205: Arrived in the Loran Empire

After a long journey, they finally arrived in Esteria.

A gentle breeze wafted, bringing with it the fragrance of flowers—a fresh, elegant herbal and woody scent, with a hint of cool mint.

This was the scent of the empire's national flower, the Star Flower.

The Star Flower comes in a rich variety of colors, with light purple being the most popular. The bouquets resemble small posies, and the individual flowers are tiny, each like a star.

Currently, this flower can only be found in the empire because it is very delicate and requires careful nurturing, making it impossible to transport elsewhere.

Xu Bai looked around; the potted plants decorating the station all seemed to be Star Flowers, just with slight variations in color.

Perhaps these Star Flowers decorating the station were meant to welcome guests from afar.

After admiring the flowers for a while, Xu Bai's gaze fell upon several people in uniform ahead.

These people also looked at their group, then started walking towards them… “Welcome, envoys from the Tianlong Republic. I am Louis, a representative of the Luo Lan Empire. The four people beside me and I are responsible for assisting you during your stay. If you have any questions in the empire, please feel free to ask us.”

Louis introduced himself, and he and the four people beside him bowed together to Xu Bai and his group.

Seeing their formality, Xu Bai felt a bit flustered; he wasn't good at dealing with such people.

Fortunately, when the roles were assigned, Su Linger was specifically in charge of diplomacy, while Xu Bai only needed to oversee the students.

Su Linger stepped forward, but instead of bowing, she extended her right hand.

“It is a pleasure to arrive in the empire and offer our sincere respects to His Majesty the King. I am Su Linger, the liaison for this visit, and beside me is our team leader, Teacher Bai Xiaobai.

Due to the long journey, the students are quite fatigued and need to rest, so we will not disturb His Majesty.

Please take us to our designated resting place.”

Louis caught a glimpse, his eyes flickered, then he naturally rose and smiled, shaking Su Linger's outstretched right hand.

“Your thoughtfulness is enough; His Majesty our King will not mind.

Hello, Mr. Bai. Everyone's accommodations have been arranged. Please follow us.”

Their every movement exuded elegance and grace, and smiles adorned their faces.

Xu Bai felt the atmosphere was a bit strange. Although both were smiling, why did he detect a hint of gunpowder in the air?

Never mind, if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it. So, he also mimicked Su Linger, extending his right hand to shake hands and greet the other party… The events at the station quickly reached the ears of other countries.

Other countries arranged personnel at the station primarily to inquire about the teachers sent by each nation.

Could these Card Makers be recruited? After all, Card Makers have a certain degree of autonomy in choosing where they work. If he wished to leave his original country, the country could not forcibly keep him.

If a country forcibly retained a Card Maker, it might lead to most of their Card Makers choosing to flee that country.

Cronia Teachers' Lounge.

“Which Card Makers from the Tianlong Republic came this time?”

“From what we can see, the familiar faces are Master Bai Shan, Master Xia Tian, and Master Qian Yonglu.

However, their team leader this time is called Bai Xiaobai.”

“Bai Xiaobai,” Ophelia murmured.

Bai Xiaobai seemed to be a recently emerging Card Maker in the Tianlong Republic. Although he hasn't reached the master level yet, all countries believe he has the potential to become a Card Maker.

However, some time ago, something happened. It's said that Bai Xiaobai was poisoned by a cult, and he drank a Mental Corrosion Potion, making it impossible for him to advance further in the future.

The Tianlong Republic is now letting him be the team leader for this competition, perhaps hoping he can make the most of his remaining contributions.

He won't be able to become a Card Maker in a few years, nor will he be able to cultivate Card Makers.

Ophelia dismissed the idea of recruiting Bai Xiaobai; a Wasted (useless) person wasn't worth her effort.

“You all pay more attention to Master Qian, the Card Maker. If possible, arrange a meeting with him later.”

In her opinion, the Tianlong Republic is now vigorously developing electric energy, and they might offend Master Qian, the Card Maker, because of Bai Xiaobai, who is now a Wasted (useless) Card Maker. This could be a breakthrough point.

After all, both Card Makers specialize in energy research. When two tigers fight, one is bound to get hurt.

Perhaps their country could pick up the pieces and invite Master Qian, the Card Maker, to their country.

Even if they couldn't invite Master Qian, the Card Maker, to their country, they could still discuss cooperation on the other party's coal energy cardss.

In her opinion, the Tianlong Republic has made a wrong choice, and perhaps Master Qian, the Card Maker, also wants to seek cooperation with people from other countries to put pressure on the Tianlong Republic.

“Alright, do we need to pay attention to the other two Card Makers?”

“The other two can also be approached, but prioritize Master Qian, the Card Maker.”

“Understood.”

…After the people from the empire left.

“This is the dormitory arranged for us.”

“Wow, it’s so luxurious!”

“Is the empire that rich? It feels even more lavishly decorated.”

“It’s mainly because the empire has distinct social classes. Power and wealth are concentrated in the hands of a few, leading to difficult lives for those of lower status and excessive extravagance for those of higher status.”

The students from the Tianlong Republic exclaimed as they looked at their surroundings.

The teams from each country arrived at different times, so there were no other countries in the restaurant yet, meaning no one was there to mock them.

“Wow.”

Xu Le also exclaimed, looking at the gleaming golden plates. It was his first time seeing such shiny rooms and shiny objects.

Although the lights in his home were also bright, the style here was very different from what he was used to, making it very novel.

Xu Bai held a plate, serving himself and Xu Le their favorite foods. Most of the food eaten on the train and ship wasn't particularly fresh, so seeing the hot food prepared in the kitchen, everyone had a good appetite and planned to eat before resting.

Xu Zixin: “Teacher Bai, come sit here.”

Xu Bai looked in the direction of the voice and saw the teachers sitting together, so he walked over to join them.

Ye Wenxiu: “Teacher Bai, what is the schedule like for the rest of the trip?”

“The competition starts tomorrow and will conclude in one day. The important part is the subsequent scoring segment, where we will participate as judges for three days.

Because there are too many participants and many judges, we won't act as one group; we might split into several teams later on.

During our three days of scoring, the students can have free activities. Only the few teachers who stay behind will have to work hard.

The results will be announced on the fourth day. After the results are announced, we will have three days to explore the Luo Lan Empire, and then it's time to go home.”