Chapter 84: The Banquet

For Mark, a Demigod Demon Human capable of communication was considered relatively friendly, as there were many such cases even within human society. Seeing that no one had died, Mark did not bring up the earlier incident again, though Zhai Guangyi still felt very bad about wrecking Lucy’s bar.

After all, Xiong Da had come seeking help, and Lucy had even provided recent intelligence on the Forest Elves as compensation. Zhai Guangyi asked Hong Ren to advance a bit of his salary, but Hong Ren generously declined. Instead, he pulled out a large bag of gold coins from his sleeve and gave it to Lucy as compensation.

Lucy accepted the heavy bag of gold coins with some pleasant surprise. Opening it, she saw that they were all Kingdom Great Gold Coins with the highest face value. Just one of these coins was enough to cover her living expenses for an entire year, and this large bag contained at least a hundred of them.

Zhai Guangyi also marveled at the wealth of the Demon King’s Army. In truth, he had two gold coins in his own bag, but they were not as large as the ones Hong Ren had given. He could have replicated these coins using the ‘World,’ but as gold was a precious metal, it required Shop Points.

Doing so would have been somewhat impractical. However, Hong Ren’s money pouch was very useful, and he didn’t particularly care about money. He had also expressed his full support for Zhai Guangyi. For Hong Ren, these gold coins were simply plundered from human society—once they were spent, he could just take more.

Mark walked ahead of Zhai Guangyi, surrounded by human Soldiers. The streets were now empty of pedestrians, as everyone had been frightened by the destruction caused earlier by Xiong Batian.

Entering the inner city of Banwang City required a certain status and position. As a wild force from the Forest seeking to establish diplomatic relations with humans, Zhai Guangyi and his group would normally face very cumbersome procedures. However, now that they possessed considerable strength, many of the troublesome formalities were simplified.

If these Demigods could not be appeased quickly, Mark could imagine how miserable Banwang City’s fate would be. He hoped the City Lord could handle this matter properly. The growth of the Spirit King Tree faction was simply too rapid—likely many of the City Lord’s little schemes would now be impossible to realize.

As one of the City Lord’s trusted aides, Mark held considerable authority. Permission to enter the inner city was quickly granted, allowing Zhai Guangyi and his group to follow him inside.

The environment within the inner city was much better than the outer city. There was no sense of filth and waste everywhere, and the roads were relatively clean. Many Soldiers patrolled diligently, and the residents here dressed more splendidly, mostly traveling by carriage. Even Aristocrats on foot were accompanied by servants carrying their luggage.

Lucy did not follow them, as it seemed she lacked the qualifications to enter the inner city. Xiong Da also didn’t want her involved in their conflict with the City Lord, so he asked her to return first and wait until the matter was resolved before seeking her out again.

Zhai Guangyi felt that Xiong Da did not view Lucy as a romantic partner. To him, it seemed more like a close friendship between girls. Perhaps because Xiong Da had once been female, it was easier for her to befriend women and understand what girls liked and wanted. It seemed Xiong Er was not out of the running yet—there was still a chance. Zhai Guangyi hoped she would strive harder; otherwise, his former girlfriend might end up running off with another girl.

Compared to the bustling scene of the outer city, the inner city was much quieter, though still with a fair amount of foot traffic. Most of the people were attendants of the aristocrats, including numerous maids and bodyguards, though their strength was generally unremarkable. The majority were even weaker than Luke, with only a few surpassing him. Aside from their numbers, humans didn’t seem particularly formidable in overall strength.

This allowed Zhai Guangyi to breathe a sigh of relief. He had been somewhat worried that humans might be too powerful, fearing he couldn’t afford the cost of attrition given their sheer numbers.

The aristocrats on the road looked at Zhai Guangyi and his group’s adventurer attire with disdain, especially when they noticed the bear ears of Xiong Batian and Xiong Da, their expressions turning scornful. However, with Mark and the City Lord’s soldier escort leading the way, no conflicts arose along the journey, and they arrived safely at the City Lord’s castle.

Outside the City Lord’s residence, the carriages of aristocrats were already packed, suggesting that many nobles had gathered at the castle that evening.

Before Zhai Guangyi and the others could enter, a group of maids emerged from the castle entrance to guide them inside.

“The City Lord Honored One has prepared a banquet tonight to celebrate your arrival. Please follow the maids to change your attire, and any accompanying equipment can be entrusted to them for safekeeping.”

In truth, the City Lord had been waiting for the arrival of the Spirit King Tree’s faction, hoping to leverage the imprisoned Forest Elves to negotiate cooperation and secure greater benefits.

He had already dispatched officials to the forest for discussions, but he hadn’t expected the Spirit King Tree’s faction to arrive so quickly. Under normal circumstances, even without encountering any dangers along the way, the journey would take a month. For this matter, the City Lord had even notified the Church, requesting temporary protection from powerful demigods. But that would take time—he never imagined the demigods from the Spirit King Tree’s side were already at his doorstep.

This banquet had been hastily arranged, specifically to honor the demigod powerhouse from the Spirit King Tree.

Zhai Guangyi also felt that their current attire was unsuitable for an aristocratic banquet. For modern individuals like Xiong Da and Zhai Guangyi, adapting to new environments came quickly. Without any resistance, they followed the maids to their rooms to change.

However, Xiong Batian and Hong Ren were extremely reluctant. Hong Ren, with his hood and bandages, couldn’t risk being exposed as a Demon King cadre. His reputation on the battlefield was considerable, and his sudden appearance in a human city could easily cause panic, prompting swift reinforcements from human powerhouses—a situation best avoided.

No one could force a demigod to change clothes, so Mark could only smile awkwardly and let the maids assist Zhai Guangyi and Xiong Da. Xiong Batian, tugged along by Xiong Da’s insistence and unable to withstand his fussing, reluctantly followed to change as well.

During this change of attire, Zhai Guangyi had the rare experience of a hot water bath, marveling at how humans truly knew how to live well. The maids initially tried to undress him, but his modern sensibilities kicked in—though part of him wanted it, he ultimately shooed them away.

He undressed himself and immersed in the hot spring before him.

The bathhouse was exceptionally large, with an environment and design that offered the utmost luxury. According to the maids, it even included steam rooms, massage areas, and both cold and hot water sections.

Normally, this bathhouse is a mixed-gender facility, used by aristocrats for entertainment and serving as an important place for bathing, relaxation, and even a popular venue for aristocratic socializing. However, it is currently only open for use by Zhai Guangyi and the others. Xiong Batian dislikes hot water, so she went to bathe in the cold-water area nearby.

Xiong Da seemed quite familiar with the place and had already wandered off somewhere, leaving Zhai Guangyi alone to soak in the bath.