Secrets of the Universe

With the departure of the Four stars, the celebration quickly moved on to the next stage.

As if instantly, a group of people walked up to the stage. They looked different from the normal nobles and judging by the crowd's reaction, they were likely, not well known.

The strange group wore white robes with a white fire emblem imprinted on them. One of them carried a small box as he walked behind the group.

"Oh, I know who they are," whispered one of the nobles.

"Yes, my father once told me about that emblem. It belongs to the Lahote Kingdom," whispered another.

"Snap! Why didn't I think of that?" commented another.

"Most likely because your head is full of food," one of them took a jab at the other.

"Still, what are they doing here?"

"Are you an idiot? This is the King's celebration. They have to be here!" shouted a noble at his friend.

Jake listened to the juicy conversation as Lahote's representatives walked up to the stage.

They bowed in front of the King to show their respect.

The representative in the middle of the group wore a robe that had the word "ambassador" imprinted at the back.

He spoke, "King Caspian. It is our honor to present to you our gift."

He kept his words brief and addressed the King with his name. Seeing as he was from another kingdom, he didn't have to address the King with too much respect.

The ambassador glanced at the representative at the back, hinting at him to come forward.

The representative, receiving the hint, came in front of the King, then knelt down, while presenting the box he was carrying.

He opened the small box, revealing inside a small pillow with a delicate blue-gray pill sitting comfortably on it.

The ambassador took charge, "Clear Sight Pill. King Caspian, I'm guessing you know what this is?"

The King replied, "Yes, this is exclusively for [Realm 3] cultivators. It increases their perceptiveness to an excessive amount. However, it is only for one day."

The ambassador smiled, "Yes, King Caspian. As you know, our Kingdom deals with imported pills from Oceanic Turtle Sect. We sell them out to other kingdoms."

He paused as he proudly smiled, "We present this rare pill to you as a token of or greetings. Lahote Kingdom hopes to see you around more."

The King broadly laughed with his well-trimmed beards, "Hahaha, when I visit your Kingdom, I will be sure to send my thanks to your King."

He took the small box and put it behind his seat, where the other gifts were.

After presenting, the Lahote's representative left the stage and allowed the other kingdoms to go up.

This time, the group to go up the stage wore expensive suits. They were dressed in style and one of them also carried a small silver box.

On their suits was a volcano emblem, the emblem of the Brilliant Kingdom!

Their ambassador bowed to the King. He snapped his fingers and brought forward their small box.

In a humble tone, he said, "My King. Brilliant Kingdom congratulates you on your successful birthday."

He paused as ordered his subordinates to open the small box.

The opening of the box spread forth a bright blue burst of light that temporarily blinded the eyes of the weaker ones among the crowd.

After the light settled, the box revealed an azure crystal.

Brilliant's ambassador smiled, "It is common knowledge that our Kingdom is blessed with rich minerals, which has values to even cultivators. This crystal is one of our rarest crystals. It is called Azure Halldumene, also known as Holy crystal."

The ambassador's words erupted a surge of chatter among the crowd.

The way they reacted told Jake that the crystal was surely a big deal.

"Shit! It is a holy crystal. I heard it went extinct in the last war," gossiped one of the female nobles.

"I heard it dried up underground," commented her friend.

As he was confused, Jake looked around for his best informant.

As soon as he saw him, he went to him and asked, "Gavin, what is this holy crystal?"

Gavin, who was among his noble friends, looked at him strangely, "You don't know it!"

"Well, I never had someone to tell me," replied Jake as he feigned an expression of Sadness.

Examining Jake, Gavin didn't buy the lie, but judging by Jake's unbelievable background, he just ignored it.

He explained to Jake, "Well, basically, a holy crystal is any mineral that has a positive influence on Zombies and other Netherans.

Now, zombies are negatively inclined and when they come in contact with something of a positive nature, they lose some of their attributes."

