It's not entirely impossible.
The Governor of Bain walked silently ahead, making it difficult for others to divine his thoughts. Fang Hong felt a bit stifled, thinking it might be better to just pronounce judgnt and save himself the anxiety. Sotis bad news is less agonizing than the faint glimr of hope that leads to greater despair.
Before entering the hall, Fang Hong heard the faint sound of discussion emanating from within, but as soon as he stepped inside, all sounds abruptly ceased. In the splendid hall, eyes turned towards him, filled with curiosity, doubt, and scrutiny.
After all, the King of Sand, Barbaltan, had earlier called his eldest son forward, and everyone present had heard his words clearly. On one hand, they were pondering the aning of the king's words, and on the other, they were filled with intense curiosity about the Crown Prince's 'friend.' At this mont, nearly all eyes in the hall were focused on this direction.
In the silence, Fang Hong felt as if a century had passed—though the journey from the side hall's entrance to the center of the hall in front of the King of Sand's throne was just a brief walk.
Even though it was just a dozen steps, he felt as if he was walking on hot irons.
Rumors about Kashan Palace had long circulated outside.
Even in such circumstances, Fang Hong was irresistibly curious about this Forbidden Palace, inaccessible to those without a certain status. He couldn't help but look up—it was distributed longitudinally, with columns on each side of the hall, extending forward. The golden carpet disappeared into the night at the palace's front, reaching the moon-white high platform.
The platform was built at the center of the lake, facing the square where the festivities were held.
As Fang Hong raised his head, he caught sight of the king in the center of the hall.
The other's indifferent gaze swept across him, calm yet instinctively causing a chill in his heart.
Fang Hong shivered before realizing that he was seeing the master of this land, the supre leader of the Istania people, the foremost in the Royal House of Penelope, King of the Sand Sea, Barbaltan Ibn-Hekaria-Penelope. Sohow, he almost imagined he was seeing an eagle.
An eagle soaring through the desert, surveying its territory with sharp eyes. The king's gaze was exceedingly calm yet impossible to ignore, as if he was inherently the supre ruler of this land.
Beside him was an old-style Magic Guided Reactor.
Needless to say, it was the one he had repaired with his own hands.
Fang Hong lowered his head slightly, not because he dared not et the gaze; rather, he was subconsciously sowhat sheepish.
After Count Nulman joined the ranks, he didn't cast a glance in this direction again, keeping his eyes straight ahead, as if he had nothing to do with the matter. As for the events at Bain a few weeks ago, it seed the Governor had forgotten them completely, unless Lavali was standing beside the Lord Earl, or he might have truly believed it.
At the mont, Fang Hong had a hard ti avoiding rampant speculations about the other's motives. The matter of Affia, as well as those at Bain Fortress, didn't seem appropriate to be discussed here in public, unless the King of Sand intended to publicly reveal his relationship with the Blind Followers. Fang Hong believed he hardly had the standing to force the supre ruler of the Sand Sea to expose this secret alongside him.
Nevertheless, knowing the other's secret made him feel sowhat relieved.
Barbaltan seed completely unaffected by it.
With one hand gently resting on the Magic Guided Reactor, he raised his head to look at Fang Hong, remaining silent for a while before slowly speaking:
"Aleph told you repaired this Magic Guided Reactor?"
Fang Hong was almost taken aback.
He considered a thousand possibilities but hadn't expected the other to speak like this, almost rendering his initial preparations null. He hesitated before comprehending the question and couldn't resist opening his mouth—montarily unsure of how to respond. The hall echoed with a faint laugh as Barbaltan glanced in that direction, returning the hall to its original silence.
After Fang Hong finally ca to his senses, he nodded slightly:
"Yes."
"I really like this gift, and I must thank you for helping Aleph—"
Beside him, Aleph was stunned, then couldn't help but beam with joy.
Fang Hong was also taken aback but stared at the King of Istania in a daze.
What was the other playing at?
Barbaltan turned back, looking at the Magic Guided Reactor with a reminiscent gaze, speaking softly:
"Young man, do you know what type of Magic Guided Reactor this is?"
Fang Hong paused silently for a mont.
"Tower-Style Magic Conductor Furnace."
But Barbaltan shook his head: "Not entirely correct."
Fang Hong furrowed his brow slightly, instinctively saying: "It's the last model of the Tower-Style Magic Conductor Furnace from Erald Bird Workshop. Tower-Style Magic Conductor Furnaces thrived for a long ti in the Osh Empire, but weren't popular in Colin Ishurian, hence they're quite rare. Its model is..."
Barbaltan looked at him, asking: "Model?"
"'Erald Bird Feather'—377, α-type."
"'Erald Bird Feather'—377, α-type."
A rare smile appeared on the face of the king.
He nodded in affirmation: "Yes, that's the na."
Again, he looked to Fang Hong, relaxing his brow: "Young man, you've helped a bit. When you observe the ceremony later, stand next to Aleph. As for other mundane matters, Aleph obviously isn't lacking—and he's always generous with friends, so I won't intervene with your reward."
Upon Barbaltan's words, a low murmur arose in the hall.
Fang Hong hadn't comprehended the aning of his words, but judging by the looks from others, the King of Sand had evidently said sothing remarkable.
Unconsciously, he looked towards Aleph, who was staring at him in shock—and on the other side, Lavali appeared puzzled. Only Count Nulman beside her remained impassive, gazing calmly ahead as if everything in the hall was unrelated to him.
"Ade..."
Aleph suddenly spoke: "My father wants you to be the first to receive the blessing later..."
"Blessing?"
Fang Hong was taken aback.
What did that an?
...
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