After a while, it was the Elliot noble house's turn to present their gifts.
Of course, the one allowed to do that was Gavin. He was the young master, after all.
Gavin walked up to the stage confidently and proud to the stage.
Standing in front of the King, he humbly said, "I'm pleased to meet you, my King. On behalf of the Elliot noble house, allow me to present our congratulation and gift."
From the basket he was carrying, he brought out a piece of bone, "This is a bone we found in the Dark Forest. We have determined that it belonged to a [Rank 3] Demonic Beast. It is an extremely valuable item, as it is the strongest bone of the beast, and it belongs to someone of the same worth. Your Highness, please accept it."
Gavin knelt and presented the shining piece of bone to the King.
The King replied, "Very well. Young man, what is your dream?"
"My dream is to serve my Kingdom," chanted Gavin.
"Good. Good. Good. I will be watching your performance in the competition," the King smiled as he sent Gavin off.
He wasn't shy to accept the gift as it was as explained, a wonderful item.
It had to be known that [Rank 3] Demonic Beasts was of equal strength with a [Realm 3] cultivator.
Jake was just at [Realm 1], likewise the rest of his peers. The older generation was at [Realm 2]. There were also rumors that the strongest warriors in the Kingdom were at [Realm 3].
Jake didn't think they were rumors. He even suspected that the King belonged to that realm.
One had to know that the remains left behind by demonic beasts could be made into many things. They were so invaluable that they were extremely expensive.
Also, a bone belonging to a [Rank 3] Demonic Beasts would be able to hurt a [Realm 3] cultivator as ranked demonic beasts are always stronger than their corresponding cultivators.
All in all, The Elliot noble house presented a spectacular gift.
It was expected considering their city was one of the only few bordering the Dark Forest. They had access to a huge amount of resources.
So, Gavin walked out of the stage confidently, knowing that he had made a lasting expression on the King.
Minutes passed by and Jake drank as he watched multiple nobles come up the stage hoping to make the same success as their predecessors.
It was an entertaining moment for Jake as he got to see the nobles personally.
Still, Jake couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling he got in his guts. His senses were in disarray as if they sensed someone troublesomely.
Jake had looked around, trying to find this mysterious person, but he couldn't detect the person.
Currently, Jake was sipping on his wine when the feeling came back. If not for his composure, he would have spilled the wine over the noble beside him.
'Now, this is annoying,' Jake commented.
It was rare for him to get annoyed and when he did, it usually never ended well.
It was a wonderful night and Jake didn't want to spoil it. So, he ignored the feeling, after getting to know what exactly it was.
It wasn't a killing intent, so Jake ruled it off as not a threat. It was a feeling of irritation that his sixth sense felt. It was like how hot and cold couldn't mix together.
Jake didn't really understand it, but he knew it was his innate reaction to a certain person, which would lead to other questions that Jake wasn't ready to find out today.
He was sure that he would meet the person again. So, all he had to do was prepare.
Till then, Jake would drink to his utmost satisfaction!
"Oh my God! It is finally starting. I have waited days for this moment," a noble screamed in delight, as the celebration moved on to the next stage.
"Today, I finally get to see them! Ahh, hold me, I'm gonna die!" shouted another.
They were other familiar screams from what appeared to be a Fanclub of a certain group.
Suddenly, the lights on the hall dimmed. Special lights, powered by a crystal, shifted their focus to four young people that were moving to the stage.
The crowd parted, in respect for the group, allowing them to walk in a straight path to the stage.
They were the Aztec's Four stars!
These four people were exquisitely dressed.
The first of them was a black-haired young man that looked a bit older than Jake.
With his mature brown eyes and athletic build, the young man was the exact definition of handsomeness.
There was something about him, whether it was the way he walked or the way he carried himself in the black suit, but looking at him, one couldn't help but worship him.
He was the crown prince of Aztec, one of the Four stars, Prince Roan Aztec!
Previously, Jake had heard about him from Uncle Todd. It was said that he was a very talented individual that could rival the older generation. While he was not the head of the Four stars, he was the second strongest and the most famous of them.
The second of them was Isabelle Hayden. She was the dream girl of all young males.
With blonde shoulder-length hair, hazel eyes, and a petite stature rivaling Lola, it was no wonder all the boys adored her.
Though she fell a bit short of Lola's beauty, she had something that Lola didn't have. It was a mature look, which was further heightened by her dress.
She wore a long gown with a V-neck, that went low enough to reveal her cleavage. Her dress was split at the tail to allow room for her to display her smooth left legs.
The third in line was a lean young man, the same age as Prince Roan.
He was Dean Forst, renowned as the most talented youngster.
He had a narrow face and tanned skin. His curly white hair bounced every time he walked, flashing a smile to his fans.
In fact, Jake thought his smile was too much as he was always smiling.
The last one was Melania Aztec, one of the princesses. She was the daughter of the royal duke and inherited the physical appearance of the royal family.
She had short wavy black hair that always got tangled along. Her brown eyes beamed fiercely as she walked with her graceful figure.
She wore a simple dress and being the daughter of a strict person, she had the composure of a disciplined individual.
The four stars walked to the stage, each carrying a bag of unknown contents.
They glanced at each other and hinted for one of them to take the lead.
As usual, Roan stood in front of his father and knelt down, beckoning the other to follow suit.
He respectfully greeted his father, "Your Highness, we, the Aztec's four stars, have brought you a gift."
As if practiced, Isabelle said, "For months, we struggled to find what would be the perfect gift for you. We spent a lot of time researching."
Dean followed, "It wasn't until last month did we realize we didn't need anything of material value. We just needed to present something that would make you smile."
Mela commented, "Finally finding our answer, we went deep into many zombie mines in the Kingdom. Day and night, we fought the zombies tirelessly. We occasionally spotted special zombies and risked our lives to kill them."
Roan took control, "Today, we present to you the heads of all the special zombies present in the Kingdom. We present this as proof of our strength and resolve to protect this Kingdom. In the presence of the audience, we, once again, pledge our undying loyalty to the Kingdom!"
In a fluid motion, the four of them opened their bag and brought out an icebox containing the head of zombies that looked too different from the normal ones.
Their words brought about the cheers of the crowd as they screamed in support chanting, "Four Stars! Four Stars!"
Well, Jake didn't care about that. Instead, he keyed into a major word they said, "Special Zombies."
That particular word inclined that they were different from the ones Jake had struggled with in the Pinesun's zombie mine.
It also informed Jake that they had their own grades, and the more Jake thought of it, the more plausible it became to his head.
If the Zombies, a Netheran race, were that weak, they wouldn't have been a threat to the Kingdom all along.
Amidst the loud cheers, the King raised his hand, signifying silence.
He smiled at the four stars, "Thank you, I have no doubt that you would do as you said. In Aztec Kingdom, the strongest kingdom in the southern continent, we believe that the future is in the hands of the younger generation. Do well, I look forward to more of your actions!"
Once again, the silence was drowned in loud noises as the four stars left the stage.