Chapter 858: Title of King
Ravenfell.
With the Grand Magus Tournant just around the corner, the city had beco awash with a festive spirit, its streets buzzing with excitent and anticipation.
All six quarters of the city had co alive—even the impoverished Corvid Quarter.
In fact, ever since Viscount Duskfall’s insidious plot with the Red Fists was brought to light, the city’s administration had proactively made an effort to invest in the slums.
They realized that because this quarter had long been neglected, it had beco a breeding ground for organizations such as the Red Fists and had allowed the Umbra Thieves to operate unchecked.
Now, with investnts pouring into the Corvid Quarter, the standard of living began to rise. Many of its downtrodden residents gained access to job opportunities, and the overall level of education within the community improved significantly.
Of course, one could still argue that the sudden focus on the Corvid Quarter by the city’s administration was less about genuine concern and more about appearances.
After all, with the Grand Magus Tournant drawing influential and wealthy Magi from all over the continent to Ravenfell, the city had to present a polished facade.
They couldn’t be seen as callous rulers who neglected the welfare of mortals. No, such a perception would be disastrous for the public image.
Regardless of the true reason, the fact remained that the imporished Corvid Quarter was no longer what it used to be.
Cris were at an all-ti low, and its residents were clearly more than happy with the recent developnts.
The economy in the rest of the quarters was booming as well. Three showed significant uptrend compared to the rest.
Harbor Quarter, located on the eastern side of the city, south of the Dell River. The harbor was full of businesses, taverns, and inns. With the influx of tourists in the past months, its business was booming.
Downtown Quarter, an important and very wealthy region of the city. It was ho to many noble families, rchant houses, shops, and businesses.
The influential Magi from across the continent mostly ca to this quarter for shopping, dining, and leisure.
Finally, the Market Quarter, the district that never slept. Compared to all the districts of Ravenfell, this one was doing the most business, its trade volu increasing exponentially.
Whether it was day or night, the quarter was always bustling with activity.
The sun had set below the horizon, dyeing the sky in shades of purple and red. While most of the tourists walked the cobbled streets of Ravenfell, marveling at the city’s architecture and grand design, the more influential ones had all gathered in one place.
Benton Estate, Uptown Quarter.
Sabrina Benton, the Matriarch of the Benton Family, and the Lord Marshall of Ravenfell had hosted a formal banquet for the prominent Magi who had co to the city for the Grand Magus Tournant.
In the grand drining hall, Magi from the Four Pillars of the Empire, as well as the Baja High Forest had gathered, celebrating the joyous ocassion of the tournant that took place once every thirty years.
In the weeks before the Grand Magus Tournant, there would be several social events such as formal banquets, theatrical performances, political summits, hunting parties, arcane exhibitions, scholarly salons, and auctions held in the city.
This formal banquet was one of the more important ones since it was hosted by arguably the most powerful Magus in Ravenfell—other than Saratoga’s Headmaster, of course—Sabrina Benton.
Everyone present at the banquet was dressed in luxurious attire, each piece of clothing a silent proclamation of wealth and status.
Fine food and wine flowed without end, while a live ensemble filled the air with soft, soothing lodies, weaving a refined atmosphere through the grand hall.
The Mana Vortex Magi of the Four Pillars had brought along so of their most promising students, hoping to foster camaraderie by introducing them to peers from other esteed institutions.
It was an oppourtinity for not just socializing, but for also building alliances that could shape the future of Ulier.
Essentially, this was what the Grand Magus Tournant was all about.
Several esteed Magi had separated into small groups as they conversed with one another.
One particular group was quite eye-catching.
Edwin Turner, dressed in lavish white robes with blue embroidery, sipped wine from a crystal goblet. He turned to the host of the formal banquet and asked with a smirk, “I heard you bestowed Adam with the title of Count?”
Sabrina Benton turned to look at her old friend. She could sense the mockery in the man’s tone. She couldn’t help but snort, “That’s the least I could do for what he has done for this city.”
“And how is that working out for the city?” Edwin scoffed, his tone laced with ridicule. “Pray tell, old friend, has he been tending to his noble duties as Count?”
Just thinking about it made Sabrina have a headache. She couldn’t help but sigh in defeat, “Adam barely had ti to settle here after he beca a Count. He was dispatched to Blackshore almost imdiately, and after the incident there…”
Her voice trailed off. She shook her head in exasperation and continued, “He disappeared after the Blackshore Incident, said he needed a vacation.”
“Kahaha!” Edwin laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the people nearby. But of course, he didn’t care.
“What a free-spirited young man!”
His expression then gradually turned dark and he muttered under his breath, “He should have been in the Tower.”
Hearing his remarks, Sabrina Benton’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk.
“Well, apart from being a Count, he is also the Lord Commander of the Black Legion,” she added. “Very few people know of this. Well, you know… this title pales in comparison to the title of the Dark King, after all.”
The Black Legion was an elite unit of Mana Liquefaction Magi that was well known across the Ulier Continent.
There were rumors that the unit was even stronger than the elite unit cultivated by the Acadian Royal Family!
“Oh? That is quite the prestigious position, I must say,” an old man dressed in light blue robes chid in. “Fitting… most fitting for the Dark King.”
This elderly man was none other than Magus Pell Morgan, a seasoned scholar and the one leading the delegation from Coral Cove. A Mana Vortex Magus of considerable repute, he exuded both wisdom and quiet authority.
Standing beside him was a striking young man with long, flowing blond hair and piercing gray eyes. This was Kahn. Widely celebrated as prodigy of Coral Cove.
Despite his youth, he had made considerable progress in the Mana Liquefaction Rank, a feat that commanded both respect and awe among his peers.
Sabrina smiled wryly, “It is indeed a prestigious position, but…”
She sighed again, “Adam has handed the reins to the Captain of the unit and, like I said, went off on vacation.”
“The Dark King sounds like quite the frivolous young man,” remarked an aged woman, clad in flowing robes of white and green.
She was Soner Pitt, the leader of the delegation from Greenfield Ridge. Her sharp eyes glinted with a hint of contempt as she said, “It seems the title of ‘King’ is handed out far too freely these days…”
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