Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Fighting Side by Side
Siger’s eyes, watching his City Lord’s actions, also couldn’t help but narrow slightly.
His heart was even more shocked.
The Sky Spirit Clan is a species with a very strict concept of hierarchy, where different Sky Spirit People are divided into different strata based on their own strength, bloodline, and Talent.
Yet the City Lord’s current attitude was no longer that of an equal, but rather, he had placed himself a level lower!
At this moment, Shen Qian and the others were still unaware of these cultural nuances, simply able to sense the enthusiasm of City Lord Ke Yi.
The assistance just now had indeed lessened the difficulty significantly.
Now, under the escort of the City Lord and a large contingent of City Guard Mage Legions that had arrived subsequently, they made their way to the City Lord Mansion.
This was the most magnificent building in the city.
Its area was no less than that of a large palace, filled everywhere with the aura of Magic Power, and there were even some buildings floating directly in mid-air; as they had just arrived, a group of uniformly dressed young and beautiful Sky Spirit People, resembling maids, approached to serve them, with utmost reverence.
Even the most ruthless stages of the feudal period in Human Civilization did not seem as rigid in hierarchy as here.
Even among these serving Sky Spirit People, there seemed to be a clear hierarchy.
Some knelt on the ground to serve, while others only needed to bow their heads.
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However, it was indeed splendid, the City Lord Mansion seemed to come alive, and there were even Magic Flying Cars arriving; many Sky Spirit People who were obviously from the top echelons were rushing over in their extravagant attire.
At last, the grand hall where the banquet was hosted was filled with all sorts of exquisite food.
Luckily, everyone in Shen Qian’s envoy had exceptionally good manners; facing such a luxurious scene, they simply looked on with smiles, not showing too much astonishment.
Even in the process, they deepened their understanding of this civilization.
Only when everyone had arrived did the melodious music start, and the grand hall suddenly shone in golden magnificence. City Lord Ke Yi, standing at the main platform, lightly clapped his hands and said, “Citizens of Ogen City, today we have the honor of welcoming distinguished guests from the distant Human Civilization. They have come bearing friendship and have shown us their respectable strength. Let us welcome them with the highest courtesy of the Sky Spirit People.”
The next moment, all the Sky Spirit People’s green patterns, akin to exquisite tattoos, erupted with the glow of Magic Power.
Each one’s face bore a reserved smile, and their eyes were filled with curiosity.
In the eyes of Shen Qian and his group, this gesture seemed to have additional meanings.
Because under this surge of Magic Power, everyone’s Level could be clearly seen, resembling a deliberate display.
At this moment, Ke Yi’s body was also surging with a glow, even stronger than anyone else’s, which added an intangible majesty to him.
“Distinguished guests,” Ke Yi turned and smiled at Shen Qian and the others who were the focus of attention, “this is a long-standing culture of our Sky Spirit People. For those meeting for the first time, to display their Magic Power to each other is the highest form of courtesy.”
“Our civilization also has a culture,” Shen Qian said with a smile, “called ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ meaning that when you go to a place, you should respect the culture of that place.”
The next moment, including Shen Qian, the power began to surge from everyone in the envoy!
It might not necessarily be Magic Power; it also included Spiritual Energy, and even Liu Ruoxi’s Shura Blade Intent—in short, they were displaying their power in various ways.
Though they were just over a dozen people, at this moment, they effortlessly suppressed all the Sky Spirit People present!
The faces of some of the weaker Sky Spirit People even showed slight discomfort under this onslaught.
However, this did not make anyone uncomfortable, some even stepped back in admiration and surprise at the sight of these envoys, then bowed their heads in respect.
Because these envoys from the Human Civilization were all over 10 levels in strength!
In the past, that would have been the pinnacle of the civilization!
In Ogen City today, there were only a handful of individuals who had reached this level!
Especially the two strongest among them; many had never seen such formidable power before!
The expression on Ke Yi’s face became visibly more solemn.
“Once again, we welcome our powerful guests,” Ke Yi paused and continued, “We are extremely honored to represent the Sky Spirit Civilization in welcoming everyone. But, as you have seen, under the threat of the Civilization Trial, our entire civilization is engulfed in war. For any slight discourtesy, I hope you will understand.”
“There is no need for such formalities,” Shen Qian’s expression also became somewhat solemn, as he had realized that these Sky Spirit People were quite serious in formal occasions, “We have come to seek cooperation and mutual benefit. Faced with the harsh Civilization Trial, all civilizations should stand united and overcome the Trial together.”
