Volume 2: Empire Chapter 63: Coming of Age Ceremony
Luke was also puzzled by Yomington's obviously biased remarks, but it was more appropriate for him to say these words than for himself. It would be best if the Cross was willing to give up some monopoly industries. Although the probability was small, it was still a point to strive for.
The ball was kicked to Gabriel's feet, and he naturally continued to fight for the benefits of the Cross.
Then began the arduous and long negotiations. When the excitement was high, both sides couldn't help but bang the table to communicate constructively.
But no matter how much the two sides quarreled, the general direction of the expansion of Nutao City remained unchanged. What they were fighting for was just how much of the big cake the Cross Society and Innovation Society could get.
After a round of negotiations, the expansion of Nutao City was officially included in the cabinet's agenda. Recently, Prime Minister Gabriel will formally submit the Nutao City Economic Zone Plan at the Imperial Cabinet Meeting.
Negotiations on dividing the cake will continue.
Luke, holding a dinner knife, not only has to negotiate with the Cross, but also with all the forces of the Empire. He is destined to be busier than before.
It also made everyone in the imperial capital, from the royal family to the peddlers, pay attention to the expansion plan of Nutao City. Those who had some spare money were thinking about how to find a way to take advantage of this upcoming opening to soar to the sky.
With the continuous coverage of major newspapers in the imperial capital, the wealth of Nutao City dazzled people's eyes, so that one piece of news did not receive widespread attention.
Crusader Engineering moves from secret development to commercialization.
Miss Clear Sky was hired by Crusader Engineering and has an occult laboratory under her command.
Luke knew that the future direction of the power system development was the integration of technology, and the integration of magic, alchemy, mysticism, machinery, and the extraordinary was not a simple stacking of technology. If the same thing is placed in different frameworks, someone may build a row of bungalows, while someone else can build a skyscraper.
The mysticism is a power system that has been developed and promoted by players. The inclusiveness it shows can perfectly embed other power systems into a framework dominated by the mysticism.
This is also the reason why the secret arts became a force that surpassed other powers in the later period.
The data Luke recorded in his phone gave him a secret technology tree that had been refined by countless players. What was limiting him from unleashing the potential of the secret technology tree was precisely the backward development of other power systems at this stage.
As esoteric resources become increasingly sufficient, how to make other power systems adapt to the esoteric arts becomes the problem Luke now has to solve.
Although Luke has taken over the City Alchemy Association of Raging Waves City, some traditional power systems are still under the authority of Saint Lun City.
In the Anno game, Qingkong is a character with high strength among players, and can easily clear all high-difficulty dungeons with full stars by relying on his skills. However, those top players and super-spending players who pursue the ultimate treat high-level dungeons as racing games, competing on how many seconds faster they can clear the level.
Therefore, there is still a lot of room for clear skies to improve.
After laying a solid foundation, the main body also needs to integrate other power systems to achieve a multiplicative increase in strength.
Participating in the Crusader Project is an opportunity to enter the Saint Len City research system.
Negotiations with Gabriel were difficult, but fortunately, some results were achieved each time. With the support of public opinion and various parties, the expansion plan of Nutao City was also advanced very quickly at the cabinet meeting.
The annexation of the six towns into the City of Raging Waves was a done deal, and all that was left was for Emperor Augustine to sign the order. However, Emperor Augustine deliberately delayed it, saying that he would sign the order after Princess Dale's coming-of-age ceremony was over.
Princess Dai'er's birthday is getting closer, and the festive atmosphere in the imperial capital is becoming more and more intense.
Luke gradually handed over the unimportant negotiations to Yomington, and took the time to receive Agatha's teachings on court etiquette.
Especially court dancing, it is not something you can master by just taking a few classes.
Although Luke didn't care about these etiquettes, always stepping on his female partner's feet while dancing was definitely more than just a disrespectful thing.
Turn around, move, stagger, exchange positions...
Ladies should have a light figure and men should walk steadily. In the middle, there are summoned fairies pulling magic rainbow strips and scattering fluorescent powder. Ladies of noble status are accompanied by fairies flying and holding their scarves or skirts.
If you want to avoid making a fool of yourself at a ball, you must first learn court fencing.
