Translator: AkazaTL

Proofreader/Editor: JWyck

***

Chapter 306

“Oh my.” Li Shu was the first to let out a gleeful sound. Although he had chosen “no,” that didn’t stop him from feeling delighted at Wu Mingbai’s predicament.

Wu Mingbai really wanted to sigh. He helplessly glanced at the clueless Wu Jin, then turned back to Li Shu with a mix of frustration and amusement: “What are you laughing at? It’s not like you guessed right.”

But Li Shu didn’t care at all: “So what if I guessed wrong? At least I’m not the one who got asked the same question six or seven times in a row.”

Wu Mingbai: “…”

He was successfully hit where it hurt.

On the other side, Wu Jin picked up on the situation from their exchange and quietly asked Su Bei, “What happened just now?”

Su Bei whispered back, explaining what had happened, then reassured him, “It’s fine. As the subject of the bet, you won’t face any punishment.”

He had to admit, it wasn’t very kind to say, but Wu Jin felt genuinely relieved. How did these people come up with a punishment like exploring secrets in an unfamiliar palace? That was way too much of a test for social skills!

Suddenly, he thought of something: “So who lost?”

“You should be asking who won,” Zhao Xiaoyu, who had been listening to their conversation, couldn’t help but laugh. “Only Su Bei and Feng Lan got it right.”

As a social butterfly, she wasn’t worried about these punishments. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to join the bet in the first place. This punishment really only targeted those who weren’t talkative. For the rest, it was almost a reward. Exploring a castle? They’d do that even without the bet.

Hearing this, Wu Jin was first surprised, then quickly understood. Fair enough—if he swapped places with Ling You, he wouldn’t think she’d tease Wu Mingbai either.

But this meant Lan Subing and Ling You were in trouble. Neither of them were good at talking to strangers, so how would they complete the bet? As a fellow introvert, Wu Jin could empathize, though he knew their situations were quite different.

Lan Subing was genuinely socially anxious, almost to a pathological degree. But after training at Endless Ability Academy for so long, she had improved a lot, and now it was just a typical severe social anxiety case.

Ling You was cold by nature and didn’t like talking. But if she had to talk to others, she wouldn’t face much difficulty.

As for himself, Wu Jin knew he had his own psychological issues, different from Lan Subing’s. He just didn’t want others to notice him. But if he pulled his hair back, he’d trigger his super-confident state.

After thinking about it, Ling You was actually the most normal of the three. And if they had to complete the bet, it seemed Lan Subing would suffer the most.

Clearly, Lan Subing thought the same. She looked like her soul had left her body, murmuring, “Did I just get screwed?”

On the plane, the cool air made everyone drowsy. Since it was a private charter, there were no concerns, and everyone quickly fell asleep. When they woke up, they had arrived in Yafei Kingdom. As they disembarked, they saw a man dressed like a butler in a suit standing at the airport.

Behind him was a line of bodyguards, looking imposing. But the gaudy, hand-made sign he held, like something from a primary school sports day, was jarringly out of place.

Especially when paired with the expressionless faces of the group and the curious glances from passing tourists, Wu Mingbai just wanted to turn back and pretend he’d never come. He didn’t want to be gawked at like a monkey!

Thankfully, the butler was reliable. Recognizing Wu Mingbai, he handed the sign to a bodyguard, then approached alone and said quietly, “Prince Mingbai, I am sent by the King to receive you. I am also the castle’s butler. You may call me Weather Butler. The King has arranged rooms for you and your friends in the castle. Please follow me now.”

The royal plane wasn’t accompanied by a bus. Instead, several expensive-looking black sedans were there to pick them up. Su Bei, Feng Lan, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Mu Tieren were assigned to one car.

As the car started, Zhao Xiaoyu, after a quick observation, began chatting with the driver. She could tell he wasn’t overly serious, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

“Driver, do you all know about Mingbai’s identity?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked curiously. “We thought he’d be swarmed by crowds the moment he arrived.”

Not thinking it was confidential, the driver shook his head without hesitation: “Only those of us associated with the royal family know the details. The public doesn’t know yet. It’s likely that only after Prince Mingbai returns and gains Gao Di An Zhuo’s approval that a public announcement ceremony will be held.”

Unexpectedly getting information they didn’t know, Zhao Xiaoyu’s eyes widened in surprise: “Gao Di An Zhuo’s approval? Does the Yafei Kingdom royal family need the guardian deity’s approval?”

