Bowen was busy taste-testing the freshly made chocolates in front of him.
"Bowen, aren't you coming to see the count?" asked Lydia, busy adjusting her hairstyle for the gathering."Nah, sister should go. I need to prepare for the confectionery competition tomorrow," he said."
Oh, come on, Bowen. I always wonder why you act so mature for your age. Little boys like you should enjoy life."
[That's because my mental age is 25] thought Bowen.
"What are you hesitating for? If you're looking for Boss, you can give up. She never attends any festival for some unknown reason. But I won't let you take after her. You're coming with me right now," said Lydia, determined to drag Bowen with her.
"Okay, okay. I'll store these chocolates and join you, big sister. Please wait for a bit," said Bowen, finally giving in. "Sometimes it's nice to lose to your sister," he thought.
Lydia left Bowen after giving him a tight hug. She reminded Bowen to dress up in better clothes than usual for the occasion. Suddenly, the system in Bowen's head alerted him.
Ting******Decoding of book 100% completed successfully***""
Bowen asked the system to decode the olive green book he had received from Theodore, which was about the God of Wishes. Since the system was still in its early stages, it took a while to decode and find the meaning of the book's contents.
"Good job, system," said Bowen happily. He wanted to go through the contents of the book right away, but he was more afraid of getting on his big sister's bad side. So he postponed his curiosity for later.
Bowen joined the large gathering in the town square. It was the day before the feast, and the whole town of Aswalt was in a festive mood. All the shops and businesses closed in the afternoon so that everyone could gather at the town square to witness the arrival of Count Biron from the city of Rinshield. People started forming long queues along the sides of the roads. Those who had arrived from nearby villages and towns had already reserved all the rooms in taverns and hotels. They couldn't miss out on the celebrations the next day. While the people were eagerly anticipating the esteemed guest, the police department and the military were in full swing, patrolling the entire town. The security checks were three times stricter, and anyone suspicious was immediately put behind bars as a precautionary measure.
As evening approached, the faint sound of drumming could be heard from a distance, coming from the direction of the town gate. With each passing second, the echo of the drums grew louder, indicating the arrival of the guest. Melodious music from various instruments joined the chaos as people busied themselves with anticipation, exchanging murmurs and excited gazes. Guards cleared the road, knights marched, and the white and black centaurs roared. Finally, a noble carriage, the size of a luxury sedan, passed through the town gates of Aswalt. At the same time, another carriage, less luxurious than the former, bearing the flag of Aswalt with the symbol of an anchor, sped toward the town square from Baron's Manor.
The Baron's carriage arrived first and stopped near the grandiosely decorated stage at the center of the plaza. The doors of the Baron's carriage opened wide, allowing the corpulent Baron to struggle with the help of knights as he descended from the vehicle's steps. Alongside the short, stout Baron, a slender figure gracefully emerged from the carriage. She wore an olive green gown that cascaded down to her high boots. The average-looking Baroness of Aswalt seemed to mask her face, which was covered with a blaunchet, using a flower-painted bamboo hand fan.
The guest carriage, positioned about three feet above the ground, rested on two large iron wheels. Everything appeared perfect, except for one unique detail. Count Biron, who should have been inside the carriage, sat on a red cenotaur that walked ahead of the carriage. However, the awkwardness and surprise lasted only for a moment before the Baron and Baroness approached and stopped near the red-clad knights of Rinshield who were guarding the count.
"We wholeheartedly welcome Count Biron to our blooming coastal town," said the Baron with a smile on his chubby face.
"Welcome, Sir Count. All the people of Aswalt are eagerly awaiting your arrival," followed the Baroness with a slight bow.
"It's been a long time, Baron. It's really good to see you smile all the time," replied the count.
"All by the grace of the lord, Count. Our town is flourishing with business every day," said the Baroness instead of the Baron.
Both sides exchanged pleasantries, praising each other, with the count addressing the Baron and the Baroness responding. Meanwhile, the fat Baron continued to smile and nod in agreement with everything the Baroness said.
The count finally ascended the stage, leaving the knights to guard the carriage, which left the crowd puzzled.
The Baroness began addressing the townspeople, floating before her a dazzling silver ball that emitted a faint glow. She delivered a lengthy speech on the greatness of Aswalt and how Count Biron had contributed to the town's development. Her speech left many people bored and yearning for the count's address, which they eagerly anticipated.
Bowen, like everyone else in Aswalt gathered for the event, questioned the reason for Count Biron's arrival. He found the Baroness's speech more tedious than many presentations by science professors in his previous life. Finally, with a thunderous applause, Count Biron stepped forward to address the audience. The entire crowd silenced itself, not wanting to miss a single word from the count.