He further explained, "Many people may not know this, but the Azure Halldumene is a type of holy crystal that helps resist the effects of a zombie's bite.

Carrying it with you, the presence of the crystal could allow you to take more than 10 zombie bite without turning into one--"

Gavin's friend intervened, "Hi, I'm Danni Richmond. I just want to add that the crystal was used in the last Nether war. Many warriors had a large supply of it.

Though, it was only effective in this part of the world, as Netherans in the other parts of the world are rumored to be stronger and more diverse."

Gavin backed him up, "One day, I would love to see the outside world. The furthest place I have been to is the outskirts of the Dark Forest."

His eyes gleamed as he dreamed of visiting various continents and planets.

Jake used the chance to ask about the outside world, "What do you think the outside world is like?"

Gavin replied, "I don't really know anything other than the map of the southern continent."

An unknown voice interrupted, "Well, the planet is divided into five continents, corresponding to their respective cardinals."

Jake recognized the owner of the voice. It was Prince Roan!

Roan nodded at the other nobles, as he continued speaking, "Our continent is called Blue Cloud Planet, due to the blue clouds."

He made a joke, which earned the laughter of the other nobles.

After the laughter subsided, Roan explained, "The Southern, Northern, Western, and Eastern Continent are almost the same when it comes to the economy, peak power, and resources.

However, the central continent is the giant of our planet. Interestingly enough, they are ruled by sects, not Kingdom, with their branches present in each continent."

One of the nobles tried to kiss the prince's ass, "Wow, leave it to the prince to be well knowledgeable."

As this group of nobles chatted, the crowd rose to an uproar as the final kingdom took to stage.

Their representatives wore full leather combat armor as they walked with dignity to the King.

On each of their armor was a giant sword imprinted on it. They were the emblems of the Silver Kingdom.

Seeing this, Prince Roan took the chance to chat up his newfound friends, "Silver Kingdom. They are our closest rivals in the southern continent. As all kingdoms have their perks, apart from Aztec, which is known for its balance, the Silver Kingdom is known for their production of armors and wonderful weapons."

He talked as the Silver Kingdom's representatives carried a heavy chest. It required the full effort of three of them to lift it up.

Prince Roan smiled, "Although, they are our rivals, we are quite close to them. In fact, I like them more than the other kingdoms. I have had a chance to visit Silver Kingdom before, and I must say, it is quite a nice place."

The representatives allowed their ambassador to talk, "King Caspian. Our Queen sends her regards. She, on behalf of our Kingdom, presents to you this…."

Monitoring the ambassador's word, one of the representatives opened the heavy chest.

It exposed what was hidden within it, a silver-plated armor that consisted of every armor piece one could mention.

They brought out the armor, piece by piece, and showed it personally to the King and the crowd.

The nobles were stunned as such an intricate piece of work. They could tell that many decisions were made on the armor, as it looked like it would exactly fit the King.

Roan broadly smiled, "That is exactly like the kingdom. They gave him something he could comfortably fight in."

Jake thought, "Why the need for that many armor pieces. It is not perfect. As expected, light armor is the best."

On the stage, the Silver Kingdom's ambassador presented, "We named it the Queen's warmth, in honor of the dead Queen. It is made from various precious metals and inscribed on it is an energy gathering array that would help you absorb energy much faster.

In it, we look forward to you making the continent better."

The King bellowed, "Hahaha, I can already see the amount of sweat poured into this beauty. Thank you, I will cherish it forever."

While watching it, Jake felt a sharp pain in his head accompanied by the familiar irritation he sensed.

Swiftly, he figured out the reason, "The person is close by."

As soon as he thought that, a feminine voice reached the ears of Prince Roan, "Brother, why didn't you introduce me to your friends?"

Jake turned his head to see the female person, "The person is…. a "she"!"

His senses went haywire as his eyes connected with the eyes of the Princess.

Jake went on guard, as he saw the princess icily smirk at him....