Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Furoh Hall was a marvelous, colossal building.
Its most prominent feature was that it had no walls, doors, and windows. It was entirely irregular in shape. The ceilings that were hung with many magnificent, beautiful crystal chandeliers were supported by a slender, arched pillar decorated with legendary stories.
In contrast, the slender pillar and the roof that could cover a small manor felt like it would crumble anytime. However, this was actually carefully calculated and designed by the famous architect Dafenzas, and its entire building structure was fully compliant with a mechanical principle, so it had already long stood in the Kattaman City State’s second capital for hundreds of years.
If there was no unexpected situation, it would surely continue to exist for the foreseeable future.
Passing through the scattering crowds on the rough stone slate and continuing to move forward with brisk footsteps, Zhang Lisheng realized that, as he got closer to this place that already had thousands of honorable people of the Sea Haines City gathered here, the crowds surrounding the brightly illuminated and magnificent hall was getting more sparse.
When he came to his 20th step, nobody could be seen around the young man anymore. At once, he realized something, and when he was about to take out his invitation from his pocket, a soldier not far away who was entirely covered in heavy armors—including his head—who was initially standing still like a statue suddenly blocked his path.
The soldier almost spoke when he suddenly saw Yaj, who was dressed as a fairy behind the young man. Immediately, he returned to his original position silently and turned into a statue again.
“Miss Yaj, it looks like I can even save the process of presenting an invitation with you here next to me,” Zhang Lisheng looked around and calculated for a while in his heart, estimating that there were at least 1000 ‘soldier statues’ around the hall. Without stopping, he turned his head around to look at the female merchant, “Are these real heavy armored soldiers? Or are they just roleplaying?”
“They are all elite soldiers in the Sea Haines City’s Defense Army. They are really heavy armored soldiers, and although they cannot cast spells, they have far more power and body strength than other ordinary people,” Yaj replied, “As per convention, the City Defense Army will substitute for the sheriff to fulfill his responsibilities and maintain the order of the city.”
“No wonder everybody is still so disciplined in such a grand carnival celebration. Such a heavy armored soldier actually has more deterrent force than a sheriff,” Zhang Lisheng remarked as he walked into the Furoh Hall from between the two pillars with the female merchant following closely behind him.
One must admit that the Golden Velvet Flower Trading did, indeed, have an extraordinary influence in the Sea Haines City. The instant Yaj appeared in the brightly lit hall, people immediately noticed her. A few of them had their eyes lit up and walked up to her with smiles in unison as they greeted, “Miss Yaj, the Cloud Fairy that you’re dressing up as today is wonderful…”
“Yaj, you’re finally here. I was still thinking how regrettable it would be if you couldn’t be here in the Furoh Hall for the first round of the New Year celebrations…”
“Miss Yaj, even though it’s ill-timed for me to say this on such an occasion, but I heard that your brother has invested in Fran’s war bond and caused some problems to the circulating funds in Golden Velvet Flower Trading…”
The people who stuck to those comments were either sincere and kind or were up to no good. However, the female merchant faced them all with the same calm attitude.
When Zhang Lisheng, who was beside her, saw this, he smiled silently with a curled lips. He left Yaj and went to the food table to take some food and wine before taking his plate to the edge of the hall to randomly find a sofa near the pillar to sit.
When the moon rose amid the sky, it sprinkled down moonlight through the hole in the center of the hall’s ceiling into a golden ball suspended in the air.
At this time, the distinguished people and VIPs in the city had almost gathered in the Furoh Hall. When they saw that the gold ball in midair had begun to rotate slowly through the mystic power of the moonlight, a middle-aged man with big a tummy who was wearing blue robe embroidered with nine shining gold stars with a slender black magic scepter in hand quickly walked under the golden ball and used the long baton in his hand to hit the floor
At once, a loud rumble, red light, and red smoke began rising to the sky and caused the bustling hall to fall into silence.
“Ahem ahem… I’ve already said that it’s not a good idea to dress up as the Blue Sea Magician Birch, but my butler didn’t want to listen to me,” A complaint resounded in the smoke. Although it was not loud, it was magically sent into everyone’s ears, eliciting a hearty laugh at once.
The smoke slowly dissipated, and the fat blue-robed man appeared once again. He smiled and looked around before reaching out a hand to place a finger on his mouth to ask everybody to stay silent. At once, the entire Furoh Hall became so quiet that one could even hear the sound of a needle falling.
“Dear greedy merchants of the Sea Haines City and the VIPs from other places, please allow me to wish everyone a happy new year in advance…” In the silence, the blue-robed man began to speak.
Zhang Lisheng, who was sitting on the sofa, saw that everyone was listening solemnly, so he stood up and looked around. He found a girl who looked the most kind and asked, “Excuse me, beautiful lady, can you tell me who that speaker is?”
