CHAPTER 55 - The Ceremony Begins

Robert had some experience with basketball. Although he didn't enjoy fighting in the air, he was quite fond of close combat on the ground. It was a great way to exercise.

The two of them gathered together, murmuring softly and completely ignoring the odd glances thrown their way. The looks seemed to convey the same meaning as those he received when he first joined his house back at school. 

The conversation naturally shifted to the country they were currently in.

"What do you think of Flower Country? I feel like they don't take the 'Confidentiality Law' seriously. If the Americans find out, it could be a disaster!" Paul said, his voice tinged with concern. "Though, even though Grandpa Zeng is a bit odd, they're good people."

"No, it's just a little itch he's scratching," Robert thought for a moment before responding. "What exactly is the full name of the 'Confidentiality Law'?"

"The 'International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy,'" Paul replied, looking at Robert with a surprised expression. "What's the matter, don't you know this?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Robert said, scratching his neck. "The official term for wizards here in Flower Country is 'Xuan Shi.'"

"Ah, I see," Paul nodded in understanding. "So since they're not wizards, they're not violating the 'Statute of Secrecy' after all." He chuckled. "So, it seems like the International Confederation of Wizards has pretty weak supervision over Flower Country. The books barely mention places like Sichuan, Tibet, or Guangdong."

Robert squeezed his neck. "Maybe it's because they can't access those tribal areas."

"Tribal areas?" Paul asked, puzzled. "Isn't it just a matter of turning a few corners to get in?"

Robert chuckled but said nothing. 

A few minutes later, the door to the room opened, and an elderly man with graying hair entered. "It's time. We must go up the mountain."

With that, he led the way out of the large room. 

Paul, who didn't understand Chinese, panicked. He looked around as the people from Flower Country began rising and following the old man. He seemed completely at a loss. "W-what did he say?"

Robert grabbed him by the arm, quickly moving to join the group. But the downside of being in a large crowd quickly became apparent. Even though Robert was holding onto Paul's clothes, the crowd was so packed that he lost his grip, and Paul was swallowed up by the sea of people.

"Uh..." Robert pulled his hand back, helplessly saying, "Were there this many people in the hall earlier?"

It felt as if these people had materialized out of nowhere!

Ignoring the mystery of where these people had come from, Robert fought his way through the crowd with great effort, finally managing to break free. Only then did he look back and realize that not all the people around him had come from the hall. In fact, many seemed to have appeared from all directions. 

For a moment, he couldn't even tell where the old man who had led the group had gone or where the other children who had been in the hall with him were.

Robert sighed in frustration. He hadn't expected the ancestor-worship ceremony to bring so many people up the mountain at once.

"Second Grandpa, you're really being unfair!" A white-haired old man complained as he poured tea for Chen Er Ye (Second Grandpa). "Those kids are small, what if they get crushed by the crowd? How will we explain that to their families?"

Chen Er Ye waved his hand nonchalantly. "They're all wearing the clothes that Ah Yu handed out. The clothes have protective arrays on them. They'll be fine."

If Robert were there, he would recognize that the elderly man who was drinking tea with Chen Er Ye was the one who had led the children out of the hall earlier. 

This old guy actually took advantage of the chaos to sneak off for tea!

"I heard you've taken in a new grandson?" the elderly man asked. "Does that mean I've gained another younger brother?"

Just thinking about the mischievous kid made Chen Er Ye grimace. "Ugh, the family tree is all mixed up, it's giving me a headache. Just call whoever you want, it doesn't matter."

"Sounds like a mischievous little monkey, or else you wouldn't be looking like that," the elderly man said with a grin. "Mischievous monkeys are good, they won't suffer."

Chen Er Ye wasn't happy with the comment and felt the old man was implying something. 

Meanwhile, Robert was still weaving through the crowd, unable to find a familiar face. He felt as though he were trapped in a sea of legs, the legs of tall people, short people, thick-legged people, and bow-legged people all around him. After a long struggle, he finally found a chance to slip out from the crowd.

Out of breath and exhausted, he managed to reach a spot near the mountainside where the crowd was thinner. At least here, he could catch his breath for a moment. 

Despite it being early September, the heat was still intense, though not quite as oppressive as the height of summer. The throng of people making their way up the mountain showed no signs of thinning out, and in fact, as the sun climbed higher, it seemed to only grow larger.

Robert truly found himself in a bind. It was already hard enough for him to get into the crowd, now getting back in was proving impossible.

All he could do was wait.

After a while, he saw an opportunity. A chubby man, pushing through the crowd, managed to clear a path with his sheer size and strength. The man was muttering curses under his breath as he made his way through, but no one dared stop him.

Robert's eyes lit up. If I can't get through on my own, why not follow him?

Seizing the moment, Robert slipped through the gap the chubby man had opened up. He wasn't sure how far they had gone or where they were, but he kept following until the man finally stopped under a tree. The area around the tree had been cordoned off with a fence, and everyone stood respectfully outside.

Robert hunched over, finally able to breathe in some fresh air. He took a moment to recover.

"Pay respects!" someone shouted.

Looking around, Robert saw a long table set up under the tree. Several thick incense sticks were placed in large incense burners at the back of the table. The smoke swirled around, transforming into various animals before dissipating into the air. The fragrance was so pleasant that Robert couldn't help but sniff the air.

In a daze, a man in traditional Chinese clothing approached him and gestured for him to kneel and offer his respects.

Still in a bit of a trance, Robert followed along. 

"Clink—clink—clink."

The sound of metal clinking echoed three times in his ears. Before he knew it, the ceremony was over. He stood up, momentarily lost in thought, and then realized he should take a picture of the large tree to show his friends later.

He pulled out his camera from the cloth bag and asked a passerby to take a photo for him.

With a "click," the camera captured the moment.

[Special map discovered and photographed, +2 skill points.] 

(End of Chapter)