Light Gesture, Deep Sentiment

"Orion Astor...!" With just those five words, Jeam Yew, who had been tenaciously gripping Magnus's sleeve, suddenly looked as if he'd been struck by lightning. His grip loosened involuntarily, and he stood frozen in place as Orion whisked Magnus away.

After a moment, Jeam finally managed to move. He looked down at Seraphina, who was preparing to follow Magnus, and asked in a stiff voice, "That... that lady who just left with Magnus, did she say who that man was?"

Seraphina, unamused by Jeam's earlier rowdy behavior but not in the mood for confrontation, simply replied, "That was the second prince of Avaloria, Orion Astor. Now I need to go check on Magnus too. He's had too much to drink."

As she walked away, leaving Jeam alone at the table, his eyes widened in shock. His jaw dropped open, and it seemed like his chin might hit the floor. "The... the prince! They're sons of Gideon Astor, the Peerless King!"

In a daze, Jeam reached for his wine, his hand shaking uncontrollably. He tried to take a sip to calm his nerves, but the wine spilled all over him before it could reach his lips. With a trembling hand, he gulped down the remaining liquid, only to have it splash across his face. Then, to his own surprise, he found himself sitting on the ground, not out of drunkenness, but from sheer terror.

"Oh no, what have I said to the princes!" Jeam thought, the alcohol's effect fading as fear took over.

Meanwhile, back in the main pavilion, William Wong, the stately Scholar Prime Minister, stepped forward to inspect the copper coins Magnus had brought. "Are these antique coins meant for collection, or some sort of unconventional mana artifact?" he inquired, intrigued.

Carefully examining a coin, William Wong noted, "Hmm... clear inscriptions, relatively new bronze, well-crafted and well-preserved. Impressive. Let's see which era these coins belong to."

Turning the coin over, he read aloud, somewhat reflexively, "Avaloria Currency!"

At that moment, as William Wong, still shocked, analyzed the copper coins with scholarly rigor, everyone, including Wong himself, was dumbstruck.

"These... aren't these just the regular coins used in Avaloria?" Wong asked, looking bewilderedly at Magnus.

"Yes, they're just ordinary copper coins," Magnus replied nonchalantly.

"But this..." Wong looked at Magnus, and Magnus back at him. The two men stood eye to eye, the awkwardness palpable.

Wong could hardly believe that Magnus's gift for Gideon Astor was a handful of common copper coins. "Prince Magnus, you must be joking. Where's the real gift? You don't need to hide it anymore," Wong said with an uneasy smile.

Magnus responded earnestly, "This is genuinely the gift I brought, oh and a few boxes of cotton from Silverwood City, our local specialty!"

Silence fell. Wong quietly returned to his seat, no longer daring to converse with Magnus. Not just him, but everyone around looked utterly baffled. No one had anticipated that Magnus's idea of a birthday gift would be a few copper coins.

Even General Marshall couldn't help but ask, "Prince Magnus, don't you think your gift is a bit... too unconventional? Isn't it a little light?"

Everyone thought the same: Marshall was being too kind. These weren't just light gifts; they were practically non-existent - a few copper coins and some boxes of cotton, more suitable for a beggar than a royal gift.

Even Gideon Astor himself, glancing at the meager coins in Magnus's hand, couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly in disbelief.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Magnus, with a smirk hidden in his heart, adopted a pitiable expression and lamented, "Alas... you all may not know the hardships I face. In Silverwood City, where I reside in the northwest border, we're backed by the frigid Silvermoon Forest. The land is barren, and the people struggle for basic necessities."

"As a prince, I receive no allowances and have to fend for myself, managing whatever businesses I can to barely sustain my household. To prepare a gift for my father's birthday, I started saving from the beginning of the year. Every penny was scrimped and saved, every meal was meager, just to gather a few copper coins and some cotton."

"But the journey here exhausted our resources, and I had to spend some of the coins. Now, all that's left are these few coins and boxes of cotton."

His tone was one of bitter helplessness, and those unaware of the truth might actually believe Magnus lived a life of frugality in Silverwood City.

General Marshall was among those fooled, thinking to himself how unfortunate this young prince was, sent by his father to a desolate border town without any support.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Magnus struggled to keep from laughing, maintaining his sorrowful demeanor, "I know these gifts seem trifling to you esteemed lords, and even more so to my father. But this is all I could muster with my limited means. 'Though the gift is light, the sentiment is deep.' I hope my father can accept my humble offering."

Magnus approached Gideon Astor, his hands cradling the scanty coins, presenting them to his father.