Chapter 310: The King's Grand Gift

Two days later, in the morning, Luoning arrived at Jinyu City with Tangmu and Dawei.

The Auduin Kingdom was established in the year 738 of the Imperial Calendar, and more than two hundred and thirty years have passed since then.

Over these years, the royal capital, Jinyu City, has undergone countless repairs and expansions to reach its current scale.

Luoning had toured Muma City and Wushan City, and he had even caught a fleeting glimpse of Niujiao Bay yesterday, but compared to Jinyu City, they were all far inferior.

The city walls here are tall and sturdy, with many layers from inside to out, guarding the peace of the city and the royal capital.

The city gates are wide open, welcoming caravans and travelers from all directions; shops line both sides of the city, with jewelry, spices, medicinal herbs... all kinds of goods dazzling the eyes.

"How spectacular!"

"How prosperous!"

Tangmu and Dawei kept looking left and right, their expressions showing they were already lost in this prosperity.

"When will our Wubei Territory be able to have a city like this?"

Hearing this, a flash of sharp light could not help but appear in Luoning's eyes.

Jinyu City is indeed prosperous; judging by the bustling crowds on the streets, at least hundreds of thousands of people live here.

If one adds the population of the manors and small towns outside the city, it could likely reach the million-person level.

To build such a city in the Wubei Territory, population is a problem; after all, without people, how could there be such large-scale construction?

However, Luoning is very confident about the future.

He believes he can build a city more prosperous and cleaner than Jinyu City.

The three of them walked and looked along the way, and before long, they arrived at Golden Feather Avenue.

Golden Feather Palace lay prone at the end of the avenue; the closer one got, the more one could feel its vastness, solemnity, and majesty.

"Stop right there!"

As they approached the main gate of Golden Feather Palace, a row of Guards blocked Luoning's path. They wore uniform silver-white armor and carried long swords, looking mighty and extraordinary.

As guards of the royal palace, they possessed sufficient quality and politeness; although they stopped the three, they saluted while asking for their identification information.

"This is the eldest grandson of the Count of Wushan Territory, Count Ronin Wushan of Wubei Territory, here specifically to pay respects to His Majesty the King and to attend the birthday banquet of Princess Blanche."

Tangmu introduced them politely, while Dawei displayed the medal he had prepared in advance, which recorded his identity and noble title.

"Welcome, Count of Wubei Territory!"

One of the Guards made a gesture of invitation: "I will take you to the reception area; please follow me."

Golden Feather Palace is very large, and the outer perimeter security is actually not very strict.

Under the guidance of the Guard, Luoning met the reception official, who was a woman.

"Lord Count, His Majesty has given instructions that if you arrive, you may go see him first."

The receptionist's voice was very gentle, "Would you like to rest for a while, or go pay respects to His Majesty the King first?"

Since Bruno had given such instructions, there was no need for Luoning to rest first.

"Then I will trouble you to lead the way."

Under the guidance of the receptionist, Luoning traveled through the vast Golden Feather Palace.

The further they went inside, the stricter the guards became, and the more Knights he saw.

After walking for Along time, they finally arrived outside a magnificent palace.

After further announcement and reporting, Luoning walked into the palace alone.

Inside the main hall, a red carpet extended nearly a hundred meters inward; at the end of the red carpet was the deliberation hall, and the throne was at a high point within the hall.

At this moment, besides His Majesty the King, there were six Guard Knights outside the deliberation hall, and standing to the right of the throne inside the deliberation hall was a figure familiar to Luoning—Buluo'er Gaile.

This man is the Deputy Commander of the Griffin Knights, and it was he who led the team to Wushan Castle when Princess Blanche arrived.

While he was observing, Bruno above was also observing Luoning.

"Tall and handsome in appearance, quite possessing a touch of Lulansi's demeanor from back in the day."

Bruno praised inwardly; whether it was his height-to-body ratio or the temperament he possessed, he was indeed worthy of the Princess.

"Luoning pays respects to His Majesty!"

Arriving close by, according to etiquette, Luoning knelt on one knee to send greetings to the King, who was also his future father-in-law.

"Rise, Luoning."

Bruno raised his hand: "I have heard about you leading the Noble Allied Forces to victory over the enemy; seeing you today, you indeed possess good composure and demeanor."

When meeting the King alone for the first time, some noble descendants would get stage fright, but he did not see any panic at all in Luoning.

"His Majesty is too kind with his praise."

Luoning responded politely, and at the same time took out Lulansi's personal letter from his bosom and handed it up, "This is the letter my grandfather wrote to you."

"How is Lulansi's health?"

Bruno had someone take the letter and asked while reading; the smile on his face grew even wider, though it was unknown what was written in the letter.

"Still the same as always, he is currently recuperating."

Luoning exchanged pleasantries with the King, neither mentioning Princess Blanche nor the matter of the marriage alliance.

"I heard you encountered pirates at sea and killed a Golden Knight single-handedly?"

Buluoer interjected, his tone slightly curious, "Is your current strength Silver, or Golden?"

Luoning was not surprised that this matter had reached the royal palace.

After all, the people from the White Whale Pirate Group had already been handed over to the relevant officials in Niujiao Bay for trial.

Facing this question, it was not appropriate for Luoning to describe himself as too weak, nor could he describe himself as too strong.

He could only say that he had just become a Silver Knight, and that he was able to win partly because the opponent performed poorly, and partly because he had mastered a Battle Technique with relatively high power.

