"Stop! Please don't make it hard on us!" A group of guards stood at the entrance of Zahara Kingdom and shouted at the group that had arrived. "You're not invited, please return!"
"I want to see with what qualifications you can say it!" The leader of the caravan grunted and released his presence. He was a powerful Free Human with a Silver Grade Human Avatar, one of the fiercest Generals of his Kingdom, and had personally ventured deep into Pranic Beast territories to slay their strongest.
But the moment he released his presence, it felt like he was standing at a shore, facing a cyclone. The sky and ocean had connected to become a spiralling wall of clouds, gushing down on him. And he, was naught but an inconsequential sand castle before this disaster.
"Huff…puff!" The leader of the caravan collapsed to the ground, unable to gather a sliver of strength anymore. His Spirit Container had cracked to a dangerous level, oozing out Prana. If he doesn't focus on repairing it, he will lose his cultivation and will have to live without a Spirit Container.
In Sumatra, being unable to use Prana was a fate worse than death. To anyone other than the Seven Mystic Paths, it was impossible to go from zero units of Prana to one unit of Prana.
'What…the fuck was that?' The leader of the caravan barely managed to get his breathing under control as he lifted his head and stared at an unassuming rock pillar positioned at the side of the Zahara Kingdom's gate.
"General!" The people behind him shouted in fluster upon seeing his state and pulled out their weapons, intending to wage a war against the guards, "How dare you disrespect us like this?"
"The Zahara Kingdom has indeed grown arrogant." Followed by a loud comment, a man who seemed to have just entered old age sauntered to the front. His every step held power, a sort of authority gained from commanding people all his life.
The grass-weaved crown on his head shone faintly, symbolising that he was the King of the Burac Kingdom. 'I need to control my strength. It seems that rock pillar only reacts when an external party unleashes their strength.'
He thought and stared at the General nearby, who hailed from another Kingdom, 'Pitiful man, he probably felt the brunt of the Celestial Boar's presence. He probably won't be able to muster the courage to fight again in this lifetime.'
"I'm the Burac Kingdom's King." The Burac King introduced himself, "We've come from afar to meet the Zahara King. Convey my greetings to your King!"
"Will you handle the consequences of dilly-dallying?" The Burac King stared at the guards in anger, mentally pressuring them, preventing them from thinking of a reason to refuse entry to them.
"T-That…" The guards stared at each other, feeling helpless, unable to decide what to do. They received strict orders from their higher-ups to increase securing during the Wean Selection, which was the name dubbed to the event where all eligible candidates in the Zahara Kingdom went through a variety of contests to appeal to the four Wean Clansmen.
Hence, the guards wanted to prevent entry for these outsiders. Unfortunately for them, there were countless powerful people among these outsiders. Some of them had a lot of authority too.
Currently, two caravans had arrived at the Zahara Kingdom's entrance. And in the short few hours they were made to wait, a third caravan had arrived, joining the fold in pressuring the guards.
There were over eighty guards at the entrance, nervous as they were hurled abuses by the visitors. If the situation continued to escalate, there would be a war. The Zahara Kingdom couldn't handle something like that.
After all, people from these Kingdoms would infiltrate the Zahara Kingdom and cause it to collapse from within. As they were all Free Humans, a war between them would be equally devastating for both parties.
And if more than a dozen Free Human Kingdoms declare the Zahara Kingdom as their enemy, even if they had the Celestial Boar's protection, they would collapse. The enemy wouldn't dare wage a war in the open but would enact sneakier tactics.
Poisoning their water sources, assassinating people, mixing with the people to start fake families, and brainwashing the next generation to become antagonistic to the Zahara Royalty, etc. There were more methods to state than one could remember.
As the guards were perplexed, a figure walked into their midst, allowing them to relax, "The Prince is here!"
"Thank goodness, you're here, Prince!" The soldiers clamoured towards him and poured all their worries upon him.
Hearing everything they had vented, Shuwrak Zahara nodded in acknowledgement, "You've done well. Now, leave the rest to me. Just form a neat file behind me and take on an imposing stature. I'll take care of them."
