Mage And Wolf
Chapter 147

Chapter 147: Chapter 147

Everyone is twitchy on the run over to the Sacred Thunder Sect, paranoid at the idea they might be attacked and looted. Even the reassurance that they’re safe with us and Mica, one of the few Immortals in this world, isn’t enough to calm their nerves.

In the end, Mica threatens to confiscate their creations if they don’t shut up about them, and that’s enough to remind them that nobody knows yet that they’ve got valuables.

The Sect’s surroundings are even more packed than we feared. Thousands of Dragon Clergy, over a hundred different Sects, many who seem to have brought their entire Inner Court with them, plus tens of thousands of nobles from the surrounding countries, are all here to celebrate.

"Karl, I hate to ask this now, but you made a Royal Robe for Mica, didn’t you?"

He laughs at my seriously belated realization that this is a formal affair. "Yes, though the totem insists hers is different. It seems the exact design is individual, and I find out what it is when I start creating."

"Let’s change before anyone spots us then."

Mica’s robes are a layer lighter than mine. Black then gold base layers, with folded green and then white over the top of them. Green makes up the collar, mantle and tassel, with the expected gold chains, but blue and white Jade stones are called for this time. I’m not sure how the colour code is determined, but it looks pretty good.

Everyone’s startled when the three of us reappear in our full Royal Regalia after Karl finishes enchanting Mica’s new outfit.

"Well, do you like it? High Priestess Mica looks amazing, right?" I smile, patting her on the back.

"It’s stunning. The ancient Royal Robes before my very eyes" Michelle sighs.

"Lead the way, High Priestess. You’re the guest of honour at this event." I gently shove Mica forward and notice she’s gliding above the ground instead of stumbling. How very elegant these robes make you.

A few of the outer ranks of camped Sects notice us and start gathering to witness the spectacle. From their point of view, it looks like three Royals with an honour guard sent by ten different groups making their way to the compound.

The faithful of the Dragon Gods all bow, while most of the Martial Cultivators give a closed fist salute to the Immortal leading our procession. It’s quite the spectacle as the crowd parts, and we all offer polite little waves, looking around to make eye contact and smile where possible. First Impressions make or break you sometimes, and we want Mica to impress.

We’re greeted at the Outer Sect gates by none other than Sect Master Qin himself, with Elder Choi and three others.

"Welcome Your Highnesses to the Sacred Thunder Sect. As you can see, much of the world is eagerly awaiting your arrival." Sect Master Qin greets us.

"A pleasure as always, Sect Master. This time I have prepared well in advance, though the crowd size has surprised me. I have evening banquets for a thousand prepared for seven nights of celebration," I greet him back.

"An entire week of banquets?" Elder Choi looks shocked. "Not that I didn’t expect a week-long celebration, but that is an astounding amount of food."

Good thing I have Karl to Summon ingredients and the Giant’s storage bag turned tent manor to store the prepared meals in.

"You would be surprised what we’re capable of, given a bit of time to prepare, Elder Choi."

"Washington," Karl whispers in my ear, and I break out laughing.

"You know that’s not what I meant, High Priest" I emphasize his title, hopefully reminding him that the whole fiasco was his idea and, therefore, his fault.

"What’s a Washington?" Sect Master Qin asks, his hearing better than expected.

"An offering to the Death God," Karl shrugs, but the sect master doesn’t understand what he means.

"Oh, I’ve never seen an offering to the Death God. What was it like?" he asks. This should be good.

"Are you familiar with the incident at Golden Field Sect? Something like that, but more than a warning." I tell him, doing my best to derail Karl’s fun before it causes issues.

Elder Choi is trying not to laugh, discretely pointing towards a man with a sheaf of wheat on his robes in the distance. It must be from the Golden Field Sect. Oh great, he’s coming over here.

"Greetings, Highness" the man bows politely to Mica and then again to Karl and Me.

"Sect Master, we were just discussing the tragedy that occurred within your Sect. Has there been any news on the culprit?" Elder Choi asks. He’s got a pretty good concerned face for the guy who ordered it in the first place.

"Not yet. All leads have led nowhere. I had hoped the High Priest of the Death God might know something? I’m told their God reveals much to those in favour."

Karl nods for me to make something up on his behalf. "All the Goddess has revealed to us is that it was a warning. Once to correct your behaviour and again to let you know it wasn’t an accident, and they weren’t sorry."

He looks a little pale, so I change the topic. "I’m told you also have a skilled chef in your Sect. I was made aware their cookies are delicious." Seriously, I need that recipe.

"Why yes, the Golden Cookies are a delicacy of the sect. Might you have time to meet? She has heard amazing things about your skills as well." Excellent.

"Please do send her by this evening, and we can talk food" I smile happily, eager to get a new cookie recipe.

"New Toy," Mica giggles, and Karl pats my head. Keep up like that, and I’ll eat the cookies myself.

Sect Master Qin leads us all into the same pagoda-type building we stayed in last time, and the disciples excuse themselves to find their Sects and give them the good news. That should help the reputation of the Cathedral.

Less than an hour later, a stout woman knocks at the door, bright red curls bringing a new sense of familiarity. But when I open the door, I’m sure. This is the Elder I stole the cookies from. I’m glad I left her alive.

The Voice of the Goddess laughs in the back of my head at this thought. Was this Elder spared just because I’d want her recipe?

Everyone else quickly flees the vicinity of the kitchen as we talk cooking and trade non-mystic cooking recipes. It’s almost midnight before we’re done, and the kitchen is full of cookies and cakes.

Today was a good day.

Dawn brings the procession of dignitaries wanting to pay their respects to High Priestess Mica, many of them greatly startled to see our robes as we stand behind her chair as bodyguards.

I’ve got a good feeling someone is going to die today. It’s all smiles and celebration in the air, but Karl seems to feel it too. So, once the vast reception room is about to be completely filled, I excuse myself for a moment but only step out of sight behind the curtain and return to my place Shadow Melded.

They take the bait, a man immediately steps up to draw Karl’s attention with a stupid question about his robes, and an assassin using an invisibility pill sneaks towards the throne that the Sacred Thunder provided for High Priestess Mica.

Unfortunate for him that I can see him, and by the way, his eye twitches, so can Karl. I move to stand directly between the assassin and Mica. He’s so focused on getting to the target before I return that he didn’t even notice my aura, the usual way the Shadow Meld technique is detected.

His cultivation is low; I don’t think he’s from a Sect. Likely a nobles private assassin.

His dagger strike hits my armour with a resounding bang, and I grab his wrist, dropping Shadow Meld while Karl casts a spell to break the invisibility.

"You’re in a world of trouble, young man," I inform him, and he promptly swallows a poison pill hidden in his mouth. Before it’s even down his throat, I force his jaw open and throw a grade 4 antidote pill after it.

"Escaping the Death God by suicide? You didn’t think that through, did you?" Karl asks him in all seriousness.

"You’ll never get me to answer your questions," he snarls, and I laugh.

"Again, you didn’t think this through. I’m not going to ask you questions. I don’t care who sent you or why. You see, I’ve been practicing a technique called Death by a Thousand Cuts. But I just can’t seem to get them to die on exactly the thousandth cut, and you just volunteered to help." The assassin is crying now.

"Don’t worry, though; I have lots of regeneration pills; you won’t die until I have the technique perfected," I reassure him with a surge of energy that breaks his hand, forcing him to drop the knife.

"You know what the most offensive part of this is?" Karl asks, looking around. "He didn’t even have the power to harm High Priestess Mica even if we didn’t catch him" True, an immortal has an innate energy layer around them; it takes some force to get through it. More than this low-grade assassin is able to exert.