Chapter 319: The Setter Family Attends the Banquet

Chapter 319

The Setter Family Attends the Banquet

In the end, Zoey was forced to choose through her tears. She selected 7 plain but practical outfits. Although Ellie suggested she pick something more beautiful, Zoey knew her place. She didn’t want to display her own beauty; she just needed to be able to move freely to protect Duchess Ellie.

Even though Zoey ultimately chose this way, Ellie didn’t object. From now on, she needed to closely monitor the storyline. Fortunately, Ellie’s habit was different from Grace’s. That girl hadn’t read the story in detail, only skimming through it to see what someone like Ellie would read.

As a result, Ellie was much better prepared. Knowing that the banquet’s next event was to build a relationship between the prince and the heroine Grace, according to the new novel, she sensed potential problems if this left unchecked. Besides...Grace would demonstrate her dimensional powers again, increasing her importance dramatically...as someone who could handle the toxin of demonic beasts.

And a clever person like Grace...wouldn’t let such an opportunity pass without doing anything. To prevent future disasters, Ellie needed to be prepared to deal with it too!!

On the first day of the Ares Kingdom’s victory celebration banquet, the Setter family began their preparations early in the morning. The situation among the hunters was quite chaotic.

All 2,000 of them were invited to the banquet today to meet many important figures of the Ares Kingdom first. It was also the first time many of them attended a banquet with the Emperor present, so they were very excited.

While the entire Setter family busied themselves with preparations from before dawn, the luxurious room of the young girl remained peaceful and quiet.

Ellie had been training her powers all night, and she now had additional duties. Initially, she wasn’t too concerned about the spiritual fruits, so she assigned the tasks to “Camouflage Apple,” “Night Java Apple,” and “Thousand-Handed Orchid” to handle other responsibilities.

Of course, these tasks required them to use their spiritual force too. Naturally, they couldn’t perform their duties all day. They needed resting time to absorb spiritual force to recharge before continuing their work.

Previously, when the level 2 spiritual fruits were priced at 30,000-40,000 tols, Ellie knew that in the future, she could only rely on these spiritual fruits.

The Setter family also understood their value. They inquired about the prices of other fruits. Most of the fruits they encountered were level 0 spiritual fruits, but the price was already between 10-50 tols.

Although they had no level, making them useless for magic practitioners, they could still be used as snacks. However, on the 7th floor, they were more useful than expected.

Even level-less spiritual fruits could be used as ingredients in various potions, that was why they were often priced higher than level 1-2 potions. It was no wonder the Setter family was buying them in large quantities.

Gathering money in the future seemed easy, but it was not so simple. Spiritual fruit trees were not easily found. Even in the kingdom, they were rarely consumed, only appearing at lavish banquets because they were hard to grow and find.

Ellie asked the Setter family to find seeds or other fruits for her. Although they were not the expensive level 2 spiritual fruits, she believed that with the Spirit Orb’s fermented water, she could make them grow well for sure. Additionally, her botanic magic power would be beneficial.

Her request was almost immediately approved. The Setter family members knew what Ellie intended, and many placed their hopes on her.

Meanwhile, Young Lord Owen purchased all the level 1-2 weapons, even hiring many landless people to forge more weapons.

The Setter family’s operations were swift, with everyone knowing their duties well. Ellie didn’t even have to ask; Young Lord Owen had already instructed his trusted people to plant spirit trees around Ellie’s 8 cities. Although there wasn’t much planting on the 1st floor, seeds had been sown on the 3rd floor and above.

Right now, their goal was to gather as many resources as possible. They already had people on the 7th floor inspecting the area to see what was lacking or needed. As a result, the Setter family was continuously busy, causing Ellie to lose sleep as well.

She set a schedule for her 3 little companions in the dimension: "Camouflage Apple," "Night Java Apple," and "Thousand-Handed Orchid." She asked all 3 to reduce their tasks to conserve spiritual force and provide her with as much fruit as possible in the remaining time.

Of course, this significantly reduced the output of potions, but with her diligent work, Ellie already had plenty of potions stored in her dimension, so it wasn’t an urgent matter anymore.

"It’s time, my lady," Selin, one of the maids, entered the room along with several other servants.

They carried the dressing equipment. With only 2 hours until the event started, Ellie, as an important figure, could not afford to be late. Other days might be more flexible, but today, being the first day and the day when all the important members of the Setter family had to attend, Ellie, as the young lady of the house...was naturally the center of attention.

"Mmm." Ellie had been awake for a while, after smelling a relaxing fragrant tea, she had already made herself one cup. Thus, seeing the procession of servants entering, she did not refuse their assistance.

It took almost an hour and a half for Ellie to be dressed in a luxurious blue gown embroidered with gold thread. Rare gemstones from the 5th and 6th floors adorned the dress. She also wore a bracelet with a large blue gem matching her outfit, along with a necklace and shoes. Everything on Ellie was so extravagant that no one could compare.

A small decorative comb was placed in her braided bun at the back, which was highlighted with a blue ribbon made from a fine material. Ellie looked at herself in the mirror. Luckily, she no longer looked as thin and frail as before, giving her an aura of elegance. Otherwise, she would have looked like a skinny child draped in treasures.

