Chapter 601: Victory Day Celebration
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Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The celebration for Victory Day was in full swing, and the entire Crown of the Ocean was immersed in a whirlwind of festivity and busyness.
As the initiator and advocate of this festival, Ji Chen had a short two-day break after the war ended.
As the saying goes, even the toughest ropes can break under prolonged pressure, so he felt justified in enjoying this brief respite.
During this time, he used the recruitment quotas for the five recruiting camps he had newly acquired to recruit a total of fifty Sea Crystal Wynns.
It’s worth noting that recruiting Sea Crystal Wyrms, a sixth-tier unit, required the consumption of extremely rare resources called Spirit Crystals. Each Sea Crystal Wyrm required 20 units of Spirit Crystals, and recruiting fifty of them would cost 1000 units.
Ills inventory of Spirit Crystals was only 3500 units, so he was just two rounds of recruitment away from running out of resources.
It seemed that his upcoming journey to the Maple Princ.i.p.ality would need to focus on finding more Spirit Crystals.
The day of the Victory Day celebration banquet arrived quickly. It was called a dinner, but it had actually started since noon. The streets were adorned with colorful decorations, red fabrics, red lanterns, and various festive items were hung everywhere. Even the residents were dressed in red clothing to some extent.
It looked quite festive.
Originally, in this world, there were no customs or traditions of wearing red items to celebrate special holidays.
However, at some point, Ji Chen mentioned to Wikis that the color red symbolized celebration in his homeland. Wilus remembered this and told the residents, suggesting that the Crown of the Ocean should incorporate red elements into its future festivals.
This made Ji Chen somewhat amused but also pleased.
Being able to see a glimpse of his homeland in this foreign world seemed like a good thing.
Even more importantly, this could bring people long-lasting, beautiful memories that could inspire and motivate them to move forward.
In comparison to pure force and violence, Ji Chen believed that this could create a powerful territory. A powerful territory was not solely determined by absolute military strength; civilian development was also an indispensable component.
Standing by the window and looking at the residents on the street, who wore genuine smiles on their faces, Ji Chen smiled knowingly.
“My lord, the Victory Day celebration banquet is about to begin, and it’s time for you to make the opening speech,” Alice said in a low voice.
Ji Chen withdrew his gaze and nodded gently.
Under the gaze of thousands of people, he stepped onto the stage set up at the main venue.
Looking at the thousands of eyes staring at him, those eyes filled with hope, joy, grat.i.tude, excitement, and respect, Ji Chen spoke loudly in a relaxed and gentle tone.
“My people, once again, the Crown of the Ocean has triumphed over its enemies.
Since its establishment, we have defeated countless ambitious enemies who sought to claim our home for themselves. But without exception, they were all defeated by our unity and our courage to stand up to formidable foes!
During this time, we have painstakingly built a dazzling pearl in this vast and desolate ocean! Even the elves in the far North Continent have recognized our unity and courage!
Our territory continues to expand, and the number of like-minded friends grows. The Starshine Islands joined us not long ago, the honorable lords of King Kong Island are now our friends, and even the Lienhardt Grand Duchy, thousands of miles away, has gifted us land to show their friendship!
Let us celebrate loudly!
We are witnesses to all of this, and we deserve this honor and celebration!”
With the last sentence delivered in an impa.s.sioned tone, the venue erupted into a deafening cheer. The residents, with faces flushed red, seemed eager to unleash the emotions they had been suppressing, shouting at the top of their lungs.
“Long live the Crown of the Ocean!”
“Hail to our Lord!”
After finishing his speech, Ji Chen descended from the stage and mingled with the crowd. A warm smile graced his face as he moved through the path the residents spontaneously made for him. He watched their excited, red faces, some of which were so overwhelmed with emotion that they couldn’t even speak.
Suddenly, a fire ignited within him.
It seemed that in this world, he had found a new purpose.
The elves of Vale watched all this unfold in silence, their eyes filled with emotions that indicated their inner turmoil.
Beside Marianne stood Arlin, who involuntarily clenched her hands as if something was surging within her.
She didn’t know what it was, but at that moment, she envied the residents. The smiles on their faces were genuine because they had a wise lord, a guide who sincerely led them in creating a better life with their own hands.
She liked it here because the residents, regardless of their races, had joined hands to create their own paradise.
Marianne noticed Arlin’s unusual state and asked, “Arlin, what’s wrong?”
Arlin, somewhat bewildered, shook her head and said, “Great Elder, I…”
Marianne looked at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled kindly, patting her head and speaking gently, “If you want to stay here, then stay. I will support you.”
“I’m not…”
Arlin instinctively tried to deny it, but Marianne shook her head with a smile and said, “Elves should confront their own inner selves. We have long lifespans, but as a cost, we’ve cultivated arrogance, selfishness, disdain, and greed over the centuries. It almost led to our extinction..”