People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 193 The Real "Ceremony of Inviting the Immortals"

On a winter morning, the thousand-year-old Liyue Harbor gradually awakens in the morning light.

The sky had not yet completely lost the inky color of the night, and was tinged with a slight paleness.

On the bluestone-paved streets, thin frost flickers with a faint silver light, adding a touch of simplicity and heaviness to this coastal port city.

But unlike the cold weather, Liyue Harbor seems unprecedentedly lively at this moment.

As the Summoning Immortal Ceremony approaches, students and vendors alike wish to pray to the Rock King for a smooth year ahead.
The businessmen who wanted to interpret the oracle as soon as possible and gain a first-mover advantage for their business next year have now left their homes and plan to reserve a spot at Yujingtai as soon as possible.

For a moment, at this time when only a few hawkers would appear in the past, the entire Liyue Harbor seemed as noon, noisy and crowded.

At this moment, on the top floor of a wooden building at Feiyun Slope,

Two young men dressed in winter clothes,

Standing at the edge of the fence, somewhat out of place, he watched the extremely lively scene below as a spectator.

I was moved by this scene that I could never see in the land of ice and snow.
The orange-haired young man standing on the left turned his head slightly, raised his hand and patted the shoulder of the black-haired young man next to him, and said in a familiar tone:
"Wow, even though it's a foreign custom, I can still feel the strong sense of ritual."

"'Ambitious', I remember Liyue seems to be your hometown, right? Do you have any special feelings about it?"

"."

"I remember I should have told you,

——If you still want to get some funding for your activities in Liyue and don’t want to sleep next to a trash can, don’t call me that, my dear “Eleventh Seat.”

Pantalone was silent for a moment.
Although he had no hope that this brainless guy would remember what he said, he still warned him.

"Okay, okay, although I came here just to find an opportunity to fight with the strong here, but if there is no funding, it will still be a headache."

"Pantaronne, you are always so cautious, but facing such an unfavorable situation, you didn't just leave. This is not in line with my impression of your style."

"——Could it be that you also intend to go and see the power of the two gods up close like I did?

And then look forward to fighting against such a force one day in the future?"

Blinking his icy blue eyes, Tartaglia was somewhat curious about this colleague who had been elusive for years and only cared about "currency" and "finance".

Why on earth would he take such a huge risk at this point in time to come to Liyue where the two gods would gather?

"——Of course I have my own mission to accomplish. I have many reasons to do so, such as confirming the status of the Rock God, gathering information about the Seven Planets of Liyue, and supervising the progress of the Northern Bank merger plan."

"——But you, Tartaglia, don't forget that both of us have a place on that 'watch list'.
If you continue to behave recklessly, I don’t want to have to redeem you from Liyue’s prison on behalf of the Queen one day in the future.”

Thinking of the real mission that the Queen had given him before he came here, the somewhat annoyed Pantalone did not intend to argue with the fool next to him.

The alliance between the two countries, the force brought about by this huge change, is enough to smash all the originally planned blueprints into pieces.

That pedantic and old-fashioned God of Rock would actually do something completely unexpected at such a time.
So, in this completely unpredictable development, will everything really develop as Her Majesty the Queen originally envisioned?
Pantalone thought about the "contract" he brought with him and was not optimistic about the outcome of this trip.

"Hey, I just like to 'fight', but why do you seem to think I'm the kind of fool who would provoke others in public on the street?"

Tartaglia was obviously very unhappy with his colleagues' prejudice, but after complaining, he continued:

"I'm just curious about the god of Xumi.

After all, I have never seen the 'Doctor' guy actually accept such a big loss so honestly."

"——How strong could a guy like this be who made him give up revenge? Just thinking about it makes me tremble with excitement."

"."

"Oh, then I wish you good luck."

"——But you have to know that now is far from the time to start planning, and the forces we can allocate are very limited."

"--If you get into trouble before the right time comes, the punishment won't be as painless as before."

He shook his head, knowing the experience of this eleventh seat since he was recruited.
After Pantalone gave a warning within his duty, he walked out of the main entrance of the North Country Bank.

——Although he was not willing to be like those mortals and squeeze to the front of the ceremony just to admire the honor of the gods.

