Chapter 478 - The Blood Candle Royal Palace
Chapter 478: The Blood Candle Royal Palace
There actually was not much to see around Blood Candle City. If there was one thing that could draw one’s attention, it was the prevalent violence and the innumerable beggars wandering the streets.
What was called the best restaurant in the royal city was more like one of the numerous five-star restaurants in Beijing, far inferior to the top-class luxurious restaurants to be found in Venal Galaxy.
After eating a lunch of very average taste, Constantine accompanied Xia Fei by the window as he brewed a pot of tea, deriving pleasure from the personal fights breaking out in the streets while discussing the details of transporting Magnared Alloy to Terminus.
While it was called a discussion, Xia Fei was basically talking to himself. The only things Constantine did were nod and jot down what Xia Fei said about the method of transportation and the conversion rate on a little notebook.
After being through so many battles and massacres, Xia Fei had little interest in those brawls on the street. Thus, he proposed to see Constantine’s fiancée. Constantine immediately agreed, excitement on his face.
At the heart of the royal city was the royal palace. Each prince had his courtyard and house. As the hovercar drove a circle around the royal palace, it passed a heavily guarded gate of cinnabar red, several dozen soldiers standing intimidatingly around it.
“This is the residence of my half-brother, Campos,” Constantine casually said.
Xia Fei nodded. After another four or five thousand meters, they arrived at Constantine’s palace. His palace was not as impressive as Campos’s. At the door were two old and hunched soldiers, and the cinnabar paint on the gate was already peeling off. Where was the majesty and bearing of a prince? It appeared more like the residence of a wealthy family of the royal city.
“Prince, you’re back.” A plump old soldier walked over with a smile. Constantine nodded and ordered him to park the car; after which, he led Xia Fei through the gate.
All he saw were old maids and nannies, and Xia Fei felt like he was in a retirement home.
“According to the laws of the royal household, when employees and guards reach a certain age, they are to be driven out of the royal city. These people have served the royal household for a lifetime, but their salary is pitifully small. Without a job, they’ll find it very difficult to survive in Blood Candle, where personal brawls are everywhere, so I moved them to my own palace. In any case, it’s easy work, and with age comes experience, so they perform no worse than younger employees,” Constantine explained.
Xia Fei laughed. “I didn’t see many old people in the city. Put together, they will still be fewer than the number I see in your palace.”
Constantine sighed. “The people of Blood Candle nurture the young, not the old. The old will either form groups and try to seek out a life in the wasteland, leaving everything up to fate, or else their family will prepare for them a rope so that they can hang themselves and commit suicide; after which, a random hole will be dug for them to be buried. It’s a wicked custom of the people of Blood Candle.”
Xia Fei said nothing. In many uncivilized regions, it was common practice to cast away the old, and Blood Candle was not alone in the universe when it came to this tradition. However, Xia Fei did have a better impression of Constantine. His actions were closer to those of civilized society, indicating that he had received a good education.
“Prince, you’re back.”
A freckled young woman ran out of the living room, a delighted look on her face. When she saw Xia Fei standing next to Constantine, she froze for a moment and then politely bowed to him, appearing a little nervous.
“A girl from a minor family without much social training. Please, don’t take it to heart,” Constantine awkwardly said.
Xia Fei laughed and inspected Constantine’s fiancée. This girl did not appear that beautiful, at least according to the standards of society. She wore plain and simple clothes and spoke softly and cautiously. It was clear that she was not very comfortable with her status as a princess consort.
The prepared gift was delivered, a box of excellent woman’s clothes. Avril had chosen them personally when she heard that Xia Fei was going to Blood Candle. Avril’s eyes were top-class in the Alliance, and the clothes she had selected were elegant and exquisite while not lacking in grandeur. Constantine’s commoner wife had never seen such clothes before and found it difficult to even feel them. Her face was flushed red with excitement.
Constantine waved a hand, indicating that she should leave the room, leaving him alone with Xia Fei.
“I said before, a very ordinary girl. There’s nothing to see,” Constantine said.
Xia Fei shook his head. “Not ordinary at all. Your wife should be an ordinary person, right? In Blood Candle, which worships martial arts strength, you took an ordinary person as your wife; I’m sure that this will stir no small number of objections.”
Constantine nodded. “True. Chu Xiu doesn’t have an ability, and her background is very average.”
“Chu Xiu?” Xia Fei muttered. “That’s an interesting name. It doesn’t sound like a name common to Blood Candle.”
“Chu Xiu isn’t from Blood Candle. She’s a waitress at some out-of-the-way restaurant in the Tranquil Star Region.
After pause, Constantine added, “Actually, it’s because of you that I decided to marry Chu Xiu.”
Xia Fei blinked in confusion. “What did I have to do with this?”
“Do you remember that story you told me in Venal? The one about the gentleman and the beauty.”
Xia Fei chuckled. “I remember. I’ve told this story to many people over my life. The meaning of that story is that a man shouldn’t sacrifice his dignity for love, not that you should marry this girl Chu Xiu.”
Constantine knew that Xia Fei was joking and did not take it to heart. He sternly said, “I ran off to the Alliance so that I could marry a real woman, not one of the burly women in this kingdom. You also know what I was like back then. Whenever I saw a woman I admired, I would immediately chase after her like a starving wolf.
