1926 Watching a Ceremony
Fortunately, now that he was a student of someone who was half-deified, Han Sen had some level of authority across Narrow Moon. It gave him access to information that the ordinary Rebates were not permitted to know.
Han Sen could not find out anything about the origin of the red mist orb, but he was able to learn about the red mist minks and the Red Mist King.
In the geno universe, there was a race called Meka. In truth, it wasn’t one fixed race, but a t.i.tle that included a number of subspecies and different blood lineages. So, because of their extreme diversity, the Meka couldn’t be considered a higher race like the Feathers were. Even if their strength exceeded that of some higher races.
Even if one of the Meka managed to light a geno lantern, it wouldn’t be enough to enable all Meka to be considered a higher race; there were too many differences in the blood between them all.
The Meka’s xenogeneic s.p.a.ce included everything from pigs to snakes. There were still so many different types of creatures that were considered Meka that it was difficult to keep track of them all.
But there was one connecting thread, and that was a talent shared by all the Meka. They could consume xenogeneic genes and create a new material inside their own bodies.
The Meka used these materials to create xenogeneic battle bodies, creations that were similar to the Red Mist King.
But in order to be used, xenogeneic battle bodies required a power that belonged solely to the Meka. So, if you were not one of the Meka, and you had a xenogeneic battle body, you would not be able to operate it.
“Without a doubt, those little minks belong to the Meka. They’re related in some way, leastways. But if that’s the case, then why were they born here? And why was the Red Mist King here? The Meka need a lot of xenogeneic genes to create xenogeneic battle bodies, and the red mist spring had a lot of spring water. That means many xenogeneics died here. These two have to be related in some way,” Han Sen thought.
But this was all he could conjecture. He couldn’t make any further guesses, as the information he had discovered did not talk about the red mist minks and the Red Mist King specifically.
Han Sen tried to use xenogeneic gene ingredients to fill up the Red Mist King’s energy, but he soon realized that it wasn’t working.
This was because xenogeneic genes had to be eaten by the red mist minks, who would then release the energy they had gained. That was the top-up process for the Red Mist King. The red mist minks were too small right now, however, so they couldn’t eat much. And they were also slow to generate energy.
Han Sen let them eat as many Baron xenogeneic genes as they were capable. But by doing so, they were only able to generate 0.01% percent of the needed energy each day. And that was with all seven of them working together. G.o.d only knew how long it would take for the batteries to fill up.
Han Sen discovered that Red Mist King’s planet—the one they had gone to—belonged to the Meka’s xenogeneic s.p.a.ce. Red Mist King’s arrival had been a big event for the Meka, and there was a lot of news coverage on it.
Han Sen was happy he had managed to get out of there quickly. If the Meka King cla.s.s sorts found him, he didn’t know if he could have made it out alive.
Planet Eclipse had been quiet for a while. After a few days, Black Steel sent him a message inviting him to Planet Black- Moon to observe a ceremony. The ceremony was about forging a knife. The knife was forged already, so this was more of an opening ceremony for the weapon.
The Black family wouldn’t invite others if it was an ordinary knife, but this was different. Black-Moon King had spent a hundred years to forge a King cla.s.s knife. And that was why he wished to arrange a ceremony that others could attend.
Not just anyone was qualified to watch, either. Most of the invites were sent to King cla.s.s elites. A few lower level subordinates could follow after their Kings, but they weren’t allowed to be there when the ceremony was taking place.
No other Viscounts like Han Sen received a direct invitation, and only three or four Dukes received a direct invite. They were Black-Moon King’s friends.
Although Han Sen was not particularly interested in attending a ceremony, Yisha told him that Black-Moon King was going out of his way to include Han Sen. Black-Moon King had always spoken positively about Han Sen, so he had no qualms in agreeing to the invite and going.
On the day of the ceremony, Black-Moon King called for a s.p.a.cecraft to collect Han Sen. Yisha also received an invitation, but she wasn’t going, so Han Sen had to go alone.
When he reached Planet Black-Moon, Black Steel invited Han Sen to join him in watching the ceremony. Han Sen realized he was sitting in the same spot Yisha was supposed to.
That also meant he was sitting next to Moon Wheel King and a few of the other Kings. Rebecca and Qing Li could only stand someplace in the back, as they hadn’t been honored with seats.
Han Sen wasn’t very concerned about the situation, though. He had seen too much in his lifetime, so paltry things like social awkwardness no longer bothered him. He simply acted cool while he drank his tea. He wasn’t unnerved by the proximity of Moon Wheel King and the others.
But the Kings took tiers seriously. To them, Han Sen was a small fry, so there was no need to converse with him. That meant no one talked to Han Sen.
Half an hour later, no one had yet seen Black-Moon King or the King cla.s.s weapon he was supposed to present. Just as Han Sen was wondering when the event was going to begin, Black-Moon King appeared atop the peak of a stone mountain.
Han Sen was surprised, and he thought, “I thought this was a ceremony. What is he doing up a mountain?”
Moon Wheel King smiled and said, “That stony mountain is a whetstone. It is a xenogeneic gene from a King cla.s.s rocky giant. A long time ago, a King of the Black family slew it. And ever since, they have used it as a whetstone. When a King cla.s.s weapon is forged, it is revealed here. This is the third time I have seen this.”
“Are King cla.s.s weapons that hard to forge?” Han Sen was shocked. The Black family had a long history, but after all that time, they had only managed to forge three?
Moon Wheel King smiled. “Not exactly. The Black family has forged more than three King cla.s.s weapons, but those were mostly created from creatures. They don’t show them off. Only King cla.s.s weapons that are created entirely by the Black family’s hands will have a ceremony.”
After a while, Moon Wheel King said, “This ceremony is special. Black-Moon King is taking this very seriously. The weapon is named after Narrow Moon.”
Han Sen was curious about this. He wondered what sort of knife would be granted the t.i.tle of Narrow Moon. Narrow Moon was as big as the Rebate themselves were. The blade had to be special to be named after it.