Lan's coming-of-age ceremony: The two beastmen are Xia's subjects, the others are born...
Arashi's coming-of-age ceremony began in the morning.
Some orcs, who usually preferred to sleep in, struggled to their feet and became early risers for once. Skipping breakfast, they yawned as they walked into the square and noticed free food on the long table, which they were allowed to help themselves. They immediately grabbed the food they wanted to eat and filled their stomachs.
Many orcs, wanting Lan to try their cooking skills, brought homemade food. Seeing their hungry tribesmen pick up the food they had placed on the long table and eat, they smiled and offered even more delicious food to the starving orcs.
Today is Arashi's coming-of-age ceremony, a happy day for them, so of course we should share the joy together, including the joy that food brings.
Entry to the Tribal Square is restricted.
There were too many orcs who wanted to give Lan a blessing for his coming of age. The police officers linked arms to form a wall in front of the orcs who hadn't had time to enter and shouted loudly: "The square is closed! Orcs who arrive later, please stand on both sides of the street and wait for the parade. Do not try to get up and jump into the square, or try to spread your wings and fly into the square!"
Above the plaza, winged beast-shaped and humanoid police officers watched the restless tribesmen with helpless sighs. They had spotted several tribesmen who were ready to make a move.
Suddenly, the voice of the water spirit Belial appeared, and a wall of water unfolded from mid-air, forming a protective shield that surrounded the entire tribal square.
"Please, please listen to me, don't make things difficult for the police officers."
Belial's shy voice echoed around them, filling the minds of all the orcs.
The late-arriving orcs regretfully handed over the food they had brought to the police officers, asking them to pass it on to their friends behind the water wall. Then, they looked pitifully at their friends, asking them to put the food in the square.
Once their friends had walked away with the food they brought, their attitude instantly changed, and they ran back to their stall on the street without hesitation. They were still waiting for Lan's flower cart to arrive at their stall.
In order to send blessings on this day, the Xia orcs spent a long time preparing the items that their race would give out during their coming-of-age ceremony.
The orcs who left the square couldn't see what was happening inside. They didn't know that the tribal square wasn't crowded at this time, and there were fewer orcs than during the fruit season's bonfire gathering.
Maple Syrup and Grey Honey, worried about a stampede, specifically instructed the police not to let too many orcs into the tribal square.
The clock strikes the hour, its chimes echoing through the grassland habitat.
The beastmen stood silently, watching Jiang Yunlan ascend the steps and walk towards the platform. As usual, she didn't bother with any accessories, only tying her long hair up with a hair tie, letting simplicity accompany her.
Her velvet blue cloak effectively shielded her from the cold wind. For a moment, the orcs, watching her back, thought she had draped the sky over herself and wrapped a circle of white clouds around her shoulders.
Jiang Yunlan walked onto the stage, stood firm, and turned to face her people.
A white-trimmed sky-blue cloak traced an arc in the air before landing steadily behind her, just a hand's width from the ground. The attire she wore under the cloak resembled a coronation gown from the West of Earth: a white tailcoat with gold patterns, fitted white trousers that allowed for easy movement, and black flat boots.
Her dress looked extremely simple, as if she could pick up a sword at any moment and rush towards the enemy to protect her people.
She doesn't seem like a king sitting high on a throne; she's more like a warrior wielding swords and magic.
The transparent slime 022 perched on her head, looking back at the crowd with her. The fairies surrounded her, shimmering with different lights, and did not cling to her as usual.
The wind spirit flew to her and was the first to offer its blessing.
"I bless you in the name of Sylph. You are an orc protected by the wind, and all difficulties that stand in your way will be torn apart by the fierce wind. When you are lost, your true self will guide you forward."
"I bless you in the name of Belial. The loving waters will protect you when you are in danger and shield you from harm from other creatures. Ruler of the summer storms, the ocean will remember your name and sing of your dedication."
"I bless you in the name of Agni! Lan, flames are your best friends. Call upon us when you don't know what to do. Fearless sacrifice is our defining characteristic. Flames will clear away all dangers for you, and you will live peacefully to the end of your life."
"In the name of Sveta, I bless you. With a compassionate heart, you will be able to see through the malice of all living beings, the grass and trees will accompany you, and you will forever retain a pure heart."
"I bless you in Freya's name. The ice and snow will protect you, and all diseases related to the cold will no longer afflict you. You are the orc favored by the ice and snow, possessing a heart as clear as the ice and snow. You are resilient and persistent, but you will not fall into obsession."
"..."
The fifth spirit's blessing fell, and the spirits remaining on the grassland had finished expressing their blessings. Maple Syrup, Maple Red, Black Soil, Ah Bai, Rock Rain, Gray Honey, Hati...
The orcs handed over the items they would give to their people when they came of age.
The Honey Butterfly Beastmen brought various flowers, surrounding Lan's feet. To the Honey Butterfly Beastmen, flowers were food; the more flowers an adult beastman received, the more food he received, meaning he would no longer go hungry.
The leopard beastmen offered up the dew they had collected that morning, arranging it alongside flowers. Having come from the rocky region, the leopard beastmen had once suffered greatly from water scarcity; the morning dew was vital for their survival. Offering the dew was their silent plea, "Please live on, live until the next morning."
