Chapter 583 - 579 – THE PALACE BANQUET INVITATION AND THE CAPITAL’S POLITICAL CHESS GAME

The morning sun rose over the Holy Capital Tianhua, casting a golden radiance that pierced the thin layer of clouds beneath the floating landmasses of the Upper District. A cool morning breeze blew gently, carrying the fragrant aroma from the crystal trees that flourished throughout the marble castle grounds belonging to the First Princess, Hua Zhaoyue.

Inside the magnificent dining hall of the princess’s residence, a long table of spiritual wood was laden with various exotic breakfast dishes. There were glowing dew fruits from the Sacred Valley, magical wheat bread coated in fairy nectar, and warm herbal tea capable of purifying mana circulation. However, the main focus on the table was a giant silver plate filled with thick-fibered monster meat prepared with a sharply spicy red spice blend, a special dish that Zhaoyue had ordered the palace chefs to prepare in order to please Sylvia’s distinctive culinary tastes.

Sylvia sat at the head of the table in a loose silver-gray silk nightgown. While savoring pieces of spicy monster meat that melted on her tongue, she listened to Zhaoyue, who was reading through sheets of paper documents across from her.

"The name ’Mysterious Rank 7 Tamer’ has truly become a hot topic throughout the entire Upper District since the day before yesterday, Sylvia," Zhaoyue said in a casual tone, setting down her marble teacup. "Reports about how you disabled the Iron-Winged Thunder Eagle in the air, how you stopped Elder Lin’s intimidation from the Main Noble Council with just a look, and how you bought out half of Zenith District together with a royal princess... all of that has spread to every elite faction."

Sylvia wiped her reddened lips with a fine cloth napkin, then smiled faintly. "Those old men in the Noble Council must be panicking half to death. Elder Lin was quite lucky I didn’t sever his lifespan thread back at the magic materials market."

"Of course they’re panicking," Zhaoyue giggled softly, her eyes radiating sharp intelligence behind her elegant, beautiful face. "For decades, the Main Noble Council has controlled the monopoly on independent mages in this kingdom. Whenever a Rank 7 or higher expert appears, they force that person to swear loyalty to the council. But you? You not only rejected them outright, you also terrified their envoy half to death."

Zhaoyue then pulled out a golden envelope sealed with red wax bearing the royal dragon motif from beneath the folds of her papers, and slowly slid it across the marble table toward Sylvia.

"And this is the result," Zhaoyue said. "Father the King of the Tianhua Kingdom together with the Main Noble Council has officially issued an invitation to the Royal Evening Banquet at the Main Palace tonight."

Sylvia glanced at the golden envelope with one eyebrow raised, yet she did not rush to take it. "An evening banquet? Sounds like a trap wrapped in luxury."

"More precisely, a stage for political intrigue," Zhaoyue confirmed without hesitation. "The Second Prince and the Third Prince, my two brothers who are fully supported by the Main Noble Council, will attend with all their elite mage factions. This banquet is nominally held to celebrate the annual Magic Core harvest and to welcome the border heroes, but its true purpose is to test your identity, measure your strength, and of course... to try to pressure my position as First Princess."

Zhaoyue looked at Sylvia with clear and honest eyes. There was no falsehood or attempt at manipulation in her gaze. "I will not lie to you, Sylvia. If you attend with me at that party as my close friend, your presence will instantly silence all opposing factions. But if you feel disturbed or unwilling to deal with the dirty politics of humans, you can refuse. I will never force you."

Hearing Zhaoyue’s honesty, Sylvia leaned her back against the marble sofa, tapping her slender fingers on the table. Her thoughts drifted briefly to her conversation with Sofia through the hologram projection of the Hologram Bracelet the previous afternoon. Sofia had reminded her to be careful, yet at the same time Sylvia realized one thing: to make Nocture’s future movements on the Tianhua Continent easier, she needed to understand the peak power structure of this human civilization up close.

Besides, watching arrogant nobles act haughty and then kneel in fear was one of the small amusements that the Queen of Death found rather enjoyable.

"Why refuse?" Sylvia smiled gracefully, radiating an unshakable aura of confidence. "The food at a palace banquet is surely prepared by the kingdom’s finest chefs, isn’t it? I’ve heard the Tianhua Kingdom keeps a stock of Rank 8 mutant monster meat in the palace underground warehouses. It would be a pity if I missed a free feast."

Zhaoyue’s eyes immediately sparkled brightly. She clapped both hands in delight, casting aside the political tension that had hung in the air. "Wonderful! In that case, we must prepare our appearances to the fullest! This party will be our stage of domination!"

