Chapter 40 The Meeting of the Kings of the Ring Realms (3) He actually dared to use that kind of...
The King of the Tomb Keepers was not angered by Charybdis's provocation, but he did ponder for a moment, seemingly seriously considering the other's proposal.
Xia Ying unconsciously looked up at him, nervously awaiting his answer.
“War in the ring can break out at any time.”
He made his decision after a moment and spoke.
"But in any case, the completion of the King of the Rings Conference must be the top priority."
As the King of the Tomb Keepers finished speaking, the black-robed guard in front of Xia Ying swung his weapon and shattered the black jade shackles on her hands.
"We're saved..."
Xia Ying glanced gratefully at the black-robed guard, who hesitated slightly before reaching out to help her up from the ground.
Xia Ying smiled at him, then quickly slipped behind Charybdis.
"The meeting is about to begin, King of Shadowscales, keep your retinue in check."
After uttering his last words, the palace owner turned and left.
As she hesitated to ask, Charybdis took her hand, and magical energy flowed from his fingertips, transforming Xia Ying's bear pajamas into a silver-blue dress adorned with pearls.
Xia Ying looked down in surprise at the glowing skirt that swayed gently like ocean waves. At that moment, a semi-transparent veil suddenly floated down, gently covering her face and long hair, hanging down to her ankles.
"This is a shielding magic that can confuse other abyssal creatures' perception of your species."
Charybdis leaned slightly, raised his hand to lift his veil a little, and whispered to Xia Ying.
"Stay by my side and pretend to be my personal bodyguard. I'll take you away from here after the meeting."
“Okay,” Xia Ying said, looking slightly nervous. “So, in their eyes, what kind of abyssal creature am I now?”
Charybdis couldn't help but smile at her: "I think it's probably a jellyfish."
The siren lowered her veil, grasped Xia Ying's hand, and led her towards the conference waiting room.
With the protection of the shielding magic and the endorsement of Charybdis's identity, Xia Ying finally felt at ease and began to take the time to look around under the cover of her veil.
Another group of white-robed guards approached. When they saw Charybdis, they all stopped, pressed themselves against the wall, and bowed their heads to wait for him to pass through the corridor first.
Xia Ying, feigning superiority, passed by with him. After they had walked quite a distance apart, they heard footsteps again.
She glanced back and saw the squad of white-robed guards marching in unison toward the other end of the corridor, continuing their patrol in an orderly fashion.
"..." Xia Ying withdrew her gaze, "You absolutely cannot see such a scene inside the Crimson Crown Ring."
“Of all the ring domains, the Tomb Ring has the strictest restrictions on its people.” Charybdis turned his head slightly and whispered in her ear, “You shouldn’t see this situation anywhere else… As for the Crimson Crown Ring, it’s already quite difficult for those brain-damaged idiots to even remember their own names.”
Although this statement was full of the Shadowscale King's personal bias, Xia Ying thought about it and felt that it was indeed difficult to refute.
"Not even Shadowscale Ring?" she continued, "I always felt that the abyssal creatures of Shadowscale Ring were all very intelligent."
“It’s precisely because of so many ideas and calculations that it’s hard to get them to work together except for interests,” Charybdis sighed. “However, at least when it comes to fighting for territory with the Crimson Crown Ring, everyone is working very hard… Speaking of which, it seems that almost all Shadowscalers dislike the brutal and dull abyssal creatures.”
Xia Ying suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "Hmm? Could it be that the selection criterion for the Shadow Scale Ring is that one must dislike the Crimson Crown Ring?!"
Charybdis paused slightly, and Xia Ying heard him let out a pleasant chuckle.
“That might be true,” he said. “So, Xia Ying, after the [Circle Domain Internship] ends, would you be willing to come to Shadow Scale Ring?”
Xia Ying thought for a moment: "The Demon Lord said that the affiliation of the new students to their respective ring domains will be determined at the end of the first semester, but I still don't know what criteria will be used to divide them..."
Charybdis looked at her, and just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed. He released Xia Ying's hand and took a step to the side.
His movement conveniently shielded Xia Ying behind him. Although she didn't understand why, Xia Ying cautiously stopped in place and quietly and alertly observed the situation.
Footsteps sounded from the opposite direction, as if someone was approaching them, but because Charybdis blocked their view, Xia Ying couldn't immediately see who it was...
The dragon's arrogant voice, tinged with obvious displeasure, rang out: "So you're still alive, Charybdis."
Xia Ying was shocked: That's right! Fafnir is also attending the meeting!
She adjusted her veil, and for some reason suddenly felt a little guilty.
Imagine if you suddenly ripped off the veil and yelled at Fafnir, "You didn't expect to see me here! And I'm here with the Shadowscale King you hate the most!" How would he react?
...He might fly into a rage and then consider himself a traitor, using dragonfire to cleanse himself on the spot.
Thinking of this scene, Xia Ying's face scrunched up like she had eaten a sour lemon.
It's so frustrating. It's clearly not my fault, but I have to hide my guilt and keep my true feelings to myself.
That said, why did Fafnir have to come now? Wouldn't it have been better if he had appeared when he was almost executed by the King of the Graves?
Thinking of this, Xia Ying's spirits lifted, and the vague feelings of guilt and remorse were immediately swept away.
The case is solved! It was entirely Fafnir's fault!
While Xia Ying was having a wild daydream, Charybdis smiled at Fafnir and said, "Sirens live much longer than reptiles, Fafnir."
"What bad luck to run into you before the meeting! My clothes are starting to smell like the sea."
