Chapter 805: Mishaps at Inauguration (I)

The doors to the Skystar Commander Office were wide open. A large open area behind the doors had been arranged as the site of the festivities. An extraordinary flurry of activity filled it; Demon Hunters standing around the perimeter added to the celebration.

There wasn’t much food to be seen, mostly chairs individually set around the area. Some of them were assigned to a row of tables at the front. There was tea and finger food laid out on the tables. That was seating provided only for the biggest factions.

Place cards were set out on the tables for the eight ministries, royal family, seven divine mountains, City of Supernaturals, and three great organizations. There were twenty seats total!

Quite a few people sucked in sharp breaths when they registered the sight. It was the height of brazen arrogance to assign spots for even the three great organizations. Was this blatant face slapping or were they truly invited?

After the twenty most prominent guests came seats for certain provinces and more well known local supernatural organizations. Although simply putting their name cards on chairs made for a shabby sight, just the sight of those placements alone caused one’s hearts to skip a beat.

What was Li Hao trying to accomplish with this presentation? Was he going to make a note of everyone who didn’t show up? Also, the lords of Buddha and Sky Roc Mountains were dead. Would their representatives attend? They still had powerhouses in residence, but closed door cultivation should be their first priority at the moment. Would they have the time to spare for offering congratulations?

The first row was occupied by a row of benches. They faced what should be the speaker’s podium. There were name cards on the benches as well.

Chen Yao and his father were the first out of the eight ministries to arrive. They were followed closely by those of Finance and Internal Affairs. All of the ministers had come, and not the old ministers. Ministers Liu Yunqing and Mu Hai were present in person.

Their presence surprised the other guests who were here early. Three current ministers had already arrived. What an extravagant exhibit! The nine ministries were truly showing Li Hao face. How many nine ministry powerhouses had the young man killed? It would be enough for them to send a representative, but their ministers were here in person. There wouldn’t be another pitched battle today, would there?

Some people began looking around with alarm. Yao Si arrived at this time. He walked straight to the podium and located his seat in a chair that faced the audience. He smiled when he met the ministers’ eyes and looked at the Inspectorate’s bench. The man hadn’t thought that Chen Zhongtian would be here in person as well!

Now this was getting interesting!

Those from Administration and Armed Forces arrived together moments later. It was another two current ministers—Qi Pingjiang’s son Qi Dinghai. The characters of ‘pingjiang’ stood for pacifying the rivers, whereas the ones of ‘dinghai’ meant calming the seas. Their shared bloodline was evident through their names.

The current minister of Armed Forces was also a solemn, awe-inspiring individual like Qi Pingjiang. He looked a bit younger than Qi Pingjiang, but that was all the difference. A few people followed behind him, one of which Yao Si recognized. He raised his eyebrow at seeing Yuan Xingwu. This former senior disciple of Yuan Shuo’s was a late Nova now. What did Armed Forces intend with assigning him to Qi Dinghai?

The minister of Administration was a cultured and refined man. A scholarly air wrapped around him; he looked to be in his mid forties. Zhao Huaimin smiled at Yao Si when the two looked at each other. His father had chosen these two characters for his name because he wished for his son to be as they entailed, to hold the people of the world in his heart. The old minister of Administration had done so all those years ago, but now... he might have forgotten those intentions in times long past.

Yao Si looked at the two newest arrivals. These two had strong fathers and were strong enough themselves. They didn’t look all that impressive, but they should be at least three element Arcanus.

Premier heavyweights like them usually ascended from the path of martial dao. The nine ministries used to count many martial masters among their ranks. Recently, whether it was due to pressure from recent events or finding that supernaturals could convert back to martial dao, all of those martial masters had seemed to cross over to the Arcanus level.

These kinds of powerhouses were much stronger than regular Arcanus. With the arrival of the final two ministers, nearly all of the eight ministries were represented. Five current ministers and one old minister had come for a total of six.

The Ministries of Examination, Foreign Affairs and Commerce didn’t send their ministers, just their vice ministers. The ones of Examination and Foreign Affairs were dead. None of their heavyweights of the same level would dare come now. After Qian Wanhao from Commerce was dead, his son plainly wouldn’t choose to show his face at this time. Sending his vice minister was a decision made after prolonged consideration and a direct request from Armed Forces and Administration.

The royal family had also sent a delegation. Out of its nine princes, two were dead. The Prince of Southern Conciliation was present, along with a few royal children. The seventh princess and ninth prince were among them.

Even the nine ministries were surprised by this prince’s presence. He was the only one among the royal family who still actively led troops. He was a general in the true sense of the word and commanded six hundred thousand men. He held down the fort on the shores of the South Sea and faced off against the Valiant Duke in the south.

The dynasty had three founding dukes of external surnames among its officials—the Tranquil Duke in the west, the Steadfast Duke in the east, and the Valiant Duke in the south. [1] Of them, the Valiant Duke possessed the greatest battle accomplishments. Combined with the abundance of the south, that meant he was an existence that the royal family was highly on guard against.

