The Night before Mark's departure from Yong Island
Helios City, Eastern Sun Kingdom;
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It was late in the evening.
The King of Ouyang Dynasty, 13-year-old Ouyang Zen was seen in the palace grounds, with a sniping rifle in his hand and lying on an elevated wooden platform. Lan Jing, the eight-circle realm expert, his prime minister as well as his guardian, was standing beside him with his hands to the back. Both of their gazes are on the same thing, a wooden target in the shape of a man located roughly about two hundred meters away and barely visible to the naked eye under the moonlight.
The one that Ouyang Zen was carrying had its scope as well as its laser sight missing, more like removed away on purpose. Hence, this king was entirely dependent on his eyesight as he aimed at the target.
Apart from them, there are a few knights stationed around but they aren't much focused on what their king is doing. For them, he was spending his leisure time on some kind of weird hobby. Their King seemed to have an obsession with firearms and their ammunition, which he procured a lot but most of the stock would be sent to the Special Naval troops that operate those three warships and constantly patrolling the sea.
Of course, as the prized warriors of the kingdom who honed their skills for a long time, they naturally look down on those who use firearms, terming them as weak.
*Bang*
A loud sound erupted from the rifle and Ouyang Zen's arm vibrated a little bit for the nth time as a bullet escaped the barrel and cut through the air at subsonic speeds.
Ouyang Zen narrowed his eyes, focusing on the target. He saw a hole appeared right on the face.
He clapped with a smile, "Your Majesty, your aim is once again up to the mark. You shot the left eye of the enemy."
However, Ouyang Zen responded with a click of his tongue, "Tch, it is a bad shot, Lan Jing. I aimed for the forehead."
As they entered the place, they saw Sylvandria waiting for them, silently standing alone in the middle of the room.
"Greetings, Your Grace," Lan Jing cupped his fists and bowed to the figure. Ouyang Zen also followed the suit. After all, it was a demigod standing in front of him.
Sylvandria smiled as she waved her hand, "You are the ruler of this land, King Ouyang. You shouldn't bow to anyone on your land, not before a demigod or even an immortal. It is quite disrespectful to your ancestors." Her tone was calm but pleasing to their ears at the same time.
Ouyang Zen replied confidently, "Your existence indirectly protects our land from any direct foreign invasion, Your Grace. A protector deserves proper respect from the King, on behalf of his people. I'm doing exactly the same."
Sylvandria's eyes momentarily widened in surprise before she observed the teenage King for a couple of seconds and gave a nod, "You have a good temperament for your age, King Ouyang. I believe with the right guidance, you will be a good ruler; at the very least, enough for your descendants to be proud of their ancestor."
"Thank you for the praise," Ouyang Zen cupped his fists, maintaining a respectful tone.
Sylvandria then told him to take his seat, the throne. Once he sat down, she took her seat and spoke, "Lu Zhen tasked me with a message to each of you. He didn't explicitly say that the message to Lan Jing had to be spoken privately, but if you wish, I will do that too."
Lan Jing glanced at the teenage King from the corner of his eyes and shook his head, "It is alright. There is no secret that I wish to keep from His Majesty."
Sylvandria nodded, "I understand. First, I will pass the message directed to you."
"In a few months of time, I (Lu Zhen) intend to return to the Lan Clan and claim my heirship. Finish your things at Eastern Sun and prepare yourself for the departure."
The message came to them like a tsunami, stunning the teenager as well as the old man, for they didn't expect it from Mark.
However, the reactions were quite different from each other. While Ouyang Zen was filled with shock and disappointment, Lan Jing was filled with happiness. He couldn't stop himself from getting up from his seat, asking Sylvandria for confirmation that he heard it correctly, "Really? Xiao Zhen finally decided to return home. It is indeed a great piece of news."
"I'm not finished yet, Lan Jing," Sylvandria suddenly snapped at him, feeling that he was disrespectful to interrupt the message.
"Ah, Sorry."