The sheep-beastmen placed a flower wreath on Lan's head, smiling as they gently patted her ungloved hands with their furry paws. Whether they were ibex or steppe sheep-beastmen, they all feared the snowy season, which always claimed their lives. They would often give warm items to their tribesmen when they came of age, hoping that the newly adult beastmen would successfully survive the hard-won snowy season.
At first, the sheep-beastmen wanted to give them warm winter clothes, but Lan would find that difficult. So they settled for giving them flower wreaths instead.
As more and more items piled up around Jiang Yunlan, Feng Hong, who had been chosen by the deer-beastmen, came before her.
"Lan, let's have a fight." Feng Hong held two wooden swords and moved one of them in front of Lan.
Every adult Deer-orc must undergo the test of the finest Deer-orc warriors. Newly born adult orcs will learn to conceal their weaknesses in this battle.
Combat skills are the best gift the Deer-Beastman race can give to adult beastmen.
Jiang Yunlan understood their clan's traditions, so she quickly took the wreath from her head and the blue cloak from her shoulders, asking 022 to carry them for her. She took the wooden sword and went to the open space cleared by the beastmen to fight Feng Hong.
Her best weapon is the bow and arrow, which she has used since she was a cub; her swordsmanship is quite average. Coincidentally, Maple Red's best weapon is not a sword but a heavy hammer, so the two fought to a draw.
Finally, Jiang Yunlan sensed Feng Hong's next move by using the wind and placed the wooden sword against Feng Hong's heart.
Want to knock the wooden sword out of Feng Hong's hand? Don't even think about it. Once Feng Hong has something in her hand, unless she lets go or dies, no one can take it from her.
"Oh my god! Arashi won! As expected of Arashi!!!"
The orcs cheered and laughed as they escorted Jiang Yunlan, who had fought several battles, onto the float, and followed it away from the tribal square.
Lan's coming-of-age blessings have only just begun. Next, Lan, the leader of Xia, will go to receive the blessings of her people.
A large umbrella hung above the moving float, under which Jiang Yunlan sat alone. The guards surrounded the float, preventing any ill-intentioned enemies from suddenly rushing out.
Jiang Yunlan, who was under the spotlight, felt an urge to cover her face and couldn't help but complain, "Maple Syrup and the others secretly put up a float behind my back. It must have been your idea, right? Sveta, Agni."
"Hahaha, don't you think it's interesting, Lan? Sitting here, you can see the beastmen's reactions just by looking down," Sveta said, looking at the beastmen whose eyes were gleaming. It and the other elves were squatting in the best viewing spot, on the wooden frame at the edge of the float.
Jiang Yunlan looked down at the two-meter-tall float and was speechless for a moment.
Suddenly, a Honeybee orc hidden in the crowd tossed a flower. The purple blossom twirled and landed lightly at her feet. Many orcs who had picked flowers from the plaza suddenly understood and happily tossed their own flowers to her.
Just then, the first snow fell. Fine snowflakes dotted the flowers, like morning dewdrops appearing on the blooming petals.
A sea of flowers has appeared.
The float was covered in flowers, making it a literal flower float.
Jiang Yunlan had no choice but to get up and walk to the elves' side. She leaned on the railing, smiled as she watched her boisterous and lively people, and raised her right hand to wave at them.
A white, six-petaled flower, several times larger than the others, flew aboard the float and headed towards her. She instinctively reached out to catch it, but upon closer inspection, she realized she had caught not a flower, but a lantern—a lantern that looked exactly like a maple-leaf clematis.
She was stunned.
In this world, the flower that looks exactly like the maple-leaf clematis can only grow on the mountaintop of that cave halfway up the mountain in the forest; this white, six-petaled flower cannot be grown anywhere else.
Jiang Yunlan subconsciously looked at the orc who had thrown the lantern. The orc's face was flushed and he looked panicked, as if he hadn't expected to accidentally throw the lantern that everyone had worked so hard to make, and it almost hit Lan.
She smiled as she watched the orc's reaction, her eyes crinkling, and gently shook the lantern in her hand. "It's alright, I like it very much."
The orcs who happened to have the lanterns with them opened their eyes wide and raised their hands, wanting to toss them to Lan. They completely forgot that there weren't many lanterns in the tribe; each orc only had one, and if they gave one to Lan, they wouldn't have any left.
“They specially prepared this lamp for today. Lan, if you don’t refuse them, Maple Sugar and the others will have an increased workload today.” 022 smiled helplessly.
Jiang Yunlan understood that these lanterns were to be returned to the beastmen, so she blinked and asked, "Do I get one too?"
“Of course, I originally planned to give you the maple syrup in the evening,” 022 said.
She was satisfied, and with a gust of wind, she delivered the lantern to the orc who had accidentally thrown it away, revealing a bright smile. "You don't need to give me this, I have one too. When night falls, let's play with lanterns together."
"good--"
"Lan, we'll come find you to play with lanterns tonight!"
Jiang Yunlan was even happier to hear their response and looked forward to the night.
Soon, night fell.
Remembering their promise to Lan, the beastmen lit up their white six-petaled flower lanterns one by one, and also lit up the lanterns that the beastmen who were temporarily unable to go out had placed by the roadside.
One by one, the awakening lanterns illuminate the entire grassland habitat, looking down from the night sky like one flame waking up another.
They carried Lan's favorite lantern to keep their promise to Lan.
After fulfilling their promise, they will fill the streets of the habitat with these lanterns and invite Lan to see a sea of flowers covering the grassland habitat.
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