Chapter 1382 - 1347: The Grand Banquet and Conference

If it were anyone else, they might not think much after hearing Tishaya’s words.

But Lann quickly sensed something was off.

This is mainly because of his sharp and meticulous nature, along with his full involvement in the process of introducing new continent species to the Magical Middle Ages.

During the last trip to the New Continent with Tishaya and Belengar, Lann was already advancing plans to transplant those magical herbs, rich in life force, from the New Continent.

Both he and Tishaya saw the vast prospects and deep potential in these New Continent herbs.

Finally, as they left, they managed to consult with the head of the Plant Research Institute and the head of the Ecological Research Institute of the New Continent Expedition Team to initially transplant three types of plants.

The difficulty in advancing this plan wasn’t due to the New Continent Expedition Team hoarding the good herbs, unwilling to share.

Those people don’t have such petty thoughts, no matter how one thinks about it.

It’s purely out of responsibility towards the natural environment, worried that transplanting these vigorous species from the New Continent might lead to invasive species issues.

Thus, after Tishaya and Lann thoroughly studied the "Invasive Species Prevention Operational Regulations" drafted by the expedition scholars, the plan proceeded smoothly.

The rest was simply to bring back the seeds and arrange for apprentices to cultivate them cautiously and strictly according to the regulations.

But now Tishaya says the process has been ’personally overseen by her’... how does she have so much time to stay at Airetusa?

Tishaya is the last remaining member of the oldest batch of female warlocks among humans, and the strongest among them.

She served as the head of Airetusa Academy for hundreds of years, and essentially tied all her personal relationships to the academy with the progress of her long life.

She has no family nor home, Airetusa has been her home for hundreds of years.

Even though Tishaya has stepped down as head for several years, once she shows up, she doesn’t even have to say a word to be granted all the privileges of the head.

Not only does Tishaya consider Airetusa her home throughout her long life, but the academy instinctively views her as the matriarch.

However, having close ties is one thing, being able to stay for long is another.

After passing the head position to Margaret, Tishaya immediately transitioned seamlessly into serving as a council member for the Talent and Skill Association.

This association is one of two management organizations among the wizarding community, and it oversees wizards across all Northern Territory countries.

It’s normal to be so busy that one runs around different countries without ever touching ground.

Even vacation times aren’t that long.

"Because my recent work is near Airetusa." Tishaya said calmly as she cut into the roasted tomatoes with roasted potatoes on her plate. "To be precise, I’m coordinating accommodation issues at Airetusa."

"Accommodation issues?" Lann asked puzzled.

Margaret lazily leaned her elbow against the arm of her chair, holding a wine glass: "An important meeting is going to be held at Airetusa, and there will be many attendees, Airetusa can’t overlook accommodation issues."

"Are you planning to gather all the renowned warlocks from the Northern Territory?" Lann exclaimed, "Then the rooms at Luoxia Palace should suffice."

"This meeting is different from the usual... Besides, you actually don’t know much about warlock meetings, let alone this one."

Margaret explained to Lann in a slightly tipsy manner, teasing him halfway.

"Anyway, the warlocks will have a meeting, and before that, there will be a banquet. With banquets, male and female companions are included, which directly doubles the number of people."

Tishaya systematically cut her food into neat, symmetric pieces on her plate while adding.

"And before the banquet, to ensure the participants can remain presentable at any time, we’ll be bringing in a group of barbers, a group of tailors, a group of attendants... and to provide workspace for them, we need to free up more rooms."

Tishaya adeptly listed a whole bunch of necessities; these are things Airetusa needs to do when hosting a large-scale banquet.

These tasks might not sound significant, but they are quite tedious, and failing to handle them properly can be embarrassing.

They are laborious and nitty-gritty tasks.

If inexperienced, these activities can make one dizzy.

Even with experience, Tishaya looked rather fatigued now.

"So how many rooms do we actually need to free up?"

Lann asked curiously, tilting his head.

He isn’t unfamiliar with hosting large-scale banquets, having seen them in the Memory Deep Dive, during the banquets held by the Son of the Emperor.

On the strong interstellar battleship, rooms are decorated artistically, and many Sons of the Emperor will showcase their art within, even engage in elegant sword fights when thrilled.