In the corner of the room, Sol the Golden Dragon disguised as a golden-furred cat suddenly opened his eyes and heaved a heavy mental sigh.

"Please tell me we won’t be ordered to carry dress bags again..." Sol complained via telepathy to Noir.

Noir, the jet-black cat with purple eyes, only snorted coldly without changing his position. "Just resign yourself, sacred lizard. As long as the Queen is happy, becoming a display piece at a palace banquet is still better than being used as a magic experiment material by Stacia in Nocture."

As evening approached, preparations at the princess’s residence reached their peak. The kingdom’s finest attendants were mobilized to prepare dresses, jewelry, and magical fragrances. However, true to Sylvia’s character of preferring elegance without excessive complication, she chose the off-shoulder Night Silk dress she had bought at the Aura Celestia Boutique two days earlier.

The silver-black dress absorbed the crystal lamp light and emitted an extremely subtle starry sheen. Its cut hugged Sylvia’s curves perfectly, highlighting her smooth porcelain neckline and slender waist. Her jet-black hair was left flowing gracefully, adorned by the half-bloomed crystal rose hairpin that Zhaoyue had bought for her.

Meanwhile, Zhaoyue appeared stunning in a royal ice-blue dress made of Cloud Silk, completed by a small tiara crown studded with a Rank 7 Magic Core that radiated a silvery glow.

When the two of them stood side by side in front of the large marble mirror, the contrast between Sylvia’s cold, mysterious beauty like a goddess of the night and Zhaoyue’s regal elegance like an ice goddess created a sight so captivating that the palace ladies-in-waiting held their breath in admiration.

"You are truly extraordinary, Sylvia..." Zhaoyue praised sincerely, gazing at Sylvia’s reflection in the mirror with sparkling eyes. "Every time I look at you, I feel that all the noblewomen at the palace tonight will look like pebbles beside a gemstone."

"You are no less enchanting, Princess," Sylvia replied softly with a faint smile, adjusting a slight fold of Zhaoyue’s dress. "Now, let’s see what surprises those Noble Council elders have prepared."

The two of them stepped out toward the landing courtyard of the residence. A glossy black titanium-mithril VVIP Anti-Gravity Car was already waiting. The futuristic vehicle floated smoothly thirty centimeters above the marble floor, powered by a Magic Core. Sol and Noir leaped gracefully into the Car, settling on the silk carpet near Sylvia’s feet.

The Car glided through the night air of the Upper District, crossing transparent light bridges that connected the floating islands. Below them, the view of the Lower District appeared like a vast sea of dim lamp dots stretching under the shadows of the earth pillars. The extreme social disparity between the elites in the sky and the common people on the ground lay clearly before Sylvia’s eyes, reinforcing her view that Tianhua’s human civilization was extremely fragile and filled with rotten caste structures.

A few minutes later, their VVIP car entered the largest and most important floating island area: the Holy Palace of Tianhua.

The palace was a complex of marble and magical white-gold fortresses protected by multi-layered magical shield formations. Hundreds of mithril-armored knights stood neatly along the entrance road, holding glowing magical spears. In the main courtyard, dozens of gem-adorned floating carriages and luxurious anti-gravity Car belonging to high nobles, trade guild leaders, and major sect elders were neatly parked.

The moment Zhaoyue’s VVIP Car door opened, the gold-masked royal guards immediately formed an absolute barricade line. Zhaoyue stepped down first with the absolute elegance of a royal princess. However, when Sylvia followed, flanked by two sleek-furred cats walking casually beside her Night Silk dress, the attention of thousands of pairs of eyes in the courtyard area was instantly and completely seized.

A noisy wave of whispers rose among the rows of nobles entering the palace.

"Is that the black-haired girl beside the First Princess?"

"Her aura sensation... I can’t even sense any mana fluctuation from her, yet her presence is so oppressive!"

"Is she the mysterious Tamer rumored to have disabled a Rank 7 monster with a single glance at the border?"

"Look at the two cats near her feet... the golden- and black-furred ones! Why do their eyes emit such an eerie gleam?"

Sylvia ignored all the stares and whispers with absolute calm. Together with Zhaoyue, she walked through the thirty-meter-tall giant marble gate toward the Main Banquet Hall of the Palace.

The interior of Tianhua’s Main Banquet Hall was the pinnacle of human civilization’s luxury. The high vaulted ceiling was adorned with magical murals depicting ancient god wars, illuminated by dozens of giant floating mana crystal lamps. Along the walls, banquet tables of white jade were piled high with various rare foods from high-level danger zones, spiritual fruit wines fermented for hundreds of years, and decorative crystals.

