Disturbance in Liguang (2)
Their demeanor, their discipline, their aura… everything was extraordinary, as expected from one of the Alzar Kingdom's famed trump card brigades. Even the soldiers from the Lotus Division felt inferior. And to make matters worse, their numbers were great, but their apex experts were greater! There was the man riding on horseback in front of Elizabeth's carriage, Sir Winstin! A genuine Perception Realm Master on the absolute brink of Half-Instinct Realm, everyone felt trepidation, including the Four Dragons of the Loon Family. Sir Winstin could already singlehandedly match the infamous Cardinal Hui Wai-Wing and the Four Cardinals in a one-versus-four fight, then what about the Four Dragons of the Loon Family who were slightly weaker than the Four Cardinals? Aside from Sir Winstin, there were also other Royal Guards prepared for Elizabeth's protection like Sir Velgon, Sir Lexus, Lady Sirius, and Lady Bellin, all of whom were Perception Realm Experts or Masters. There were ten Royal Guards, and fifteen Grand Knights of the Realm overall!
And that was from the Alzar Kingdom's camp only. Representing the Zino Kingdom was, of course, the four Ten Dawns that came here: Ten Dawn Iris, Krogan, Rosemary, and Yvonne. Everyone from the Li Family heard of their recent battle feats, whether it be the unstoppable Yin-Yang Arrow or the undefendable Diffusion Void, both were spells that the Li Family would be farfetched to defend against. Just a single Yin-Yang Arrow might be enough to kill everyone here! Not to mention, there were numerous Half-Condensed Drop or Peak Gaseous Fog Arcanists in their ranks. With as many experts as there were stars in the sky, they maintained an overwhelming advantage in terms of both quantity and quality. Watching them advance towards Liguang, the ground shook under their momentum and their aura threatened to pierce through the skies above. It managed to overshadow the Li Family completely, like the arrival of the suns casting away the gloomy night! This was the true power of the Alzar Kingdom!
When the convoy finally reached the Li Family, several people dismounted from horseback with General Dennis Velt in the lead. He scanned the people from the Li Family with a casual glance, grasping the number of soldiers and experts around, before returning his attention to Imperian Qiang Li. Normally, General Dennis was a soft-spoken man and in private people could even call him introverted. However, when he donned his general's uniform, it was like another man took his place. He stood strong, even against the thousand glares focusing on him.
"I welcome you to Liguang, General Dennis Velt of the Alzar Kingdom," Imperian Qiang extended his hand in greeting.
"It's an honor to finally meet the patriarch of the Li Family, Imperian Qiang Li," General Dennis responded to the handshake. "I've heard a lot about you."
"The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. Is there anything you would like to do until then?"
"In that case, I would have to take you up on that offer. My men and I are interested in touring Liguang since this is our first time here. I hope your side doesn't mind."
Qiang raised his eyebrow knowingly. "Of course, we don't mind. We'll show you everything there is to see in Liguang." He understood General Dennis's implied meaning. The Li Family had arrived long before the Alzar Kingdom, so there was a chance that they prepared traps ahead of the negotiations. There was no way the Alzar Kingdom would let the possibility slide. They would search to their heart's content to ensure their safety.
"Excellent. I'll leave it to Brigade Commander Reno then."
"I'll have Division General Fuzhi handle it on our side," Qiang said.
Brigade Commander Reno and Division General Fuzhi stepped up with sparks flying in the air. They were both the leaders of their respective trump card forces, Division General Fuzhi of the Lotus Division and Brigade Commander Reno of the Steel Eagle Brigade. While Division General Fuzhi was a rare Perception Realm Expert with incredible combat prowess, Brigade Commander Reno led the superior military force. As the face of the Li Family or the Alzar Kingdom, they considered each other rivals! Neither wanted to relent and show weakness because the one who surrendered first would be admitting they were inferior!
