Chapter 510 - 331: Tit for Tat (Part 2)

Chapter 510: Chapter 331: Tit for Tat (Part 2)

"Clan Leader, Mother." Seeing a group walking their way, Bobo Man took the initiative to greet a Sea Goddess Person with snow-white scales standing beside the central figure.

Han Ning couldn’t quite grasp how beautiful Bobo Man’s mother was, but standing before her, he felt a strange tension originating from the depths of his spirit.

His Tier Four Spiritual Power was constantly issuing warnings.

Bobo Man’s mother smiled and nodded slightly. The greeting between the three also drew the attention of the others.

"Bobo Man, are these two your friends?" the Sea Goddess Race Clan Leader asked, his gaze resting on Han Ning and Irena, his voice gentle and masculine.

"Allow me to introduce you. This is Han Ning, and this is Irena. They are both from the Xia Race and are good friends I made during my travels," Bobo Man said with a slight bow.

"Hello, everyone..." Han Ning felt considerable pressure under the direct stares of the powerful Deep Sea Race Beast Masters.

"So you’re Han Ning? You’re very young. Bobo Man often mentions you to me. I can see you two are very close." Bobo Man’s mother’s voice was magnetic and enchanting, her tone amiable and kind.

She proactively extended her hand and shook Han Ning’s gently.

Irena, on the other hand, appeared much calmer, merely offering a polite greeting.

"Irena... Aren’t you...?" In the group, Ruiyue’s face showed surprise as she saw the stoic Irena.

She blinked, composed herself, and offered a faint smile, taking the initiative to greet her.

"Your Highness Irena, a pleasure..."

Irena glanced at Ruiyue before looking away, ignoring her completely.

Even after being snubbed, Ruiyue’s expression didn’t change. She maintained the faint smile on her face as she stiffly withdrew her hand.

Next, Bobo Man introduced Han Ning and Irena to over a dozen nobles from various Deep Sea families. Aside from the rather arrogant ones from the Blood Shark and Red Manta families, the others were quite affable and would shake Han Ning’s hand.

’It’s normal for great nobles to be too proud to bother with a minor Beast Master like me.’

Han Ning was quite relaxed about it. He figured Bobo Man was introducing him to these nobles so he could become a familiar face, which would make things easier in the future.

’To put it bluntly, when you’re on the Deep Sea Race’s turf, you have to pay your respects to the local powers.’

Once the important figures were seated, the Clan Leader of the Sea Goddess Race—dressed in magnificent attire and possessing androgynous features—walked onto the stage at the front of the hall. He gave a brief speech, extending a warm welcome to all the Deep Sea elites in attendance and expressing his high hopes for fruitful trade with the other families.

The banquet officially began.

Attendants brought in platter after platter of delicious delicacies in enormous portions.

The Sea Goddess Race’s dining style differed from modern human traditions. It was more like ancient customs, with several people sitting cross-legged at large, square tables to eat.

"This is a rich soup made from a base of Monarch Level Wind Kiss Crystal. Eating it can strengthen your Spiritual Energy, so have some more."

At one of the square tables in the second row, Lin Ke ladled a bowl of the thick, bluish-green soup and passed it to Han Ning.

Han Ning was rather flattered and surprised by the gesture from Lin Ke, whom he had only just met. He thanked her repeatedly and tasted the soup.

Most of the attendees were dignitaries and nobles from the major families, and there were even some from the Land Races. A few seats away from Han Ning was a Beast Master from the Earth Surface Beast Clan.

Even sitting cross-legged, the man’s upper body was at least two meters tall. His bronze-black muscles bulged, exuding a raw aesthetic under the light. His face resembled that of a Mad Lion, his tusks glinting with a dangerous aura.

He picked up a beef rib. With no perceptible movement, half the rib vanished. In the blink of an eye, a massive fish fillet appeared in his hand, his expression remaining calm and unruffled.

The feast was in full swing.

CHIME CHIME CHIME~

The sound of striking bells and drums suddenly rang out from both sides of the terrace. Accompanied by a melodious tune, a group of young Sea Goddess Race girls in blue and white dresses walked onto the terrace. They bowed in unison to the guests and began to dance.

