Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking - Chapter 883: Banquet (I)

Chapter 883: Banquet (I)

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It went exactly as Cedric predicted…

News of Nicholas reaching the pinnacle of life evolution caused the entire chaos realm to boil over.

The Human Council HQ was bombarded with congratulatory messages and a jubilant atmosphere. But of course, it wasn’t limited to that. Beneath the flattery were hopes, wishes, and delusions.

Some letters were pure and clean, congratulating the man for reaching the nigh-impossible mountain peak after so long. Others, not so much. Some letters end up with wishes for private meetings and/or discussions.

They even received letters from people whom they haven’t heard from for millions of years! People that were supposed to be long dead and should’ve rotted to the bone. Names that brought equal parts nostalgia and alarm, because not all of them were good people.

In fact, news of these ancestors walking amongst the living pretty much went public after the council’s announcement of Nick’s achievement. The timing couldn’t have been coincidental at all. It’s most certainly done on purpose.

Then, of course, what followed was a party.

Obviously, the citizens of Heavenly Star Chaos Realm wouldn’t allow Nick to just quietly fade into the background; no, he’s too good for that. But beyond that, they wanted to see what he’s like. They wanted to know what it’s like to stand at the very peak of existence, to be someone that’s not afraid of the Supreme Will.

They want to see him. And they all pressured, if not outright forced, the council’s hand into giving in to their demands.

Because of this, the most important and once-in-a-lifetime banquet had been set up. Invitations and notices were sent, and preparations were made to be relevant enough for everybody.

Obviously, this was meant to be a public display of the council’s might. It’s for their prestige and reputation. But it’s also something that the public forced them to do.

Of course, that’s what most people think. Others definitely had their own ideas and objectives for making this happen.

They seriously thought that just because the council gave in to the ’public’s request,’ they were just as helpless as they were previously. They thought that they could continue to manipulate the council this way, taking advantage of the fact that the council answers to the masses, and whoever controls the masses, controls the council.

It’s absurd how highly they thought of themselves.

Obviously, some were already planning on taking advantage of this. They plan on bullying Nick to give up his secrets to them.

Who could resist the temptation, after all? The promise of standing at the peak of existence, looking down on everything and everyone, becoming a true immortal, and not being afraid of the Supreme Will anymore.

It’s practically an unsaid agreement between the old folks at this point. They don’t need to contact each other to be in sync. They all have this idea, and they all think it’s going to work out according to their needs and wants.

Unfortunately, by the end of this banquet, they will all leave in disappointment.

After all, plans don’t survive the first contact with the enemy.

**

Cedric, obviously, was invited to this banquet. Whether it’s his identity as ’Dawnbringer’ or ’Sector Lord Stormrider,’ both made him very relevant, certainly more relevant than most of the old folks who crawled out of their coffins recently.

Despite the protests of his bodyguards and his loyal subjects, Cedric decided to go by himself. He didn’t bring any entourage with him, just himself and a nice gift to Nicholas that might remind him of the good times he had in his territory. It wasn’t much, certainly, but it’s the thought that counts.

Besides, it’s not like Nick’s lacking anything. He’s the strongest man alive! What more could he ever want?

Cedric overruled the desire of his men to accompany him, telling them that he won’t be gone for long. Besides, his clones will remain in the territory; if things go awry, he could just instantly swap places with one, and he’d be safe.

That’s the only reason why they relented, by the way.

So, Cedric arrived at the venue shortly after, that being the Human Council HQ, obviously.

As usual, he wore a mask that has been iconic to his identity as Sector Lord Stormrider; his invitation addressed him as such, so he went under this guise.

His mask was of plain ivory, or nearly ceramic, in appearance. It only had holes for his eyes and nothing more. It’s enchanted to prevent people from seeing what’s underneath it; it also retaliates against those who try a little too hard to look at what’s underneath.

And even if they’re able to see through the mask, they wouldn’t see his true face. They’d see a false one. Cedric was, after all, too prepared and too skilled to be that careless.

He arrived pretty early, but the grand hall of the council was already full of buzzing people. Many conversations are already underway, and networking too, obviously.

Cedric could, of course, sense the thrill, tension, and anticipation beneath everything. Some people were already getting impatient. They wanted Nick right here and now because they almost couldn’t wait to squeeze out information from him.

It’s absurd. Cedric would laugh if it wouldn’t make him weird.

“Well, if it isn’t the all-mysterious ’Lord Stormrider’ in the flesh! I suppose it’s only events like this that could pull you out of your beloved territory, huh?”

A voice interrupted Cedric’s musings. A chuckle escaped his lips; he didn’t need to turn around to see who it was.

“Long time no see, indeed, Philip.” Cedric held out a hand, and the other man took it before they pulled each other into a half-hug. “How have you been? Swimming in riches, I hope?”

“Drowning.” Philip grinned merrily at him.

Philip was the Empyrean that, once upon a time, sponsored Cedric during the millennial tournament in his time. It wasn’t much, but it bought good feelings and was the beginning of their long-term partnership.

His space cruise business was thriving, even more so now than before. He expanded and now owned at least five cruise ships. He capitalized on Dawnbringer’s fame and grew his business then.

Their partnership wasn’t limited to that. Philip also heavily invested in the development of the Rising Sun Sector Domain. Cedric never needed it, but he went ahead and did so anyway. In exchange, Cedric gave him a solar system to play around with in his territory. And even that’s prospering under Cedric’s leadership and Philip’s bright ideas.

Nick, when he was having his vacation on Cedric’s territory, actually stayed in Philip’s little paradise the longest. That’s where he had his most fun.

And it’s due to this partnership that the friendship between Cedric and Philip had grown over time. They don’t talk often, but the atmosphere between them remained light and easy, and both men preferred it that way.

Besides, Philip was one of the very few people who knew that ’Dawnbringer,’ Heavenly Star’s strongest genius that had long since faded from the public eye, and Lord Stormrider of the Rising Sun Sector Domain, were actually the same person.

“Gee, what an event, huh?” Philip sighed softly as he looked around. “Most of the faces here were unknown to me and definitely way older than both of us combined.”

Cedric remained silent. He didn’t need to say anything; he knew what Philip was referring to before he even finished a sentence.

“Tread carefully, man,” Philip warned. “I can smell trouble here. Hell, I only attended this event because I didn’t want the councillors to think that I’m snobbing them. I don’t feel safe enough with these many old people around. They’re up to something, I tell you.”

His warning sounded conspiratorial. But Cedric inwardly praised his alertness. Philip’s instincts were working very well for him.

“Be careful, but also firm. Don’t let these old men look down on you. Give them an inch and they’d want a mile. If push comes to shove, shove them back just as hard—hell, harder, I’d say. Don’t be afraid. I got your back.” Philip winked at him.

Cedric smiled again, not opting to say anything. He’s rather touched that the man was willing to support him if things went hairy. But honestly, no matter what happens here, Cedric knew he’d be just fine.

He won’t be pushed around here. After all, he knew himself more than everybody else here.

Cedric and Philip joined the crowd to find a seat. They mostly talked about random things.

Despite having many people here, only Philip was familiar to him. The rest were just random faces he either saw or didn’t recognize at all. And Cedric wasn’t really one to initiate contact.

That said, Cedric’s instincts and senses were sharp. He didn’t even need to unfold his sensory field to hear and notice everything that’s happening inside this hall.

He already heard some people noticing him. The mask he wore, after all, made him a rather unique sight. And he had made public appearances before with this very same mask on, so it’s to be expected that some people will recognize him.

Speaking of which…here they come.