Chapter 1457: Opening Ceremony (1)
Dinael woke up at her usual time, six in the morning. Her habit was to go to the window and open it. The cold breeze hit her face, and that was a comforting breeze. That was the habit she developed over time during her stay in the Tang Empire for seven months.
She stretched her hands out, looking at the crowded street. Nothing new as the stream of people coming toward the building she stayed in. She learned this building was the center of government of the Tang Empire. Her room was in the same building, on the eighteenth floor.
While enjoying the morning breeze in Tang Empire's style pajamas. She heard a light knock on her room three times.
"Your breakfast is ready, Miss Dinael,"
Dinael opened her eyes and went to the door. Her attendant sent her a breakfast of her choice. She liked the tea drink, this world's famous drink, and the toasted toast with peanut butter.
"Thank you, Lei," Her attendant's name was Wan Lei. Lei had taught her a lot of the customs of the Tang Empire during her stay.
Wan Lei nodded her head politely, "I will be waiting in my room, Miss Daniel. If you have a plan for today, please inform me so I can get the approval for you. Enjoy your breakfast."
Dinael let out a chuckle as she brought the plate and the cup of tea to the window. She was a hostage, and yet The Tang Empire gave her great treatment. It was as if she was on a holiday. A personal maid, and five guards around her.
She knew the guards were meant to keep a watch on her. But if she ignored the fact that she was a hostage. It felt like she was a princess on a vacation. She did not expect to receive such a treatment.
Back then, she thought The Tang Empire would torture her and isolate her completely. She had imagined the worst such as getting interrogated for her to tell about the Divine Church and Nirvana Alliance. That just never happened.
In fact, she had more freedom than a hostage. She was allowed to go outside as long as the guards followed her. There were some parts that were restricted, but she was allowed to visit most of the area.
"Where should I go today?" She looked at the white tower that was recently built.
The white tower was part of the Tang Empire's academy project. After staying for more than seven months. It was hard to believe that she lost the war against the Tang Empire.
She could see that the empire still lacked the fundamentals. They had not yet established the proper system to have a strong force. But then she remembered that they were not fighting The Tang Empire back then. They were fighting one person, a single person who was The Emperor of this empire, and was defeated.
Dinael remembered there was no army behind him. He was alone with his spirits. That was a painful memory for her because she lost someone precious to her, Eol. The Divine Dragon who had been looking over her since she was a kid.
She shook her head and finished her breakfast. There was no specific place for her to visit today, so she decided to take a stroll. Maybe she would find something interesting.
Dinael informed Wan Lei about her stroll plan before going back to take a bath and changing into a comfortable dress. Wan Lei returned with the approval. Just as usual, she gained the approval for her daily stroll.
"Do you have a specific place in mind, Miss Dinael?" Wan Lei asked politely.
"Hmmm.... I don't know. Let's see where my heart takes me today," Dinael shook her head.
There was a place in her mind, the newly founded academy. She was curious about the white tower. Not that she intended to investigate it or anything. But she was just curious what the white tower was for.
The Tang Empire was not afraid of her informing Nirvana. A month after the truce, she was given a bracelet. The bracelet not only drained her mana but also prevented her from accessing The System. She could not make contact with her family, but she would have a call with her father once a week. That was to ensure that she was safe in The Tang Empire, making sure the Tang Empire abided by the agreement.
This bracelet was the reason she could stroll freely outside like this.
Her attendant and the five guards led her to the elevator. It usually took longer for the elevator to come since it was morning, one of the busiest times. But the elevator opened so quickly this morning, and there was a familiar face inside.
Dinael recognized the person. A woman with long, wavy purple hair, wearing the same color dress. She was one of the Emperor's wives, Elinova.
Dinael entered the elevator and greeted Elin with a bow, "Good morning, Madam Elinova."
"Good morning, Miss Dinael," Elin returned the greeting with a big smile, "Do you have a plan for this morning, Miss Dinael?"
Dinael shook her head, "No. I will just go around and go wherever my eyes lead me to."
Madam Elinova was one of the kindest people in this foreign place. The first time she went out, she met Madam Elinova. The lady kindly showed her around, making her food. Sometimes, Madam Elinova would bring her for volunteer work with Madam Elinova. Her company always put her heart at ease. Her presence is just comforting for her.
"There's an opening ceremony for The Tang Academy, and more events such as a fighting tournament, blacksmith competition, and alchemy competition? There are several competitions. Are you interested?"
Dinael was interested in coming, of course. This would be the first event in the Tang Empire. But then she looked unsure. She did not know if she could attend the event because of her identity.
"Ah, right. Let me ask Mengyao if you can come. There should not be an issue for you to come, but let me ask first," Elin read what was in Dinael's mind.
"I am interested in the event, but yeah, I am not sure if I am allowed to attend the opening ceremony," Dinael spoke in her mind.
Zhang Mengyao, the name left a deep impression. To her, Zhang Mengyao was aloof, intimidating, and had an air of authority around her. That was weird for her to be intimidated by someone weaker than her, but that was what she felt when she met Zhang Mengyao. That first meeting made her realize why that woman was The Supreme General.
The moment Elin mentioned the name. That made her nervous for some unknown reason.
"Mengyao has given her permission. You are allowed to attend the event," Elin said, and at the same time, the elevator's door opened. They had reached the lobby, one of the crowded floors in this building.
Dinael was relieved to hear the good news. She thought of visiting the white tower, and it looked like the academy was not one of the restricted areas for her.
She came out together with Elin as the attendant followed her closely with one of the guards opening a path for them. Despite the event, she was surprised there were still many people who came here instead of going to the event.
Most of the people were wearing armor and a weapon of their respective choice. But they were not part of the Tarrior or TEIS. They were the people who wanted to be an adventurer or an actual adventurer.
One of many things that he did not understand was why The Tang Empire agreed to establish this organization. In her eyes, The Adventurer Guild was the same as the foreign force as they were not related to Tarrior or TEIS in any way. This Adventurer Guild might become a threat in the future if they grew too strong.
The weirder thing was the fact that the Adventurer Guild became popular among the people. That was also weird because from what she knew. The adventurers were taking on the odd job that the Tarrior would not do. Dinael could not see the benefit of the adventurers, from the adventurers' perspective or the empire's perspective.
On the way out, she overheard a few conversations about the opening ceremony and the fighting tournament. The interesting one was that high-ranking military officers joined the fighting tournament. This would be the chance for her to see how strong The Tang Empire's force was.
These adventurers were scared of joining because of that even though the tournament was split into a few divisions based on rank. The Myth Rank was the highest ranking division, meaning those above Myth Rank were not allowed to participate.
Elin caught what Dinael had been listening to and came closer, "I can sneak you into the fighting tournament if you are interested. You can't buy the ticket to watch because the ticket has been sold out."
Dinael was surprised, but it made sense that the empire would charge money to watch. She was grateful that she had Elin who was willing to help her.
"Thank you, Madam Elinova."
Elin nudged her waist and whispered, "Don't call me Madam. It makes me sound old. Call me Sister Elin, or you can call my name."
Dinael looked around, hesitating. It was inappropriate to call Elin casually. She was The Emperor's wife, after all. But the look on Elin's face made her unable to refuse the request.
"Yes, Sister Elin. But please let me address you formally when there are other people around," Dinael conceded.
Elin smiled widely and hooked Dinael's arm, pulling her, and heading to the academy.