Chapter 382: Word Spreads, People Gather
Despite her best efforts to remain low-key, word of Second Queen Ancestor Ariana’s return to the Rockwell Kingdom spread rapidly, reaching every noble house and hall of power in the nation within days of her arrival.
Those who were close to the Royal Family, or who had a good history with the Rockwell Kingdom’s second ruling Monarch, rejoiced. Those who had less-cordial relations with The Crown slept a bit less comfortably upon learning that Ariana had decided to make an appearance after nearly a century of absence.
However, one thing was universal, every force of note in the kingdom immediately sent out a delegation to pay their respects to the former queen.
Needless to say, Ariana Rockwell’s schedule became incredibly hectic, as did Celestina Balfour’s as she was forced to play host to a huge number of diplomatic envoys.
Even some foreign powers who had close relationships with the Rockwell Kingdom dispatched ambassadors to meet with the former Rockwell Queen, most of them hoping to form closer ties with the powerful Mid-Rank Spirit Elite and High-Rank Elder of the Vast Ocean Trading Company.
And so, just days after Lucas, Eris, and Christina’s Discipleship Ceremony, powerful nobles from all over the kingdom had flooded Misty City once more.
The first to arrive were also the most powerful, with Skyships from Rockwell City and Amherst appearing less than 24 hours after the Vast Ocean Trading Convoy made port.
From the Royal Family’s side, it was Former King Hayden Rockwell, father of Nathanial Rockwell, who led the delegation.
The Roths had also sent several high-level individuals, including Ava Dalton, second wife of Duke Roth, and Joanna Roth, Gregory Roth’s mother.
The Eashan Marquess Family, the guardians of the northern border, were delayed by a day due to how much further away their territory was. Their delegation also had to use avian mounts to make the long journey as they didn’t possess their own Skyship.
Earls, Counts, Viscounts, and even some Barons who could afford to send representatives streamed in after that, along with leaders of military forces, merchant groups, and a variety of other forces.
The Balfours were kept extremely busy housing and entertaining all these VIP guests, as well as arranging numerous banquets and social events where the former queen could make appearances and mingle.
Fortunately, Ariana Rockwell’s strength and status were so illustrious that only the most powerful forces needed to be granted private audiences with her, everyone else she could casually greet at a party somewhere, all while leaving the collection of gifts and tributes to her hosts.
Of course, it wasn’t just the older generation of the Rockwell Kingdom who came to Misty City, the leaders of the younger generation had also been brought together for a kind of impromptu meet-and-greet.
Each of the delegations made sure to bring at least 1 member of their force who was below the age of 25 as it was customary to showcase these rising stars to important masters such as the former queen.
There were two reasons for this beyond it simply being tradition.
Firstly, showcasing the leaders of the next generation was an indirect way of demonstrating the stability and future prospects of the kingdom.
Secondly, on the off-chance one of these youths caught the eye of a powerful Cultivator, they may be taken as an apprentice or even Disciple, which would be a great boon to both the child and the force behind them.
Just like the older members of these delegations, these youths needed to be hosted and entertained, a job that fell to the Balfour Family’s younger generation.
As Celestina’s official Disciples, Lucas, Eris, and Christina all shared in this responsibility, but the real head of this operation was a young man named Timothy Balfour.
Timothy had just recently turned 23 and had been in the Fifth Step Sea Establishment Realm for a couple months now, firmly distinguishing him as a young genius; however, it was his boisterous, friendly, and outgoing personality that really cemented his position as the leader of the younger generation of the Balfour Family.
He had the usual pride of someone his age, along with the recklessness and hot-headed temper that came with youth, but all the other members of the younger generation in the South-East Province knew that if they went to Timothy for help, he would always do his best to assist them.
Tall, fit, with medium-length red hair and light-blue eyes, Timothy was handsome, brave, an accomplished spear wielder, an experienced adventurer, and a young master from a rich and powerful family, making him the dream man for many young maidens, but so far, he didn’t seem to have anyone he was interested in, choosing instead to spend his time training or wandering through the forests hunting.
(Illustration in Chapter Comments)
If one had to name something wrong with this young man, it would probably be that Timothy wasn’t exactly the politest or most diplomatic youth. Put simply, he made a great leader on the front-lines, but he was hopeless when it came to seeing the bigger picture and navigating the world of politics.
As for his ability to handle paperwork and administrative duties...
In any case, although he was older, Timothy was technically Eris’ nephew as he was the son of one her much older cousins; however, as was usually the case in families with powerful Cultivators, age and strength were the first factors in determining what ’generation’ someone belonged to.
It would be a lie to say Timothy wasn’t envious when he first met Lucas, Eris, and Christina and was told his admired Ancestor would be taking them as her True Disciples; however, after spending a few months sparring, chatting, and playing together with these three, the young man gradually came to understand why his grandmother had chosen them.
Each of them was outstanding in ways that were difficult to describe, at least more-so than he was, a fact that at first hit Timothy hard, but it also lit a fire in his heart to improve himself. He was also proud that such outstanding youths were now part of his family.
This was especially true when it came to his Little Aunt who shared a similar personality and hobbies with him. Despite having only met a few months ago and it being the middle of winter, Timothy and Eris had gone fishing, hunting, and visited every orphanage in Misty City to play with the children multiple times.
Each time they went out together, the two Balfour Direct Descendants had a blast, laughing and playing their hearts out.