Chapter 3568: More Fans And A Request
Chapter 3568: More Fans And A Request
Lin Mu answered all the questions calmly, occasionally explaining the structure of the tournament or describing a particularly memorable match. Meanwhile, Cattaleya found herself surrounded by an entirely different crowd.
Several younger nobles and ministers approached her with excited expressions.
"Lady Cattaleya!"
"May we request your autograph?"
She blinked.
"...You all too?" She hadn’t expected to meet more fans here.
One of the ministers quickly produced a jade slip.
"We watched your matches! Your final fight was incredible!"
Another held up a recording crystal.
"That strike you used in the semifinals... it was amazing!"
Cattaleya burst into laughter.
"Seriously?"
Despite her amused tone, she obliged them, leaving small inscriptions of her name or brief marks of Qi on their jade slips.
It quickly became clear that many of the nobles present had already watched the recordings Miyeon had retrieved earlier. Ironically, the only ones who had not recognized Lin Mu and Cattaleya immediately were the Huli siblings themselves.
At one point, Lin Mu overheard an interesting conversation nearby.
One of the ministers had cornered Huli Zu and Miyeon near the edge of the hall.
"Why did you not report their identities immediately?" the minister scolded.
"You two brought Martial Fist King champions into the kingdom without filing proper notice!"
Huli Zu looked like a child being lectured by a strict teacher.
"I was going to report it!"
"When?"
"Soon!"
Miyeon stood quietly beside him with a faintly resigned expression.
Then Lin Mu heard something interesting.
"Grand Uncle," Huli Zu said awkwardly.
"Please calm down."
Lin Mu raised a brow. ’Grand Uncle?’
He discreetly glanced over and observed the minister more closely.
So the Huli siblings’ royal connection was closer than they had originally suggested.
Having a grand uncle serving as a royal minister was hardly what most people would call distant royalty.
Cattaleya leaned closer to Lin Mu with a grin.
"I knew it."
Lin Mu glanced at her.
"You guessed?"
"Of course."
She nodded toward Miyeon.
"She runs an entire teleportation administration and acts like she owns the place. That’s not some distant branch family."
Indeed, the scolding continued for several minutes.
Though interestingly, the minister seemed far gentler when addressing Miyeon.
"You should at least remind your brother about these things," he said with a softer tone.
Miyeon nodded politely.
"I did."
Huli Zu sighed helplessly.
Clearly, Miyeon was the more favored grandchild.
Eventually the conversations shifted again.
As the banquet reached its later stages, Lin Mu decided to raise an important matter.
He looked toward the king.
"Your Majesty."
Huli Qian turned his attention to him.
"Yes?"
"I wished to ask about something."
"Of course."
Lin Mu spoke calmly.
"I intend to travel to the Mother Forest."
The king’s brows lifted slightly.
"The Mother Forest?"
"Yes."
"I am hoping to acquire a flying vessel suitable for space travel."
The king’s surprise deepened slightly.
"Space travel?"
Lin Mu explained briefly about his search for rare minerals within the surrounding asteroid fields.
Once he understood the reasoning, the king nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
"If that is your goal, then the Mother Forest would indeed be the correct destination."
He leaned slightly forward.
"If you wished to purchase a normal flying vessel, our capital could provide several options."
"But space vessels are far more specialized."
"They are crafted primarily within the Holy City of the Mother Forest."
"The Holy City?"
Lin Mu asked.
The king nodded.
"Yes."
"It is the true governing center of the Fox Scion World."
That revelation intrigued Lin Mu.
However, the king soon explained why access to the Mother Forest was restricted.
"An ancient array covers the entire forest," he said. "It prevents anyone without foxkin blood from entering."
Lin Mu nodded slowly.
"So permission is required."
"Correct."
The king smiled.
"I will personally write a letter granting you access."
"That should satisfy most of the requirements."
"But there is another matter."
Lin Mu waited.
"To bypass the ancient array, you will also require an entry token."
The king continued.
"These tokens must be specially crafted."
"And they require blood samples from those who intend to pass through the array."
Lin Mu did not hesitate.
"That is acceptable."
"Good."
The king nodded.
"It will take a few days to prepare the tokens."
"In the meantime, please consider yourselves honored guests of the Huli Kingdom."
The banquet continued long into the night.
More conversations were exchanged, more food was served, and laughter occasionally echoed through the grand hall.
Eventually, as the night grew late, the guests began retiring to their assigned chambers within the palace.
The first day of Lin Mu’s visit to the Fox Scion World’s capital had ended.
But it was clear that far more awaited them once they set foot in the legendary Mother Forest.
The next morning in the Huli Royal Palace began peacefully.
The previous night’s banquet had lasted late into the evening, yet the palace grounds were already bustling with activity by sunrise. Servants moved through the gardens preparing breakfast, officials hurried along the corridors with scrolls and reports, and the royal guards had resumed their patrol rotations.
Lin Mu had woken early as usual, not that he needed sleep. He just did it as a habit and also to check in at the Sleepscape.
Cultivators at his level rarely required long rest, and the quiet hours of dawn were often the most comfortable for reflection and cultivation.
However, this morning he had something specific planned.
The previous evening, during the banquet, Lin Mu had already spoken with King Huli Qian regarding entry into the Mother Forest. The king had readily granted permission and begun preparations for the entry tokens required to bypass the ancient array guarding the sacred forest.
But Lin Mu had also made another request.
He wished to visit the Temple of the Guardian Beasts.
Technically, he did not need royal permission to do so. The temples dedicated to the Guardian Beasts were sacred sites open to worshippers throughout the world.
Still, Lin Mu had asked formally out of courtesy.
After all, he was currently staying within the royal palace, and respecting local protocol was always wise.