"Hahaha, Buluoer, since you are so curious, then try out the power of this Battle Technique of Luoning's."

Bruno put the letter away and said as if fanning the flames; in fact, he also wanted to witness what level Luoning was at.

"As you wish, Your Majesty!"

Buluoer stepped to one side: "Come, use your full strength to attack me!"

Luoning knew this was a test from His Majesty the King; after all, an occasion like this was just like facing the parents of a potential partner during a blind date—one still needed to show what one had to show.

"Then please forgive my offense."

Luoning drew the Yanliu Sword at his waist and channeled his Battle Qi to light up the runes on the blade; in an instant, a massive flaming sword shadow emerged, causing the temperature of the entire great hall to rise sharply.

Bruno's eyes lit up. His talent for cultivation was nothing special, and even now, he was only at the early stage of Silver. However, he had a discerning eye and could sense the unique aspects of this Battle Technique of Luoning's.

At the same time, he also noticed the longsword in Luoning's hand; it was clearly an enchanted extraordinary weapon, and of very high quality at that.

"I didn't expect Lulansi to have such a collection."

He had almost no doubt that both the Battle Technique and the Yanliu Sword were part of Lulansi's collection.

"Here I come!"

Luoning called out a warning, though he also knew that despite the considerable power of the Explosive Flame Slash, Buluoer was Along-renowned Meteor Knight, and taking this attack would be no problem at all.

"Come on, Luoning!"

As the Yanliu Sword slashed down, the massive flaming sword shadow lunged toward Buluoer, and the heatwave formed by the whistling wind swept through the entire great hall.

Buluoer focused slightly, and his Fire Attribute Battle Qi formed an impenetrable barrier in front of him.

The Explosive Flame Slash collided with the Wind Barrier, causing intense impact and ripples, but in the end, it was received steadily.

At the same time, to prevent the shockwave from damaging the great hall, Buluoer used his Battle Qi to wrap around the residual force, releasing it toward the hall entrance.

"A Meteor-level Knight's control over Battle Qi is truly strong," Luoning couldn't help but think to himself.

At this moment, Buluoer began to clap.

"Luoning's Battle Technique compresses Battle Qi and has an explosive property upon contact, further amplifying its power. At my level, it would be quite strenuous to use a Level 6 Battle Technique like the Wind Barrier to receive it; an ordinary Golden Knight really wouldn't be able to handle it."

Clearly, this was a humble statement on his part; the process of receiving the move just now had been effortless, and he hadn't been strained at all.

Luoning smiled and said: "Although the power of the Explosive Flame Slash is not small, it also consumes a great deal of the Knight's own Battle Qi; being able to use it two or three times in a single battle is already the limit."

"Explosive Flame Slash..."

Bruno murmured the name, "Luoning, I have a special hobby: I love collecting Battle Techniques, Magic books, and secret techniques. I even have a copy of the secret technique 'Fire Dance Thunder Strike Slash' created by your grandfather."

"Fire Dance Thunder Strike Slash?" Luoning had never heard of it, and what was a secret technique?

Buluoer explained: "This is a secret technique created by Lulansi after he advanced to the Meteor level. It fuses both Fire and Thunder attributes, and the power it unleashes is far higher than ordinary Battle Techniques! I suspect that if your grandfather hadn't fallen ill and had practiced normally, even if he weren't a Silver Moon Knight now, he would likely be able to make even a Silver Moon Knight cautious when facing this move."

Bruno added: "Secret techniques are generally things only Meteor Knights have the ability to research, and they all possess powerful strength or unique properties. It is rare to see a Silver Grade Explosive Flame Slash like yours that actually possesses a unique property."

Luoning's heart stirred.

The other party had just said he liked collecting various Battle Techniques, Magic books, and secret techniques, and now he was heaping praise on his Explosive Flame Slash.

Although the other party hadn't stated it explicitly, how could Luoning not understand the meaning behind his words?

"If Your Majesty likes it, I can transcribe the 'Explosive Flame Slash' into a book and present it to you."

A look of satisfaction flashed in Bruno's eyes.

He did indeed like collecting various secret manuals, and since he himself possessed the Fire Attribute, the Explosive Flame Slash Battle Technique was suitable for him to practice.

It was just that asking for it directly the first time he met Luoning was inappropriate, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Fortunately, this kid Luoning was sensible enough to understand the subtext of his words.

"Haha, I am very satisfied that you have such a heart!"

Bruno laughed: "How about this, I won't say I'm taking advantage of a little Count like you. Tomorrow, I will have Blanche take you to my library, and you may choose two books then."

Once these words were spoken, even the Meteor Knight Buluoer standing to the side couldn't help but feel envious.

He had followed His Majesty for so long, and only after becoming a Meteor Knight did he gain the opportunity to go in and select one Level 7 Battle Technique.

He hadn't expected that Luoning, only at the Silver Grade, would have the opportunity to select two, and to choose two at that.

Luoning was overjoyed.

The number of Battle Techniques and Magic books in Lulansi's collection was limited, and beyond Level 7, there was only one 'Fire Snake Wild Dance' Battle Technique suitable for Luoning to practice; there wasn't a single Wind Attribute Battle Technique or Magic book.

He had been worrying about where to obtain these rare and precious things, never expecting that His Majesty the King would present him with two great gifts right from the start. (End of chapter)