"I can see how eagerly you, the people of Aswalt, await my speech, but I must apologize for disappointing you. I am not the one who will speak here. It is the person in the carriage," said the count unexpectedly, redirecting everyone's attention toward the luxurious carriage.
Suddenly, the knights of Rinshield began blowing their horns, and the carriage's door opened abruptly. From the carriage, a tall and fat figure descended, dressed in stunning clothing that made people gasp. It was evident to everyone that this person held a higher caliber than the count. The tall, fat figure walked majestically toward the stage, safely surrounded by knights. With a slight hand gesture, he moved the floating silver ball that amplified the sound to a corner, while he took center stage, capturing everyone's attention with his small display of power.
Even without the artifact, his voice reached every corner of Aswalt, amplified multiple times.
"I, the officially recognized third prince of the major kingdom of Starfall, hereby personally appear before the citizens of the town of Aswalt, under the minor kingdom of Luthania, to present the official proclamation from the great Central Empire under the direct order of the 37th pillar, Sir Emanuel, and by the command of His Majesty, Lord Yatin the 11th."
The prince declared, and in an instant, he took a jade tablet and threw it toward the sky. The sky immediately turned pitch black, as if the entire world of Grimesphere was shrouded in darkness.
Magically, the tablet emitted a blinding light, projecting a magnificent symbol of the Central Empire—a crown-shaped Lotus bearing three brightly glowing stars, resembling a red flower adorned with golden rays—against the contrasting dark sky. The symbol covered the entire sky of Aswalt like a screen, serving as a backdrop to convey the message delivered by the powerful Dark Empire.
"BOW BEFORE THE SUPREME SOVEREIGN!" Said the third prince.
With that, the immense pressure from the tablet forced all the people of Aswalt includent Baron, Baroness, knights and even the third prince of starfall kingdom to kneel and bow before the magnificent symbol. People began to sweat and experienced difficulty in breathing; nevertheless, their faces displayed complete reverence towards the symbol of the dark empire. Meanwhile, inside Bowen's mind, the system went haywire with numerous danger alerts for suppression, unlike ever before.
(Note from the author: The Dark Empire is synonymous with the Central Empire.)
Bowen was busy taste-testing the freshly made chocolates in front of him.
"Bowen, aren't you coming to see the count?" asked Lydia, busy adjusting her hairstyle for the gathering."Nah, sister should go. I need to prepare for the confectionery competition tomorrow," he said."
Oh, come on, Bowen. I always wonder why you act so mature for your age. Little boys like you should enjoy life."
[That's because my mental age is 25] thought Bowen.
"What are you hesitating for? If you're looking for Boss, you can give up. She never attends any festival for some unknown reason. But I won't let you take after her. You're coming with me right now," said Lydia, determined to drag Bowen with her.
"Okay, okay. I'll store these chocolates and join you, big sister. Please wait for a bit," said Bowen, finally giving in. "Sometimes it's nice to lose to your sister," he thought.
Lydia left Bowen after giving him a tight hug. She reminded Bowen to dress up in better clothes than usual for the occasion. Suddenly, the system in Bowen's head alerted him.
Ting******Decoding of book 100% completed successfully***""
Bowen asked the system to decode the olive green book he had received from Theodore, which was about the God of Wishes. Since the system was still in its early stages, it took a while to decode and find the meaning of the book's contents.
"Good job, system," said Bowen happily. He wanted to go through the contents of the book right away, but he was more afraid of getting on his big sister's bad side. So he postponed his curiosity for later.
Bowen joined the large gathering in the town square. It was the day before the feast, and the whole town of Aswalt was in a festive mood. All the shops and businesses closed in the afternoon so that everyone could gather at the town square to witness the arrival of Count Biron from the city of Rinshield. People started forming long queues along the sides of the roads. Those who had arrived from nearby villages and towns had already reserved all the rooms in taverns and hotels. They couldn't miss out on the celebrations the next day. While the people were eagerly anticipating the esteemed guest, the police department and the military were in full swing, patrolling the entire town. The security checks were three times stricter, and anyone suspicious was immediately put behind bars as a precautionary measure.
As evening approached, the faint sound of drumming could be heard from a distance, coming from the direction of the town gate. With each passing second, the echo of the drums grew louder, indicating the arrival of the guest. Melodious music from various instruments joined the chaos as people busied themselves with anticipation, exchanging murmurs and excited gazes. Guards cleared the road, knights marched, and the white and black centaurs roared. Finally, a noble carriage, the size of a luxury sedan, passed through the town gates of Aswalt. At the same time, another carriage, less luxurious than the former, bearing the flag of Aswalt with the symbol of an anchor, sped toward the town square from Baron's Manor.
