The Kingdom of Nava was one of the top contenders for the title of most powerful nation in the world. Or it would have been if Lasvania did not exist. As it was, it had been relegated to being a very distant second. That did not mean they were weak though. They were considered one of Lasvania’s most important allies, a position that came with a lot of privileges. Over the centuries, it had transformed from a merely powerful state to a very wealthy one with an average cultivation level that put its rivals to shame.

That wealth and power was on full display when they arrived at the nation’s largest portal hub in the capital. Apparently the Navans held Ascendants in even higher regards than Lasvania because of some historical incidents. So, when the most talented Ascendant in history that also happened to be representing their biggest ally came to visit, they went all out on the reception.

They were greeted right from the portal edge by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a tall woman with a pleasant attitude that looked like she could have been from the Wu empire. She was the first person he had seen that looked like that. He supposed that with the amount of people on the planet, coming across such people would be unavoidable.

Instead of taking a portal directly to where they’d be staying, the woman took them to a strange, egg-shaped contraption with a flat bottom that was just a little taller than he was. it vaguely reminded him of a cultivation pod, because of all the various inscriptions on its surface but he could tell it was very different. He could at least recognise some of the underlying concepts behind the formations on the pod. These ones were very different.

He raised an eyebrow at the woman when she stopped in front of the machine.

“Ascendant Xiao Lee and Miss Lisa Feltham, this will be our ride to the palace.”

He looked at her sceptically.

“What is it called, Minister Jeun, and how is it going to work?”

“It’s a hover car,” she said. ”A fairly simple machine. The formations keep allow it to move freely in the air according to our desires. There’s a little complex machinery inside, but I’m not aware of the technical details of that.”

“It looks too small for four people though,” his scepticism was reduced, though not fully eliminated.

“The inside is spatially expanded. There should be no issues with the space.”

“Alright then. I guess it would at least be a novel way to go around,” he conceded.

The minister touched the hover car and a door shaped portion popped out and move to the side to let them in. Their executor bodyguard went in first, seemingly confirming it was safe, before beckoning them in. They went in after him, walking into what looked like a large, well-furnished room.

Lisa took a seat silently in one corner of the room. She had not spoken a word after greeting the minister. He considered making his way over to join her but thought better of it. There would be nothing gained from that, so he took one of the plush chairs close to the ‘wall’ of the room.

The minister touched something and injected a bit of qi in it. Immediately, the walls and ceiling disappeared, giving way to an unobstructed view of the city around them. If not for the fact that he knew they were inside an enclosed space, he would have thought they floor was the only thing between them and the outside world.

The hover car rose slowly, stopping when it could not have been more than eighty metres in the air. It started moving forward, albeit at a pace that was far lower that he would have expected. He was about to ask why it was so slow when he saw it.

On the ground below, which had also turned transparent at some point, a mass of people gathered holding signs of welcome and cheering for them loudly. The signs ranged from simple things like ‘Welcome Lasvania’, or ‘Lasvania x Nava forever'; to more pointed stuff like ‘Thank you for visiting Ascendant Xiao’, or in the case of a few women, asking him to marry them.

He shook his head at those. They brought back memories of his triumphant return to the capital of the empire back on Xenus. He did not particularly care for it, but he supposed it would be worthwhile if they were given priority here. The way they were treated in the Fifth Republic had not been pleasant.

They spent the rest of the trip admiring the city and all the various shows the that were in place to welcome them. The minister had also taken it upon herself to give them a tour, pointing out different landmarks.

All in all, it was a nice city. It was not the imposing monstrosity that was Cliver, but it was a nice blend of tall buildings and smaller residential homes that was much better than the Fifth’s capital, at least.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

They eventually landed directly outside a massive building that the minister said was meant to cater to important guests of the state. An entire section of it was reserved for their visit. They were also promised easy access to both the King and the Prime Minister when they needed it within the next week.

Lee had found that, and the entire concept of a constitutional monarchy, intriguing. He had come across nations where the royal family was actually a puppet of some advisor, of course. Xenus had no shortage of weak royals with ambitious subordinates. The Nava’s system, where the impotence of the royal family was codified into law and even made public knowledge, was something new. Even stranger was the fact that the King still had absolute power in theory. Yet the prime minister was even allowed to petition the parliament to remove the royals entirely. The implicit understanding that the king would not dare to actually use his authority was at least one he could understand better.

It seemed like a fragile system that could very easily spiral into chaos. Yet the system had been in place for millennia. There had been issues throughout the way, but a total collapse of government or civil war had not happened since it had been enacted.

