevitable.
Wood left a person behind and took them to the inn first, then presented the documents and waited for an audience with the Emperor.
During the journey from the city gate to the inn, Fei Fei spent three hundred gold coins buying various items, filling her carriage.
The inn was relatively secluded within the royal city. It accommodated people from different feudal countries and foreign envoys. These people rarely spent money in the capital, as they usually came with gifts and missions. Therefore, this area of the inn was relatively quiet, without many people on the roads.
The conditions of the inn were far inferior to those of the grand palace of Maris Principality; however, Fei Fei was not a naive girl. She understood that this time she had come with a mission.
As there were many members in their delegation, Fei Fei and Ge Zheng were the first to enter the inn, followed by a large group of servants and followers who busily moved their belongings inside.
Suddenly, there was a commotion. Ge Zheng was just a family tutor and didn't want to get involved, so naturally, someone went to ask, "What's happening?" After a while, the news came in: there were a few delinquents outside chasing someone who looked like a student. The student rushed into their delegation in a panic, and the scoundrels couldn't find him after he had entered. The thugs circled around a couple of times and then left. Miss Fei Fei glanced at the guards and felt that they had been boasting about how safe the royal city was under the guard of the Imperial Guard, so the guards blushed and looked embarrassed.
"Here, here..." Suddenly, someone shouted, followed by the sound of rummaging through chests and boxes. Someone shouted, "Don't hit me, I'm not a bad person!" Ge Zheng furrowed his brows, and Dinala had already rushed over.
Ge Zheng quickly followed, and Dinala had already grabbed the man, tall and long-legged with a slender body, just like an eagle catching a chick. Ge Zheng couldn't help but smile, "Norodon, it really is you!"
Norodon was surprised to see Dinala, and when he saw Ge Zheng, he exclaimed, "My benefactor, it's you!" Dinala slapped him, making Norodon see stars, and the female warrior angrily said, "You ungrateful little scoundrel, you left and abandoned me in the barbaric place of the southern barbarians..." Norodon felt guilty and didn't dare to resist, with a forced smile, "Hehe, Sister, please don't be angry, I had no choice. The rent for the dragon was too expensive. The lease had expired by the time I got back. How could I come to pick you up? My territory is so poor, I had to borrow from a loan shark to pay the dragon's rent the last time, you also saw it, those people just now were trying to collect the debt..."
Dinala was surprised, "You are a student of Dongsheng Academy, and you're still afraid of a few hooligans?" Norodon replied earnestly, "It's only right to pay back the debt. If I can't pay, I will be at their mercy. How could I go and beat up the people collecting debts?" Dinala looked at the swelling on his left eye and couldn't believe it.
"Daddy!" Norodon quickly turned and knelt in front of Ge Zheng, scaring the people around to move away, and Ge Zheng helped him up, "Alright, get up, look at yourself, you don't have a bit of aristocratic demeanor." Norodon shook the ragged cotton robe on his body, "I have no choice. I sold my clothes to repay the debt. I can only wear this, but it's warm."
---
A merchant caravan entered the royal city through the north gate, with flashy carriages and generous hands. They gave the gatekeepers two gold coins as a tip, making the captain happy, and after asking a few casual questions, they were let through.
Upon entering the city, the captain and several of his confidants admired the back of the carriages, saying, "Damn, alchemical toys can really make money. This toy merchant is really generous."
---
"Master, Master!" Ge Zheng was happily watching Norodon gobble up his food, when someone outside shouted loudly. Before the sound had died down, the person had already entered. Demonte laughed heartily and gave Ge Zheng a bear hug, "Haha, Master, it's great to see you again." Norodon squatted down and hugged a large earthenware bowl to the side; at this point, his posture was not much different from Dunk.
"Let's go, today I'll treat you, let's go to Haishan Tower!" Demonte clearly saw that there were too many people here and pulled Ge Zheng away.
Haishan Tower was the most famous luxury restaurant in the city, and even Demonte couldn't just come and go as he pleased.
The three of them invited Miss Fei Fei, and no one else, leaving the rest behind. After entering the city, Grenia felt uncomfortable staying with Ge Zheng, so she first went to report to the temple.
During the trip, Demonte enthusiastically introduced the royal city to the two of them. Being young, Fei Fei was naturally curious about everything and kept asking questions. Looking out the car window, Fei Fei suddenly opened her mouth wide, pointing outside with her fingers, "Look, look!"
Demonte seemed to know what Fei Fei saw and smiled without saying a word. Ge Zheng leaned over and, through the gap between Fei Fei and the window, also felt stunned. Outside the carriage, not far from a crossroads, a seven-story high stone tower stood in the center of the cross, a magnificent structure reaching into the sky with a tall, pointed tower top, its square body adorned with various mythological figures, inlaid with golden decorations on the white marble surface. Below the towering top rose a pavilion, and inside were performances of orc-style song and dance. The music and dance were continuous, and there were many onlookers on the streets.
"This is Haishan Tower, the most luxurious restaurant in the royal city," Demonte said with a ruddy face. At this time, he didn't mind spending a lot on their meal.
Someone guided the cart of Demonte to a specially designated spot and the waiter politely said, "Baron, this is the room you booked."
The room was on the first level of the tower. Even though Ge Zheng had never been here before, he knew this was definitely the lowest level of the rooms. Even so, the room was filled with silver tableware, shining brightly.
Miss Fei Fei curiously asked, "Demonte, why do you need to make a reservation for your meal?" Demonte gave a bitter smile, "Princess, you're really overestimating Demonte. In the royal city, there are as many nobles as there are hairs on an ox, not worth mentioning at all. The owner of Haishan Tower has quite an origin, and those who dine here are not only wealthy but also prestigious. How could I secure a reservation if not for someone's help?"
