All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 11: The Ceremonys Eve

“There are ten great empires in the human-populated areas of the Myriad Spirits Realm. Our Eastern Kingdom is located on the easternmost edge of the World, and there’s another empire near us towards the sunrise – our neighbor, the Rising Sun Kingdom. This Sun Knight Regiment is the royal knight regiment of the Rising Sun Kingdom,” Captain Cheng Lu explained.

“Huh? The royal knight regiment of the Rising Sun Kingdom? Could they be escorting a princess of the Rising Sun Kingdom?” Zhanyue asked curiously, since the female voice he heard sounded young.

Cheng Lu shook his head and explained, “The Rising Sun Kingdom does have princesses, but they have their own princess guards. It’s impossible for them to be escorted by the Sun Knight Regiment when they travel. In the Rising Sun Kingdom, only three people have this privilege. The first is the Rising Sun Kingdom’s ruler, but obviously it’s not him this time; the second is the Rising Sun Kingdom’s crown prince, clearly not him either; the third is the Holy Light Maiden of the Rising Sun Kingdom, the only light contractor among humans in the 3000 years since the illumination Goddess fell.”

Zhanyue’s mouth gaped slightly, showing a surprised expression, “The Holy Light Maiden? The only light contractor since the illumination Goddess.” Spirit contractors already had a special status, let alone the nemesis of the Nightmare race – a light contractor? The Holy Light Maiden’s exalted status was undoubted.

“I didn’t expect a second light contractor to be born in this world. She must be a thorn in the side of the Nightmare race. No wonder she has so many guards when traveling,” Zhanyue sighed. The Nightmare race probably didn’t want to see a second illumination Goddess.

“It’s strange though, the Holy Light Maiden has only encountered one attack from the Nightmare race since she was young. They don’t seem as interested in Her Holiness as we imagine,” Cheng Lu couldn’t help but gossip.

“Why is that?” Zhanyue was puzzled. If the Nightmare race had any intelligence, they should know what impact it would have on them if this Holy Light Maiden were allowed to grow up.

Cheng Lu shrugged, “How would I know? I’m just a small figure. Let’s go, follow them. Look up, it wouldn’t be good if the City Lord sees us slacking off.”

Zhanyue looked up and saw an eagle circling above the guard. It was the contract beast of Sun City’s Lord.

The golden lion on the ground roared at the sky, followed by an eagle’s cry. The two contract beasts greeted each other. Soon after, the guard arrived at the City Lord’s mansion. The mansion was very large, now cleaned spotlessly in preparation for welcoming the distinguished guests.

Standing at the entrance of the City Lord’s mansion to personally welcome them was Sun City’s Lord, Zhan Yunfei. A man in his forties or fifties, with short black hair and a stern appearance. He wore a cyan robe with a beast bone shoulder strap on his left shoulder and a half-cape, looking imposing and domineering. His sharp gaze was like that of an eagle or a sharp sword, probably able to intimidate his enemies with just a look. The flying eagle descended rapidly, finally perching steadily on Zhan Yunfei’s right shoulder.

Golden Lion Kieran dismounted from his lion mount. The two men greeted each other like old friends who hadn’t met in a long time.

“Lord Kieran, the last time we met was three years ago, wasn’t it? Three years have passed, and you’re still as robust as ever,” Zhan Yunfei smiled.

Kieran, fully armored, had a square face under his short golden hair, with a fierce scar on his right cheek that quivered as he spoke. “No need for formalities. We’ve come from afar this time, sorry for the disturbance.”

“Please, come in,” Zhan Yunfei extended his hand, inviting the guard to enter the mansion. He was preparing a grand feast for the guests.

“Greetings, Uncle Zhan,” the young man guarding the carriage dismounted. He removed his helmet, revealing a fair and handsome face that would make countless young girls gasp, his long golden hair displaying his nobility.

“Is this…? Xiongxin?” Zhan Yunfei said in surprise, then smiled, “Good thing you take after your mother in looks.”

Kieran joked from the side, “What do you mean by that, Brother Yunfei? I was quite dashing in my youth too.” This Xiongxin was Commander Kieran’s most beloved youngest son.

After greeting, Xiongxin went to the carriage and knelt on one knee. The carriage door opened, and the figure inside stepped onto Xiongxin’s shoulder, using him as a step to reach the ground. This wasn’t an insult to Xiongxin, but rather an honor.

The golden-haired girl was like a small sun, her appearance instantly becoming the most eye-catching light present. Her hair flowed like a golden waterfall, soft and smooth, reaching her waist. Her face was as white as mutton-fat jade, delicate and flawless. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her eyes like stars; her nose and mouth were small and exquisite, with slightly upturned corners revealing a sweet smile, as intoxicating as fine wine.