Hundreds of luxuriously dressed nobles, elite mages in gold-embroidered robes, and armored military generals were gathered in small groups, holding golden goblets filled with wine.

However, when the royal trumpet blowers announced the arrival of the First Princess, all conversation in the giant hall instantly ceased.

"Welcome the arrival of Her Highness the First Princess, Hua Zhaoyue! Accompanied by the Kingdom’s Guest of Honor, Miss Sylvia!" the guard proclaimed with a magical voice that echoed throughout the space.

The nobles bowed respectfully as Zhaoyue and Sylvia walked along the red carpet embroidered with golden thread. Sylvia surveyed the hall with her sharp vision. Through her true eyes as the Queen of Death, she not only saw the luxurious clothing and false smiles of these elites, but also the hidden fluctuations of their mana auras.

Most of the strong mages present were in the Rank 6 to Rank 8 range. On the elevated main stage, there were three marble thrones. On the middle seat sat a middle-aged man wearing a golden crown with a Peak Rank 9 aura, the King of the Tianhua Kingdom. However, on the left side of the stage stood a group of people in black-and-gold robes with stiff expressions.

Among them, Sylvia immediately recognized the figure of Elder Lin. The Main Noble Council envoy who two days earlier had tried to intimidate Sylvia at the magic market now stood behind an elderly white-haired man holding a wooden staff with a black crystal core.

The moment Elder Lin’s eyes collided with Sylvia’s cold gaze, the old man’s body immediately trembled violently. Cold sweat soaked his forehead, and he reflexively took one step back, hiding in the shadow of his council leader because of the traumatic memory of the death illusion Sylvia had planted two days earlier.

"He is extremely terrified of seeing you, Sylvia," Zhaoyue whispered softly while smiling faintly beside her.

"Of course. Someone who has once gazed into the abyss of death will never forget the feeling," Sylvia replied calmly.

However, not everyone in the hall shared Elder Lin’s fearful memory.

When Zhaoyue and Sylvia had almost reached the main banquet stage, a heavy and firm set of footsteps was heard cutting across their path. A tall, sturdy young man in a gold-dragon-embroidered robe and magical iron armor stepped forward, blocking their way. Behind him stood four Rank 8 combat mages with cold faces.

The young man possessed handsome yet arrogant features, with a pair of golden eyes that looked at Zhaoyue and Sylvia with contempt.

"Good evening, First Sister," the young man called out in a loud voice deliberately amplified by magic so that the entire hall could hear. "I did not expect you would bring a wild mage of unclear identity into the sacred banquet of our royal palace."

Zhaoyue stopped her steps, her eyes narrowing coldly. "Second Prince, Hua Tianming. Watch your language. Miss Sylvia is my personal guest and a highly respected high-level Tamer."

The Second Prince Hua Tianming laughed mockingly, crossing his arms while looking Sylvia up and down. "A Tamer? Just because she was lucky enough to control a few mutant beasts at the border, you treat her like a god? The Main Noble Council has checked the records of every sect and magic academy on this continent, and the name ’Sylvia’ has never been registered anywhere."

Hua Tianming took one step closer, releasing a fragment of his Rank 8 aura pressure, attempting to oppress Sylvia in front of hundreds of noble eyes that watched with held breath.

"In this Holy Capital, status and origin are everything," the Second Prince continued in a high, arrogant tone. "An independent mage without a faction background has no right to stand equal with the royal family. Unless... you are willing to submit and prove your strength under the banner of your faction tonight, Miss Sylvia!"

Hearing a provocation so cliché and childish in the eyes of a Rank 7 Demigod, Sylvia was not angry. She did not even blink.

A thin, cold, and extremely elegant smile rose on the porcelain face of the Queen of Death. Sylvia crossed her Night Silk-clad arms, regarding the Second Prince as if looking at a small insect that had jumped onto her dining table.

At the same time, the red-and-gold irises of Sylvia’s eyes flickered slightly. Through her True Sight, the thin black threads of life-fate bound to the Second Prince’s body and those of the four Rank 8 guards behind him were clearly visible to her. Sylvia needed only to pluck a single thread to make the Second Prince’s heart stop beating instantly without leaving the slightest magical trace.

"Submit to you?" Sylvia’s voice floated out, soft and gentle, yet carrying the weight of absolute divinity that made the mana crystal lamps throughout the hall tremble faintly. "Little Prince... you are not even aware that the thread of your life is currently between my two fingers."

The atmosphere in the Main Banquet Hall of Tianhua Palace instantly turned as cold as ice. The Second Prince tensed, feeling an invisible chill rapidly creep up his spine, while every noble in the room held their breath, realizing that tonight’s political chess game had just begun.