Numerous poets will recite loudly their verses praising the Emperor and the human expeditions, and painters and military recorders will document the glorious moment with unparalleled honor.

If Lann were to host such a banquet, he might do well.

But undoubtedly, Lann did not know how to organize a large banquet against a magical middle ages backdrop.

Many conditions, etiquette, and rules were different.

That is precisely why a high-quality palace steward or noble butler is so important in courts and among nobles.

Because they always manage to decorate the facade of nobles and kings so that no one can find faults.

In noble society, this is even an essential link to maintaining societal stability.

It is a hard requirement, not just idle complaining or affectation.

"The Luoxia Palace responsible for reception must be completely vacated, and half of the students’ dormitories must be emptied too."

Tishaya responded clearly to Lann’s query.

"But I thought about it again afterward." As soon as Tishaya finished speaking, Margaret, already flushed from the East of East, lazily said, "Anyway, there’s no class, and singling out half of the people to leave would result in complaints, so why not just give everyone a holiday. Haha!"

Tishaya glanced coldly at her outstanding student: "You’re just venting what I wouldn’t let you do before."

"Anyway, I’m the dean now, and I sign!" Margaret, not flustered at all, instead raised her wine glass and waved it toward Tishaya, "Who let you help me graduate smoothly back then? It was your choice, Teacher!"

And amidst Margaret’s relaxed and lazy laughter, the calm and indifferent Maria spoke softly.

"It sounds like this academy will be busy soon." She looked toward Lann with a questioning gaze, "If our matter is not urgent, it can be postponed."

Beside her, Adeline also nodded quickly. The Blood Saintess wanted to help in the research hall, not to create trouble for others.

"No need." Lann leaned back against the cashmere chair and waved, "I’ll take care of your matter, it’s not difficult. Besides, I can’t involve myself in the banquet; I’m not busy at all."

By the end, the Demon Hunter joked about the two female warlocks at the table.

"By the way, such a grand affair just for the preliminary banquet, what kind of meeting are the wizards having? What are they discussing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lann immediately felt the atmosphere take a nosedive.

The joyful and relaxed mood due to his travel’s end seemed to be weighed down by a heavy pressure in an instant.

Tishaya’s knife and fork, arranging the food on her plate, paused mid-air, and Margaret’s gaze through the wine glass also cooled a bit.

Even the two Lady Yanan who were meeting Tishaya and Margaret for the first time could feel the shift in atmosphere, stopping their knives and forks in confusion.

"Most of the named wizards from the Northern Territory coming here are not directly participating in the conference; they are here merely for the convenience of conveying the conference results to them in person, ensuring no omissions or errors."

Although Tishaya’s hand holding the fork and knife paused mid-air, her expression remained calm.

Margaret, her boozy smile slightly restrained, didn’t appear much more serious as she swirled her wine glass and continued.

"The ones actually attending the meeting are the entire Talent and Skill Association and the entire Wizard Supreme Council."

"The two highest organizations managing the warlock groups are now jointly convening a grand meeting?"

Lann’s political sensitivity kicked in sharply at this point.

"What is the situation?"

He frowned, looking toward the calm Tishaya.

"Complications abound, rumors are rampant." The powerful female warlock had no appetite for the orderly cut food on the plate, picking up a napkin to wipe her hands.

"Currently... the mood in town feels off. You understand my meaning, Lann?"

"It’s that sort of feeling where everyone senses something’s amiss, yet no one can articulate what exactly."

The Demon Hunter’s cat-like eyes looked at Tishaya at the head, those eyes accustomed to the passage of time and challenges now showing a hint of disturbance.

He responded gently with a soft voice.

"Yes, I understand."

As if gaining psychological support from this voice, Tishaya unconsciously showed a faint smile, which she quickly retracted.

"Undoubtedly, the tension level of the current situation has once again peaked."

"And considering the crucial battle from the last war—the Battle of Sodden Mountain—where warlocks made significant contributions and showcased remarkable strength, along with their chosen stance... needless to say, we have lost the qualification to remain uninvolved."

Tishaya rubbed her temples, troubled. If it were just organizing the banquet, she wouldn’t be this bothered.

What troubles her is the current predicament of the group of warlocks.

Lann understood this well.