The overall strength of the first-class matriarchal country in the east remained extremely strong, and over all these years, there had been no signs of decline.
However, it was a pity that the most powerful combat force of the matriarchal country was at sea.
Land battles were their weakness, so it made sense that they lost to the power of Celosia State, the dominant force in the Central Plains.
Among these three first-class countries, only Celosia State, which occupied the Central Plains region of the continent, was truly the most prosperous and powerful.
After the final champion country was decided, amidst the sighs and exclamations of people from various countries, Elara also heard many emotion-filled remarks filled with useful information.
She had not yet come into direct contact with the forces of those three first-class countries, but that did not stop her from collecting information in advance for future needs.
The champion country received enthusiastic congratulations from the nations attending the Hundred Nations Banquet.
The most anticipated reward of the banquet was not kept in suspense by the host, the Geranium Kingdom.
Once the winner of the national battle was determined, they immediately had people carry large amounts of generous reward supplies to the stage.
First, they awarded the third-place Gamma-level reward, then the second-place Beta-level reward, and finally, the most anticipated divine blessing reward for the banquet champion.
As the many powerful figures below the stage held their breath and focused their attention, the head of the three highest officials of the Geranium Kingdom—an official second only to the ruler—respectfully held up a delicate wooden box and took to the stage.
With a deep voice, he revealed the contents of the highly desired champion reward to everyone.
"This time, the champion reward our Geranium Kingdom is offering is a map of the ruins where a god once lived!"
The high official carefully and respectfully raised the delicate wooden box high.
With that first sentence, a huge wave of commotion swept across the entire Hundred Nations Banquet.
The crowd burst into loud discussions like a tidal wave.
"Heavens! I thought it would be, at most, a medium-level divine blessing! But it turned out to be a map to the ruins of a god!"
"Oh my goodness! This is far more valuable than one or two divine blessings! A ruin where a god once lived! Who knows how many divine treasures might be hidden inside! The Geranium Kingdom really went all out this time! No wonder it attracted so many second-class and higher powers!"
"Ah! It's so painful! With a divine treasure right in front of us, for us third-class countries, this chance to explore a god's ruins is as distant as the rainbow on the horizon! We can only watch from afar!"
"That's why having a powerful backing is so important!
Besides the champion Youlie Kingdom that won the main competition of the banquet, if any other third-class country wants to witness the god's ruins, it depends entirely on how strong and supportive their backing is!"
"In addition to having a powerful patron, one must also be strong personally.
This kind of rare opportunity that may only happen once in several centuries is sure to have many unclaimed divine blessings hidden inside!
Countless forces will fight over them! If a third-class country wants to join in, it first needs to see if it even qualifies! Otherwise, it might not even know how it died before being wiped out by others!"
"That's true! But to have such a rare opportunity right in front of us and not be able to even touch it—that's just unbearably frustrating! Truly frustrating!"
According to the rules, only the third-class country that won the champion reward could receive the box and access the map inside.
Amidst everyone's shocked and envious gazes, the high official of the Geranium Kingdom solemnly and respectfully handed the box to the equally solemn and respectful envoy of the champion Youlie Kingdom.
While many were still sighing in regret and envy over this once-in-a-century opportunity, some people had already begun to quietly leave the crowd.
The attendant of Prince Leland quietly and quickly reached Elara, Prince Yu, and Gareth through the crowded people, lowering his voice to tell them, "His Highness asked me to inform you all that the time has come. Please follow me immediately."
The three of them put on their cloaks right away and followed the attendant quietly and swiftly, slipping through the crowd. Then they traveled along a hidden narrow path and, in less than half a stick of incense's time, had already left the lively capital of Geranium Kingdom and arrived at a concealed trail outside the city.
On the trail, Prince Leland was already waiting for them, seated on a strong and well-built steed. When he saw them, his handsome face showed a smile as he raised the whip in his hand.
"Let's go! We've found the location! We're heading over now!"
The location of the divine vein's storage was only six hundred li from the capital of Geranium Kingdom, which was about three hundred kilometers.
Elara, Prince Yu, and Gareth followed Prince Leland without stopping, racing along the trail. They finally arrived at the mountain where the storage was located around six or seven in the evening.
Along the way, they encountered many other forces, both openly and secretly. But everyone was in a rush to reach the destination, so before entering the storage, at most they glanced at each other and didn't make a move.
No one wanted to waste energy and let someone else take advantage. So the many forces that passed by them only looked at them a few times before turning back and focusing on their journey.
Prince Leland had already gotten the news very quickly. But by the time they arrived at the area around the mountain's storage entrance, more than ten different groups had already taken the best cliffside spots with a clear view.
Around the storage entrance, the skilled guards that Elara had previously detected using Puppet Soldiers were still there. But they no longer guarded the entrance as tightly.
At the moment when the winner of the Hundred Nations Banquet was decided, their strict guarding time had ended. From now on, it depended on who had the ability among the nations.
Anyone could attempt to enter the storage and face the deadly underground mechanisms.
Unfortunately, though many factions had the courage and desire, none had successfully cracked the underground traps so far. Some only ended up being rescued from the storage entrance with severe injuries, showing just how terrifying the mechanisms gifted by the divine vein were.
Just the entrance alone had already caused so many top fighters to retreat seriously wounded.
Looking at the many severely injured people from different factions lying around the storage entrance, the remaining forces suppressed their urges. They patiently waited for the beautiful head of the Celestial Pavilion to arrive.
Only the Celestial Pavilion gave them hope in the face of such deadly traps.
When Elara and the others arrived, they saw how crowded the surroundings had become. Prince Leland looked around and found a spot that was still unoccupied, though not the best, and brought them there to rest.
Seeing the injuries near the storage entrance, Prince Leland had no intention of trying to enter early for a test.
He settled the three behind him and shared the information he had received with them while waiting for the head of the Celestial Pavilion to appear.
Time passed quietly for about an hour.
The number of forces gathered around the storage entrance had already multiplied several times. All the slightly better spots were fully occupied, and the area was packed with factions ranked second-class or above.
With so many people, conflict was inevitable no matter the situation.
Just as the growing impatience among the factions nearly turned into fights, a luxurious but modest sedan chair carried by eight young men in white appeared in the sky from another nearby mountain.
Everyone who had been arguing or about to fight stopped when they saw the sedan chair. The few strongest second-class factions who held the best spots near the entrance stood up and bowed respectfully toward the slowly descending sedan.
"Greetings, Head of the Zishu Court!"
"Greetings, Head of the Zishu Court!"
Others from different factions also stood up and bowed.
Lucian stepped out of the sedan. He still wore his elaborate and elegant deep-blue robe. His stunningly handsome face looked like flawless jade under the setting sun.
He slowly scanned the surroundings and paused slightly in Elara's direction before pulling back his gaze. He looked toward the divine vein's storage entrance and spoke in a cool, clear voice.
"You will wait here for half an hour. After that, I'll tell you whether you can enter."
The leading second-class factions bowed even lower, filled with gratitude. "Yes! Thank you, Head of the Zishu Court!"