They were shown to their rooms, each of which was less room, and more full-blown apartment. He took a moment to check out his suite. It had a massive bedroom and an ensuite bathroom, a living room, balcony, and a few other rooms whose purpose he could not confirm, though one of them had a swimming pool in it. There was also a kitchen, something he thought was rather useless.

All in all, it was far more than he actually needed, but he wouldn’t complain about that. What had him most excited, however, was the qi level. After having to endure much lower quantities of qi in both the Outlands and the Fifth Republic, he was pleasantly surprised by just how potent the qi in the suite was. It was not on the same level as what was in his room, of course, but it actually came close to what he had come to expect from most parts of Lasvania. It was also composed of predominantly lightning qi, which told him it had been prepared with him in mind.

He was tempted to sit down and cultivate, or even continue trying to form his technique, but he had something to do, so he grudgingly gave the room and its rich lightning qi a look of longing before stepping out.

There were two men waiting for him when he got down. He recognised the first one, with his simple black suit, as the Lasvanian ambassador. The second man was a little bit more interesting, however. Though he was technically not a part of the government, his face had featured prominently in the briefings. The man, who wore loose robes that were in a style he had not seen before, was the personal assistant to the woman he was about to meet. He was also on the cusp of becoming a High Cultivator.

“Welcome to Nava, Mr Lee,” the ambassador greeted. “I trust our friends here have been treating you well?”

“Thank you for your concern. Our time had been enjoyable so far. The minister was quite pleasant, and the people seemed enthusiastic.”

“That’s good to hear. Though it was expected. You’ll find that our Navan friends are as hospitable a people as can be.”

“I’d like to think we’re at least better than those Fifth bastards,” the other man cut in with a grunt.

“The reception we have gotten has been better so far. I just hope your leaders do not make us wait for hours on end before seeing us.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. That old geezer of a prime minister wouldn’t dare,” the man smiled in a way that made Lee feel a little sorry for a man he did not know. “Speaking of being on time. I hope you’re ready for our meeting. I would rather not delay my boss for any longer. Things get unpleasant when she’s annoyed.”

Lee confirmed that he was ready, and the man opened a portal a few seconds later. He waved the ambassador off, as the man would not be following and stepped through the portal, though not before the executor went first to confirm that it was safe.

They emerged on the lip and a massive volcano that was nearly boiling with lava. He had been to a few volcanoes on Xenus. One of them was even active. Yet they were all dwarfed by the absolute monstrosity that they stood on. Just the mouth they stood on seemed capable of holding an entire city. Even without the size though, the sheer amount of heat radiating from the liquid rock was enough to make him worry, even from a distance of hundreds of metres. There was no question about what would happen if he touched that.

“The High Cultivator will see us now. Don’t panic, she’s just making the journey shorter.”

Before he could prepare himself, he felt a gentle, yet overwhelming presence probing him. The next thing he knew, he was in a cosy room with plush chairs and warm furnishing. Lounging on one of the couches was the woman who had invited him.

“Lady Wen,” the assistant said with a bow. “Ascendant Xiao Lee has come to visit.”

“How wonderful. Thank you for your service. Though you will have to forgive me for sending you out again. I would like to talk to the boy alone. You too, executor.”

Though she spoke softly, her words carried a certain authority. Lee suspected it had something to do with the very obvious waves of power that she radiated. The executor looked like he was about to argue and insist on staying, but he seemed to decide that offending the High Cultivator in her home was not worth it. Particularly when his charge would not be in any danger.

“Of course, Lady Wen.”

It was when they were alone in the room that Xiao Lee finally spoke.

“This Xiao Lee greets the honoured elder.”

He gave a bow that was not quite as low as it should have been. His backers were powerful enough to afford him that. They had been against him showing any kind of deference, in fact, but they eventually relented and let him have his way since it was a private meeting.

“It had been a while since anyone had given the proper greeting to this old woman. There was a time they did,” she smiled fondly at that, as if recalling those days. “Unfortunately, everybody now copies Lasvania. And the Lasvanians believe Neophyte’s and High Cultivators are equal. What a load of nonsense. Apologies if that offended you, given your current position.”

He just shook his head at that, not too sure what to say for a moment.

“I try to give my seniors their due respect, as was taught to me by my master.”

‘Your master, eh. Must have been a wise person,” she said offhandedly, then leaned in conspiratorially. “Tell me, child, how is that old fool Hu Lujin.”