Early the next morning, Setaria, the Great Sage's assistant, arrived in Vimara Village bearing his orders.
Even after a night of revelry, many of the simple villagers still rose early to go about their business. Besides, they had to prepare breakfast for their guests.
Guided by the villagers, Setaria reached the higher ground of Vimara Village. The sight of the five luxurious wooden villas standing so incongruously there left her utterly astonished. How strange! When did the people of Vimara Village build such high-end villas? They look even nicer than where I live...
After asking around, Setaria finally met the legendary Inazuma Regent. His youthful yet imposing appearance surprised her greatly. After all, he was the supreme ruler of a nation; she had expected a stern, old-fashioned old man like Azar!
Setaria bowed respectfully to Yucheng. Although Azar looked down from the bottom of his heart on people like Yucheng, who gained their positions through force alone, appearances still had to be maintained. Besides, Setaria's standing was nowhere near Azar's.
"Greetings, esteemed Regent. I am Setaria, assistant to the Great Sage of Sumeru's Akademiya."
Yucheng, who had just gotten up, still looked a little grumpy. He involuntarily yawned and said, "Setaria, was it? Welcome. I didn't expect the Great Sage to be much the same in his choice of assistants, either. What brings the Great Sage's assistant here in person?"
"You jest, Lord Regent. Your delegation was supposed to arrive in Sumeru City yesterday. For that reason, our Sage Kavus waited at Sumeru City's harbor early, and the Akademiya prepared a welcoming banquet and comfortable accommodations for you, awaiting the Inazuma delegation's arrival.
"But your delegation never appeared. The Great Sage was very concerned that you might have met with an accident in Sumeru, and specifically ordered the guards to