“Exactly,” Ke Yi nodded.
Basic consensus was reached at that moment.
However, just when Shen Qian thought they were going to discuss some matters in detail, Ke Yi spoke again, “Please enjoy the banquet, envoys. This banquet is the highest standard of Ogen City, featuring many rare delicacies. As for myself, I must ask for your forgiveness, as the intensity of the Undead onslaught is increasing, I need some time to handle it.”
“…”
Shen Qian discovered that, apart from the concept of levels, a slow pace was also a cultural feature of this civilization.
He felt that it was best not to drag things out any longer.
So he took the initiative and said, “Lord Ke Yi, we are here to tackle the Civilization Trial together. Since we stand on the same front, I think there is no better place to receive us than the battlefield. Why not let us go there together? We will quickly deepen our understanding of each other by fighting side by side.”
Ke Yi seemed not to have expected Shen Qian to say this.
He fell silent.
According to the customs of the Sky Spirit People, even during wartime, guests should not be involved in war. Moreover, even if defeated in war, every effort should be made to ensure guests reach a safe place.
Let alone asking guests to step onto the battlefield.
This was the honor of the Sky Spirit People.
“Lord Ke Yi,” Shen Qian, sensing his hesitation, spoke again, “In our civilization, there is also a saying, ‘Special situations require special responses.’ We have come to seek comrades in arms, not to enjoy banquets.”
“I understand. Since this is the request of you envoys, please,” Ke Yi finally agreed.
The situation on the battlefield was actually not optimistic, and the strength of these envoys who had traveled far was plain to see. Although it was dishonorable to let guests participate in war, in the face of a crisis sweeping across the whole world, it was indeed no time for pedantry.
Moreover, one of Ke Yi’s tasks was to assess the strength of Human Civilization.
The plan had been to gauge this through negotiations and sparring later on.
But now, understanding through the battlefield seemed to be a method as well.
The banquet ended like that, and it was apparent that many of the Sky Spirit People were caught off guard.
However, Ke Yi raised his hand, addressing everyone, “Ladies and gentlemen, the war in Ogen City has reached a critical moment. Even guests from afar have stepped onto the battlefield. We have no reason to shrink back. Everyone, arm yourselves, assemble your legions, and follow me into battle!”
“Yes!” Everyone replied in a solemn tone.
Still, Shen Qian could clearly sense their unease.
It had not been like this before.
It was as if the atmosphere had changed suddenly.
The cultural habits of different civilizations indeed were hard to understand. However, as an envoy, Shen Qian’s role was to understand as much as possible.
Afterward, they boarded the flying car once again.
Ke Yi seemed to have many things to do and, after apologizing, hastily left. Siger stayed to explain the situation on the battlefield to them.
“The Undead possess greater power when they gather together than when they are dispersed,” Siger, now clad in a fine set of war armor instead of the previous splendid attire, respectfully said to Shen Qian and the others, “In Ogen City right now, the Undead occasionally appear in scattered groups. But these are just harassment tactics. We have already discovered a large gathering of Undead within the Undead World. Once they assemble in sufficient numbers, they will burst into the Main World at the first opportunity, spreading death rapidly…”
Shen Qian and the others listened carefully.
In their war against the Undead, the situation was actually similar.
Scattered Undead were not fearsome, especially after the alarm systems had gradually improved. Every household had amulets and other means to ward off evil. The weaker Undead were always detected early and then patrol personnel would arrive promptly.
The ones that could truly bring more death were the Undead gathering together under the summon of the Ghost King.
When such a number of Undead surged forth at once, even if the patrol teams arrived swiftly, they could not avert the loss of civilian lives.
So, even though Human Civilization had basically suppressed the Undead, a substantial number of people still died at their hands every day; it just didn’t escalate into a large-scale catastrophe.
Shen Qian turned to look at Yang Jun.
“General Yang, what’s your take on this?”
Upon hearing this title, Siger’s gaze toward Yang Jun became more solemn.
“I’d like to ask,” Yang Jun keenly picked up on some information in Siger’s words, “does your side have the ability to enter the Undead World on a large scale?”
“Yes,” Siger answered, “It’s a creation of a Sage. With the combined effort of over a thousand magicians, we can temporarily open a portal into the Undead World!”
This response startled Shen Qian and the others somewhat.
After all, up to now, the only way for humans to enter the Undead World was with Shen Hao’s power!
If it weren’t for Shen Hao’s power spread throughout the world, the battlefield would still be confined to the Main World.