While everyone was betting on the winner, Elizabeth stepped out of her carriage, prompting everyone to turn to her direction. The elusive princess that appeared out of thin air, the infamous heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom, and the killer of Emperor Lianghu Tzu… She was even captured by the Xingyuu Empire for a time. This was the first time that she appeared before many people here and their impression was not a good one. She was the person who singlehandedly plunged the empire into chaos by killing Emperor Lianghu! She was the reason that the Li Family was in this pitiful state now! Everyone fumed with ravenous fury, ready to tear Elizabeth into a million pieces. Given the order, they would happily march forward and kill her, their anger instantly transforming the atmosphere into a hostile one. One particularly overzealous soldier even placed his hand on his sword about to draw it…
One of the Royal Guards moved quick as lightning and attacked! Before anyone realized what happened, the Royal Guard had already flicked the blood off his sword and sheathed it again. The act was so fast that it happened in the blink of an eye! Just as everyone was wondering what happened, the overzealous soldier gave a blood-curdling scream. Where his hand should have been was replaced with a stump, spewing blood across the street. His hand was sliced clean off! The Alzar Kingdom attacked the Li Family! As if a spark met kindling, everyone went from hiding their hostility to openly exploding outward. A thousand weapons were drawn simultaneously with the Lotus Division ready to attack! Naturally, the Steel Eagle Brigade responded in kind with their weapons in hand. It seemed like a fight was on the verge of breaking out!
Qiang frowned and he spoke with a heavy tone. "What is the meaning of this? We demand an explanation!" Having one of his subordinates attacked right in front of him was a huge show of disrespect to him, the patriarch of the Li Family! He could not let this slide.
General Dennis was unhappy with the developments too. "Sir Velgon Sheltin!"
"Yes, I sensed killing intent from the soldier directed at Her Highness, so I acted pre-emptively to neutralize the threat," Sir Velgon answered plainly, as if it had nothing to do with him.
This left the general disgruntled and speechless. To be perfectly honest, he had no authority over the Royal Guards. As the special protection service under the crown, they had the permission to do whatever they saw fit in order to protect the Royal Assembly or the Royal Family. They stood above the law! It was similar to the Imperial Sentinels with their permission to kill on sight, if the situation required it. And since they were under the direct control of the crown, they were outside the military's chain of command. General Dennis did not have the power to press the matter further! However, this incident strained the relationship between the Li Family and the Alzar Kingdom. A careless mistake here and a massive fight would erupt. The Alzar Kingdom just arrived in the tiger's den, so there was a high chance they would lose in a direct encounter. It was imperative to resolve this matter as peacefully as possible with both sides leaving satisfied, except the question was how. Just as he was pondering, Elizabeth stepped in.
"You'll have to pardon my subordinate," Elizabeth spoke, her smile blooming. "The trip from the Yunyun Stronghold to Liguang was a long one and stressed our nerves. It's not surprising that my subordinate reacted this way when we came here given the circumstances. The Alzar Kingdom is willing to compensate the soldier for our mistake. I hope that satisfies you, Imperian Qiang."
This time, Imperian Qiang was the one left speechless. Although his expression remained neutral, he was shocked. This was Elizabeth, the current heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom? Compared to how she acted one year ago, she was like an entirely different person! While he had very few interactions with the girl, Qiang had a very good idea of how she acted from everyone's description of her, especially from Princess Xiuying and Ming. An ignorant little farmer's girl lost in a whirlpool of schemes; Elizabeth was like a helpless lamb waiting for the slaughter. Crude, ignorant, and foolhardy were words that described her well. One year ago, why was Elizabeth captured? Because she decided to flee from Algard, without telling anyone, and snuck her way to Port Silic where the Xingyuu Empire intercepted her. For a princess to act in this way, with blatant disregard for the consequences, her naivety was apparent. Because of this, Qiang had a poor impression of her.
However, the current scene was an abrupt reversal. The girl standing before him… her attitude was completely different from what he expected. She was poised and clear, cutting straight to the heart of the problem. She remained calm and elegant in the face of this much killing intent. For a farmer girl to face the brunt of one thousand deadly glares directed at her without so much as a flinch, she was clearly not as simple as he was remembered. She acted exactly how a princess of the Alzar Kingdom should behave. Furthermore, there were her words too. First, she interrupted with an apology and then an excuse which deflected the blame away from the soldier's killing intent. Then, she subtly implied that the Li Family was also to blame and that they should restrain their soldiers better. Finally, she concluded the matter by offering compensation and giving them zero chances to rebuttal. It was a smooth and clean-cut close to the case. Qiang had to admit that he did not expect Elizabeth was capable of this much. It took him by surprise.