Lucian asked again if she needed a few personal bodyguards from the Tiangong Pavilion to protect her. Elara refused, saying that doing so would make the forces behind the assassination plot even more aware of her connection to the pavilion, causing them to target her even more.
Lucian was rejected. It was the first time in his life that a girl had ever turned him down, since it had always been girls coming to him on their own.
He was a little unused to it and stayed silent for a moment. Then, in his reply to Elara, he turned to other matters, like discussing the details of follow-up solutions for the "tricycle," and the structural principles of the "loom." In short, he didn't try to insist on sending her guards anymore.
Two days passed just like that.
On the day the Banquet of a Hundred Kingdoms officially began, Gareth told them in the morning during breakfast, "Leland Hanhe has arrived. He stayed in the special inn provided by Geranium Kingdom last night."
So after breakfast, everyone walked through the increasingly crowded and lively streets of Geranium Kingdom. It took them quite a bit of effort to squeeze into the special inn and locate the Leland delegation's base. From a distance, they could already hear the sound of fists hitting flesh and painful screams coming from outside the place.
Elara stopped and looked at Mr. Yu and Gareth, but saw that neither of them reacted strangely to the sound of the violent beating.
As the three of them approached the base, they saw a tall and handsome young man with his sleeves rolled up, revealing two strong and muscular arms. He was excitedly throwing heavy punches, and along with the other tall and strong guards behind him, he was beating down a group of emissaries and soldiers from the Narcissus Kingdom, who were still tightly clutching their nation's emblem.
They kept punching until the emissaries and soldiers from the Narcissus Kingdom on the ground started foaming at the mouth and were about to pass out. Then the tall, bare-armed man who stood nearly two meters tall burst into loud laughter. While laughing, he shook his fists, then raised his foot and kicked one of the men several meters away like a ball.
Feeling relaxed all over, he tilted his neck and stood with his long, strong legs apart like a small mountain. He laughed loudly at the remaining Narcissus soldiers who couldn't even crawl away:
"Ha ha! That felt great!"
From a distance, Elara silently watched the scene of one-sided violence unfold before her eyes. After a few seconds, she quietly turned her gaze to Mr. Yu and Gareth.
Gareth maintained his usual smile and nodded to her. "Yes, Miss Bai. The one beating people the hardest with bare arms is the Crown Prince of Leland, Leland Hanhe."
Mr. Yu was already fanning himself as he walked into the crime scene with a smile. His dark green eyes looked at Leland Hanhe's muscular arms.
"Brother Leland, your mood really is as enthusiastic as ever."
The tall and handsome man turned around at the sound and, seeing it was Mr. Yu, broke into a broad and cheerful smile.
"Yu, you came just in time."
Perhaps he had just finished a fight that left both his body and mind exhilarated. Leland Hanhe was still basking in the aftermath of excitement. His strong arms were sweaty and steaming, making him look like a victorious lion fresh from the battlefield.
His heavy gaze swept over Mr. Yu and Gareth, finally landing on Elara, with an open look of amazement in his eyes. Then he laughed loudly and walked toward Elara. "Ah, this beautiful young lady must be..."
Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, a loud angry voice suddenly rang out.
At the same time, guards wearing the emblems of Jingshi Kingdom, Salvia Kingdom, Periwinkle, and Narcissus Kingdom appeared in large numbers, surrounding Leland Hanhe, Elara, Mr. Yu, Gareth, and the others.
"Leland Hanhe! Don't be so arrogant!"
The one in the lead was a one-eyed man in armor, apparently a general from Jingshi Kingdom.
One of his eyes was blind and covered with a piece of black leather, which made him look somewhat ridiculous. His remaining eye glared fiercely at Leland Hanhe, then scanned over Elara, Mr. Yu, and Gareth, assuming they were Leland's accomplices.
Elara: "..." They had just found the person and hadn't even spoken yet, and now they were going to be dragged into this.
Mr. Yu paused his fan slightly, still walking slowly to stand beside Leland Hanhe. He shook his head and chuckled. "Brother Leland, it seems we really came at the perfect time. Later, you must find a good place to drink with us."
Leland Hanhe laughed heartily and didn't even glance at the general from Jingshi Kingdom. He raised his hand and patted Mr. Yu's shoulder.
"Absolutely. Let's get rid of these pests first. Then wherever and however long you want to drink, I, Leland Hanhe, will keep you company all the way."
As he spoke, Leland looked past Mr. Yu at Elara, seemingly trying to signal her to stay back and be careful.
But the general from Jingshi Kingdom, clearly angered at being ignored, waved his hand furiously.
All the surrounding guards charged in with their blades raised.
Because too many people were rushing in, Elara immediately took down the spear strapped to her lower back.
In just a few seconds, she assembled the disjointed sections swiftly in her hands. She kicked back a sneak attacker charging from behind, and with a flick of her spear, five or six guards around her were sent flying.
From a distance, Leland Hanhe, who had been planning to send someone to protect her, was stunned when he saw this. His eyes were full of surprise. "Whoa. Yu, this young lady of yours is truly incredible."
A woman with such powerful combat skills was extremely rare in this world, even in top-tier kingdoms.
Mr. Yu, now holding a long sword, also glanced over at Elara. Then he turned to Leland Hanhe with a faint, amused smile.
"Brother Leland, you don't need to worry about that young lady. If she couldn't handle herself, Gareth and I would've already sent someone to guard her. You should focus on the mess in front of you."
"You're right. Got it."
The instinct to protect women was common sense among all responsible men in this world.
So even though it was their first meeting, Leland Hanhe had subconsciously tried to shield Elara from harm in the chaos.