Chapter 243: Heavenly Bronze Gathering

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Three months weren’t long...especially for busy folks.

Ren did his best to prepare not only himself but also his girlfriend for what’s coming next.

And although they ran out of time before he got her to the standard that he thought sufficient, it wasn’t much of a big deal.

Plans rarely ever survive the first encounter with the enemy, anyway...

The three-month period before the Imperial Ranking War—or, as many would call it, the Empire vs. Empire tournament—was over.

Now, all 10 representatives of the Letter Kingdom have gathered at the City Lord’s Mansion once more.

There, the City Lord and his retinue were, of course, present. And the Royal Family was also here.

Ren arrived with Lily early enough to see others arriving as well. And now that they’ve gathered before being sent away, he couldn’t help but notice some unsavory things about a few of his ’teammates.’

Adrian, Darius, Lucian, Elena, and—in his how-strange-way—Kael looked fine. Their auras were stable, their eyes were resolute, and they exuded as much confidence as they could muster.

Their bodies were brimming with vitality, and their chakra flow was active. They made no obvious breakthrough, not that it was expected out of them, but they are in their peak state. Clearly, they didn’t slack off during the past three months, and they’re as ready as they could ever be.

Aurelia, Aria, and Sieg, on the other hand...

Even the City Lord couldn’t hide his displeasure when looking at them.

Being relaxed was fine and all, but what these exude wasn’t mere relaxation—it’s decadence and sluggishness, and that presents not only a massive difference but also a problem.

They looked bored...like petulant children who were woken up by their mothers early from their peaceful slumber to go to school. They looked as if they’d rather be anywhere else except here.

It was so unprofessional, and it irked everybody who looked at them. Even the jovial king was frowning when they saw the three of them.

He stared at the three of them, pausing just long enough for his displeasure and discontent to be obvious.

That changed when he saw the others, though. His content and approval also became obvious when looking at them.

And just to drive the point home, he said:

"At least the majority of you still treat this competition seriously."

Aurelia, Aria, and Sieg at least had the decency to look ashamed. But deep down, they also harbored resentment. Alas, they can’t really talk back to the king, lest they really provoke his ire. If they did, their clans and family would be gone by the end of this day.

"Alright, you all..." the king clapped loudly once to wake them up, "...this is it. I hope you’ve already informed your family, friends, and loved ones about this, because you won’t be seeing them for a long while."

"I can see that you didn’t waste the past three months—well...at least most of you didn’t, and that’s good. That’s exactly what I want to see."

The king rested his back on his chair and sighed. "I proposed to the council to allow all representatives to meet. I thought that having you all get first impressions with each other—and maybe a little competition or fights—will be a good way to build camaraderie."

"All of you will represent the whole Heavenly Bronze Empire, after all. And as martial artists, the best way to get along with each other was a fight after brief introductions."

"Alas, my proposal was denied."

"They said that it was too risky, especially with the Cult of the Lost Lambs watching us closely and waiting to pounce."

"Although we defanged and de-clawed those heretics, we haven’t completely eradicated them. They’re now hiding like rats, waiting for the opportunity to shit on our food and poison us so they can get revenge."

"We’re after their trail, though," he confidently revealed. "With the Martial Gods leading the operation, we are bleeding them heavily. We could spare enough resources to take our time, unlike the remnants of those heretics. So, we’re taking our time. They can’t do much damage, but it’s still wise to not get too confident."

"That’s why my proposal to have all of you representatives meet was denied. And honestly, that’s fair."

"I suppose I’m just going to have to rely on your social skills to work with them." The king chuckled as he said this.

"Anyway, we don’t have much time to waste on pleasantries like these."

The king stood up, and the city lord and his retinue formed a protective escort around him, joining the king’s guard.

"Follow us; we’re taking you to the lobby where all representatives of the same empire are gathered before you enter the secret realm."

They marched after this, and the representatives followed. They went to the backyard of the mansion, where a large teleportation array was laid. The array formation was glowing with an aurora of mystical lights, which swirled to form a milky white portal leading somewhere.

The march didn’t slow down even before entering. They just stepped into the portal without breaking their stride.

Ren, who’s leading the group, didn’t slow down either. He confidently followed the king and his escorts through the portal.

What’s on the other side was unusual...

It’s a seemingly endless expanse of white tiles—clean and pure. Not a deliberate effort seems to be enough to leave dirt on them. There’s a faint minty scent in the air that seemingly makes the air feel more refreshing. The brightness of this place was just enough to prevent everybody from being overwhelmed.

This was the lobby that the king was talking about. And they weren’t the first ones to arrive here.

Representatives from other kingdoms were already here—three, including theirs, the Black Spade Kingdom, the Sea Serpent Kingdom, and, of course, the Letter Kingdom.

"Well, well! If it isn’t the King of the Alphabet Kingdom and his kids!!"

"BAHAHAHA SHUT UP, YOU BASTARD!!" King Petyr boomed a laugh as he approached the other king, who joked at his arrival.

Lily leaned next to Ren and whispered, "Their flag—that’s the King of the Black Spade Kingdom, right?"

Ren nodded in confirmation. The flag she was talking about was white with a black spade in the middle. It’s plain, simple, and effective.

The Letter Kingdom’s flag was black with the golden letter ’L’ in a circle, which is gold too.

As for the Sea Serpent Kingdom, their flag was blue painted with an image of a serpent eating its own tail.

King Petyr and the King of the Black Spade Kingdom looked close, like they’re best friends first before fellow kings. The king of the Sea Serpent Kingdom approached the two of them to join the pleasantries at a well.

More importantly, though, the representatives of their respective kingdoms were also nearby. And since they’re the new arrivals, all of them were looking this way. However, they stayed where they were, making no effort to socialize or appear friendly, even.

"They don’t look strong," Lucian muttered softly, only loud enough for his group to hear and not further.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself," Ren replied in the same volume to shut him down.

Nobody said a word to entertain or to start that conversation. If someone does, Ren would shut it down real quick, too, because he doesn’t want conflict this early.

It was, after all, unwise to underestimate others.

That said, deep down, Ren also didn’t think much of them. No representatives from these kingdoms were highlighted in the novel; therefore, it is very likely that they weren’t so special...even though, by standards, they should be. They made it this far, after all.

’The ones to look forward to won’t come from them,’ Ren remarked inwardly. And it won’t take long before the group he was referring to arrives.

After a couple more minutes, the Sky Spill Kingdom, Great Wilderness Kingdom’s party, also arrived, thereby completing the five kingdoms under the rule of the Heavenly Bronze Empire.

The kings mingled among themselves, seemingly enjoying this little get-together like they don’t have the chance to see each other as frequently as they would like.

It wasn’t until half an hour later that another group arrived. And when they did, even the Kings straightened up.

’Kids, pay attention. The Emperor and his party are here; we will pay our respects. Mind your eyes and manners,’ King Petyr’s voice echoed in their minds.

Not long after he said that, another portal emerged. And from there, the emperor and his party arrived.

One of his guards stepped forward and shouted:

"His Majesty, Christopher Augustus Lunareigh, graces us with his presence! Kneel and show him your loyalty!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!!!"

Everybody in the area responded. Everybody, except the kings, knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. The kings only clasped their hands and bowed at their liege.

"A pleasant day to you all, and please, rise and be at ease. I’m not here to pass my edicts, just to see the young heroes representing my beloved empire."