To thank the friends from another world for their tireless help in resolving the catastrophe threatening the planet, and to welcome the first official delegation from an alien civilization to visit it, the Horleta Royal Family had arranged a grand banquet. The banquet was held in Veshan Great Hall, east of the imperial palace—the venue Horleta used exclusively to receive foreign envoys and hold other grand state banquets.
Originally, the banquet should have been held when the Erem Elves had first arrived, but the Erem Elves' practical spirit had delayed it until everything had settled down. The princes, ministers, and officials attending the banquet had no choice but to go home and wait for more than half a day. Hao Ren felt rather guilty about making them go through all that trouble, but Hilda and the ministers she had brought clearly saw nothing wrong with it. Work was work, after all, and one had to do it properly. They had already eaten their fill at home before setting out, so naturally, they should wait until the work was finished before eating here...
The Erem were definitely the most plainspoken and honest bunch of elves in all the worlds. No exceptions.
Veshan Great Hall was dazzlingly magnificent. A grand court banquet was a feast for the eyes, from the surrounding decorations to the splendid clothes worn by the guests. This banquet was far grander than the secret meeting Hao Ren and the others had attended last time. Vivian, however, quickly noticed something unusual about the guest arrangements. Aside from the Erem Elves, who made up the vast majority of those present, there were not many Horleta people. Some were clearly important kingdom ministers and high-ranking church officials, while others seemed to be trained "attendants." Dressed in finery, these "attendants" behaved with