Eugene led the entourage through the portal. Wang and Mieszko walked behind him on his left side, Elzpsein on his right. Grzegorz’s old friends would serve as his minions, while Elzpsein would be his primary advisor. Wronskolenskivichopovichenski would also act in an advisory capacity, but to a lesser extent.
They found themselves in a “guild hall” strongly resembling the kind found in litRPGs. Around them, many sect members milled about, either taking new “quests” or receiving the rewards for completing such quests. The quests typically involved slaying monsters that emerged from the brimstone sea or finding rare Hibiscan herbs. Thus, the LitRPG Sect contributed more to the safety of the Hibiscan world than most sects did, because it so strongly incentivized its members to cull monster populations.
As Eugene and his retinue progressed towards the center of the guild hall, they drew some looks, but most were uninterested. The litRPG cultivators were primarily concerned with their own schizophrenic delusions. Eugene heard many cries of “New skill!”, “I leveled up!”, and “My STR increased by 1!” among similar remarks. It was unclear to what extent they actually believed in having access to a litRPG “system”. Did they just never break character as part of a massive inside joke, or did they actually believe it?
Eugene and his retinue were walking towards an enormous set of stairs. When they were about 50 feet away, they stopped. A procession of Sect Elders walked down the steps, wearing not traditional robes as were common of most sects, but instead bizarre clothing and armor meant to mimic the dress of adventurers in litRPG stories. Their clothing was more refined, ornate, and high-quality compared to what most of the litRPG cultivators in the guild hall wore.
“Welcome, honored guests of the Dawn and Dusk Sect!” declared the Sect Leader, who Eugene recognized from his studies. Yefz Abdulov was an eccentric man, whose “class” was “Wizard”. His garb at least somewhat resembled typical attire for a Hibiscan sect leader. He wore long, flowing gray robes, a pointy hat, and clutched a wooden wizard’s staff. He committed 100% to the idea that he was a level 93 Wizard, and would not perform any Hibiscan action without making it seem like he was casting a spell. He was a high-tier Kambili.
“Revered Sect Leader, it is our privilege to be here,” Eugene replied, bowing.
Junior-ranked members walked up to each member of Eugene’s entourage, handing out a brochure that contained a map of the LitRPG sect along with other basic information.
“Young Grzegorz, I hear much of your progress in the Hibiscan arts. And Wronskolenskivichopovichenski, it is my honor to have you here.”
He briefly inclined his head. Yefz mentioned specifically Wronskolenskivichopovichenski because he was the highest ranked cultivator in the Dawn and Dusk Sect’s retinue, being a mid-tier Kambili.
“Shall we go to the dining hall?” Yefz asked. “We have much to discuss.”
This would be a preliminary meeting, a way for the groups to be introduced to each other. The proper negotiations would not occur until a week later, after the tournament had concluded. Almost every member of Eugene’s diplomatic party was expected to participate against the best and brightest of the LitRPG Sect in a variety of video and board games. However, the agreement was that Council members, of either the LitRPG Sect or the visiting sect, could not participate. Thus, Wronskolenskivichopovichenski would be there purely to watch and report back to the Dawn and Dusk Sect’s Council.
The unspoken agreement between the LitRPG Sect and the Fourth Jade Alliance was that whoever ended up winning the tournament would be granted slightly better terms during the negotiations process. When an agreement was reached, Eugene was required to ritualistically request that the LitRPG Sect join the Fourth Jade Alliance. And like always, they would politely reject the offer.
“Of course,” said Eugene.
The LitRPG Sect Elders and Eugene’s retinue walked up the stairs. Large wooden doors opened up, “magical runes” glowing on it. They of course had zero actual effect and were merely a visual illusion powered by Hibiscan energy.
The dining room was enormous and contained a comically long wooden table with hundreds of chairs at each side. The table and the chairs looked as if they had organically grown that way, being beautifully shaped.
Eugene mentally chuckled but kept his face neutral.
“Most impressive,” he commented.
“Thank you,” Yefz responded. “It was shaped by a team of high-leveled Druids.”
It was impossible to take the LitRPG Sect seriously. They stuck so hard to the comedic bit that for a moment you could forget they were joking. In fact, the question of whether or not they were joking was the subject of frequent debate in the Hibiscan world. Most seemed to think that they were, and Eugene found himself in that camp after a thorough examination of the articles written on the subject by Hibiscologists.
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Eugene and the others seated as the first course of the feat was brought out.
