HOUSING THE POWERHOUSES.

***At the receptionist hall of Clingford's martial Academy..

Navi sighs quietly as he goes through the slip or rather the prices it holds and finally he steels his mind choose a tier.

His mother's severance payment has been seven hundred bronze pints!. This money could be enough to afford both Elenora and Navi an average life for the next twenty five years!.

 Out of her severance pay, Elenora had bought their house at a cheap rate for Five hundred bronze pints. They mother and son gas spent over twenty pints on other necessities hence leaving Navi with a little less than a hundred and eighty bronze pints worth of inheritance.

 This money is his mom's lifetime worth of service so it had better be spent wisely and efficiently.

 "What other benefits comes with going with tier 2?.", Navi turns his gaze to ask the old man who's currently doing nothing but twisting his chair left and right at a completely relaxed pace.

 "You will get quarters to live in, you get the official robes as well as free pick of a single martial weapon in our gallery.", The old man lazily says.

 "In that case I will be going with Tier 2 for the segment of those who have not sensed mana and energy affinities.", Navi says with the old man nodding silently in response.

 "Do you have the payments?.", The old man asks.

 Answering with his actions, Navi opens up his hiking bag where he has kept small sacks of coins with ten bronze pints in each bag. He collects twelve of these small bags and puts it on top of the old man's desk for payment.

 Seeing this, the old man finally shows a smile of approval as he pulls out a distinct admission form.

 "Fill out you information.", The old man says.

...

...

***In the Main Imperial Palace within the Imperial Dynasty..

***In the Emperor's Palace Hallways.

 Imperial Consort Tamara can currently be seen walking through the long and broad hallway's of the Imperial Palace with nervousness rumbling in her guts.

 A pale-pink shoulder-free gown that shows her beautiful collarbone and neck hugs her body tightly into an artistic hold that sets fire to her already breath-taking figure.

A set of long gloves in faded pink tone comes in a length that reaches up to her shoulders as they add even more brilliance to her outfit. On her finger rests a sophisticated eclipse shaped wedding ring that symbolizes her permanent bond with the Emperor of the Continent.

 Today Tamara's hair isn't let down but instead it is packed into a neat and elegant bun. Her jewelleries are simple.. consisting of only a pearl necklace, a set of earrings and a snake-like bangle.

Although simple, these 'simple' jewelleries Tamara is putting on shows a considered amount of wealth as each jewellery on her person is a High ranked artifact!.

 Imperial Consort Tamara is obviously dressed much more beautifully and elegantly compared to what she wears in her own Palace though this is to be expected considering the level to the event she's attending as well as the significance her presence would reflect on her daughter's reputation and possibly future.

 For the last three months, all that has been in Tamara's head is this particular event.

For other powerhouses, the gathering is just another constomary meeting but for Tamara, this is her most official entering into the highest circles of power. Sh would be making a reintroduction of herself and her daughter to the world and well as the Continent's true powerhouses.

 Everything step she takes, every breath and word she says in there must be perfect!.

 For this particular event, Tamara has spent countless effort on mastering information about every single person that has the possibility of being in attendance.

Their names, the organisation they represent, the powers they wield, the benefits they can offer and the benefits they could possibly want.

 Tamara have mastered the identities of those strongly on the Empress's side, the neutral candidates as well as those who have the power and pull and influence the decision making in the Continent.

 Learning of some of these people's identities, cultivation feats and power mounts much more than a little pressure on Tamara's shoulders. She is essentially walking into a social chamber of old, wealthy and influential cultivation monsters.

 The few noble people who are on Tamara's side have made it exceedingly clear on what to do and what not to do in order to make it through the 'party' without completely burning down her already shaky reputation.

 Still walking through the hallways, Tamara finally makes a pause once she has gotten to the entrance to the party.

Standing still, Tamara closes her eyes and breaths in deeply while circulating her mana to calm her hot nerves as she calmly approaches the imposing and open tall doors at the end of the hallway.

 She cannot see or hear a thing from the outside of the wide doors but she's aware that behind these doors holds the powerhouses. With a breath, Tamara circulates her mana through one more circle before confidently and elegantly walking inside.

 The instant Tamara finds herself on the other side, she feels like she've entered a curtain to a whole new world as her environment undergoes a complete change.

Spacious party grounds filled with majestically dressed people of different races are conversing calmly with one another, long tables that hold various meals and treats are arranged simply along the edges of the space and small high tables that hold drinks are scattered around with small groups of people hanging around them.

 There are no party seats like one would expect but the hall is wide enough to hold few luxurious yet simple couches at its end with small groups of people casually hanging around them.

 The lightings of the room party space is perfect for the atmosphere without being too dim nor too bright not like this matters much to cultivators of their levels but they all seemed in fancy their current environment as they socialised with grace and vigour.

 Immediately she enters the halls, Tamara almost gives a choked breath that would have by no doubt drawn negative attention to her. Her heart races and breathing gets a little difficult but she isn't being like this because of nervousness but rather from one single element in the settings..

 The aura!.

 The passive aura of hundreds of High levelled cultivators!. This aura is beyond suffocating for someone like Tamara who haven't been forged for decades under this kind of influence.

 Tamara can be said to be a very powerful Rank 6 Sword maiden of her own rights. She's at the highest rank for high level cultivators and yet, she feels like an ant just before the passive and not even the true aura's of the giants present!.

 Monsters!,.. they are all just monsters.

 One of the artifact Tamara's wearing silently activates in order to shield her from the suffocating aura. As it activates, Tamara regains her elegant bearings which on surface level, she never seemed to have lost.

 'Where's the Emperor's throne?.l.', Tamara silently contemplate as she surveys the wide hall with her eyes instead of mana.

 One thing she's learnt from her advisors is that in events like this, she should avoid using mana as much as possible. In front of these monster, a person's mana is no different from a strand of DNA. They would learn a lot about her if they can simply feel the frequency of her mana.

 'The Emperor must be upstairs,..' , Tamara answers to her own question as she looks up to see a very high second floor.

The true powerhouses amongst powerhouses must be conversing there as she has not recognised any leader of the arms of the Court or the elven empire in the broad hall.

 With her arms tucked gracefully in front of her waist and her cheek held high, Tamara finally makes a move. She strolls through the hall in graceful yet almost care free manner while attracting just the perfect amount of attention.

 Walking through, Tamara soon stops in front of an empty round High-table and picks up a glass of transparent wine before bringing it to her plump lips.

 With clear eyes, Tamara takes a barely noticeable sip from the glass and puts it back down in front of her as she observes the situation once more.

 She has barely set down her glass when she feels a silent gaze on her, then two and then a dozen and then,.. two dozens. Nobody seems to be looking at her yet there are dozens of gazes cast on her.

The number of people curious about her as True Imperial princess Seflim's mother keeps growing but Tamara does not show any strain or discomfort on her face as she meets their curiosity with elegance.

 She's currently wearing a grade Six high level artifact with a function of blocking off all unwanted probes and so she isn't pressed much.

 Or so she thought.

 A piercing gaze filled with mana that's as fiery as lasers soon tries to investigate her but it's power is held back by the power of her artifact but then, this gaze is followed up by two and then ten!.

 These people are not nothing back on pushing her!. But at the same time, they are.

 Tamara fees she's safe but then, to Tamara's surprise the effects of her Grade Six high level Artifact immediately begins to fade.

 Her heartbeat almost speeds up and her face almost shows shock at the casual display of power levels which are literally MELTING DOWN THE EFFECTS OF A RANK *SIX* ARTIFACT!!.

 With this realization, Tamara gets a little tense but she soon calms down as she remembers a conversation she has had before the event.