Demonte had originally planned to wait until he won the Royal Challenge to seek Ge Zheng's help. He hadn't expected Ge Zheng to come to the royal city early due to the disputes between the three major principalities. On the other hand, there had been a slight change in the Royal Challenge, and he needed Ge Zheng's help.
Demonte calculated in his heart, so he acted a little pitiful. He was confident in Ge Zheng's character. If he acted pitiful, Ge Zheng would definitely not abandon him at this time.
This Haishan Tower was indeed extraordinary, but Demonte hadn't been as down and out as he had said. He didn't need anyone to book a place for him to eat.
Demonte secretly checked Ge Zheng's face and found that the alchemist's expression was normal, which eased his mind a bit. He knew he had made the right bet this time.
It was indeed the first restaurant in the capital, with excellent service and delicious dishes that could be compared to Dunk's skill. But in terms of the intricacy of the dishes, compared to Chinese cuisine on Earth, it was far behind.
"Master," Demonte downed a cup of bitter wine, "You really are my savior!" Ge Zheng saw a hint of worry between his brows and said, "What's wrong?"
"I thought that with the help of the master, I would be able to enhance the power of my Twin Moon Blade, and I was confident that I would win the royal challenge this time, but unexpectedly my mount got injured..." Dekumont appeared extremely frustrated as he recounted the whole incident.
It turned out that the royal challenge was very important for every member of the royal family, not only for those like Dekumont from the collateral line, but also for the Emperor's own sons, who highly valued the royal challenge.
The Emperor had four sons, and the third prince, in particular, had the weakest power, so he was determined to make a mark in the royal challenge. Before the competition, there were some "friendly matches," which were actually opportunities for the participants to understand their opponents. A few days ago, the third prince came to challenge Dekumont, and naturally, Dekumont couldn't back down, so he readily accepted the challenge.
Unexpectedly, the third prince's mount was exceptional, with formidable fire and electric attacks, causing Dekumont's level seven Swift Wolf Lizard to flee in panic. Ultimately, before the knights could even engage, the Swift Wolf Lizard was defeated, leading to Dekumont's defeat as well.
Not only did he lose, but unfortunately, one of the Swift Wolf Lizard's forelegs was turned into charcoal by the opponent's electric and fire attacks. If Dekumont hadn't spent a lot of money to hire a priest from the Temple of Odin to treat it, the mount might have died.
With the royal challenge set to commence in less than a month, where could he find a level seven mount in such a short time? Even if he found one, the hasty participation and lack of coordination between the mount and the knight would be a problem. Dekumont was distressed, and his future prospects might be ruined.
Baron Furrow wore a troubled expression and said, "It's my bad luck as well. The third prince's mount is also level seven. Clearly, it was on par with my Swift Wolf Lizard, but it turned out to be so powerful. Alas!"
Ge Zheng's face looked somewhat strange as he asked with a lowered tone, "What kind of beast is the third prince's mount?" Dekumont casually replied, "A level seven Explosive Flame Tiger."
Ge Zheng felt a jolt in his heart; he lowered his head, and no one noticed the change in his eyes and face.
Miss Feifei, since the last alchemy session with Ge Zheng, had already elevated her assessment of Ge Zheng from a "cheat" to a "half-cheat" in her mind. However, when she heard Dekumont's explanation, she immediately felt a headache and said, "But, my lord baron, Ge... my teacher is not a priest. What use would you have for him?"
Because of the Twin Moon Blade, Dekumont had unlimited confidence in Ge Zheng. "I've heard that alchemists can brew a potion for limb regeneration, so I thought..." Ge Zheng interjected, "The high priestesses of various temples, with the aid of herbs, can achieve this purpose through their healing spells. Why don't you seek their help?"
Dekumont helplessly said, "I did, but even with the high priest, under such magic, it would still take three months for a complete regeneration of the leg, and the newly grown leg would be very weak, making it difficult to even walk, let alone fight. There's not enough time."
If the priests couldn't do it, what could Ge Zheng, a wizard, do with a bunch of unknown and rotten herbs from another world?
"Master!" Dekumont's eyes glistened with tears as he looked at Ge Zheng expectantly, but Ge Zheng had a guilty conscience. Although he wanted to help, he genuinely had no solution and could only shake his head helplessly, "My lord baron, I really can't help..."
Dekumont was greatly disappointed, he sighed and downed a mouthful of alcohol, saying, "Even the master can't help. It seems that I really have no chance." Miss Feifei asked, "If not this year, there's always next year. I'll have my father help you acquire a mount, and we'll regroup next year!"
The Margraviate of Maris had a backyard forest and nearby Ragged Mountain Range, which was abundant with magical beasts.
Ge Zheng also thought the same, "Correct, my lord baron, next year I will help you build a magical beast equipment to ensure your victory!"
Initially, Dekumont should have been happy, but he said with a bitter smile, "Each royal member is allowed only one chance. I've already registered, so I won't have a chance next year..." Miss Feifei was startled, "Can't you withdraw from the competition..." As soon as these words left her mouth, she knew she had misspoken, and quickly covered her mouth. If he could withdraw, would Dekumont still be so anxious?
The baron smiled casually and suddenly cheered up, "It's nothing. Even without a mount, I can still contribute in battle on foot. It's not completely hopeless."
This welcoming banquet was somewhat disappointing. Finally, the five thousand gold coins that Dekumont paid at the end also made Ge Zheng startled. There was an old saying, "Rice is expensive in Chang'an," and indeed the "rice" in Delson King City was not cheap.