However, in order to report the truth of these two gods and the future movements of the two countries to the Queen as detailed as possible,

It is very necessary to go there early to grab a good seat.

A complex of suspended buildings above Qingxupu on the southwest side of Liyue Harbor.

This floating island, suspended above the sea of ​​clouds and with a lotus pond and a palace, is none other than the "Qun Yu Pavilion" mentioned in folk legends.

As the private domain of Ningguang of Tianquan Star, this floating building costing billions is the dream of all businessmen.

Being able to enter the Qun Yu Pavilion has always been regarded as a symbol of status.

At this moment, on this sky island where only "Tianquan Star" Ningguang and her secretaries lived in the past, there appeared a woman in blue.

She has long, smooth black hair, the inner layer of which is carefully highlighted a tranquil sea blue.

The emerald green eyes beneath the dark blue hair were like deep emeralds, emitting a unique charm mixed with a hint of danger.

As a rare visitor, she was certainly not alone.
Ningguang, the owner of the Qun Yu Pavilion, was accompanying her at the moment.
Two tall women stood outside the Jade Pavilion, looking down at the Liyue Harbor in the distance without saying a word.

A moment later, the visitor, the woman in blue, took out two documents from behind her back, yawned, and handed them to Ningguang beside her nonchalantly.

"The informant sent me a letter. This is the latest list of people of special concern. You can take a look to see if there are any targets that interest you."

"——By the way, the two executive officers of Zhidong have rarely been hiding their true intentions this time. If you want to cause them some trouble, just let me know. I will be happy to help you."

A black-haired woman exuding a lazy vibe.

When he mentioned the word "winter", he narrowed his eyes slightly, and seemed to be in a rare mood.

"."

"This is a suggestion that really suits your style, Ye Lan."

After a moment of silence, Ningguang shook her head and spoke with a smile.

Noticing the expectant look from her partner, she continued:
"——But there's no need for that this time. Although I, like you, don't like that 'rich man', and I don't believe that they are just coming for a 'vacation' as written on the application."

"——But there is nothing wrong with the other party's actions in terms of procedure.
The more you take the initiative when you can't guess the other party's intentions, the more likely you are to fall into a passive situation. Just keep an eye on them for now."

Ningguang looked towards the busy Liyue Harbor in the distance, pointed in the direction of Yujing Terrace, and said:
"We cannot confirm whether the other party is making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. It is better to put all our current energy into this ceremony of inviting the immortals."

"After all, my colleagues all attach great importance to this ceremony of inviting the immortals."

"Oh? Is it because of the rumor that the Emperor will personally govern Liyue and the Seven Stars may lose power?"

Ye Lan, who was well-informed, naturally knew what Ningguang was referring to.

After all, the Emperor had not given a divine oracle for the first time in a long time outside the Invitation to the Immortals Ceremony. What kind of metaphor was behind this? Even for ordinary Liyue people, it was something worth discussing. "Maybe."

"After all, such speculation is the most discussed thing for those businessmen, isn't it?"

Ningguang nodded, acknowledging Ye Lan's statement.
But then she continued:
"——But you should know that the core of my thinking is not 'power'."

"'Power' is only a means to an end. If Liyue can continue to move forward, it doesn't matter to me whether the power is in my hands or not."

"."

After a pause, Ningguang continued:

".If the power allocated by the Emperor really returns to the hands of the gods, in my opinion, it will not be a bad thing for the people of Liyue."

"——So, it's time for us to set off now."

“What will be the future of Liyue? Where will ‘The Kingdom Along with the Gods’ go?”

"——I have a feeling that this time the ceremony of summoning the immortals may reveal the answer to the world."

Shaking her head, Ningguang carefully put the special attention list with many new names in her hand into a special pocket.

Before putting it away, she also saw the familiar and unfamiliar names on the top of the confidential document:

——"Rich Man" Pantalone, "Prince" Tartaglia.
——And, in the corner, there was a returning scholar named Lin Feng who was marked as low risk and had no intention of causing damage.

Back to the present.

As all parties have their own considerations,

At the highest point of Yujing Terrace, the ceremony of inviting the immortals, which had special significance, was finally approaching its opening time.

Keqing, the "Yuheng Star" who was in charge of inviting the gods, was standing in the center of Yujing Terrace.
Behind her were several Yue Haiting secretaries who were responsible for collaborative work.