The dance resembled a mix of Xia Country folk dance and acrobatics. The girls moved their delicate bodies through a series of difficult dance moves, their steps landing perfectly on the drumbeat. Combined with the soft light overhead, it created the illusion of being at an ancient night banquet.

The surrounding guests toasted one another, creating a scene of joyful harmony.

At that moment, at a table a few spots away from Han Ning.

"Miss Ruiyue... that slot you mentioned... His Highness Prince Bobo Man has currently assigned it to Miss Irena."

The Sixth Princess of the Sea Goddess Race leaned close to Ruiyue and whispered.

"Irena? Why not that Han Ning fellow?"

Ruiyue’s brows furrowed. As far as she was concerned, Irena was indeed qualified to take the trial slot.

"Han Ning’s slot belongs to His Highness Prince Bobo Man personally. No one would say much if he gave it up. But Irena’s slot belongs to our Sea Goddess Race," the Sixth Princess explained. "Miss Ruiyue, you’d best not get any ideas about Han Ning. For some reason, His Highness Prince Bobo Man is extremely close to him. The moment he returned to the clan a few days ago, he instructed all the clan elders and the remaining members of the Wangchao Bobo Family to ensure Han Ning’s protection."

"So even after my Taman Family offered so many resources, we still can’t get a single slot?" Ruiyue scoffed in displeasure.

"His Highness Prince Bobo Man holds extremely high prestige in the clan... Well, it’s mainly because of the lingering might of the Demon King. Plus, with my Second Sister pulling strings, Father doesn’t want to provoke the Bobo Family," the Sixth Princess said with a bitter smile.

"Irena... Hmph. That bitch. She’s clearly a high noble of the Witch Spirit Race, yet she’s hiding her identity to hang around some obscure Beast Master from a minor race."

"Since you can’t give me the slot, I’ll just have to make that bitch Irena give it up herself."

Ruiyue snorted coldly, picked up a glass of pale blue liquid, and downed it in one gulp. Her gaze was filled with endless ice.

She set down her cup. A bright glint flashed in her eyes as she rose and walked slowly toward Irena.

"Irena, care for a Soul Beast battle?"

Hearing the cold voice beside her, Irena turned her head.

The tall Ruiyue was standing not far from her, watching her with an indifferent gaze.

"Ruiyue?" Irena met her gaze without fear. "The last battle we had before the hall—wasn’t your loss thorough enough?"

"Whoa, looks like there’s bad blood between these two ladies," Bobo Man said, his eyes lighting up at the tense standoff. He hurriedly scooted closer to Han Ning to gossip.

"I have no idea," Han Ning said, looking completely lost. "What’s this ’battle before the hall’ that Irena mentioned?"

"How should I know? I’m a Deep Sea Person, how would I know about you Land Race folks?" Bobo Man rolled his eyes. Then, with a mischievous glint, he turned to the Barbarian Beastman who was still engrossed in his feast and chuckled.

"Hey, hey, Brother Zou, do you know what they’re talking about with this ’battle before the hall’?"

"Hmm?" The Beast Master known as Brother Zou put down the huge slab of meat in his hand, glanced at Ruiyue, and said in a low voice, "Three years ago, when the five races were dividing up territory, Irena gave Ruiyue a thorough beating, which caused the Holy Crystal Race to lose its claim to the Full Moon Forest."

"Oh? So that’s what happened?" Han Ning and Bobo Man exchanged a look.

Meanwhile, Irena shook her head, her tone cold. "Sorry, I don’t have time right now."

"You’re hiding your identity to hang around with this Xia Race Beast Master. You must have some ulterior motive, right? If you don’t tell me, I’ll spread the word about you throughout the Eastern Continent Group and let all your suitors come deal with this guy," Ruiyue said with a slight smirk.

"Suit yourself." Irena paid Ruiyue no mind and went back to eating her food.

She appeared relaxed, but Han Ning, who had been watching her closely, clearly detected an almost imperceptible glint of cold light deep within her calm eyes.

"You!"

"Ahem! Miss Ruiyue, please calm down."

Seeing Ruiyue trying to drag Han Ning into the mess, Bobo Man, as a semi-host of the event, proactively floated up and said helplessly,

"I have already returned all the resources you offered to the Sea Goddess Race. It’s just that our clan truly has no extra slots available. Why don’t you try your luck with the other families?"