The tense standoff was defused by Fuli'er with a firm yet tactful approach. Under the hostile gazes of the fully armed Sangha people around them, Prince Filo'xier followed Murphy, Triss, and the others back to the lodging Fuli'er had prepared for them.
It was a palace that had survived the earlier Chaos invasion. The Sangha people had gone out of their way to repair it and welcome the most honored person in their eyes—their master.
As soon as Murphy stepped inside, he noticed that the shield generators disguised as inconspicuous objects around the palace had all been activated. He turned and asked, "So, while I was away, has the city defense matrix of the royal city of Ptolemy been restarted?"
"Thanks to you, and to the joint efforts of the foreign sages and our Sangha engineers, the royal city's matrix was successfully activated four days ago."
At the mention of it, Her Majesty Fuli'er beamed with pride. She explained, "As before, we didn't simply follow the Creator's standard solution. We made our own modifications and tried things out. Although the control program written by our engineers and the foreign sages hasn't yet activated the city matrix to more than seventy percent of its full strength, I think this is an excellent start.
"This is the first time the Sangha people have truly relied on our own abilities to wield a sacred relic left behind by the Creator.
"On the day the matrix lit up, we Sangha people were finally able to hold our heads high beneath the Creator's radiance and proudly proclaim our progress and achievements to all those watching us.
"I promise you, Lord Murphy!
"While you're staying here, you won't have to endure the indignity of being caught off guard by a sudden attack again. And it's not