CHAPTER 872: CHAPTER 803: WITCH KINGDOM AND THE SEVENTEEN ORDERS

Your father? The former king?!?!!

Upon hearing Prince Freckles’ reply, the Lojian Shaman responsible for the reception was so shocked he nearly popped his eyeballs out.

Wasn’t it said that the old king was too ill to leave his bed and couldn’t come? His name wasn’t on the personnel list I received! How come he’s dragging his sick body here?

This... the sudden arrival of the old king isn’t the main issue, not having the corresponding honors and reception ready is the least of it. If by any chance he were to pass away here, alongside His Majesty the Great Witch King, it would be a massive issue!!!

"Has His Majesty Westro come as well?"

Looking towards the boarding tower in the back and seeing no sign of the "seriously ill old king," the Lojian Shaman turned to Prince Freckles with eyes full of nervousness and asked:

"May I ask how His Majesty Westro’s health is? Does he need... no! Please wait, I’ll immediately go find a shaman!"

"No need."

Blocking the frantic Lojian Shaman with a hand, Leon glanced at Joshua, who was already numb from the journey, and explained with some difficulty:

"His Majesty Westro didn’t come, Joshua just now was calling me."

So, he’s not here!

Upon hearing the first half of Leon’s words, the previously tense Lojian Shaman’s body relaxed significantly, relieved because if the old king were to die on the diplomatic mission, then he would be...

Wait a minute!

After replaying the scene several times in his mind and confirming that he did hear correctly, the Lojian Shaman’s face, painted in black and green, twisted uncontrollably, and he asked with bewildered eyes:

"Prince Joshua... was calling you just now? He... he called you father?!?!?!"

"Yes."

"..."

What the heck yes?! This isn’t something that can simply be passed off with a nod!

Looking at Leon, who nodded to accept the title, and then at the dejected Joshua, the 35-year-old Lojian, already a Grand Shaman, felt like his head had been struck by a totem pole, his thoughts overwhelmed by the massive information load.

You... he... you married his sister, but he calls you dad? Is your Kingdom’s lineage different from all the other kingdoms, so you can just randomly recognize relatives?

Also, isn’t Prince Joshua supposed to be your adversary?

The guild master specifically reminded me to subtly test Prince Joshua’s attitude towards you and see how someone with ties to our Shaman Society thinks of you and Queen Veronica, and if there are any signs of rebellion.

So I made a point to ask separately if Prince Joshua came "together" with you, but this... it’s beyond just being together! This is acknowledging someone as dad!!!

"Alright, let’s get down to business first!"

Restricted by the [Bedtime Story], anything that would ruin the character setting couldn’t be spoken, Leon really didn’t know how to explain the father-son relationship with Joshua, so he maintained the facade of the evil prince, urged impatiently:

"Is this how you handle receptions? Do you think my time can be wasted like this?"

"I... I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting..."

After getting a stern remark from Leon, the shocked Lojian Shaman finally snapped back and, moving awkwardly, led the way:

"Please follow me, the sledge to the inner court is ready."

"Hmm."

With an attitude fitting his character setting, Leon snorted from his nose, then led a timid maid, a dozing guard, and his bratty son onto an oversized sledge waiting by the roadside.

Once Leon and his entourage settled on the sledge, the Lojian Shaman, with a particularly complicated expression, blew twice on a wooden whistle hung around his neck, sending signals to the two teams of towering moose at the front of the sledge.

"Toot! Toot!"

"Snort! Snort!"

With the Lojian Shaman’s actions, high-pitched, clear whistle sounds mingled with the low, deep snorts of the moose as they pulled the large red sledge, wider than an eight-horse carriage, lifting it right off the street.

"Ah!"

Not expecting the sledge to lift off, Miss Zhuangpo—maid—exclaimed in surprise and quickly grabbed onto the handrails next to her seat.

The giant sledge then rapidly ascended, passing through low-hanging clouds above Secret Magic City, entering another peculiar area filled with flying objects.

Large winged pegasi capable of carrying several adults, enormous leaves, colorful magic carpets woven from some kind of straw, hollow wooden pillars covered with paint and carvings...

Various flying contraptions, buoyed by some strange force, hovered effortlessly above the clouds, traveling to different destinations in various bizarre ways.

"How... how can these people fly? Do they all have abnormal objects?"

"Hmph, flying is nothing. Once I find that witch who wrote to me and take over the Witch Kingdom, I’ll bring all these back!"

After forced to voice a declaration fitting his character, the evil prince Leon explained to his maid in a gruff tone:

"Though it’s called the Witch Kingdom, there are actually very few witches, mainly just the lineage of the Great Witch King. The place is mostly a gathering of various societies, and it’s the only kingdom among the Twelve that’s less populated by ’ordinary people.’"

"Societies?"

"Groups of people who, without relying on abnormal objects, have acquired some mysterious powers over time and gathered to form secret technique organizations."

After briefly explaining the concept of societies, Leon glanced back at another sledge following behind and pointed to the Lojian Shaman seated there:

"For instance, the Lojian Shaman who received us is a senior member of the Shaman Society. There are seventeen major societies like the Shaman Society in the Witch Kingdom, and the council of leaders of these seventeen major societies forms the nation’s highest ruling body."

Ah, I see...

After listening to "Senior Leon’s" explanation, Miss Zhuangpo couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder, and even the previously dozing guard perked up, curiously asking from the window:

"Prince Leon, how many societies are there in total in the Witch Kingdom?"

"Why do you have so many questions?"

Adhering to his character setting, Leon grumbled with displeasure:

"Based on the research I did before coming here, there are about thirty official societies in the Witch Kingdom, and including those strange secretive societies and underground societies in private, the total number is estimated to exceed a hundred, making it impossible to count the total number of people with mysterious powers.

However, even for major societies like those practicing witchcraft, fate, curses, secrets, spirit numbers... the intensity of their mysterious powers is very low, unable to compete even with the most ordinary level three cleaners, except for a few... hold on tight!"

At Leon’s warning, something went wrong, and the previously stable sledge suddenly veered to the left. Ahead, an irate female voice immediately yelled:

"Hey! Watch where you’re going!"

Steadying himself, Leon glanced to the side and helplessly realized that a straw flying carpet, which had previously been hovering at a distance, had somehow drifted close to the sledge, and the moose pulling the sledge, possibly hungry, were currently pulling hard on the straw flying carpet beneath someone’s rear.

Caught by Leon’s gaze, the sledge driver tensed up, hurriedly whipped the moose a few times, and finally pulled it reluctantly away from the straw flying carpet.

The woman on the flying carpet, realizing her carpet was being chewed on, seemed to recognize the sledge’s special markings, and made a quick, embarrassed escape without waiting for the driver to speak.

"Sorry about that."

After barely resolving the "traffic accident," the driver apologized nervously:

"The lady slowed down too suddenly; I didn’t have time to steer, and though I fed them before we left, I don’t know what’s wrong with these animals..."

"Hmm hmm."

Leon waved his hand dismissively, signaling the driver to stop talking, and furrowed his brow, puzzled as he watched the woman hurriedly fly away.

Though the woman had covered up well, there was a hint of strange joy in her eyes as she looked at him, almost as if she’d found treasure... could someone be directing her to find me?