The Baron's carriage arrived first and stopped near the grandiosely decorated stage at the center of the plaza. The doors of the Baron's carriage opened wide, allowing the corpulent Baron to struggle with the help of knights as he descended from the vehicle's steps. Alongside the short, stout Baron, a slender figure gracefully emerged from the carriage. She wore an olive green gown that cascaded down to her high boots. The average-looking Baroness of Aswalt seemed to mask her face, which was covered with a blaunchet, using a flower-painted bamboo hand fan.
The guest carriage, positioned about three feet above the ground, rested on two large iron wheels. Everything appeared perfect, except for one unique detail. Count Biron, who should have been inside the carriage, sat on a red cenotaur that walked ahead of the carriage. However, the awkwardness and surprise lasted only for a moment before the Baron and Baroness approached and stopped near the red-clad knights of Rinshield who were guarding the count.
"We wholeheartedly welcome Count Biron to our blooming coastal town," said the Baron with a smile on his chubby face.
"Welcome, Sir Count. All the people of Aswalt are eagerly awaiting your arrival," followed the Baroness with a slight bow.
"It's been a long time, Baron. It's really good to see you smile all the time," replied the count.
"All by the grace of the lord, Count. Our town is flourishing with business every day," said the Baroness instead of the Baron.
Both sides exchanged pleasantries, praising each other, with the count addressing the Baron and the Baroness responding. Meanwhile, the fat Baron continued to smile and nod in agreement with everything the Baroness said.
The count finally ascended the stage, leaving the knights to guard the carriage, which left the crowd puzzled.
The Baroness began addressing the townspeople, floating before her a dazzling silver ball that emitted a faint glow. She delivered a lengthy speech on the greatness of Aswalt and how Count Biron had contributed to the town's development. Her speech left many people bored and yearning for the count's address, which they eagerly anticipated.
Bowen, like everyone else in Aswalt gathered for the event, questioned the reason for Count Biron's arrival. He found the Baroness's speech more tedious than many presentations by science professors in his previous life. Finally, with a thunderous applause, Count Biron stepped forward to address the audience. The entire crowd silenced itself, not wanting to miss a single word from the count.
"I can see how eagerly you, the people of Aswalt, await my speech, but I must apologize for disappointing you. I am not the one who will speak here. It is the person in the carriage," said the count unexpectedly, redirecting everyone's attention toward the luxurious carriage.
Suddenly, the knights of Rinshield began blowing their horns, and the carriage's door opened abruptly. From the carriage, a tall and fat figure descended, dressed in stunning clothing that made people gasp. It was evident to everyone that this person held a higher caliber than the count. The tall, fat figure walked majestically toward the stage, safely surrounded by knights. With a slight hand gesture, he moved the floating silver ball that amplified the sound to a corner, while he took center stage, capturing everyone's attention with his small display of power.
Even without the artifact, his voice reached every corner of Aswalt, amplified multiple times.
"I, the officially recognized third prince of the major kingdom of Starfall, hereby personally appear before the citizens of the town of Aswalt, under the minor kingdom of Luthania, to present the official proclamation from the great Central Empire under the direct order of the 37th pillar, Sir Emanuel, and by the command of His Majesty, Lord Yatin the 11th."
The prince declared, and in an instant, he took a jade tablet and threw it toward the sky. The sky immediately turned pitch black, as if the entire world of Grimesphere was shrouded in darkness.
Magically, the tablet emitted a blinding light, projecting a magnificent symbol of the Central Empire—a crown-shaped Lotus bearing three brightly glowing stars, resembling a red flower adorned with golden rays—against the contrasting dark sky. The symbol covered the entire sky of Aswalt like a screen, serving as a backdrop to convey the message delivered by the powerful Dark Empire.
"BOW BEFORE THE SUPREME SOVEREIGN!" Said the third prince.
With that, the immense pressure from the tablet forced all the people of Aswalt includent Baron, Baroness, knights and even the third prince of starfall kingdom to kneel and bow before the magnificent symbol. People began to sweat and experienced difficulty in breathing; nevertheless, their faces displayed complete reverence towards the symbol of the dark empire. Meanwhile, inside Bowen's mind, the system went haywire with numerous danger alerts for suppression, unlike ever before.
(Note from the author: The Dark Empire is synonymous with the Central Empire.)
