The ending banquet was held at night the same day as the test. It was one last time that all these geniuses who had marked their names on the board would get to socialize together. There were separate arrangements for the guardians and the candidates. It was mostly because the guardians included immortal realm experts that were thousands of years old and it was unreasonable to expect teenagers to be able to enjoy in such a situation.
The guardians went to a separate venue while the students went to a different hall.
Michael, in his past life, was not much of a socializer. He preferred to be alone more. It was mostly because he was insufferable and others of his status did not like him much.
But, in this life, he had decided to become a leader. So, going to banquets, making connections and having social charisma were all required. Michael spent a long time dressing. He had asked help from his parents and siblings as well. With all the preparations done, he looked like noble and aristocratic.
When Michael entered the banquet hall, he was almost the latest. Getting ready had taken too much time.
As Michael went in, the entire banquet hall seemed to have turned silent. Michael's title and position were too special, even for the seniors of different races. Thus, how to treat him was a question that even the immortals were thinking furiously about.
The banquet had invitations to all those who had participated in the final test. Thus, aside from the 70 students who were selected in the preliminary stage, there were about 50 helpers as well who had worked hard on their cultivation and marked their names on the board of geniuses.
Of the 32 true disciples, 3 came from the helpers. As Ramsus had the 4th rank, his position was even better than the majority of the students present. But, he still moved to Michael's side when he saw him enter.
This was the code of knighthood. There were many worthy knights who had made themselves famous over the years but none had been arrogant enough to step over their liege. Even if the one they swore loyalty to was not too bright and important, knights rarely betrayed their employers. This was because it was a profession that valued loyalty. Thus, when Michael entered, Ramsus took his place beside Michael as he should have.
Michael greeted the different people who were attending the banquet. After doing so, he went to stand at the corner and ordered something to drink.
He was very tense. Initially, he had thought that he would be able to socialize with other people if he tried. But, after stepping into the room, he did not know how to begin! Michael had no experiences of making connections this way. There was also the fact that his physical appearance was that of a child but his mind was that of an adult. Coupled with the fact that he stood among teenagers, any mistake would have him labelled as weird or strange.
It was then someone came to him - Beast Prince Kandrif. Kandrif walked slowly as he reached Michael with two other subordinates from the werebeasts. These "subordinates" were also students that had passed the test but Kandrif was from the royal family and their status was too lacking compared to him. While Kandrif may superficially call them as friends, in the eyes of the world, they would be labelled as lackeys or subordinates. Such was the way of the world.
After coming over, he started talking privately with Michael. They had talked a few times before during their previous stay in the tower. Thus, it was not that difficult to start the conversation. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation:
> Kandrif : Michael, you are very talented. And you hid it quite well. In all the three years of your stay, anyone hardly found anything about you. And now that you came back, you are already an early level emperor. I have to say that I am impressed.
>
> Michael : Kandrif, its not as you think. I obtained a heavenly treasure in my adventures and that is the only reason why my cultivation increased very quickly. I am not as talented as you think me to be.
>
> Kandrif : Haha! Michael, who among the 32 true disciples is from a common background. There are things that are needed to become an expert and wealth and treasures are a part of that. Many are supportend by their race and family while others have to support themselves and find their own lucky chances. But, this does not mean anyone can achieve the same thing as you or me. I will be frank with you. Geniuses are better off with geniuses. If you associate yourself with the common grass, you will be limiting your own potential. I admire your talent and your heart. Thus, I want to offer you my friendship. Of course, I do not think that we can become friends with me just saying it and it would also take effort on both our parts to make it work. Still, as a token of a good start, I have something that I want to give to you.
After that, Kandrif gave Michael a bottle of pills. Michael probed the bottle with his soul energy without opening it. His eyes widened as he inspected the gift.
It was a bottle full of purification medicine!
Purification medicine, as the name suggested cleansed one's body. It was extremely useful for saint realm experts. After all, in the saint realm, the cultivation was to purify one's body and make it perfect. Only after reaching a certain stage of purity would one be able to sense the laws.
Michael was only in the early emperor realm and even with all his talent, it would still take him about a decade to become a saint. These medicines did not have a long shelf life as their power reduced the more they came in contact with air. It was clear that the medicine was meant for his parents and his brother.
With the aid of this medicine, their speed of cultivation would be around a hundred times faster. This was an extremely generous gift!
Michael tried to give the gift back to Kandrif saying:
> Michael : Prince Kandrif, this gift is too expensive. I can not afford to take such gifts. You should know that my race does not have any of such medicine.
>
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>
> Kandrif : Of course, I know. The purification medicine is very precious even to my race. In fact, do you think that I have enough status to give something like this to you?
>
> Michael (with shock) : Then, it is from the beast emperor?
>
> Kandrif : Yes. It was my uncle who suggested this gift. Let's face it Michael. You talent is very high. Such talent has never appeared among the humans and they cannot support your growth. But, you are not the kind of greenhouse genius that is totally dependent on his race. Or else, you would not have gone to adventure when you were this young. You are bound to reach the immortal realm sooner or later, if you manage to survive. But, your family will have a difficult time keeping up with you. This has been true for most immortals. My gift is not to increase your family's power. It is to increase the time you get with them. If they could reach the immortal realm, maybe you would be together forever but, that is upto their fate. We can help them reach the perfect realm so that you can spend a millinium with your loved ones. This is to show you our sincerity. We genuinely want to be your ally. Please consider this offer.
