NOVPUB’Wait a minute...is this that [Chaos Aura] thật you gúy were talking about?,’ Zhen Liu asked Logos and Pathos as he tried to comprehend how warriors this old were just rolling with being treated like children. Then again, Tortallion was highly intimidating.
<Bingo! Although, this reaction is new to me...I think.> 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
=Normally, the innate [Chaos] you and the kaijin produce make your opponents feel more aggravated, hence they act ruder, cruder and tend to be easier to deal with in straightforward brawls.=
’Huh...I guess in Tortallion’s case though, they amp up the shame and they get more...childish?’
<=From the looks of it, yes.=>
...
Much to the chagrin to the beleaguered attackers from the Undertow Council, Zhen Xun Tian and Tortallion continued to gossip with one another like doting grandparents right in front of them. That stated, not even the Zhen Clan delegation was safe from the friendly fire.
<<Let me tell you, I was just as pissed as you were, if not angrier, when I heard that my nephew decided to elope with a princess. I think I sent three different bounty hunters after him.>>
<<Oh, so that explains the Hoof Speech accents. I thought I was losing my mind.>>
<<Ha!>>
This went for a couple of moments before, mercifully, Tortallion and Zhen Xun Tian both agreed that their conversation would be better continued in the throne room proper.
<<Alright, enough jibber jabber. Come on councilmen, time to do your jobs.>>
...
’Interesting...’
Off to the side, and hidden with a mix of innate bloodline skills and [Chaos], Terra had watched the failed ambush unfold.
Her original intention was to intervene if the Zhen Clan delegation proved themselves to be unable to defend themselves against the Undertow Council’s initiation. In that scenario, she would’ve earned the favor of the Zhen Clan delegation and be able to get to know them more in a more intimate manner.
However, that plan turned out to be for naught.
In the same moment she was set to intervene, the Zhen Clan warriors had managed to exceed hers and the council’s expectations by actively leveraging [Chaos] and defending themselves with it.
That stated, amongst the Zhen Clan warriors that deserved the most praise for their actions, she couldn’t help but to keep her eyes on two.
The deceptively kind looking one who not only deflected the attack but was about to bring about retribution, and the large one who managed to cut through the attack in such a clean manner. As for the other two, she only found them mildly interesting due to their [Chaos] being very similar to the ones she’s seen at home.
’Papa said one of the younger ones were the Kaijin Lord...so is it the kind one or the large one? Hmm...’
...
<<Greetings, honored guests. I am the Council Leader, Bing Feng. And these are my fellow councilmen, Feng Wei and Deng Li. I see you have met with the other council members.>>
<<Oh yeah, very warm welcome.>>
’Huh...I guess they weren’t kidding about this place being the former throne room.’
The first thing that immediately caught Zhen Liu’s attention when they first arrived to the throne room was the large round table that was in the dead center of the room.
From what Zhen Liu could see, the table itself was made of rather normal wood. Surrounding the table were at least a dozen seats, some of which appeared to be well-worn, while the others were too pristine to be considered used. Zhen Liu could sense the faint traces of [Chaos] on them, with three of the seats radiating power he had once interacted with.
’And they all have sea creatures carved into the backs...I wonder why...’
Pass the table though was the aformentioned throne, which at first, appeared to be made from the remains of a giant shell. But upon closer inspection, and once they noticed the faint aura of dragon force coming off of it, one would notice that the throne was actually a solid piece of pearl white scale.
If one knew their history in regards to the Pearl Scale Empire, they wouldn’t need to guess where this scale came from...but Zhen Liu figured he should ask anyways. After all, people loved to brag about their history and tended to be in a better mood when allowed to do so.
