Chapter 562: At The Banquet - 2
Chapter 562: At The Banquet - 2
The captain had a fine face with rugged features. When Leo turned to look at him, the man didn’t break eye contact as he walked towards Leo with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Pseudo 3-star.
Leo narrowed his eyes as he sensed the man’s strength.
"Nice to meet you, sir. May I ask whether you are here because of the banquet invitation?" the captain asked.
"Yes, I am," Leo replied.
"That’s great. Please follow me inside to the venue." The captain invited Leo with a welcoming smile.
Since it would make things easier, Leo followed him.
"I am curious. I have some things to sell. Should I do it here, or can I sell them in the Grand Auction?"
The captain raised a brow in surprise.
He knows about the Grand Auction?
Only a few people knew about it. Esteemed guests from across the Empire, along with notable candidates among the realm explorers, were invited to buy and sell prized possessions there. It seemed the captain had stumbled upon someone special.
He cast a brief glance at Naelith and Thalvyr and noticed he couldn’t sense either of their strengths.
They are using some equipment to hide their true strength. But that Lizardman looks very strong. This must be a very important young master from an exceptional flame-user family, like the Ember family, the captain inferred.
"Yes, sir. But I should remind you that only possessions above the Blue tier will be allowed to be displayed in the auction. As for the rest, you can sell them at the designated area within the banquet venue for the convenience of specially invited members." He gestured towards the bystanders and the people selling various items near the castle gates.
"These people are not particularly important, and someone of your standing shouldn’t have to mingle with the crowd."
Leo cast him a sidelong glance.
The captain was good at flattery.
"You haven’t checked my invitation card. Why do you think I am someone important?"
The captain laughed.
"Surely you jest. No ordinary individual would know about the Grand Auction."
With that, they continued towards the venue.
The sight inside the castle was marvellous.
The castle had been built atop a fairly high hill, with the walls and the main gate far below, through which Leo had entered. As they climbed higher, the vast view of the city slowly unfolded before them.
The castle stood even higher than the teleportation platform Leo had arrived from, and once they reached a certain height where the view became unobstructed, Leo was left stunned.
Because the walls Leo had seen from the teleportation platform weren’t the city’s boundary at all.
Beyond them stretched a full-scale city that could dwarf more than 10,000 Kendru cities.
God damn!
He exclaimed inwardly.
Though he had read about the scale of different types of cities, this was his first time witnessing one with his own eyes.
If an inner city was already this enormous, he could only imagine how big the core cities would be.
So, a tier-5 inner city looks like this...
Wait... there’s a high chance that some poor people who can’t afford to leave this city will spend their entire lives here and never know what sort of world lies beyond these walls.
Leo suddenly realised.
Wow, that would be really comical, Leo mused.
By now, they had reached the banquet grounds, and many elegantly dressed guests had come into view.
It was a spacious garden filled with neatly trimmed trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. One area featured a large water fountain whose shimmering waters attracted many people eager to take pictures.
Leo also spotted familiar faces like Yano and Cecil engaged in conversation with other members of the academy.
Though from what he could tell, people only seemed to be bragging about their beasts, powers, and how great their academy was.
The captain stopped there. After giving Leo a respectful bow, he took his leave.
Leo looked towards Naelith and Thalvyr.
Both of them were clearly amazed by the sight before them.
Especially Thalvyr.
He had never imagined such a lively place existed outside the secret realm where he had been trapped for decades.
"Do you like the view, Thalvyr?" Leo asked.
"Uh? Y-yes... This is quite unique and refreshing," Thalvyr replied, a little embarrassed that Leo had caught him wearing such a dumbfounded expression.
"Don’t worry. We’ll witness many sights like this in the future—and even create one ourselves. You’ll even be able to take your family on vacations," Leo said with a smile.
"Thank you, my Lord. I will always be grateful for this."
"L-Lord... what about us?" Naelith asked hesitantly.
Leo looked at Naelith, slightly surprised that she had actually spoken up about her own wishes. This was only the second time, after Lyswenna mentioned that the elves needed a break.
Nice, they are finally getting comfortable.
Leo was pleased.
For the Lord-Servant bond to strengthen and become more beneficial, the first and foremost requirement was for the servant to feel comfortable around the master, and Leo seemed to be slowly achieving that.
"Don’t worry. You all will also get to enjoy many occasions. For now, enjoy yourselves here."
As he spoke, Leo pointed towards a nearby stall where beautifully presented desserts were being served to anyone who wanted a taste.
Leo accompanied them there and even had some ice cream himself, making it clear to everyone around that Naelith and Thalvyr were with him so that no one would stop them from taking dessert simply because they were slaves.
A boy with high cheekbones seemed displeased to see Thalvyr standing in front of him while taking a scoop of ice cream from the waiter, but a single glance at Leo was enough to make him hurriedly back away.
Nobody wanted to provoke a 6’9" man whose strength remained unknown.
While casually enjoying his ice cream, Leo noticed that Thalvyr seemed perfectly comfortable in the cooler surroundings and was even eating the frozen dessert without issue.
"Thalvyr, would your ability to fight be adversely affected if you were taken to a colder environment? Just like how Zharrissa suffered in a hot environment. And what about this ice cream? Doesn’t being a flame-oriented Lizardman require your body to remain heated at all times?"
Leo asked because he had suddenly recalled that winter was approaching the Aurelius Beast Academy region.
But just then, two familiar presences approached Leo from behind.
They were Ronan and Aaron.
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