“City Lord, Salero Banch, the most powerful and intelligent ruler in the history of the Sea Haines City. You don’t even know him?” The girl glanced at the black-haired young man with a look of disgust. It was fortunate that she still answered her question.
“Oh, so he’s actually my first ‘big prey’…” Zhang Lisheng nodded relievedly.
As he muttered to himself, the blue-robed man announced loudly, “… commence the beginning of the Spring Festival celebration, please enjoy yourself to the max…”
When the Lord of the Sea Haines City’s words left, cheerful dance music immediately rang through the whole hall and resonated over the entire city, accompanied by the joyful dance of thousands of people.
At first, it was just a few rounds of group dance, which was followed by an excellent vaudeville performance. Then, in the kind gaze of their parents, all teenagers of 16 years old in the Sea Haines City’s aristocrat merchant families began to hold their heads high and had the first formal dance of their life.
After that, after a few more rounds of group dances, the bustling voting for the best parade horse-drawn carriages began to start.
Just like that, the time flew past in these tight-knit yet exciting shows that took place one by one
Finally, amid the crowds’ expectations, midnight was about to come soon. Two substantial beautiful carriages that were chosen from among 2000 wagons slowly entered the Furoh hall. Then, the Sea Haines City’s City Lord gave his final declaration in the celebration. “I announce that the rides for our beloved Sea Goddess Tiinaross and her most beloved connoisseur, His Highness Emperor of the Sea Bopan, will be the Blue Dream carriage from the Ferry Trading Company and Marine Authority carriage from the Aeroch Trading. Now, let us welcome Her Majesty Sea Goddess and her most beloved connoisseur, His Highness Emperor of the Sea Bopan, to get into the ride.”
After that, in the cheers that resonated the night sky, a blue-haired beautiful lady with grace wearing a long blue tulle dress and a tall, strong man, who only wore a piece of black skin embroidered with waves tying his pectoral muscle that looked like it was going to explode and a pair of fish-scale tight-fitting leather pants, made a sacred gesture and walked toward the carriages.
Even if the crowds knew that these two people were only two low-ranking ‘actors,’ the aristocratic merchants still respectfully bowed or curtseyed when these two people passed by them.
Zhang Lisheng looked at the crowds that rose and fell like a wheat field that was raging in the wind in the Furoh Hall and had a peculiar smile on his face. Without warning, he heard somebody said cheerfully, “Mr. Lisheng, so you’re actually hiding right here. Look at your leisure look, don’t tell me that you didn’t even dance at all?”
“I’m not interested in dancing, Your Highness Seliya…” The young man replied without turning his head.
Before he could finish his words, his arm was suddenly grabbed as a soft voice whispered in his ears. “Please call me Seliya directly. I don’t want my identity to be known to all Sea Haines City people.”
“Of course,” Zhang Lisheng looked at the carriages that were leaving the hall and nodded indifferently.
“Mr. Li Sheng, that is a pretend ceremony. It’s not even as interesting as the fire-spouting clown show just now. I really don’t understand why it can attract your attention so much. There are also many young scholars in my father’s palace, but none of them is as boring as you are. Hey, I just met some new friends, and many of them have heard of your legendary experience and have great admiration towards you…” The Princess of Fran continued to breathe down his ears in a whisper. Suddenly, half of the torches on the ceiling were extinguished, and the light suddenly became dim.
At the same time, the round golden ball hanging in the center of the hall began to emit countless of slender light that intertwined into a three-dimensional pattern. Soon, it showed the image of two vast carriages of blue and black riding into the street.
“This kind of clarity and dimension can be compared to the Atlanteans’ light projector already. It looks like I’ve really underestimated the level of these mainlanders’ civilization…” Looking at the projection image in the air, Zhang Lisheng could not help but frown as he muttered. The Princess of Fran next to him, on the other hand, was more like a country girl as she could not help but blurt out, “This must be a ‘strategic detection magic.’ In other words, the spellcaster must be a master who is at least at level fourteen, and to display the magic so magnificently, he’d need another at least one alchemy item of the sacred class. Wow, this is too extravagant for just one celebration…”
In the irrepressible exclamation of the VIPs and the proud gaze of the Sea Haines City’s aristocratic merchants, the carriages in the golden ball projection galloped on the main roads of the city and were sent out of the city gate in the cheers and shouts of the entire city population.
After they left the city, the two carriages galloped on a secluded path decorated with huge torches of over two meters tall on both sides and started to slow down and stopped entirely when they reached a cliff.
At this time, a gigantic clock was projected on the entire ceiling, with its time pointing to 23:50.
At this moment, the guests already had no time to marvel at the lavish expenses spent by the Sea Haines City as all of them had their eyes glued to the time in the projection. Under the illumination of the bright moon and the fluttering torchlight, the young men and women playing the Sea Goddess and the Emperor of the Sea jumped down from the carriages. With one hand holding a golden scepter while the other gripping a trident, they took out the torch inserted next to the carriage door and climbed to the cliff one after another.
