Herald of Steel

The revelation of Alexander’s ability to grow more crops was something the nobles were eager to learn about no matter what.

“My lord, is that true? Can it really be done?” Lord Tikba represented the entire ecstatic noble group as he hopefully asked.

Because doubling their food production would double their income.

And so in the days leading up to the swearing ceremony, Alexander gave them a tour of his farms and showed them the various new inventions such as horse collars, and the heavy plow, and the new three-crop rotation method.

And while most nobles were impressed, or at least outwardly pretended to be, some of the bit more stubborn nobles tried to argue with him as they did not think a military man would know anything about farming.

This caused Alexander to simply propose, “Then send some of your men during the autumn harvest. And find out the yield for yourself. Seeing is believing after all.”

In this way, Alexander’s month flew with him entertaining the nobles, while in the background, the preparation for the swearing ceremony was coming along nicely.

Alexander himself did not really have an official swearing ceremony in Adhan, as it was instead combined with Ptolomu’s coronation ceremony.

Though this was done mainly due to Alexander’s urging, for he wanted to leave for Zanzan as soon as possible and not waste time on such fruitless frivolities.

But for this event, since he was the host, he wanted it to be very grand, as grand as possible in fact.

Because he wanted this party to be a way to show off his wealth and taste, and thus boost his prestige among his retainers.

And to help achieve that, he had requested the help of another Pasha, Farzah, who had decades of experience doing these things, while also employing his daughter for many of the artistic decorations.

And with these lengthy preparations finished, finally, the day came.

The swearing ceremony was scheduled to be organized at night, as per traditions, and as dusk fell, carriage after carriage made their way to the Temple of Ramuh situated at the center of the city.

This temple, which was now overseen by Azura and Azira was without a doubt a sight to behold, The domed structure had a beautiful golden domed crown, while its outer walls were made of the best marble and granite, giving it a checkered black and white pattern and decorated with various colorful mosaics and paintings.

The huge courtyard leading to the main temple had many beautiful gardens graced with resplendent flowers that were immaculately cared for, while at each of the corners, there stood a tall obelisk, where frescos were decorated using gold leaves, colorful pigments, and precious stones, detailing legendary battles between the gods. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝑙．𝑐𝘰𝘮

The temple was only slightly less opulent than the Grand Temple at Adhan.

Alexander observed these outer decorations as he arrived at the venue gates just as the sun was setting, accompanied by Cambyses and his entourage of bodyguards in his large, lavish carriage.

The group was immaculately dressed.

The guards wore shining ceremonial brass body armor without a single scratch, dent, or blemish on them.

Painted bright golden, these brass cuirasses had ornate engravings, etchings, and embossed patterns of Alexander’s heraldry and Temple of Gaia’s symbols, both enhancing their visual appeal and showing their statues.

Their gauntlets, boots, and greaves too were similarly decorated, while their Corinthian helmets were even decorated with precious gemstones and metal engraving, accompanied by the usual red plum,

And to finish the decorations, a long heavy cape was draped over their shoulders, blood red, and embroiled using real golden threads of the symbols of House Alexander.

The men naturally looked magnificent in their armor, though if one noticed, they would have found all of them sweating profusely, as underneath all this fancy junk, the men also wore real chainmail with linen thorax and the whole other nine yards of protection.

Meaning on this particularly hot summer day, they wore multiple layers of clothing, making them quite uncomfortable.

But they had no choice and wore them viewing it simply as also one of the occupational challenges of being Alexander’s bodyguard.

While their escorts, the lord and lady of the house wore much more formal civilian clothes.

Alexander wore a high-quality, navy blue, double-breasted coat featuring a fitted silhouette and a structured shoulder line, that conveyed an air of authority and strength.

The jacket’s lapels were adorned with golden braids, meticulously woven into intricate patterns, while the buttons were made of solid gold.

While underneath Alexander wore a fine shirt, followed by chainmail.