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It was a delicious feast. The food occupied much of Eugene’s attention, but his main focus was on the conversation. Yefz was a quick-witted and intelligent man, and he and Eugene discussed a range of topics from the true nature of Eugene’s poisoning to the connections between Skibidi Toilet and the Holy Book.
The people at the table barely occupied a third of the seats. The dining hall was clearly built for much larger parties. When the people finished off the final course and the feast was officially ended, the LitRPG Sect Elders retreated to their chambers, leaving just Yefz and Eugene’s retinue.
“Please,” he said, “explore our Sect at your leisure. Engage in low-stakes games as practice, but be ready for the beginning of the tournament tomorrow.”
“We bring much thanks for the delicious feast,” said Eugene.
“It was a pleasure meeting you,” said Yefz.
He waved his staff, gathering purple wisps around it. He pointed it at a space ahead of him and a portal coalesced there. Yefz walked through.
Eugene turned to his entourage.
“It’ll be good to get some practice with their games. When the tournament begins, don’t be caught off guard by anything. Familiarize yourself with much more than just what they play. Know how they play, typical tactics, their general approach to winning. Elzpsein, explain the tournament format.”
“There are three sub competitions, broken up by Realm. Blue Realm cultivators will be matched up with each other, so on and so forth. Whoever wins the majority of them wins the tournament overall.”
Eugene had selected his diplomatic party for their ability to play well in a variety of different games. Such a thing was more difficult to find out than their diplomatic experience or something as simple as what their cultivation level was. But Eugene was confident they would perform well. He had stacked his retinue to have even numbers of Juniors, Seniors, and Elders. He wanted to succeed in every category.
“You’re all dismissed,” announced Eugene. “Use the dozen hours before night falls as time to train.”
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Eugene himself would certainly not waste this time. He wanted to study one of the most important and prestigious competitive games played by the LitRPG Sect, that being Hibiscan Chess.
The LitRPG Sect housed an enormous domed building dedicated purely to the study and practice of Hibiscan Chess. Eugene made his way over there alone, eager to face a strong opponent. He entered through one of the building’s many doors. Quickly locating someone who was a high-tier Eugene rank, the same as himself, Eugene interrupted his conversation with another cultivator.
“I challenge you to a game of Giga Hibiscus Chess,” he declared.
The man was clearly identifiable as one of the Sorcerer class based on his fiery red flowing robes. He turned to speak to Eugene.
“You dare interrupt my conversation? You’re courting death!”
He clearly must have noticed he was speaking to “Grzegorz”, but didn’t care. He was unintimidated by Eugene’s well-recognized status as a Hibiscan prodigy.
“Do you accept the challenge?” asked Eugene.
“Of course I do,” he said. “It insults my honor that you would imply I would back down.”
“A table is open over there.”
They walked over and sat down. A cold fury raged in the other man’s eyes. The pieces of the board were miniscule, each much less than a tenth of a millimeter in length. One had to move the pieces by using fine tendrils of Hibiscan energy.
“I’ll play Black,” declared Eugene. Ordinarily, who played Black and who played White was decided randomly. But here, he was willingly giving up the minor advantage of moving first, implying that he thought he was the better player.
But the other man only smirked. He had something planned.
“Shouldn’t we wager something?”
“Is bragging rights not enough?” asked Eugene.
“Why not add to that? Let’s say the loser owes the winner a favor.” he replied.
“A pitiful idea. What stakes are those!”
“Fool!” he yelled. “Kowtow!”
“Make me,” said Eugene.
He went very still. “Let’s make a Bondage Vouch. The man that loses will do literally anything the other commands.”
If he won, the seething man would probably tell Eugene to kill himself, that’s how angry he was.
“Something interesting, finally. I accept.”
The Four Gods glanced at them, certifying the vow.
“But not right now,” he continued.
Rafael stared at him, his hair actively falling out from how angry he was. “What!?”
“I want to play our game tomorrow, in a tournament setting.”
He paused for a long moment. “That is acceptable. Once our game concludes, you will regret having been born.”
Eugene could only chuckle at how stupid and edgy that was. “Later,” he said.
He portalled back to his luxurious suite. Not only had Yefz given him such a nice and spacious room, he had also told the warders to give Eugene portalling rights to and from the LitRPG Sect. He was truly a gracious and honorable host.
Eugene would not play Hibiscan chess today. Instead, he would read up on modern theory and scholarship, and familiarize himself with the state of the game as it was played in the contemporary Hibiscan world. He would spend weeks in the timeless realm, and then head to bed early for a nice sleep.