Fafnir dusted off his suit, making a gesture as if he was about to leave, but before Xia Ying could even breathe a sigh of relief, the dragon suddenly stopped and turned its gaze back to her.
Fafnir smirked: "This is the first time I've seen you bring your retinue to the Ring Realm Kings' Conference since the second one. What is she? A jellyfish spirit?"
“That’s none of your business,” Charybdis said calmly. “If you’re envious, you can bring your entourage.”
"I did have that plan."
Fafnir's smile slowly changed, and for a moment he seemed to sink into his own thoughts.
"Given her personality, I thought she might be curious about this kind of occasion, and I picked out a dress for her a long time ago... but she must be very tired today."
The dragon snapped out of his reverie, the almost gentle smile vanishing instantly. He turned and walked toward the red waiting room on the other side of the corridor.
"Goodbye, Charybdis. I hope to learn of your death before I receive an invitation to the next meeting."
The dragon entered the waiting room belonging to the Crimson-Crowned King, but Charybdis stood still for a long time.
Xia Ying waited for a while, and gradually began to feel strange about her companion's unusual silence, so she reached out to pat the other person's shoulder... Charybdis swung his right arm, and his fist with bulging veins slammed heavily into the jade wall, hammering out a large crater.
Xia Ying took a step back, her pupils dilating as she glanced at the shattered wall before turning to the enraged Charybdis.
“…” she said, “Charybdis, control your expression, pay attention to your expression.”
"Huh? Ah!" Charybdis finally realized what he had done, immediately adjusted his expression, and instinctively began to feign innocence, "Sorry, I think I lost my composure a bit..."
"Wait, now is not the time to salvage our image." Xia Ying pointed to the huge damage on the wall and said solemnly, "Do you know why the King of the Tomb Keepers wanted to execute me? It's because I was wearing pajamas and vandalizing public facilities!"
With that, the siren scooped Xia Ying into her arms and quickly left the scene of the crime. Only when they fled into a waiting room marked with the Shadow Scale Ring did the two of them feel relieved.
The siren reached out and gently lifted her veil, exchanging a glance with Xia Ying. The two couldn't help but laugh at the same time.
“I’m sorry, Xia Ying, I deliberately didn’t tell you that I am the King of the Shadow Scales,” Charybdis said. “Because I felt that the image of a weak mermaid would please you more than that identity.”
"Actually, this impression didn't last long in my mind," Xia Ying said with a smile. "Thank you for saving me today, Charybdis."
In fact, Fafnir was right about one thing.
If the situation hadn't been so abrupt and chaotic, Xia Ying would have been very happy to see what the King of the Rings Conference was like.
Once inside the safe area, her curiosity began to stir again.
Xia Ying observed her surroundings and discovered that the waiting room was fan-shaped, also made of jade, and equally spacious and simple.
"Are we all going to stay here until the meeting starts...?"
Just as she was speaking, a sudden, violent tremor came from beneath her feet, and then the waiting room they were in began to move rapidly like a rolling drum.
"What is this?!" The violent shaking made Xia Ying roll around the room like a three-dimensional pinball. "An earthquake? Is something hitting us? Or is this a form of execution by the Tomb Ring?"
“Xia Ying, it’s neither,” Charybdis replied as he chased after her. “It’s this palace that’s changing its form.”
The waiting room suddenly accelerated, and after a heavy jolt, it settled into place as if joined by mortise and tenon joints.
Xia Ying's rolling couldn't be stopped so easily. Before she crashed into the wall, Charybdis caught her and gently put her down.
After the waiting room fell silent, the jade walls gradually became transparent, revealing the situation outside the room to Xia Ying.
As the palace transformed, their fan-shaped room rose to a height close to the star tracker, where it merged with three other waiting rooms to form a single, suspended disc.
Xia Ying guessed, "This looks a bit like, uh, a conference room?"
Although it was a meeting room, the four parties involved did not face each other directly. The enchanted room became the most secure place in the palace. This was partly to protect the participants, but more likely it was to avoid the riots caused by the King of the Ring Realm himself.
"Although this is not enough to truly stop abyssal creatures of the Ring King level."
Charybdis tapped the wall lightly with his knuckles, creating ripples of magical energy on the jade surface.
"But at least it helps us avoid running into each other. It seems that Qilin has really done a lot of preparation for the King of the Rings Conference."
"Not really, but our relationship among the Kings of the Rings is relatively less tense," Charybdis said. "Although he is stubborn, he is easier to communicate with than a brutal and reckless dragon."
"And what about the king of the feasters?"
"...Qilin dislikes him even more than Fafnir and I dislike each other. If it weren't for his adherence to the rules, he probably would have refused to send an invitation to the King of the Feast."
Charybdis paused subtly.
"I have some dealings with the King of the Feast, but to be honest, it's probably not a good thing."
It seems that even among the kings of the ring realms, there are complex workplace relationships to manage.
Xia Ying's gaze swept over the rooms where the other three Ring Domain Kings were located, lingering for a moment on the one marked with the Wild Feast symbol.
So far, Xia Ying has only yet to meet the King of the Feasters.
The magic blocked her inquisitive gaze, and no matter how much she observed, it was all in vain.
Xia Ying withdrew her gaze, and at that moment, the voice of the King of the Tomb Keepers rang out, echoing clearly above the conference floor.
"As the organizer of this conference, I would like to thank everyone for setting aside your disputes, following the rules, and gathering here as scheduled."
After a brief opening statement, he announced.
"The Conference of the Kings of the Rings now begins."
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Author's Note: Siren: Actually, it's a little awkward to accidentally encounter a crush at work, especially since I always tell people I'm from a male high school.
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