Chapter 264: The Winds of the Capital Have Changed!

"Esteemed envoys, you have traveled far; as the Crown Prince of Griffon, I have specially prepared some gifts for you today—please accept them without hesitation!"

The Crown Prince of Griffon, clad in a luxurious purple robe embroidered with golden maple leaf patterns, sat beside the king's throne.

With the King of Griffon now absent, he had effectively become the master of the banquet hall.

As he spoke, a line of graceful maids entered through the main entrance in orderly procession.

Each group of three maids carried a tray and lined up in a single row before the four envoys.

When the red cloths over the trays were lifted, the gifts from the Crown Prince of Griffon were fully revealed.

The most eye-catching were the Nightlight Pearls—each first tray held three pearls the size of chicken eggs.

Everyone knew that Nightlight Pearls the size of longans or lychees were worth only one and five gold coins respectively.

But at the size of chicken eggs, their value soared exponentially—thirty to fifty gold coins were not uncommon.

Thus, just the Nightlight Pearls each envoy received were worth at least one hundred and seventy gold coins.

Besides the Nightlight Pearls, the next gifts were demonic beast crystals and golden sculptures.

In total, each envoy received at least four hundred gold coins' worth.

The combined cost of gifts for all four envoys amounted to roughly fifteen hundred gold coins.

Clearly, the Crown Prince of Griffon had opened his purse wide this time.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince of Griffon, you are far too generous—such precious gifts, how could we possibly accept them?"

The envoys repeatedly protested that the gifts were too valuable, yet their eyes gleamed with greed.

The Crown Prince of Griffon knew full well, "My esteemed guests, these are personal gifts from me, the Crown Prince of Griffon—directly given to each of you as envoys!"

"They have nothing to do with the kingdom or the duchy, so please, do not refuse—accept them as a token of my sincerity!"

"Your Highness, if you put it that way, refusing would be impolite indeed! We thank you most sincerely, Your Highness!"

The envoys no longer pretended modesty—they immediately ordered their personal servants to take the trays.

The Crown Prince of Griffon laughed heartily, "Hah! My esteemed guests, you are too humble. After the banquet, why not come to my estate for a chat? I hope you will grace me with your presence!"

The envoys had encountered this before—they understood perfectly why the Crown Prince of Griffon gave these gifts.

Having accepted the gifts, they naturally had to agree.

"Esteemed envoys, please wait a moment!"

But just as they were about to respond, a voice from the right interrupted them.

Looking over, it was the Second Prince of Griffon, seated at the head of the right side.

The envoys paused, then exchanged glances, their eyes filled with knowing smirks.

After that, they fell silent.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince of Griffon immediately frowned, "Kaelen, what are you up to now?"

"Brother, you've given gifts to the envoys as Crown Prince of Griffon—so why shouldn't I, as the Second Prince of Griffon, give them a gift too? Surely you have no objection?"

The Crown Prince of Griffon's face turned ashen.

His younger brother had no good intentions.

Yet the Second Prince of Griffon cared nothing for his brother's feelings—he waved toward the banquet hall entrance.

Immediately, another group of maids carrying trays entered in procession.

But the Second Prince's maids were fewer in number.

Because the Second Prince had prepared only one gift per envoy.

Could I have misjudged him?

The Crown Prince of Griffon was puzzled.

At that moment, as the maids took their positions, the red cloths over the trays were slowly lifted.

Whoa!

As the cloths were removed, the nobles in the hall gasped in astonishment.

Everyone present today was from a prominent family in the capital.

For them to be so surprised, the items on the trays must be extraordinary.

Indeed, each tray held three white pearls the size of longans.

Though their volume was several times smaller than Nightlight Pearls, their value was several times higher than chicken-egg-sized Nightlight Pearls.

Thus, though the Second Prince offered only one gift per envoy, its gold-coin value far surpassed the combined worth of the Crown Prince's three gifts.

And these high-value white pearls were none other than the rare Condensing Water Pearls.

Condensing Water Pearls, as the name suggests, could condense water out of thin air.

A longan-sized Condensing Water Pearl could gather a small bowl of water in about an hour.

In a single day, it could provide enough water for two or three people.

You might think this isn't much better than Nightlight Pearls—after all, rivers are everywhere.

Nightlight Pearls, on the other hand, are used daily.

But that's not the right way to think.

Because in certain situations, Condensing Water Pearls can save lives—Nightlight Pearls cannot.

For example, when night falls, you can simply use torches—or wait until dawn.

But in places where water is scarce, without replenishment, three days will kill a person.

Even in the neighboring desert, death from thirst can come in one or two days.

That is the true value of Condensing Water Pearls.

At sea or in the desert, possessing one means having an endless supply of pure water.

Moreover, Condensing Water Pearls are rarer than Nightlight Pearls, further increasing their value.

At this moment, the four envoys' attention was entirely fixed on the Condensing Water Pearls.

"These are Condensing Water Pearls?"

"Yes, esteemed envoys, I spent considerable effort recently to acquire this batch along the coast!"

"Upon learning of your arrival from the west, I decided to gift them to you—after all, the west is mostly wasteland and desert; that is where Condensing Water Pearls truly belong!"

"Please do not refuse—this too is a personal gift from me, unrelated to the kingdom or the duchy!"

Then, the maids carefully placed the trays on the long table before the envoys.

The envoys reached out with trembling hands, their expressions alight with excitement.

The instant their fingers touched the pearls, they felt a profusion of water droplets forming on their surfaces.

Instantly, smiles of delight spread across their faces!

"We are deeply grateful, Your Highness the Second Prince!" The envoys did not delay—they feared the pearls might be taken back at any moment.

"I am honored that my esteemed guests appreciate my gifts!"

"By the way, I have also prepared wine and delicacies at my estate tonight—I hope you will all join me after this banquet for a proper drink!"

Swish!

If merely giving gifts held no particular meaning,

then openly competing with the Crown Prince to invite the envoys laid bare the rivalry for all to see.

The nobles in the hall erupted in murmurs.

Though rumors of rivalry between the Second Prince and the Crown Prince had long circulated,

it had never been so openly displayed before.

After all, the Kingdom of Griffon practiced primogeniture—the Crown Prince's status, since birth, had been universally acknowledged as superior to all other princes.

Now, the Second Prince had openly challenged this—its implications demanded deep thought from every noble.

The winds of the capital may soon change!