Once it had finished gathering power, the carriage shot forward with a whoosh, covering dozens of meters in an instant. The civilians had been notified in advance, of course, so they didn’t block the middle of the road. They waited quietly off to the side for the carriage to pass.
“That must be the carriage Princess Elina is riding in. The Windfeather Shadow Horse leading it is impressive,” a middle-aged man exclaimed.
“Only a magical beast like that is worthy of our Princess Elina. I believe she’ll bring us a better life,” a middle-aged woman beside him said with a smile.
“Ha ha! I hope this old man lives to see that day,” an elderly man said, stepping forward and nodding as he stroked his beard.
......
When they reached the central square of the Imperial City, Elina hopped down energetically and looked around with curiosity.
The square was about 200 by 200 meters, with a floor paved entirely in white jade. It looked very pleasing to the eye. In the middle stood a huge raised platform, built from stone bricks and measuring 50 by 50 meters. A crystal-clear pillar of colorless elemental crystal stood atop it, with three seats beside it, presumably for Alaya, Elina, and the examiner.
The area outside the square was already packed with crowds who had come to watch the grand Elemental Awakening Ceremony. The rules didn’t allow them to enter the square; only the children taking part in the ceremony could go inside. That left one street empty—the route taken by the children arriving from cities all across the Frank Empire.
“All right, dear, you can wait in your seat for a while. We’re in public, so try to act a little more reserved. Once the children and the examiner arrive, we can begin the Elemental Awakening Ceremony,” Alaya reminded Elina, who was looking all around.
Elina pouted helplessly. So being a princess did have its downsides after all, meow~
After all, she represented the Empire, so she couldn’t be quite so free in public. She had to follow the rules, or she’d bring shame upon the Empire behind her.
“Okay.” Elina obediently sat in her seat, gazed up at the sky, and started daydreaming. There was nothing to do, so she was bored out of her mind, meow~
Caro stood quietly beside Elina. As the princess’s best friend, she didn’t have to line up with everyone else and could take the test directly.
Alaya faced the main road and waited quietly for the children and the examiner to arrive.
......
After waiting for more than ten minutes, excited footsteps finally sounded from the road in the distance. A large group of children slowly entered the square, their faces beaming with joy.
At their head walked a middle-aged man in a yellow mage’s robe. His expression was stern, and he wore a badge on his chest. At its center was the emblem of the earth element, surrounded by seven golden stars—the symbol of a seventh-tier mage.
Ryan was naturally among the enormous crowd. He gripped his silver token tightly and stared excitedly at the towering elemental pillar. That was where they would test their elemental affinity.
Once all the children had entered the square, the middle-aged man slowly climbed onto the platform. He exchanged a glance with Alaya, briefly shook her hand, then let go and said respectfully, “Your Highness Alaya, all the children taking the test have arrived at the square. Not one is missing.”
“Good.” Alaya nodded, then called out in a voice full of authority, “Children of the Frank Empire! Today is the day of your Elemental Awakening Ceremony. I believe each of you will become a pillar of the Frank Empire’s future. Give it everything you’ve got, and show the Empire the strongest version of yourselves! Can you do that?!”
“Yes!” the children roared in unison.
.......