Michael, though he had lived much longer than Kandrif, felt totally overwhelmed by the teenage kid. He had been worried about his family. In the devil war, saints were killed every day. Even perfect realm experts were expendables. Only the immortal realm experts could survive for long. Michael's greatest worry had been his family. Why else would he ask for a life essence crystal?
While Michael would have seen through schemes and plots of these children, this straight up offer from Kandrif took him down.
He clasped his hands and formally thanked Kandrif.
> Michael : Prince Kandrif. I will accept your gift because I am in need of it. I can not give you anything in return. But, I promise you that if you need my help in future, I will do one favour for you. While my favour may not be very important right now, I can promise you that if I am still alive one day, you will find it very valuable. And while friendships do take long to develop, I already admire your way of doing things. Thus, us becoming friends is not impossible either.
>
> Kandrif : Haha, very good! I was worried that you might be too stuck up or arrogant. But, that is not the case. You treat the ones close to you with sincerity and I can see that. You are worthy of being my friend. As for your favour, I shall wait for the day you can do something for me. Now, I will leave you with others. I will see you tomorrow. After all, we are both true disciples of the tower.
>
> Michael : Very well, Kandrif. I will meet you tomorrow. We can discuss martial arts of combat methods. I believe I can learn a lot from you.
>
> Kandrif : Okay, then we can meet tomorrow. I will find you in your room in the dorm. Enjoy the rest of the banquet.
After Kandrif left, Ramsus came over to Michael as he spoke:
> Ramsus : Lord, this person is very, very intelligent. He may not be shrewed like the princess of elves but he can not be underestimated. You should be careful in dealing with him.
>
> Michael : Ramsus, the world is like this. I plan to reach greater heights sooner or later. I will naturally have to interact with formidable characters as I grow up - whether as allies or opponents. It is true that Kandrif is very intelligent but the one behind him - the beast emperor is the one who is far more troublesome. He is very good at understanding situations, as you would expect from an immortal expert. The hundred year war is coming and he wants to preserve his successor's life through it. That is the reason he is so nice to us.
>
> Ramsus : But Lord, the werebeasts are a very strong race. Do they need your help?
>
> Michael : The hundred year war is a special arrangement between the the dark and the light empire. Top end powerhouses are forbidden from entering it. The highest cultivation allowed is peak saint realm. Four years later, my strength should be at least at the mid-saint realm. I will be an important target of the dark empire as well. If I were to be with the beast prince, the attention of the experts would be diverted to me. This will prevent him from being targeted.
>
> Ramsus : If that is the case, you should have rejected his offer. If you are alone, you will only have to worry about those targetting you. But, with the prince added to the group, not only will you have to take attacks of his share, you will have to look after him.
>
> Michael : So you can see now why the beast emperor is treating us this nicely. He wants me to act as a shield for the prince. But, I did not lie to Kandrif. I do need the purification medicine. My family is too weak right now. But, with the medicine, their strength will grow very fast. Aside from all this, Kandrif is also not a bad choice for an ally. Besides, if I can increase my combat strength to the peak saint stage, I will be able to deal with anything the dark races throw at me.
Ramsus was once again stunned by Michael's thinking. This was simply asking for more trouble when he was already knee deep in trouble. But, Michael still accepted the arrangement for the sake of his family. Ramsus truly believed that Michael was not a bad lord to serve. After all, even with all his success, he had not forsaken his roots.
The banquet continued as usual. Michael talked with different people. Azeer came up to him to speak about different things. He was already treating Michael as the leader he would support in the future. Samuel, on the other hand, kept his distance and only greeted Michael once. It was all in accordance with the political situation of the court.
Michael even talked with Ashley. Their talk was very superficial with neither side showing sincerity. It took around two hours for the banquet to end. The food and music arranged by the tower was naturally first class.
After returning to his quarter, Michael handed the purification medicine to his parents asking them to grow their power. He said:
> Michael : Father, Mother. The hundred year war is coming in a few years and while it is unlikely that you will be summoned for battle, there is always a chance. Please increase your strength and try to reach the late saint realm before the war begins. And brother will most likely be drafted as he is already a part of the military. Please increase his cultivation with the medicine as well. More power will always be useful in the war.
>
> Collins : Son, you do not need to worry so much about us. We may not be very powerful but we are still part of the human kingdom. It is not that easy to target our family.
>
> Michael : That is true but I believe that there will be danger in the future. The political situation of the kingdom is not stable. The emperor may intentionally make things difficult for us. The best we can do is increase our power. This medicine will be of no use to me. I obtained it as a gesture from someone. You don't have to worry about me all that much. The best you can do for me is to take care of yourselves.
>
>
The hundred-year war was like a knife looming on the head of the entire Rageberg family. It could even ruin the ancient families. All those at saint realm or below could be drafted as per need. The nobles were usually exempt but it did not mean that they did not have to fight. They too had to protect their territory in the war. The Rageberg territory was quite far away from the border and shouldn't be attacked by a large army. But the draft of the military was something that could happen any time.
Initially, Michael had thought to protect his family from the sidelines. But, it would not always be possible as their deployment could happen to different locations. Thus, purification medicine was exactly what he needed at the moment.
After talking things privately with his parents and convincing them that he had grown enough to take care of himself, Michael spent time with his entire family. Early morning the next day, the different races all left the tower. The human caravan too left.
Michael settled his room and prepared for his first lesson with Karslon. It was only now that he would have the ability to change the fate of his plane.