But the most prominent feature of his dress had to be the three rows of golden ribbons running side to side from his suit, accentuating his midriff, while the breast pocket on his left was embroidered with the symbol of his house crest.

And next to him, his wife was dressed exactly the same, except that her hair was done in a much fancier way, being clipped and brushed back to give a sporty feeling.

Now in Adhania, males and females dressed very differently.

And dressing similarly was very frowned upon.

But Alexander insisted that everyone to be sworn in was to wear the same clothes, regardless of gender.

And when looking at his wife, Alexander would say he made the right choice, as she looked very catching in her new garment, emitting a much different aura from her usual feminine charms.

The heavy suit stuck snuggly to her body, making her appear bigger and more intimidating, while her brushed-back hairstyle gave the impression that she was a general returning from a victorious battle, thus tickling Alexander’s sense to dominate and conquer this formidable flower.

“Ahhh, so hot. Why do I have to wear this? I’m dying in it! ” Or he had that amorous feeling until Cambyses crassly spoke out aloud while tugging at the collar of her buttoned-up blue shirt as she tried to get some air in.

She was forced by Alexander to also wear the full suit of armor beneath, and like the guards with them, it was killing her.

“…….” Alexander did not reply to this complaint he had heard a million times, and instead simply said, “Let’s go. Many are waiting.”

And so soon the group crossed the stone-paved courtyard path leading into the temple and entered its lavish premises.

For this event, the interior of the temple had been heavily renovated, with huge, beautiful chandeliers hanging from the domed roof brightly lighting up the interior, many of which were ordered for this event, colorful paper streamers outlining many of the granite surfaces, and colorful flowers jeweled with gemstones and emitting a sweet smell gracing many of the sacred artifacts inside the temple.

While at the center of the Ramuh, was its centerpiece, the statues of the god Ramuh, and goddess Gaia, were also heavily decorated with golden clothes and jewels, embellishing them even further.

While right below their feet was a luxurious throne chair.

Naturally, that was meant for Alexander to sit as the nobles bowed and swore fealty to him.

By the time Alexander had arrived, the temple was already filled with guests.

The men were wearing suits like him, while the women wore lavish gowns, and were seen chatting, laughing, and gossiping with a drink in their hands.

As Alexander gazed at this lavish function, one which had burnt a hole in his pocket, he could not help but reminisce the reason for this.

And the reason for hosting this gaudy, extravagant party was to show off.

In Adhania, excess, extravagance, and flaunting were celebrated and even venerated.

Which was very much different from modern times where self-restraint and simplicity were valued.

Where billionaires going to shops wearing a sweatshirt and short pants was seen as something positive.

Instead in this time period, those same words and practices would be synonymous with the word poverty.

And since Alexander came to know that face in the nobility circle was won by faulting one’s wealth and status and that was it the quickest way to obtain his retainers’ confidence, he decided to do just that.

For it seemed face and prestige were really important in the Adhanian nobility circle.

And people judged and acted based on what kind of reputation one had.

For Alexander this was critical.

Because a lord with good prestige made one’s retainers look up to and follow their lord, and more importantly not underestimate him as being a lowly uncouth slave barbarian with no manners.

The latter which would if not instigate a rebellion directly, at least would make the nobles less complainant to one’s directives, thus hindering their ability to govern their province effectively.

Hence Alexander saw the lavish party, the intricate dresses, and the opulent foods as a necessary expense to gain the loyalty of his subjects.

As Alexander and Cambyses slowly entered the sacred halls, their arrival naturally caused quite a stir, as the nobles could not help but set their eyes on first their lord, before their eyes were quickly attracted to the heroic women beside him.

Dressed in a suit and pants Cambyses stood out from the other women dressed in gowns like a proud peacock, and as her shiny, polished leather shoes struck the carpeted floor with strength and authority, all the nobles marveled at the way the lady of House Alexander carried herself.

They gazed at her powered face, her cheery lips, her strong, straight posture, and her powerful gait,

Cambyses might not be the most beautiful woman in that room, but she was certainly the most unique.