Unlike previous ceremonies,

This time's ceremony of inviting the immortals was unprecedentedly luxurious, with the support of the seven stars and even many wealthy businessmen and politicians.

Whether it was the specifications of the utensils, the grade of the offerings, or the number of civilian spectators, it was undoubtedly the most spectacular in hundreds of years.

Standing in front of a round tripod, Keqing looked solemn, patiently waiting for the most appropriate moment.

Time passed little by little.

at last,

After the shadow of the sundial pointed to a certain marked time, before the seven stars that had already arrived,
Keqing spoke in a clear voice:

"——The auspicious time has arrived, the ceremony begins!"

"——On behalf of all the people of Liyue, we respectfully welcome the two gods!"

The dust-cleansing bell, which had been placed in place long ago,
Just like a ritual thousands of years ago,
Suddenly, a magnificent piece of music began to play according to the rhythm that a god had once engraved in it.

And at the moment the music sounded,

The seven stars and the numbers behind them represent the managers of the General Affairs Department.
And the countless Liyue people in the audience,

They all began to pray, either explicitly or implicitly, according to the hymns that had been distributed earlier.

“.The gods descended, their manners were solemn and solemn. The clouds were hazy, and the auspicious light filled the eyes.

The mighty and noble God is here on the immortal path. In the past, the divine grace has benefited our people.

The mountains and rivers are covered with water, and the seasons are smooth. The benevolence of God is as vast as the sky.

Today's ceremonies are to invite the gods to come to the residence, clean the animals and wine, and respectfully present them to the gods.

With this sincerity and respect, blessings will be bestowed upon us. God, God, bless our land forever.

The spiritual wind is rustling, the auspicious mist is floating. Welcome with piety, the body of the gods"

With these countless sincere prayers from the heart,

The several square tripods arranged around the venue of the Immortal Summoning Ceremony began to emit golden light from the bodies of the tripods as if responding to the call of the people.

In the blue sky with white clouds floating around,

Under the pull of some kind of force emanating from the ceremony site, a huge, golden vortex gradually formed in the sky above Yujingtai.

In the clouds above the vortex, there seemed to be a slender dragon-shaped figure hiding in it.

So far, everything that happened in this ceremony, except for the difference in the offerings and some adjustments to the words of the sacrifice,

Overall, it is still within the expectations of the people of Liyue.

If the process of the previous ceremony of inviting the immortals was followed, the next step would be for the Emperor to reveal his divine form and deliver the oracle for the new year to the people of the Seven Stars and Liyue.

But at this time when everyone was expecting the Emperor to show up,

Instead of stopping, the strange phenomenon in the sky became more intense.

——The golden vortex of rock element that was originally confined to the sky above Yujing Terrace was suddenly distorted by a powerful force.

From a tiny golden spot of light that was insignificant to the entire territory of Liyue, it quickly spread to Guiliyuan and Yaoguangtan to the north of Yujingtai.

With an irresistible momentum, it formed a golden light cloud that could be seen throughout Liyue, emitting endless majesty.

On the opposite side of this golden light cloud that exudes a sense of dignity and majesty, a green vortex suddenly appeared in the blue sky.

Dots of fluorescent green light representing the breath of life scattered from the vortex,

Any living creature touched by this light seemed to have a strange illusion of facing the source of life for a moment.

After a short moment,

It gathers together streams of elements rushing in from all directions.

This green vortex also rapidly expanded into a sea of ​​elements filled with the breath of life, covering the Lisha suburb area on the southwest side of Yujingtai.

In the green haze that shared the Liyue sky with the golden vortex, a vague figure of a four-legged beast with two horns was vaguely visible.

In this unprecedented grand scene,
Not only the creatures at Yujing Terrace, but all the creatures in Liyue seemed to be fixed in place by such power in this brief moment.

The people of Liyue thought that they had seen the Emperor's divine power for thousands of years.

In this primitive, undisguised ceremony of inviting the immortals,
Finally I understand what kind of power the Emperor has.

Only then could he have won the final victory in the cruel battlefield of Liyue 3,700 years ago, like crushing dry weeds and rotten wood, among dozens of demon gods.

(End of this chapter)