To Long Chen’s surprise, the people who were blocking him looked rather familiar. One of them was that pale, pudgy Hanlin scholar that he had left in a miserable state.

Today, this Hanlin scholar was wearing golden scholar robes and was fully dressed up. Even his scholar headband was perfectly square-shaped.

Six Hanlin scholars were in charge of registration, handing out gifts, and greeting the guests.

It was because this state banquet was an important affair for the Vermilion Bird Empire, so every single detail had to be meticulously handled. The fact that Hanlin scholars were personally doing the registration spoke volumes about the state banquet’s significance, highlighting both the importance placed on it and the high regard the empire held for the...