Realizing her words might sound ambiguous, she quickly added, “I didn’t mean to disrespect your guardian deity. It’s just that our country doesn’t have one, so we don’t know much about it.”

“No worries, no worries. Every year, tourists ask lots of questions about Gao Di An Zhuo. Your question isn’t offensive,” the driver smiled and shook his head. “Once the royal family gains Gao Di An Zhuo’s approval, they receive an extra layer of protection on Yafei Kingdom’s land. Our King once survived an assassination thanks to Gao Di An Zhuo’s protection.”

That made sense. Zhao Xiaoyu had initially thought, from the driver’s earlier words, that the guardian deity was above the royal family. But now, it didn’t seem so, especially given the driver’s attitude, which suggested a more equal relationship.

Su Bei thought the same, but since he was intent on digging deeper, he considered one more layer. If the guardian deity provided protection for the royal family and Yafei Kingdom, what did Yafei Kingdom offer it in return?

If the guardian deity provided benefits without receiving anything in return, their attitude would likely be more reverent. Yet, they treated the guardian deity as a tourism selling point, and even a driver could casually discuss royal matters involving it.

With this in mind, he spoke up: “Does every household in Yafei Kingdom worship Gao Di An Zhuo’s statue? In our country, in ancient times, almost every household had a deity statue.”

“If there are any, I’d like to buy one as a souvenir,” Mu Tieren chimed in perfectly, though he had no idea what Su Bei was thinking and genuinely wanted a souvenir.

Clearly, this was another common tourist question. The driver answered fluently, “Of course, every household worships Gao Di An Zhuo’s statue. In the commercial district, you can buy not only statues but also keychains, phone cases, and more with the guardian deity’s image. You can go shopping anytime.”

Every household worshipped it, showing genuine reverence. Yet they had no issue profiting off the guardian deity, which could only mean the royal family set the example.

Since the royal family was willing to use the guardian deity’s name to boost the country’s GDP, the people followed suit.

So, the royal family gained national and royal protection from the guardian deity and could profit from it. If they offered nothing in return, that would be absurd. Even Mother Mary wasn’t that selfless, right?

There were two possibilities. First, the royal family did provide something to the guardian deity, but ordinary people might not know. Second, they provided nothing, and the guardian deity needed nothing—meaning it either lacked life or desires.

From what Su Bei knew, the guardian deity was a variant of a Nightmare Beast. Given its ability to influence foreign lands, it was at least a High-Level Nightmare Beast. High-Level Nightmare Beasts were intelligent, so Su Bei was more inclined to believe the royal family offered something valuable to ensure it kept protecting the place.

To get answers from the guardian deity, Su Bei felt he needed to know what it wanted. After all, he couldn’t rely on Wu Mingbai to ask questions. Without royal blood, even if he got a chance to see the guardian deity through Wu Mingbai, it might not answer him. Opportunities were for the prepared, so it was better to cater to its preferences in advance.

Thinking of this, Su Bei glanced at Feng Lan. After so many lessons, Feng Lan must have made a prophecy before coming to Yafei Kingdom. Yet he showed no signs and followed everyone calmly. Did that mean nothing would happen in Yafei Kingdom?

Impossible. Su Bei was certain his judgment was correct—there was 200% a plot here.

But with outsiders around the whole way, Su Bei couldn’t ask much. He didn’t dare assume they could speak their native language freely in a foreign country, betting the other side wouldn’t understand Chinese. Having just retrieved a prince lost abroad, the royal family would surely have a dedicated translator.

If their conversation was recorded and translated, Su Bei feared they’d be arrested on the spot.

As the convoy drove forward, a grand castle came into view. Yafei Kingdom’s castle was, at first glance, very gaudy. Unlike the solemn, ancient castles of other countries, it was decorated in vibrant colors, each floor a different hue, adorned with novel patterns in paint.

In terms of garishness, the plane they sent was quite similar. But perhaps because the castle was professionally designed, it didn’t look abstract and had a lively, vibrant charm.

Yafei Kingdom’s castle was truly refreshing. Su Bei had visited many countries and seen various castles before and after high school, but this colorful one was a first.

The houses along the way mostly followed this color scheme, giving the entire city a vibrant, colorful atmosphere. Yafei Kingdom’s reputation as a top global tourism destination wasn’t undeserved. A guardian deity alone couldn’t achieve this; after all, Gao Di An Zhuo didn’t protect foreigners, and no amount of visits would make it familiar.