“I stopped acting like that after hearing your story and began looking at the matter normally. As I was going back, I happened to pass by a planet in the Tranquil Star Region. My ship stopped there to resupply, and near the spaceport was a little restaurant. Bored and with nothing to do, I went to have a few drinks, and that’s when I met her.
“I got drunk that day, and she accompanied me at my table the entire night. Over the next few days, we became closer. She had no idea who I was back then, treating me like any normal citizen. Eventually, when I asked if she’s willing to come with me, she happily agreed, not at all caring about my status or if I have money.
“When I brought her back to Blood Candle, my royal father was already mad at me for sneaking out. He wouldn’t have permitted me to marry Chu Xiu, but in the end, the queen came out; after which, my royal father reluctantly permitted the marriage.”
*Papapapa!*
Xia Fei clapped his hands. “An excellent rendition of the incognito prince running into his love while out in public. It’s this sort of unglamorous affection that’s truly the most precious. World-shaking oaths of eternal love usually end poorly.”
Changing the topic, Xia Fei said, “But the queen definitely didn’t mean well when she helped you with this marriage. Her son is contending with you for the throne. By marrying a commoner wife, you’ll have lost even more favor in the eyes of your royal father, and this will benefit her son’s chances at obtaining the throne. In the open, she’s helping you, but in secret, she’s hurting you.
“Although I’ve never met the queen, from these actions alone, I can tell that she’s no simple person.”
Constantine’s face turned downcast. “In truth, I understand all that you have said, but Chu Xiu followed me without concern about my status, so I must give her some status. Thus, I don’t regret it at all.”
…
As night fell, a banquet was held in the royal palace to entertain the master of the Terminus Star Region, Xia Fei.
Guards lined the walls on both sides. All of these disabled men were tall and muscular, many of them sporting thick beards. They all appeared very imposing, a ruthless gleam in their eyes as they stared at the stranger, Xia Fei.
Xia Fei’s body and appearance were both very average, and he normally had a smile on his face. It was completely at odds with that fierce hero who had ventured alone into dens of dragons. Thus, these soldiers were unconvinced that this was the man who had destroyed planets and slaughtered his way through the Sacred Warrior Leaderboard.
Xia Fei naturally did not care about their stares. Relaxed and confident, he looked around and nodded his head, praising the elite soldiers of the Blood Candle Kingdom.
A coughing middle-aged man, who was blind in the right eye, was seated on the throne. This was the King of Blood Candle and Constantine’s father, Lester.
Lester actually was not that old, but a serious drinking problem had deprived him of the heroism and boldness of his youth. He was barely forty, yet he already appeared doddering and senile. Coupled with the fact that Blood Candle was a land of bitter cold, where people lived shorter lives than average, Lester was already approaching the end of his life.
The day had been pleasant and sunny, but at night, howling winds stirred. In the quiet of the royal palace, the rustling of trees in the wind sounded like the roars of primordial beasts.
Several hundred fire basins burned, making the royal palace warm and rather dry. Officials of various ranks were seated on both sides of the table according to their status, all of them looking at Xia Fei with cold eyes.
“Royal Father, this is the ruler of the Terminus Star Region, Xia Fei. He is a friend I became acquainted with in the Alliance, and some time ago, he charged alone into the insectoid territory and went on a killing spree there, making a large contribution to the war efforts.”
Constantine naturally spoke of Xia Fei’s good qualities, but he had discordant voices from around. It appeared that Xia Fei’s rather lean body lacked persuasive power, and many people seemed to regard him as an ordinary person.
Lester gave a slight nod. Xia Fei stood up and placed a fist in his hand as he smiled and said, “King of Blood Candle, nice to meet you!”
*Pa!*
The sound of a cup falling to the floor could be heard, and then a gruff voice angrily yelled, “Such audacity! Why do you not kneel to the King of Blood Candle?!”
“Right! You must prostrate yourself!”
“This is too disrespectful! This is the Blood Candle Kingdom!”
The first one to berate Xia Fei was a bald admiral. Despite the cold weather, he had a bare upper body, and numerous kinds of metal jewelry were hanging from his neck. He even had a silver hoop in his nose. Several voices called out in agreement, all believing that Xia Fei was disrespecting the King of Blood Candle.
Constantine’s expression shifted again and again. Xia Fei was his guest, and these people were disrespecting him by causing trouble during the banquet. The stocky middle-aged queen next to Lester was delighted by this. To the right, Prince Campos smugly drained his wine cup, ready to watch a good show.
The situation was very awkward. These barbarians of the Blood Candle Kingdom, who lacked any form of etiquette, immediately tried to show off their strength to Xia Fei.
*Whoosh~*
Before that bald admiral pointing at Xia Fei had the time to draw back his finger, Xia Fei shot over to his side. Xia Fei was a speed ability user, who could move at more than thirty thousand meters per second, so no one here managed to see how he moved. It was akin to the legendary instantaneous movement, disappearing and arriving at once.
*Clack crack!*
Xia Fei lifted that bald admiral high in the air like a chicken. The admiral’s four limbs had been broken by him and hung limply in the air like a cloth bag.
Before the general could feel fear, Xia Fei clenched his fingers. *Crack!*
The large head tilted to the side, and a greenish-purple tongue emerged from his mouth.
Shock!
Extreme shock!
No one had thought that Xia Fei would kill someone in the palace at the slightest provocation!