Even though Ellie had requested everyone to dress her to look less like a mobile treasure chest, they didn’t heed her words. No! It should be said that they did, which was why her adornments were only as much as they were. Otherwise, instead of the blue ribbon on the back of her head, she might have had a magnificent crown or gemstones encrusted on long gloves.

"You’re very beautiful, my lady,"

Selin remarked as she saw Ellie fully dressed. As the saying went, just as a peacock’s feathers made it beautiful, so did adornment enhance a person’s beauty. It’s no wonder Ellie felt like she herself in this body looked a bit more attractive, even though it clashed with her modern sensibilities where she rarely saw such elaborate outfits...

"Thank you," Ellie replied politely. Soon, she had to leave as it was almost time.

When the young girl stepped out of her room, she found that the handsome young lord of the Setter family was already waiting, dressed in a matching blue outfit. Even his accessories complemented hers perfectly. While Ellie’s attire emphasized delicate elegance, Eldest Young Lord Owen’s ensemble emphasized a calm and composed masculinity.

Ellie’s eyes blurred slightly at his handsomeness. The image from the first day they met came to mind; he was once as emaciated as she was. However, his condition was much worse then. Seeing him now, she almost couldn’t recall his former image. If they hadn’t met during this time, Ellie might not have recognized him at all.

Steven stood next to him, the family head smiling gently. This made Ellie feel a bit embarrassed for making everyone wait. However, no one in the Setter family criticized her. They just smiled warmly.

Ellie, in her blue dress, and Owen, also in blue, made sense to her. This young lord always supported her. So, after she chose her dress for the first day of the banquet, he likely had a matching suit made. It was no surprise that they looked like a married couple. But what surprised her was...

The family head also wore a dark blue suit. His suit was darker than theirs, giving him a more mature look. Aman, too, wore a blue suit, but slightly lighter. The young girls in the family wore light blue dresses, looking beautiful and fresh.

What made Ellie even more embarrassed was that...all the Setter family members following behind had chosen outfits in the same color scheme...

If this were a wedding in her past life, one might guess they were dressed according to a "theme." Who would have thought that her casual selection would result in such outcome!? Everyone wore either indigo or light blue clothing, making it instantly recognizable that they belonged to the Setter family wherever they went!

"Let’s go,"

Steven said calmly. He had been kept in the palace for a long time but had learned that this young girl had sacrificed almost all her treasures to secure good land on the 7th floor. If he had known beforehand what they would encounter after the challenge, he would have sent more family resources. But due to ignorance, things turned out this way.

Even if they had known, unexpected events could still occur. The Hestia Kingdom had already set an example after learning that the Setter family had succeeded. There was also the terrifying conditions if they failed to ascend to the 7th floor, they would be wiped out completely.

Before the human race, many races had already been wiped out. Any race that failed the test would be destroyed, leaving no trace.

It was no wonder they only saw remnants of the elves’ development because the elves had once passed to the 7th floor, making their history valuable for new races to learn from.

Seeing the Setter family becoming the gods of humans, the Hestia Kingdom couldn’t accept it. They hurriedly sent their most skilled individuals to challenge, resulting in...a failed attempt and severe damage.

Of course, they dared to take such action because everyone knew that fighting among themselves was pointless from now on. Without this situation, they feared that kingdoms might conquer each other after suffering losses. The Hestia Kingdom’s confirmation showed that the Setter family’s strength was far greater than they had imagined.

The Setter family did not reveal all the secrets of the tests because even if they did, others wouldn’t be able to accomplish it.

The battles were beyond description, and the absurd questions—did they think everyone could handle it? Perhaps if all the kingdoms united, there might be hope. Maybe someone could conquer it close to the 10 years mark, but not now.

Due to the actions of the Hestia Kingdom, other kingdoms and families realized they couldn’t risk wasting all their resources. In the end, accepting the Setter family’s offer was the best option. Even though it was risky...they preferred to believe that the Setter family was more trustworthy than the challenges of the tower.

Ellie looked at Owen’s large hand before placing her small hand in his. Owen’s current demeanor was very warm, not resembling the stern eldest young lord of the family who had issued severe orders just a few days ago.

"During this time, if you need to rest, just let me know,"

Owen said in a calm voice. Those who heard it felt strangely chilled. They pictured the man who killed without blinking and never congratulated anyone, yet turned gentle in front of the young lady. It felt like they were seeing a completely different person.

Fortunately, many had seen this before, and some had prepared themselves after hearing others talk about how the eldest young lord acted like a man in love when he was with the young lady. So, they managed to remain calm.

Their journey didn’t take long, and they soon teleported to the palace’s special reception area. The kingdom’s soldiers knelt in respect as soon as they saw the Setter family appear.

After conquering many cities, even on the 7th floor, the Emperor did not exploit them. Ellie became a princess, and Steven and Owen’s statuses were now on par with the Emperor.In fact, they were even greater than the Emperor now. Going forward, even the Emperor would be a mere tenant. It was no wonder they had to bow their heads in respect like this...