Her figure was slender and graceful, elegant and slim. Although not tall, she was still curvaceous, full of feminine charm. She wore a golden ceremonial dress, made of the highest quality fabric inlaid with countless shining stars, perfectly fitting her figure. Not a princess, yet more noble than any princess, like an angel descending to earth.

Everyone seeing the Holy Light Maiden for the first time was stunned.

“Goodness, she’s too beautiful. I heard the Holy Light Maiden was the most beautiful woman in the Rising Sun Kingdom, but seeing her in person, she’s even more beautiful than I imagined,” Cheng Lu couldn’t help but exclaim. They were guarding just outside the gate, able to see the Holy Maiden’s full face.

“Um, how does she compare to the Eldest Princess?” Zhanyue asked mischievously, stirring up trouble.

“Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each with their own charm. But when it comes to the Eldest Princess, people are more focused on her powerful strength and often overlook her beauty,” Cheng Lu said sincerely.

“I’ve seen someone more beautiful than both of them,” Zhanyue said mysteriously.

“More beautiful than the Holy Maiden and the Princess? Is there such a beauty in our Eastern Kingdom? How come I don’t know about it?” Cheng Lu obviously didn’t believe him.

Zhanyue said, “It’s the illumination Goddess. She’s ten times more beautiful than this Holy Maiden.”

Cheng Lu rolled his eyes at Zhanyue, saying exasperatedly, “The features of that Goddess statue aren’t even clear. If we go by the description in ‘The Legend of the illumination Goddess’, the Goddess is the most beautiful being in the world. Everyone knows that. But you’re talking as if you’ve seen her in person.”

“Shh, they’re coming over. Stop talking,” their idle chat ended there.

“Greetings, Your Holiness. I apologize for any inadequacies in Sun City’s preparations,” Zhan Yunfei said politely. The Holy Light Maiden held a special status across the entire World.

“We came on a secret visit, it was sudden. We’re the ones disturbing you, Uncle Zhan,” the Holy Maiden’s voice was still melodious. “This visit is only to conduct a sacrificial ceremony, at my request.”

Sun City was said to be the hometown of the illumination Goddess, making the Goddess statue here particularly significant. It made sense for the Holy Light Maiden to conduct a ceremony here.

“A ceremony? Your Holiness, are you coming of age?” Zhan Yunfei asked in surprise. In this world, people were considered adults at the equivalent of twenty years old. This meant the Holy Maiden before them had just turned twenty.

The Holy Maiden nodded, then said, “Uncle Zhan, please call me Lixi. After all, you were once my grandfather’s student.” The Holy Light Maiden’s full name was Mumu Lixi, a descendant of the Mumu clan. The Mumu clan was known as the nation’s bulwark in the Rising Sun Kingdom, second only to the royal family in status.

“Alright, Lixi. Your grandfather didn’t accompany you on this trip?” Zhan Yunfei asked, puzzled why his teacher hadn’t come along, given that this was his most beloved granddaughter’s coming-of-age ceremony.

“Grandfather had urgent matters and left midway. He should catch up soon,” Lixi explained.

“I see.” Zhan Yunfei invited everyone into the courtyard. Before entering, Mumu Lixi glanced slightly at Zhanyue, seeming to recognize him as the soldier who had stopped to save the child earlier. But there was no connection between them, and Zhanyue didn’t even know she had looked at him.

In a certain cave, the mysterious being known as the Night Lord wore a slightly angry expression.

“Blood Throat disobeyed my orders? He didn’t come back?”

The red-eyed raven, perched on the chair, explained, “Blood Throat originally just wanted to cause some minor trouble in Sun City, but things changed. The Holy Light Maiden suddenly appeared in Sun City. This might be a good opportunity to annoy them. Blood Throat is also eager to make merits. Please forgive him, Night Lord!”

“The Holy Light Maiden? It would be wonderful if we could eliminate the Holy Light Maiden. But isn’t there a Spirit God level expert guarding her? With Blood Throat’s quasi-Spirit level strength, he might end up losing more than he gains,” the Night Lord worried.

“Your Majesty, that Spirit God level expert has temporarily left for reasons unknown to us. Currently, the strongest in Sun City are Golden Lion Kieran and Eagle King Zhan Yunfei. The Puppeteer has already gone to help Blood Throat. This is the best chance to eliminate the Holy Light Maiden,” the red-eyed raven explained.

The Night Lord sneered, “You’re underestimating others too much. Well, although your plan is unlikely to succeed, it’s good if we can annoy them a bit. Tell those two to prioritize preserving their strength. Whether the Holy Light Maiden dies or not doesn’t matter much. After all, even the Nightmare race isn’t as concerned as we are. They probably have some plans we don’t know about.”

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