<<Pardon me, councilmen, before we start this meeting, that throne in the back...is that made from the scale of the Pearl Scale Emperor?>>
<<Why, yes it is,>> Council Leader Bing Feng confirmed with a nod and a smile. <<The Storm Queen claimed it when she managed to injure the Pearl Scale Emperor in a duel many years ago. It was actually on this throne that she managed to negotiate the first peace treaty between us and the Empire.>>
<<Interesting...>>
With the mood a bit lighter, the councilmen attackers returned their seats with significantly more neutral expressions on their faces than how they were moments before.
<<Sir Tortallion. As always, we saved you your seat.>>
<<Nah, I’m good.>>
As for Tortallion, he opted to stay standing and began to lean against a pillar that was still close to the table, all by his lonesome. However, when Zhen Liu turned his gaze in that direction, he swore he saw the faint shimmer of another presence of only for a moment.
Once all of the other councilmen were seated, the council leader gestures the Zhen Clan delegates to do the same.
<<Please.>>
<<Aight.>>
Whether it was due to instinct or design, Zhen Xun Tian ended up taking her seat at the one chair that had a giant squid design carved into the back. A design that looked very similar to the tattoo on her back.
As she sat, the giant squid’s image glowed for a brief moment before going dark.
<<Oooh. Fits me like a glove.>>
For a brief moment, Zhen Liu could swear he saw the eyes of the Undertow Councilmen widen for just a brief moment before returning to neutrality. A true politician keeps their hearts hidden, after all.
’If I have to hazard a guess, these seats were the personal chairs for the Storm Knights. I guess their ambient [Chaos] infused into the chairs to make them fit better...or something like that,’ Zhen Liu mentally noted as he took up a chair with a lobster design on the back.
No glowing or energy movement occurred as he did, much to his relief.
This pattern was consistent with Zhen Xun Po and Zhen Feng as they took up their seats in chairs with a sawtooth shark and hammerhead shark, respectively.
However, something weird happened when Zhen Hai took up his seat.
Perhaps it was fate, perhaps it was coincidence, but when Zhen Hai planted his butt in the seat with a great white shark carved in the back, the aforementioned carving began to suddenly glow in the same manner as when Zhen Xun Tian took up her seat.
<<Huh. These are really comfortable.>>
Once again, the councilmen had shocked expressions on their faces when they saw the sight but managed to school their expressions otherwise. This time though, Zhen Liu was right there alongside with them.
...
’Logos...Pathos...I understand why my great grandaunt’s chair appears to be glowing...but why is Zhen Hai’s chair glowing too?’
<=If we had to hazard a guess, I think whatever lingering [Chaos] is in that chair seems to like him.=>
’Huh...should I be worried about that or not?’
<=Maybe. We never seen a proper inheritor for a kaijin other than your grandaunt before.=>
’Great...’
...
Once the Zhen Clan delegates were fully seated, the Undertow Council decided to go straight into the diplomatic stuff. Well, Zhen Xun Tian decided to anyways.
Decorum and regulation kind of got tossed out the window after the failed attack, after all.
<<So...do you want us to introduce ourselves, or is it safe to assume y’all already have an idea of who we are and why we’re here?>>
At this flippancy, Council Leader Bing Feng couldn’t help but to smile. It was...strangely nostalgic.
<<Well, if we’re throwing decorum out the door...we know that you’re all members of the Zhen Clan, which would’ve made you our enemy by blood right. But you’ve somehow earned the respect of our city’s guardian, so treating you as such would be unchivalrous.>>
<<Thanks for your honesty.>>
<<What we don’t know is, why you and your kin are here,>> Bing Feng continued. <<It can’t be on Imperial Business because I don’t sense any of his bloodline here.>>
At that comment, both Zhen Feng and Zhen Hai directed subtled gazes at Zhen Liu, who turned his head away.
<<So if you don’t mind me asking, why are you and your kin here?>>
At this question, Zhen Xun Tian had a big smile on her face.
<<Straightforward...Xiao Po, would you mind taking lead on this. You have a better way with words than your old lady.>>
<<You’re just feeling lazy.>>
<<Same thing.>>