Court dance evolved from court fencing. In the beginning, court swordsmen performed fencing at banquets, and gradually it became court dance after the swords were removed.
Agatha was wearing a fencing outfit, holding a long sword in her right hand and a short sword in her left hand. Opposite her, Luke was wearing the same outfit.
Agatha stepped forward and placed her swords together.
"Attention, the contact of the sword guards is holding hands. The weaker one is the lady. Step back half a step, slide, turn, step sideways, slide, turn, step forward, step sideways, slide.
This is the most basic step, which is enough for you to deal with common situations. The steps required for dance battles are much more complicated, so you don't need to know them for now.
Now let's practice and follow my lead."
After practicing for a while, Luke was already familiar with the dance steps, but he just couldn't grasp the rhythm well. Fortunately, Agatha was a professional court dance master. Under her guidance, Luke successfully completed a dance step practice.
Next, add arm and upper body movements.
Since it is a dance evolved from fencing, of course there are attacks and evasions. However, after being improved, these movements have been given beauty, and after being performed by male and female dancers, they present a sense of both hardness and softness.
At the same time, the airflow and blasting effects generated by the collision of sword skills and energy are replaced by shuttle fairies, making the whole dance more graceful and gorgeous.
Agatha led Luke in intensive dance practice with the sword in both hands, while talking to distract him so that the dance steps would become his muscle reactions.
"Your first dance partner must be Dale. She is very kind and you saved her, so she won't make things difficult for you during the dance. If someone else invites you to dance, you need to be careful.
The impromptu court dance is a real sword fighting match. With your current proficiency in court sword fighting, any little noble girl can embarrass you."
The sword guards separated, the sword blades touched each other, and the two men switched positions.
Luke said, "After the dance, I will find a place to sit and drink. His Majesty will definitely send someone to contact me first, and the dance will have nothing to do with me."
The two took another step forward, their swords touched, Luke took a step forward, Agatha took a step back, and their eyes met.
"There's news from the palace that some guest rooms have been cleaned out, and my father might arrange for some young people he admires to stay overnight, giving Dale a chance to get to know them better.
You must be mentally prepared. It will take some time for your father to evaluate you this time."
This was unexpected news for Luke.
"Your Majesty is very serious about Princess Dale's coming-of-age ceremony, and seems to be really trying to choose a suitable husband for her."
Agatha sighed and said, "It is very difficult to guess his thoughts. In the past, the coming-of-age ceremonies of the royal princes and princesses were never so grand, and their marriages were all arranged by their father.
My father has a very strong desire for control.
But since Dai'er returned to the palace, some of his behaviors have changed a lot, and the love and care he showed to Dai'er is something we have never received before. "
Luke sensed Agatha's disappointment and said, "Are you jealous of Dale?"
Agatha's composure quickly recovered: "You stepped on my foot."
"I'm sorry!" Luke stepped back quickly.
Agatha hooked Luke's hilt with her own and pulled him in front of her: "At the dance, if you step on someone, just step on them. Don't mess up your steps.
continue!"
"Yes, Your Highness the Princess."
After a period of time, Luke's court etiquette and court dance have made great progress after being personally trained by the eldest princess.
The time has come for Princess Daier's coming-of-age ceremony.
Countless carriages gathered at the main gate of the palace from all directions, and the children of the nobility dressed in gorgeous dresses entered the palace through the corridor guarded by the court guards.
Luke rode directly into the palace in the royal carriage.
The space wall was crossed unknowingly, and the palace that just looked like a sticker suddenly came alive.
A majestic palace is surrounded by towering city walls, and the flag of the Golden Shield Empire is flying on the tip of the tower that rises like clouds.
Fully armed soldiers stood on guard post. From time to time, magic bullets shot into the air and then dispersed into raindrops carrying magical energy and drifted down, forming a colorful rainbow.
The burly trumpeters puffed out their cheeks and blew the several-meter-long trumpets. The long and ancient sounds seemed to be able to feel the profound heritage passed down by the empire.
People who came to attend Princess Dale's coming-of-age ceremony gathered in the palace hall. As a seeded player, Luke was invited to stand at the front row.