Compared to the Steadfast Duke, the Valiant Duke was more domineering and had wanted to cross the sea a few times to expand his territory northward. But with the Prince of Southern Conciliation present on the other side, the two were locked in a standoff for many years. The nine ministries paid no attention to the matter and didn’t strip the prince of his military command either.

But today, the prince had returned to the capital. Different thoughts grappled with this development. Had the duke reached an accord with the prince, or was something else at play?

Otherwise, wasn’t the prince concerned that the Valiant Duke would set off as soon as he left?

All of their questions were answered a moment later. A group of people sauntered vigorously toward the complex’s front doors. Led by a well-muscled man, they set foot through the doors. The man swept a glance around the premises and said faintly. “Are the three founding dukes not worthy of seats?”

“The Valiant Duke!” Some could not believe their eyes! It’d been a very long time since the three founding dukes had come to the capital. They dominated their respective locales. So the Valiant Duke was here in person today! No wonder the Prince of Southern Conciliation had come back. Since his old opponent was here, it didn’t matter if he stayed at his post.

Another group of people walked in at this time. Their leader was slightly chubby, but looked to be quite refined and wore opulent robes. “Big brother Valiant is here too?”

“We’re not that familiar with each other, Tranquil Duke!” The Valiant Duke didn’t even bother turning around.

“......” The slightly chubby man didn’t mind. He smiled and looked at Yang Shan close by; the latter seemed a bit frightened, then quickly pulled himself upright. He cast a fierce look at the duke.

The Tranquil Duke smiled and inclined his head, not minding the exchange. Yang Shan... used to be an expert-in-residence at his home, but turned traitor and fled one day. The man had changed his name and gone into hiding with Qin Lian, so there were no traces of their whereabouts.

Yang Shan then abruptly reappeared a few days ago and participated in the battle against the Four Seas Company. His wife had been part of the Skystar Sea battle. Did the married couple think they were untouchable after latching onto Li Hao’s thigh?

Despite the Tranquil Duke’s thoughts, he remained smiling.

Another ripple of shock percolated through the crowd. Other than the Steadfast Duke’s household that was in a sorry plight, the other two founding duke families had sent representatives—and it was the dukes themselves!

Another person showed himself at this time—Deputy Zhou.

“Surely you jest, Valiant Duke.” He smiled warmly. “We simply thought that the two dukes wouldn’t make the trip as the distance is long. This is why we’ve been short on hospitality. Men! Hurry and set up seats for the two dukes!”

Someone quickly walked up with two chairs and placed them behind the royal family, not the first row.

“The three major dukes are the founding dukes of the nation,” remarked the Valiant Duke as he stared at Deputy Zhou. “Do we count even less than the three evil organizations these days?”

Deputy Zhou didn’t mind, he chuckled, “Ah, you are indeed joking, Your Grace. The three evil organizations are filled with the lawless and reckless type. They do not accept education or enlightenment, so they should sit in the front row! According to custom and propriety, the two dukes cannot be placed on the same footing as the royal family. But if the Valiant Duke wishes to sit in the front row, we can arrange for that as well. Men, move their seats to the front row!”

“Forget it,” the duke laughed after a meaningful look. “You’re familiar with proper code and conduct!”

As for the eight ministries, three great organizations, and City of Supernaturals... His words essentially meant that these people all rebel against the royal family and they were leaders of their respective factions.

You, too, can be a rebel leader if you announce those intentions now.

The Valiant Duke looked at the deputy a few more times, knowing that the latter used to be the deputy director general of Silver Moon. He smiled and led his people to their seats without further word.

The Tranquil Duke beamed brightly and nodded slightly, then walked to his seat to sit next to the Valiant Duke.

The Prince of Southern Conciliation sat unmoving in front of them, whereas the seventh princess turned around for a look and felt uncomfortable. These three dukes showed signs of mutiny a few years ago and the Valiant Duke had faced this prince for many years. Today, however, the dukes were sitting behind them. The possibility of them striking at the royal delegation was so uncomfortable that it almost couldn’t be borne.

With the royal prince being wholly unmoving, however, the two royal children didn’t say a word, despite how uncomfortable they were. It was the inauguration day of the Skystar Commander Office and while the dukes’ intentions were unknown, they wouldn’t choose this particular timing to create trouble. Not unless they wished to wage war against Li Hao.

The crowd at the back also found their seats. Of the ninety-nine provinces, those that were closer had sent their major personages. Those further away sent their office representatives in Skystar City. Almost everyone was present, with some attending of their own accord even if they weren’t ordered to do so. While adding to the festivities may not be on their mind, there was no need to offend Li Hao either.

The provincial tyrants were no fools—Li Hao was in the middle of fighting someone else, what was one going to be involved for? To deliver their own heads on a platter to him? Even Near River province, one that Li Hao was decidedly on the outs with, had sent someone. Although their representative was just a Solar, it was quite a show of respect and face.

1. External surnames meaning that these dukes aren’t part of the royal family. They were awarded their titles and status for their deeds rendered. ☜