What truly made tourists want to return was the unique, joy-inducing local culture. At least, seeing the colorful town lifted Su Bei’s spirits.

“No wonder it’s a tourist hotspot. It’s really beautiful,” Zhao Xiaoyu couldn’t help but exclaim as she got out of the car. “This style is pretty rare worldwide, right?”

Mu Tieren nodded in agreement, sincerely saying, “Definitely. This trip was worth it. The environment here is exactly like the photos online.”

Hearing their praise for his country, the driver cheerfully said from the car, “Come to Yafei Kingdom for tourism, and you can rest assured you won’t be disappointed! As Prince Mingbai’s friends, you’ll definitely get the highest treatment.”

As he spoke, the last car arrived, and all of Class S gathered. Weather Butler led them to the castle entrance. As the gates opened, lights suddenly blazed, illuminating the entire castle interior.

A red carpet rolled out like tumbleweed to the center, flanked by neatly lined-up maids who bowed in unison, saying, “Welcome back to Yafei Kingdom, Prince Mingbai!”

“What a Mary Sue plot…” Lan Subing couldn’t suppress her urge to snark, despite the crowd. She never imagined the plots she fantasized about as a child would play out in reality, and on her friend, no less.

Compared to her, Zhao Xiaoyu, who loved such dramatic tropes, blurted out a show title: “Princess O Sister…”

Everyone else: “…”

Though they might not have seen the show, the title alone fit the situation perfectly. Wu Mingbai’s lips twitched as he looked at the seven people approaching grandly from the end of the red carpet.

Leading were a man and woman in their fifties, dressed extravagantly—undoubtedly the King and Queen, Wu Mingbai’s parents. The Queen, who looked seven parts like Wu Mingbai, had tears in her eyes, hands covering her mouth, barely holding back sobs. The King, looking deeply comforted, held the Queen and led the group toward Wu Mingbai.

The remaining five—three men and two women—aside from Andrew, whom they’d met during the competition, were much younger. As expected, they were Yafei Kingdom’s other princes and princesses.

Their expressions varied, worth savoring.

The whole family came to welcome Wu Mingbai, showing the King and Queen’s sincerity. As for how his siblings felt about his return, that was less certain.

The siblings quickly adjusted their expressions. As the King led them forward, their faces turned uniformly joyful, as if genuinely excited for Wu Mingbai’s arrival. If Su Bei hadn’t been watching them from the start, he might not have noticed the shift.

Next came the expected emotional segment. The Queen hugged her long-lost son, crying her heart out. Once she calmed down a bit, the King began introducing Wu Mingbai’s siblings.

Andrew needed no introduction—the not-so-bright eldest prince. His expression upon seeing Wu Mingbai held a hint of wariness but mostly arrogance, not taking Wu Mingbai seriously.

The second princess, Meili, looked at Wu Mingbai with similar wariness. Notably, Yafei Kingdom’s monarch wasn’t restricted to men; women could inherit the throne, marrying if needed.

From just one glance, Su Bei confirmed she also had ambitions for the throne. But that was normal—who wouldn’t want to be king?

The next two boys were twins: the older, Modal, on the left, and Moqi on the right. Modal’s expression mirrored the second princess'—wary and scrutinizing.

As for Moqi and the youngest princess, Sophia, they looked purely curious, showing no hostility toward Wu Mingbai and likely no interest in the throne.

Since outsiders were present, it wasn’t convenient to delve deeper, so the King planned to settle Su Bei and the others elsewhere first. He signaled Weather Butler with a glance, and the butler stepped forward, gesturing slightly to Su Bei and the others: “Guests must be tired from the journey. Let me take you to rest.”

Everyone glanced at Wu Mingbai, and seeing him nod, they followed Weather Butler with ease.

The Yafei Kingdom royal family wasn’t poor; they arranged single rooms with large beds for everyone. A bell on the nightstand could summon a maid with one ring.

Their rooms were all on the same floor, making it easy to visit each other.

After settling their luggage, Weather Butler continued, “Regarding tomorrow’s itinerary, would the guests prefer to explore on their own or have me arrange a guide?”

Aside from Su Bei, no one had ulterior motives; they were here purely for tourism, so they unanimously chose the second option: “We want a guide!”

Unfamiliar with the place, a reliable guide would make things much easier.