The children standing next to him were all from high-ranking officials and prominent families, all of them arrogant and unruly. They all looked at Luke intentionally or unintentionally, all with hostility in their eyes.
As a peer, Meteorite owns the Raging Waves City. He is much better than these playboys and is a strong competitor that everyone has to face.
Of course, the noble girls who came to the celebration had a different look on Luke.
For them.
If Princess Dale had not chosen the Falling Star, she would have had the opportunity to have a romantic encounter with him here, to heal his wounded heart with her tenderness and beauty, and then she would have become the Governor's wife, the richest woman in the world.
Two completely different gazes were focused on Luke, making him the most eye-catching focus in the hall before Princess Dale appeared.
Luke, on the other hand, doesn't care what the people around him think of him.
Dale was not his target at all. He came... to have a potential battle of strength with Emperor Augustine.
I am coming.
Do you dare to do anything to me?
After a while, as the music started, the hall fell silent. Then a gorgeous woman in extremely gorgeous clothes walked onto the stage, surrounded by ladies-in-waiting.
Everyone in the hall bowed to the woman and said in unison: "Good day, Your Majesty!"
The person who presided over Princess Dale's coming-of-age ceremony this time was Queen Christina of the Golden Shield Empire. It was probably because Emperor Augustine's health did not allow him to attend such a ceremony.
Christina was very young, about the same age as Agatha. She was the princess of the Kingdom of Lucien, a vassal state of the Golden Shield Empire. She married Emperor Augustine the Great three years ago and became the Empress of the Empire.
In fact, Christina was originally planning to marry the second prince Acrylic, but when the marriage was being discussed, Augustine the Great's original queen died.
Marrying Alex might not make her the empress of the empire, but marrying Augustine the Great would definitely make her the empress of the empire. So with King Lusien's extreme manipulation, Augustine the Great married Christina, who was supposed to be his daughter-in-law.
After marrying Augustine the Great, Queen Christina has been very low-key. She just reads books every day and hardly leaves the palace, so she has little sense of presence.
This time, Christina came to preside over Princess Dale's coming-of-age ceremony, and the first thing that made people marvel was her dignity and beauty as a queen.
Life in the deep palace has made Christina seem a little cold, and combined with her youthful appearance, her frosty temperament appears even more apparent.
Christina walked onto the stage without saying much. After welcoming the guests, she announced the start of the ceremony.
The music became high-pitched and holy, and the people in the hall automatically parted, leaving a corridor leading to the main entrance of the hall.
The red carpet was spread on the ground by magic.
The closed main door opened and Princess Dale walked in, dressed in her best.
The little fairy was flying in the air with a basket on her shoulder, and she kept taking flower petals out of the basket and sprinkling them into the air; the maid behind her was holding up the long dress for Princess Daier; people on both sides bowed and offered their blessings to the princess, and someone even recited a short poem to enhance Princess Daier's impression of themselves.
Dai'er displayed the dignity of a royal princess. She walked towards the stage without looking away amid the music and blessings.
Until she saw Luke standing in the front row.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Princess Dale's lips, and she recalled the wonderful experience with Luke in the downtown area.
Princess Dale's smile touches every man's heart. Her beauty is flawless and pure, making people want to protect her with all their strength.
But people soon discovered that Princess Dale was not looking at the queen on the stage, she was looking at... the meteorite.
Her smile is also a meteorite.
Suddenly, countless people became jealous, and hateful glances shot towards Luke like arrows.
What was even more devastating was that Princess Dale actually walked up to Luke and stopped, which was absolutely not in line with the procedure of the ceremony.
Princess Dale looked at Luke and said, "Does your promise to me still count?"
Luke didn't expect Dale to ask such a question at this time, so he had to answer: "I will definitely do what I promised you!"
"I'm waiting for you!"
Luke could tell from Dale's eyes that she did it on purpose. Such a brief and ambiguous conversation could be interpreted into a tens of thousands of words of colorful essays.
Dai'er, you have become bad!
"Hmm!" Facing the pressure from all around him, Luke could only utter a sound from his throat.
Dai'er knew what the occasion was, so she stopped teasing Luke and regained her composure and walked onto the stage.
She knelt down to Christina and called out respectfully, "Mother!"
