1302 A Grand Welcome?

Tension.

The air was brittle and hard with uncertainty.

And like statues, countless foreign knights lined up proudly across the dock lanes closer to their ships.

Neither the faint drizzling rain nor the slightly cold ocean breeze deferred them from standing as still as statues. Swords on their waists, goldenrods in their hands, and very decorative attires on, all magnified the strength and wealth of these foreign visitors.

Who? Who was it? Who owned this magnificent legion of galleys?

Across the Pyno docks, several people within the regular ships belonging to Pyno merchants, nobles, fishermen and many more, now secretly watched the show with all sorts of questions and thoughts in their minds.

William was fully covered up with one of his famous Ghostly Prince masks and a black cloak... So many didn't know who he was.

Nonetheless, they could recognize the attire of the royal Arcadinian guards. And this clue alone made them feel that maybe these strange visitors were his majesty's guests?

No one could be sure for now. So all they could do was watch the show.

.

~Din. Din. Din. Din.~

William's team walked across the dock, incoming their way closer to the main Galley, which was the largest ship of all, and had its upper parts painted Golden too. Its sails were light red, and even the ropes maneuvering them were dyed red.

From a distance, the moonlight seemed to reflect on the gold-painted ship, making it sparkle vibrantly.

Stunning. Stunning... It was indeed a beauty.

Too bad William had no mind appreciating its stunning and awe-striking appearance.

~Whoosh. Whoosh.

William's eyes moved left to right and back. On his left were rows of foreign knights, and on his right was another row of knights stationed in a straight line, right up to the main ship.

And as he moved by, these guards didn't even bow slightly or acknowledge his presence. They stared ahead like rocks, neither looking at him. But even at that, William could still see the disdain in their eyes whenever he got closer to them.

Come to his territory and disdain him? This was ridiculous!

This move alone showed just how much 'respect' these foreigners had for him and his people.

They acted as though spending one more second here would kill them

But who was it that invited him out? Was he the one who called them over to Pyno? Did he beg them to visit Arcadina? No, he didn't. So what's with the attitude?

William's expression turned cold. And soon enough, he reached his destination, standing before a massive board that led upwards to the towering ship.

"This way."

"Hmm."

.

William finally reached the very top and was immediately greeted by hundreds of soldiers lined up around the massive deck.

And at every interval, he could also see fire torches lit up to reveal the beautifully carved deck floor that looked like a piece of art.

His men hopped aboard the ship with him, taking in every little detail about the massive ship while secretly calculating what they would do if things took a turn for the worst.

But before they could get an even clearer picture of things, 3 burly men with terrifying appearances marched towards them in full knight armor.

"Stand your ground!" The men said, not having a single iota of care for this 'paper monarch of Pyno.

"The Marquess of Tuskilany, Marquess Rudolf, will make his grand appearance now!"

Marquees Rudolf?

Instantly, everyone turned to the massive upper floors above the deck.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several stationed golden gongs were rung violently, followed by the sounds of flutes playing majestically.

Alright. If people in the neighboring ships weren't up before... now, their noisily neighbor had ensured their sleeplessness.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound resounded across the open air.

And the next thing everyone knew, several ladies in very light and airy clothes all emerged from what seemed to be an open hallway on the floors above the deck.

.

~Thah. Thah Thah.~~

The ladies threw countless flower petals and danced vigorously across the scene. They danced without care, slowly descending to the stairs and finally landing on the deck floors.

Some women then followed after the group of dancers and flower throwers, wearing unique sets of clothes with baskets of fruits and in their hands. And from time to time, they would also giggle and laugh shyly.

William raised his brows thoughtfully. A beauty scheme?

~Giggle. Giggle.

The ladies seemed to be chuckling at heaven knows what.

Of course, following this set of women was yet another set in very exposing outfits. These ladies held massive flower fans in many shades of pink, white and green.

What was the purpose of having these fans in this light drizzly night? Only the heavens would know. But well, with the size of them, maybe they would be able to serve as umbrellas.

That said, the faint rain had already begun stopping. The rain was so faint that it was almost as if It wasn't falling. And no one seemed to take note of it either. If anything, the rains seemed to raise up the heat that had long been trapped underneath the grounds.

And now, even though the slightly windy sea breeze gave a refreshing relief, it was undeniable that the heat was still engulfing them.

The late summer nights were still as tough as ever.

William and his men stared at the very seductive scene of women frolicking around and still stood firm, acting as though they couldn't see these women at all.

The outfits these ladies wore were so thin, exposing their nipples and every other body part too.

But, amid a potential enemy, why the hell would they be thinking of this?

.

The ladies moved across the deck, doing their very best to look as enticing and as captivating as ever. And soon enough, the person they had been waiting for had finally decided to show up.

William chuckled playfully.

Good. He was here.

Now, they could get to the bottom of things. After all, he had to get back to sleep, no?