'How is one a Divine Envoy and the other, the head of the temple? Aren't the two supposed to be given to one person?'
These were his thoughts as he looked at the two who had raised their heads.
Lactar had some sacred bearing under his persona as his robes fluttered along with the grey beard growing from under his chin.
Overall, Lactar's priestly image reminded him of a few characters back on earth.
"I'm curious? Does the title of Divine Envoy and the Head of the Red Heart Priesthood not go together?"
Esteria chuckled at his words while Lactar explained, "Astrix simply deems one to handle the planning and the other to handle her messages. A separation of power to prevent her flames from dousing."
'The way these people speak. Jeez.'
"Now we would leave you to enjoy the party, congratulations to your majesty's ascension," Lactar bowed again as the instruments continued their play.
With the duo having left him to take in the full view, a guard came towards Ryan and whispered some words into his ear while also pointing a finger towards the dome.
Within the round building, a large table was positioned between a set of chairs. Its surface was filled with glistening porcelain plates that held a huge amount of fruits, and silver goblets filled with rich, red wine.
Such was the place where the King ought to be seated.
"Once his majesty is seated, the banquet will officially start."
'UGH!'
"Get through the night, just get through it," He whispered while trying to walk when a set of fingers tapped against his shoulder.
"My King, you do not need to be in such a haste," Rictor said with a widened grin, "You need to talk to or at least greet two fifths of the guests."
Ryan felt his soul shatter at that statement. He didn't have social battery for things like this. He was certainly not going to complete that rule.
"Before that, I have something to re–"
A feminine voice interrupted the Chancellor's remark. Leyla, the woman from 'The Arts' section of the National Academy, strode towards the two.
"Greetings, your Majesty."
"Ahh, Greetings." Ryan greeted the researcher, who was dressed in a dark green dress that highlighted her curves, facing the King with two wine glasses in hand.
"Has his majesty had any wine as of late?" The Researcher asked as she offered him one.
"Yes, I had quite a lot of them before coming here," Ryan lied without batting an eye, quickly signaling a guard to collect the wine glass.
But before the guard could even respond, Leyla withdrew herself with a step, "If that's the case. Does his majesty have a moment to discuss a certain research?"
"No problem at all," Ryan replied while Rictor stood there, staring at their interaction from a distance.
Leyla's eyes went wide as she spotted him, "Chancellor Rictor, my apologies, I–"
"It's alright, I was about to leave regardless." Rictor waved at her, before flashing a look at the King, saying, "Your majesty, I'll discuss with you at a much later hour. In the meantime..." The Chancellor smirked, "Please enjoy..."
Ryan took note of the subjective meaning behind those words as the Old man departed the scene.
He turned back to Leyla, reopening the conversation with a smile, "So I trust that the research is going quite well."
He wanted to get this over with and move on to the next guest.
In this inner courtyard, out of which there were four, there were at least a hundred guests wandering about. Ryan couldn't imagine what horror he would experience if there were more.
"We already began with a rough sketch of what we needed."
"And the funds?" Ryan raised a brow in question.
"Let's start with 120 gold."
That was 12 wealth points.
"Why exactly is it 120 gold?"
He had been on earth, he had his fair share of gullibly playing into the palms of swindlers and price hikers.
Now, the nation probably had a lot of coins in the treasury for sustaining its development, but if it all ran out due to his overspending, like some historical kings did, then he might as well prepare himself for a large usurpation.
Other than that, the nation was also his lifeline. He didn't know enough about anything yet, and while things looked calm on the surface, it was clear that there was a lot more hiding beneath the surface.
Having realized that the King was taking little notice of her, Leyla decided to return to her usual analytical demeanour. She would try again another time.
"For a topic as big as what was proposed. We'll need a large number of Flame Crystals and Mana stones in general, which would have to be bought from the market. Unless the palace wishes to supply us directly."
"I see," said Ryan as he nodded a little. A certain question popped into his head as he asked the researcher, "Where are most of the Flaming Crystals acquired?"
"I believe the City of High Arch and the settlements under its domain are the highest producers of Rock, Nature, and a little amount of Water crystals. On the other hand, Red Heart City has always been the biggest producer of Flame Crystals."
Ryan was loving her manner of explaining things, but when she explained the part of Flaming Crystals, he took a pause and stared at the high mountain peaks ahead.
'That figures.'
Her words suddenly reminded him of Arkorn. Thus, he questioned her, "What about the City of Arkorn and its surrounding territory?"
"Arkorn is close to the sea," Leyla replied, "and located near a swamp, hence Water and Nature crystals are common. Almost, but rarely, light crystals are harvested from its location."
"But amongst the three cities," She added, "High Arch remains the biggest producer of mana stones."
