Chapter 299

The lamps lit up at dusk.

In the Wang Gong, a banquet was underway.

The fox maiden Sister Qing Ling hosted a banquet to entertain Princess Luoying.

Princess Luoying, well-traveled and knowledgeable, actively engaged Sister Qing Ling and Meng Ying in conversations about the continent's wonders, and the banquet was filled with joy.

Sister Qing Ling did not probe Princess Luoying about matters within the Xiling Kingdom; others might have tried to extract royal secrets from her, but Sister Qing Ling looked down on such tactics.

Though all of them held noble status, they were in fact young girls of similar age.

Thus, once they began talking, the topics flowed freely.

Princess Luoying was already a Third Rank mage; as a royal princess, she had the best teachers and resources, naturally advancing faster than Meng Ying had in her early days.

But even so, her progress was limited.

After chatting with Meng Ying for a while, Princess Luoying felt a strange impression—that Meng Ying, though learned and free of childish notions, was truly only in her teens!

This realization startled Princess Luoying!

A Grand Mage in her teens!

Even the most divinely favored mages in the Xiling Kingdom's Guodejiao Society did not ascend so swiftly!

Yet she dared not be certain; asking someone's age, especially in such a setting, was impolite.

So Princess Luoying suppressed her doubts.

"Queen, I wish to stay a few more days in the City of Miracles—may I?"

Near the end of the banquet, Princess Luoying asked.

Sister Qing Ling nodded gracefully and said, "Of course."

She had no fear that Princess Luoying would uncover any secrets in the City of Miracles—key decisions of the Yan Kingdom were made solely by Sister Qing Ling and a few Holy Maidens, with no possibility of leakage.

After the banquet, Princess Luoying hurried to the square outside the Temple to watch the drama depicting the deeds of the Lord of Flame.

Many performers took part, and magic was even used during the performances, making them remarkably dazzling.

Only three performances were held each night.

To complete all the deeds, it would take several days.

Then the cycle would repeat.

Though it was a cycle, many watched it dozens of times without ever growing bored!

This was one of the grand nighttime events in the City of Miracles.

"Princess, there are so many people."

Ning Cui said.

Princess Luoying nodded: "Yes, it's lively!"

When they arrived, one drama was nearing its end.

Then the second drama began.

This one depicted the climax of the Battle of the Lion King's City.

The Lion Clan's Grand High Priest, possessed by the power and consciousness of the Abyssal Demon God, sought to annihilate the forty thousand troops of the City of Miracles—only to be reduced to ashes by the Lord of Flame's fire.

Well, at the time, people had not known the Lion Clan's Grand High Priest was possessed by the Abyssal Demon God's consciousness—but Lin Yan had casually mentioned it when giving revelations to Sister Qing Ling and Meng Ying.

Sister Qing Ling and Meng Ying were his Holy Maidens; Lin Yan was subtly guiding them, aiding their growth.

Thus, when granting revelations, he occasionally let them know more.

Only with broader horizons could they make better decisions.

"How could you, a mere Sixth Rank, hope to oppose the ways of the gods? Hahaha!"

Onstage, a Lion Clan warrior portrayed the Grand High Priest, reciting his words from that day.

The warrior imitated him well, capturing the Grand High Priest's tone after possession with uncanny accuracy.

Seeing this, Princess Luoying's heart stirred slightly.

Because this play reminded her of something.

Thinking of it, Princess Luoying sent Ning Cui to ask many people on the square, until finally she found a Centaur warrior who had personally taken part in the Battle of the Lion King's City.

The Centaur warrior told Princess Luoying what he had witnessed.

"You mean the Lion Clan's Grand High Priest was possessed by a god?"

Princess Luoying asked.

The Centaur warrior said, "That's the story that spread later, but the Grand High Priest's words at the time truly didn't sound like those of a Lionfolk."

As he spoke, the Centaur warrior still showed traces of fear, his expression reverent:

"We must thank the great Lord of Flame—if not for him, we would all have been utterly destroyed by the power sent down by the enemy's god!"

After hearing this, Princess Luoying fell silent.

After watching the entire play, Princess Luoying suddenly lost her appetite for anything else.

Sister Qing Ling's faction had assigned attendants to accompany her and arranged lodging.

It was a palace beside the Wang Gong, specifically built to host distinguished guests.

After entering the palace, Princess Luoying took out a large number of books from her magic bag and began reading through the night, as if searching for something within them.

Deep into the night, she continued searching through the books.

"Go to sleep, Princess, it's very late."

Ning Cui said.

But Princess Luoying shook her head and kept searching.

Until the next morning, Ning Cui realized Princess Luoying had barely slept at all.

As a Third Rank mage, one night without sleep wouldn't cause great mental fatigue, but physical exhaustion was unavoidable.

"Princess, the hot water is ready. The water here is so convenient — just turn it on and it comes out."

Outside, Ningcui's voice rang out.

Princess Luoying walked out and said, "Ningcui, let's head back today."

Ningcui was a little surprised: "Princess, weren't you planning to stay a few more days?"

Princess Luoying shook her head and said, "No, I need to verify something."

Ningcui asked, "Princess, what's wrong?"

Princess Luoying looked at Ningcui and asked, "Ningcui, don't you think my father has been a bit strange these past two weeks?"

"Strange? I didn't notice anything."

Ningcui said.

Princess Luoying then recalled that over the past half month, Ningcui had only seen the King of the Xiling Kingdom once — and that was during this trip, in the great hall, for less than a minute, when her father had only said a few words.

What could Ningcui possibly have sensed?

In fact, Princess Luoying herself hadn't seen much of her father over the past half month either; her father had never summoned her alone at all.

But that was the strange part, because her father used to hold a small family meeting at least once every ten days to check on the study progress of all his children.

However, before the trip, her father had summoned her once — but not alone; it was in the secret council chamber of the Wang Gong.