The gates opened with grand fanfare as Shuwrak Zahara sauntered out with dignity and stared at the leaders of the three caravans, "My fellow Free Human friends, the journey must have been taxing. Let me represent the Zahara Kingdom and invite you to get some rest inside."
"Good," The Burac King nodded and motioned for his caravan to follow him as he followed Shuwrak Zahara. "I was getting tired of waiting."
"It took some time for the message to reach us, so I apologise for the wait." Shuwrak Zahara expressed his apology, "Please get some rest in the establishment we've made for your excellency. A meeting has been arranged for tomorrow with the Zahara King."
"Mhm," The Burac King nodded with a stoic face, but internally, his heart thumped in excitement, 'We've crossed the first hurdle, which was to enter the Zahara Kingdom. Now, I need to focus on getting my people to participate in the contest to become a part of the Wean Clan.'
The caravan entered a town that had been erected from scratch in the past hour and hurriedly decorated. The Zahara Royalty received information the moment the first caravan arrived. They just decided to keep the so-called 'guests' waiting to gain some political advantage.
In the meantime, they build a town to house the visitors. This way, it was easy to manage and control them. Also, in case talks between the various groups went haywire, they could target the visitors with greater ease.
Standing in disguise on the walls of the city situated closest to the town was the Zahara King, gazing at the long stream of carriages entering the town in worry, "This is insane. All the carriages are filled with men and women of age. Their purpose is damn clear."
"This is actually good for us." Yarsha Zahara commented from the side with a smile, "Our Kingdom lacks the number of talented people we need to build the Wean Clan. So, their visit saves us a lot of time."
"Wouldn't that make a mess of things?" The Zahara King expressed his worry, "The Wean Clan will experience a lot of internal politics as a result."
"All these people wish to be associated with the Wean Clan for benefits. They want to reap everything of value from the Wean Clan to strengthen their respective factions." The Zahara King expressed his anger.
"Aren't we the same?" Yarsha Zahara laughed, "When my husband appeared here, didn't we do the exact same? And now, our Kingdom is growing stronger every year. In half a century, we'll become an Empire."
"They all want a piece of the pie. I understand that. And it's exactly what I want too." She proclaimed.
"What do you mean by that?" The Zahara King frowned.
"All these Free Human Kingdoms would become satellite states of the Wean Clan. They'll exist to serve us. And conversely, the Wean Clan will be able to exert strength through them." Yarsha Zahara smiled as she stared at her father, causing him to shudder instinctively, "From the Varahan Enclave to the farthest Free Human Kingdom under us will all be part of the Wean Clan's territory."
"The resources required for an Empyrean Boar to grow and reach maturity is significantly high. Through them, we can save a lot of time and effort." She concluded.
"How are you going to achieve that?" The Zahara King asked, only to be met with silence.
As for the person in question, Yarsha Zahara, she was happily staring at the incoming caravans with an excited expression, 'The Burac Kingdom is situated 840 kilometres from here. From the time Father announced the Wean Selection to now, it has only been 22 days. There doesn't exist a proper route between the two Kingdoms, not to mention the dangers present along the way.'
'For a message to reach them alone would have taken close to a month or more. They've arrived here too fast.' She then stared at the second caravan, 'This Kingdom ought to have journeyed through an even more treacherous route. But not only have their casualties been minimal, but they've been as fast as the Burac Kingdom.'
'Obviously, someone's helping them.' She nodded in thought, getting excited, 'There aren't many with the capabilities to do something like this. It must either be Inala or the Mammoth Clan.'
'In any case, let them come. I have prepared enough to trap them.' She quickly controlled her grin and approached her children, whispering in their ears, "You've all practiced the Skills I've taught you, right?"
"Yes," Brana nodded, clenching his hand into a fist, "This time, I'll detect Virala without fail if he approaches us while hidden in the Nature Slot of someone."
"Don't forget Gannala." Barla cautioned him, "She too has Weaponisation."
"I know, but I have personal enmity against Virala." Brana grunted as he stared at Yarsha Zahara, "Are you sure they'll take action during the Wean Selection?"
"They're probably already here." Yarsha Zahara grinned, "It's time we exact revenge on these fuckers for everything they've done to us!"
"I'll be the one to avenge Yaha and Hara." Barla gritted her teeth in anger.