226: coronation ceremony

A few days later.

The Luo Lan Empire was adorned with lanterns and streamers, showing no signs of sadness over the old king's passing.

Today was the new king's coronation ceremony.

Early in the morning, eight white horses pulling a golden carriage emerged from Sebiras Palace, slowly making their way towards Lunraxin Guang Temple.

The accompanying procession was grand, including members of the royal family and their relatives, members of the Elder Council, officials from various regions who had arrived in the past few days, invited Card-Making Masters, as well as officers and guard soldiers. It was a magnificent display, numbering around twenty to thirty thousand people.

Among those who came to the Luo Lan Empire for the competition, only a portion of the Card-Making Masters were fortunate enough to be invited to the procession. Xu Bai and Wu Zijin were both among the invited; Xu Bai felt that he was likely invited thanks to Wu Zijin's influence.

Along the way, the subjects cheered, gathering on the streets to witness this grand event and recognize their new King of the Luo Lan Empire.

It took the procession two hours to reach Lunraxin Guang Temple... Upon entering, everyone's expressions became solemn.

Julian touched the codex with his right hand and solemnly swore before everyone, vowing to uphold the law and the nation, the state religion and the people.

After the oath, he was to undergo the 'anointing' ceremony.

This ceremony would take place under a golden canopy, experienced only by the Archbishop and the King.

After the King sat on the throne, the Archbishop touched 'holy oil' with his hand and applied it to the King's head, chest, and hands, reciting scriptures as he did so, to strengthen the connection between the monarch and God.

Once the 'anointing' concluded, the next step was the bestowal of holy relics. The Archbishop was to present the holy relic—the Sword of Evernight—to the King.

Afterward, the Archbishop presented the ring symbolizing royal power to the King. This ring represented the 'marriage' between the King and the nation.

Immediately following, Julian donned an even more opulent golden coronation robe. This garment had actually begun production when the former king fell ill; its exterior was extremely lavish, embroidered with the emblems of various neighboring countries.

In between were various exchanges of items. Xu Bai was dazzled, and if not for Wu Zijin's quiet explanations beside him, he would not have understood anything.

After the exchanges were complete, Julian, wearing the crown, holding the scepter, and draped in the coronation robe, sat on the throne.

Next came the oaths of others.

The Archbishop was the first to step forward, representing the other clergy in acknowledging the new King.

At the same time, the accompanying clergy presented the Bible and loudly proclaimed:

“Today, our King Julian Leonard Brutus ascends the throne by divine oracle. The scepter he holds is inscribed with holy words: ‘This is the divine oracle, this is wisdom, this is royal law.’

From this day forward, all laws of the kingdom shall follow the guidance of the divine oracle, the balance of wisdom, and the authority of the royal house to protect all people. No one shall dare to defy.”

Following this, members of the Elder Council knelt on one knee to pledge loyalty to the King; then, the new King's Queen, along with all royal family members and other imperial relatives, knelt before the King to pledge allegiance.

Wu Zijin did not participate in this segment, which signified Julian's acceptance of Wu Zijin's current status.

The invited Card-Making Masters did not need to take any oath; they only needed to offer congratulations.

Afterward, the King was to lead the crowd out again to receive the homage of his subjects, then return to Sebiras Palace in the golden carriage.

The coronation ceremony concluded around one in the afternoon, and the King had also arranged a banquet for the evening.

Indeed, it felt like banquets were indispensable in aristocratic society... Violins and pianos echoed each other, ladies twirled in voluminous gowns, and gentlemen in suits danced in the ballroom.

Wu Zijin did not attend this ball. Although he had somewhat disguised his face, being too close to others while dancing might lead to him being discovered. Also, there were too many nobles at this ball; it would be troublesome if anyone still recognized him.

For Xu Bai, the ball was essentially a place to eat buffet-style, and he lifted his leg, intending to head to a corner.

But before he could take two steps, someone stopped him.

“Hello, Mr. Bai Xiaobai, may I speak with you?”

“You are?”

“My name is Ophelia, from the Duchy of Cronia.”

Upon hearing this name, a flicker of emotion crossed Xu Bai's eyes.

“Do you need something from me? Just say it here.”

“I would like to invite you to our country. If you come to our country, you will be the top-ranked Card Maker, with all domestic materials at your disposal, and all personnel at your command. Your electric energy will certainly become the primary energy source in the future...”

Xu Bai interrupted her grand promises, not wanting to hear any more.

Wasn't she just saying the same things she and Qian Yonglu had discussed, but in a different way?

“I remember you seemed to say before, 'How can electric energy compare to coal energy?' How is it that only a few days have passed, and you're already contradicting yourself?”

Ophelia's face flushed red and then pale. She hadn't expected Qian Yonglu and Bai Xiaobai to be so close that he would tell him such things.

At the same time, hearing this, she also knew that Bai Xiaobai had no intention of accepting her invitation.

Despite the awkward situation, Ophelia smiled as she ended the conversation with Bai Xiaobai and left, though the hand clutching her skirt hem revealed her anger.

Xu Bai paid no attention to this; the other party was merely a stranger.

After Ophelia left, people from other countries approached Xu Bai one by one to chat and invite him to their countries. Xu Bai had no desire to go to other countries, so he politely declined them all.

This time, Xu Bai fled to Mr. Bai Shan's side. Only by Bai Shan's side would other countries not so blatantly try to poach him.

Once it quieted down, Xu Bai began to ponder why his treatment at the two banquets differed so greatly.

He suspected that someone might have leaked the fact that he had not consumed the Mental Corrosion Potion.

If he had drunk the Mental Corrosion Potion, he would be a cripple; if he hadn't, he would be a rising Card-Making Master.

People were just that realistic.

Xu Bai didn't dislike realistic people; he only disliked those who were two-faced.

You can ignore him, but you can't belittle him one moment and praise him the next.

In any case, Ophelia had already been blacklisted by Xu Bai, and as for her country, the Duchy of Cronia, it was in a pending state; he hadn't condemned it entirely.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Xu Bai began to enjoy the delicacies of the banquet. Many of the foods at the banquet were exceptionally delicious, which was also why he agreed to attend.

It was still early, and he heard that the King was going to announce something, so Xu Bai didn't leave midway and waited nearby.

He wondered if what was to be announced was good news or bad news.