Weather Butler wasn’t surprised by their choice. After getting their answer, he prepared to leave to arrange the guide, but not before thoughtfully providing today’s entertainment options: “Guests can explore the castle today. Don’t enter locked rooms; they might contain miscellaneous items or servants’ quarters. The top two floors are off-limits, reserved for the King’s direct relatives. Feel free to explore the other areas. If you encounter any issues during your visit, feel free to ask any passing servant for help. There’s no internet in the castle.”

“Butler sir!” Zhao Xiaoyu called out as he was about to leave. “Can we ask about the guardian deity? We’re all very curious about it.”

This question was all too common among tourists. Weather Butler wasn’t surprised that the prince’s friends would be curious, smiling politely: “Of course, it’s my honor to answer your questions.”

Everyone was interested in this topic, so they gathered in the lounge by the staircase on their floor.

Zhao Xiaoyu was purely curious. Once seated, she eagerly asked, “Butler sir, have you seen the guardian deity in person? What does it look like?”

Though various information suggested Yafei Kingdom truly had a guardian deity, as an atheist, Zhao Xiaoyu couldn’t help but be skeptical, which fueled her curiosity.

“I’ve seen Gao Di An Zhuo once with the King. It’s actually omnipresent in Yafei Kingdom, but when I saw it, it appeared as a face protruding from a stone wall,” Weather Butler said openly, his eyes even carrying a hint of pride.

In their country, the guardian deity’s existence wasn’t a secret. Seeing its form in person was indeed an honor.

“What did the King take you to see the guardian deity for?” Zhao Xiaoyu, a clever girl, skillfully built on his response.

Caught off guard by her follow-up, Weather Butler gave an awkward smile but quickly recovered: “To routinely ask if there were any geological disasters in Yafei Kingdom.”

The reason was plausible, but Su Bei didn’t miss the fleeting embarrassment on his face. That embarrassment likely meant he’d let something slip, indirectly confirming the King’s purpose in meeting the guardian deity was something that couldn’t be revealed.

Sigh, I really want to know where the guardian deity is. It’d be even better if I could sneak a listening device there. Su Bei thought, but he wasn’t worried. With the protagonist group around, he wasn’t afraid of missing a chance to meet it.

For now, he just needed to enjoy the trip, pay attention to clues when they appeared, and chill when there were none. When the comic updated, clues would come to him.

After Zhao Xiaoyu finished, Li Shu, quite interested, followed up: “Do we have a chance to see the guardian deity?”

He wasn’t interested in tourism but was very keen on finding this guardian deity. Among the many legends about Yafei Kingdom’s guardian deity, some said seeing it could grant a wish, others that it could offer divine protection…

Li Shu wasn’t naive enough to blindly believe these baseless rumors, but they did spark his strong interest. Even if the rumors weren’t true, glimpsing a “god” would be fascinating enough.

Weather Butler said apologetically, “It’s said that those with deep fortune can meet Gao Di An Zhuo. Otherwise, only royal family members can be arranged to see it.”

No one was surprised; it’d be strange if just anyone could see it.

After the butler left, Lan Subing spoke up: “This guardian deity isn’t quite what I imagined.”

“How’s it different?” Ai Baozhu asked curiously.

Before Lan Subing could answer, Jiang Tianming guessed her thoughts: “Feels less mysterious than expected, right?”

Lan Subing immediately nodded with a “you get me” expression: “It feels like it can be seen casually. Sure, only by royal family members, but they’re still human.”

Perhaps because their friend Wu Mingbai was a bona fide Yafei Kingdom royal, Lan Subing couldn’t muster much awe for the royal family, feeling deep down they were just like her, nothing special.

Su Bei thought for a moment and offered a fitting analogy: “It’s not like a god, more like the Yafei Kingdom royal family’s ancestor.”

As an ancestor, it would protect them and be seen often. It also made sense for them to have Yafei Kingdom’s people worship it—what’s wrong with venerating their own ancestor?

But he was just joking. Perhaps the guardian deity had some unspeakable secret with the royal family, but it definitely wasn’t about blood ties, since Gao Di An Zhuo was a Nightmare Beast variant, not remotely related to humans.

“Ahem, we’re still in their castle,” Si Zhaohua coughed lightly, fist to his mouth.

Everyone had forgotten this, and his reminder silenced them like chickens. Spreading rumors on someone else’s turf was a bit reckless.