'She seems quite versed in the geography of the kingdom. Very impressive, but also expected of a researcher.'
"Alright then, apart from the Crystals, what else makes the cost that number?"
"You sure love to quiz someone, King." Leyla thought before replying to the question, "There's also the cost of tools, most of which are way past their prime and are already on the road to expire."
"Why so?"
It was here that he watched Leyla's eyebrows tighten.
"It seems your majesty is unaware, but over a decade ago, the previous King cut down on the Academy's funding." She said, trying to retain her composure and the tone of contempt from slipping, "We were deemed too useless to contribute."
"Well, worry no more," said Ryan. "I adore the points that you've made, and I'll discuss the arrangement with the Chancellor."
But right as he turned away from her, she caught him looking at her from the corner of his eye, "But keep it in mind that although I will guarantee your funding. I expect results; else you can do nothing but dream."
"Yes, my King. Thank you for your time," Leyla bowed as he turned from him and left the scene.
Unaware of her thought process, Ryan immediately started analysing.
He didn't doubt her words, but surely he could pull some strings to make the price of such materials lower.
Then it hit him; he failed to ask for the price of Mana Stones or Flaming Crystals.
'You fool!'
He immediately queried one of the guards around, "Do you know whose in charge of the mines in the City?"
"Master Donovan, Sire."
"Is he in this setting?"
"Yes."
"Good, find him."
~~~
Ian was walking about the courtyard gracefully, admiring the scenery of red paper lanterns sitting atop a number of stone pillars.
"It feels a little dull, though," He said before halting his steps.
He then raised the wine glass to his lips and took a sip, "Even the wine is bland."
"Oh, would you bet your life on that statement?"
Hearing the familiar voice made him turn his head, and his face immediately froze.
There was Melia, dressed in a purple sparkly gown, bronze earrings hanging around her ears, and a little amount of red blush applied to her cheeks. Her roguish appearance seemed to have grown…refined.
"Did you switch?" Ian's earnest question made the Female Major laugh.
A graceful, calm one at that.
"I can still punch," She said, squeezing her palms a little before showing off the glass delicately nudged between her fingers.
Seeing Ian still wearing his grey robes made her raise a brow, and sensing this, the light user grinned.
"People never change," He said, coming towards her side.
"Oh, people do change." Melia countered.
"People do change, however, the event must be deep enough to cut into their soul."
~~~
While they were those who chose to look refined for the King's banquet, there were some, a few to be exact, who chose to remain in their uniform.
"Marshal Grutwick. Could you not have bothered to show your respect?"
Grutwick, along with his follower, turned their backs as a man with a metal plaque under his robes, and a parade of officials approached.
"Ahh, Consul Piers," Grutwick rolled his eyes at the name, "You aren't much better yourself,"
The Consul reared his head proudly before the Marshal and said, "Protocol dictates that any function made by the King requires a show of service."
"Yes, but that is for court officials. I'm one who leads an army. Besides, why is a foreigner trying to comment on my duties?" Grutwick replied, his lips thinned into a mocking grin.
The Consul's eyebrows creased; it looks like he failed his task. "Very well, Marshal." He harrumphed before the man before walking away.
Grutiwck's follower commented on the recent event, "That was quick."
"He's nothing to worry about," Grutwick said, spotting a lantern that swayed around its pillar. "In simple terms, he's a small brat who enjoys parroting the Arim City State as if they're some powerhouse," He said with eyes narrowed.
'What a joke!'
~~~
"So the prices can't be reduced?" Ryan asked, raising one brow in response.
"I'm sorry, my King, unless we find another mine, there's nothing that can be done," Donovan replied.
"I see."
After Donovan had walked away, Ryan looked at the moon and quickly recognized that its position had changed a little.
Thankfully, the next day had no events for him to attend, and he could have a long, peaceful sleep. Or so he thought.
As he moved around, exchanging a little too few sentences with guests. More and more people began appearing, wanting to talk to him.
Overall, it was a stressful endeavor, and after managing to escape extra talking with the 39th guest, he turned to see Melia with Ian behind her.
"It seems we're your last guest, Sire," said the Major.
"Why do you say so?" Ryan stiffened his face.
Melia chuckled, slowly rolling the wine glass in her hand, "Unless they've been living under a rock, which I can't be surprised at. Anyone should be capable of telling that you wish to escape and head to sleep."
'That's a dangerously sharp reading.'
"Well, let me not waste your time." Melia then stepped to the side, allowing him to walk towards the dome hall.
And as soon as he sat down at the front chair, the music stopped playing, and all the guests took the chance to be seated at their tables in preparation for the royal meal.
Suddenly, the sound of a bronze cup being hit by a spoon attracted attention. "Greetings to all who are present today," Rictor addressed.
"I have an announcement to make,"