After the chubby Hua Xiong was helped up by his personal guard, he inevitably burst into tears and howls. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the Old Angel King had kicked the bucket. Hua Zhen couldn't be bothered with him anymore, so he signaled to the Construction Department steward and followed him toward the Tiangong Ship's grand banquet hall.
Upon entering the hall, Hua Zhen was utterly stunned by its decor. Only then did he truly understand how Granny Liu must have felt upon entering the Grand View Garden.
The hall was built in a Baroque Style and covered at least several thousand square meters. An enormous, intricate crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, gleaming and translucent, clearly polished to perfection.
The surrounding walls were covered in exquisite, beautiful relief murals. Under the chandelier's glow, they shone with incomparable splendor. A thick red carpet lay beneath his feet, so soft that walking on it felt like stepping on clouds.
At the far end opposite the hall entrance stood a wide, lengthy flight of steps. At its highest point sat a throne carved with angel wings—luxurious, imposing, and supremely noble. It belonged to Angel King Hua Que. Every inch of its extravagant design displayed the Construction Department's exceptional craftsmanship.
Quite a few people had already arrived in the hall. There were commanders and generals from the Angel Civilization, as well as governors from Subordinate Civilizations who held relatively high status. Many had brought their families along.
That was easy enough to understand. Angel King Hua Que's birthday celebration was only held once every thousand years, and those who came to offer their congratulations were all distinguished and influential figures. If they could use this rare opportunity to latch onto some "important person" capable of helping their family or civilization, it would be immensely meaningful. After all, that was one of the reasons they had come.
In his previous life, Hua Zhen had merely been a child raised in an ordinary family. He had seen these "high society" social occasions on television, but this was his first time experiencing one in person.
He automatically tuned out the stinking men toasting and flattering one another. After watching the lovely, curvaceous beauties for a while, he smacked his lips. "Tsk, tsk... Has entering the Gene Era affected people's looks too? Every last one of them has fair skin, a pretty face, and long legs!"
The Construction Department steward beside him hadn't heard clearly and asked in confusion, "Third Prince, do you have an order for me?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing..." Hua Zhen withdrew his gaze and waved him off. "Go do your thing. Gus is enough to keep me company!"
"Understood, Third Prince. If anything comes up, you can use this to call me at any time." The steward handed Hua Zhen a communication device the size of a thumb ring, then respectfully withdrew.
"Come on, Gus. Let's see what there is to eat. I'm starving to death already~"
Noticing that his arrival had drawn attention, Hua Zhen called to Gus and headed for a table laden with food. He had no interest in dealing with those irrelevant people.
After watching him for a while, the people in the hall stopped paying attention and resumed chatting with those around them.
Though Hua Zhen was the Third Prince of the Tiangong, he was still young. To put it bluntly, aside from his noble status, he probably had less say in the Tiangong than many people in the hall. Every one of them was shrewd. They would never waste a rare chance to curry favor on a little prince who couldn't help them. They were all painfully realistic~
The scene shifted back to Hua Zhen...
He had assumed that the Old Angel King's birthday banquet would at least have better food and drink than his Bedroom Palace. Yet when he approached the dining table and saw what was laid out on it, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Perhaps after a civilization entered the Gene Era, food simply stopped being such a priority. The Angel Civilization's cuisine was somewhat like that of the ancient Western countries in Hua Zhen's original world, with three main characteristics:
First, raw. Roasted meat had to have streaks of blood in it. By the end of a meal, it looked like you had eaten a dead child, leaving your mouth blood-red.
Second, cold. Ice cubes had to be added to every beverage and fine wine. That one was barely acceptable.
The third point was also the one Hua Zhen found most unbearable: no meal without sweets, no sweets without a meal!
Take this bowl of sweet soup in front of him, for example. He had drunk it in his Bedroom Palace before. Honestly, without downing two bottles of insulin first, he wouldn't even dare take a sip. Getting sick from the sweetness would be the least of it.
"This can't go on. When I get back, no matter what, I have to teach Lian Xi how to make food fit for human consumption!" Hua Zhen said indistinctly as he gnawed on the simple "hot dog sandwich" in his hand.
Gus couldn't understand why he had stuffed roasted meat and milk cake together inside bread. Could that possibly taste good? Seeing Hua Zhen stretching his neck as he ate, Gus hurriedly picked up the sweet soup from the table and said with concern, "Your Highness, eat more slowly. Don't choke. Here, have some sweet soup to wash it down..."
Hua Zhen's little face darkened. Resisting the urge to kick him to death, he said with a forced smile, "Gus, you've been running around for me since this morning. You haven't even had time for a sip of water. You've worked so hard, so you should drink this bowl of soup instead..."
He paused. "Remember to finish it in one gulp~"
"Uh, well... Your Highness, drinking it all in one gulp will sweeten me to death..."
"You fucking know it'll sweeten someone to death, yet you brought over an entire bowl for me to drink? You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Hua Zhen bared his teeth fiercely. "Drink it!!"
I only saw that you were choking... Gus felt utterly wronged.
"Hmm? Why is the Little Highness sitting here alone?"
Just as Gus was considering whether to obey his prince's order and drink the sweet soup in one gulp, a gentle voice suddenly sounded behind them. He turned around, and his eyes instantly widened. "L-Left..."
Hua Zhen looked over in puzzlement. The newcomer was a middle-aged Male Angel with neatly groomed golden hair in a standard British aristocratic style. He wore a silver toga robe, giving him the air of a perfect gentleman.
Left Wing King? Hua Zhen's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He had done plenty of homework before attending the Old Angel King's birthday celebration, so he recognized this middle-aged man at a glance.
Angel King Hua Que had two wing guards: Left Wing King Miller and Right Wing King He Zheng!
Both men held extremely high prestige and status in Angel Palace City, equivalent to the left and right chancellors of ancient China. Unlike He Zheng, who came from an Old Noble Clan, Miller had risen step by step from an ordinary angel to his present position. Not only was his strength astonishing, but his personal abilities were formidable as well.
Gus was nothing more than a minor figure in the Tiangong. After seeing Miller, the fact that he hadn't dumped that bowl of sweet soup over Hua Zhen's head already proved that his nerves were remarkably strong.
"Greetings, Left Wing King~" Though he had no idea why this man had come over, Hua Zhen still politely offered the salute of a junior. Compared to a Wing King who stood below only one person and above countless others, his status as the Third Prince was far inferior. He had to treat him with caution.
Remembering what his subordinates had reported to him about this little fellow, Miller couldn't help but find it amusing. He walked over, rubbed Hua Zhen's head, and asked softly, "Why didn't the Little Highness wear protective gear before entering the Tiangong Ship? Do you know how dangerous that was?"
Hua Zhen was an adult at heart, so being treated like a child and having his head rubbed by Miller made him feel extremely awkward. However, he didn't show it. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Gus told me before that, before the Angel Gene was upgraded, it couldn't withstand the Wormhole Device's transmission. I didn't believe him, so..."
Miller burst into laughter. "Haha... The Little Highness must have felt terrible then, right?"
"Uh... Yes!" Terrible? I nearly puked up my guts, okay?
"You really are too reckless, little fellow..." Miller looked at the half-eaten "sandwich" in Hua Zhen's hand and shook his head with a smile. "The Angel King's birthday banquet will last a long time, so the Little Highness should eat more. I won't disturb you any longer..."
Watching his departing back, Hua Zhen was completely bewildered.
"W-What was Left Wing King trying to do?" Gus voiced Hua Zhen's own confusion. He had come over, said a few words, and left. No one would believe he had merely come to say hello.
Hua Zhen frowned and lowered his head, sinking into thought...
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