Karni was woken up by a knock on the door. He looked at the time. Who the fuck would wake him up at this ungodly hour? It was four in the fucking morning! Not even time to cultivate the Purple Demon Eyes yet! That was after five! Did they not know he was a damn panda? He needed his beauty sleep!
But fine he could forgive that… if not for the fact he meant to sleep in today due to him being awake for two damn days straight! He was going to skip Purple Demon Eyes cultivation for once, he hadn't been making much progress there anyway recently. The Detailed level progressed really slowly.
He opened the door begrudgingly and froze when he saw Wu Zhangkong. "Er… teacher? What is it."
Wu Zhangkong raised his eyebrow. Karni might have tried to hide it, but he sensed Karni's foul mood right now. "Come with me." He decided not to comment on it.
Karni followed, not really daring to oppose Wu Zhangkong of all people. The two entered another hotel room. Elder Cai's room.
Inside, the elder was waiting with a box. She held a letter. She didn't say hi to Karni, she just read the letter out loud. "If you want to impress the other royals. You are welcome. Signed, Princess Dai Yun'er."
Karni looked at the box. "Well, let's open it."
"You don't think she's mocking us."
Karni shook his head and stepped to the box, he did not feel like explaining himself. Neither Elder Cai or Wu Zhangkong tried to stop him. "If anything, this is a genuine gift from her side."
Inside were clothes. They weren't just impressive. They were regal, but not in an intrusive way. Perfect to show one's status. There was another note here. "This will show you have some support from my side :P"
Karni couldn't help but sigh. Since this was intentionally sent to the elder, it was meant to be respectful, but she was still being a tad too playful with such short notes and no formality.
"Why would she support us?" Wu Zhangkong questioned.
"I've told you about my visit here, right? Well, I met with the group yesterday again." Karni rubbed his forehead. Thinking of yesterday made him feel tired again. "She likely just did it to welcome us, since I introduced our team a little."
Wu Zhangkong's eyes sharpened. "You didn't tell on our abilities, right? You know we've been invited to the competition."
"Of course I didn't. I'll give you a sample of my introduction." He cleared his throat. "The third one might be called the Strength Queen and one of our guys is one-sidedly in love with her. He could be called the Dagger King. Along those lines."
Wu Zhangkong suddenly made a rare smile. "Smart."
Elder Cai couldn't help but ask. "What's with those nicknames you gave them?"
"It's how their Monster Academy nicknames their strongest. I just introduced our team in a 'what if we were part of that' scenario."
"Well done." Elder Cai nodded simply. "You made friends with them—they even sent this—and you lowered their guard."
Karni was glad that he wasn't on Elder Cai's bad side, not so much due to this conversation, but because he knew what she was really like from the novels. Though at this point, the rest of the team weren't really on her bad side anymore either… probably.
"In that case, I'll gather them and give them their clothes." Wu Zhangkong nodded to the elder.
"Now?" Karni said out loud. "It's four in the morning."
Wu Zhangkong stopped. "I suppose I can make them do it after their morning cultivation."
… … …
Karni woke up. Again. This time as he was supposed to. Five minutes before his time for cultivating Purple Demon Eyes. Because they woke him up early before, he decided not to skip practice. Luckily, the teachers let him go back to sleep. Wu Zhangkong even gave him some semblance of an apology through pointing out that Karni's Martial Soul needed regular rest.
He opened the window and started cultivating. He heard the others going out to the balconies and doing the same. Everyone except Gu Yue were from the Tang Sect.
After everyone finished with their cultivation, Wu Zhangkong gathered them. Each of them got their clothes. And oh boy did they look fancy in them. Their clothes were with colours of Shrek, mixed with silvery and gold inscriptions. There were even two symbols of Shrek Academy. One on the back, and on the left side of the chest area. There was also one silvery inscription of a ghostly cat on their left shoulder. The princess's symbol.
Karni didn't question it before, but… how exactly did she manage to get that so quickly? She had to have made this recently. Each of them got a custom symbol representing the nicknames Karni gave them in pure black.
Tang Wulin got a dragon head, Gu Yue gained an assortment of a few elements, Yuanen Yehui got a fur covered arm, Xie Xie got a dagger, Yue Zhengyu got angel wings, Xu Xiaoyan got a single star, Ye Xinglan got a sword, Karni got a music note and finally Xu Lizhi received a steam bun.
Karni looked at Xu Lizhi's uniform. The princess specifically asked about what food Xu Lizhi had yesterday. So that's what that was about. She somehow really did get this done in a day.
Tang Wulin put on the suit. "Huh. These aren't just any suits." Everyone watched as the suit adapted to match his size. "These are Soul Tools. I can feel they're sturdy as well."
Karni now felt like he knew what happened. They redesigned an existing Soul Tool to match them. Was this what the royals wore so they looked both elegant and were protected at the same time? Luxury that.
"You made this for us?" Xie Xie looked at Elder Cai.
She shook her head. "It was given by Princess Dai Yun'er."
The group looked at her, then at Karni. Karni raised his hands. "I didn't have anything to do with this. She didn't tell she was going to do this. Though yeah, it is probably because I gave quick introductions of you."
Xie Xie looked happy and pat Karni on the back, Yue Zhengyu also joined. "Good man! This is quite the gift."
Xu Xiaoyan laughed. "I like the design of this star. It's quite catching."
"Now. You know what that means, right?" Elder Cai smiled. "You have to aim for the top. You're in the sights of the royal family. Your individual prowess aside… The group matches are not allowed to be lost!"
"Yes!" The whole team loudly exclaimed. They had a true uniform here. They were a proper team now, acknowledged by one of the Royal Family members.
"In two hours, we go to the Royal Welcome at the palace. Be on your best behaviour." Wu Zhangkong ordered. "Remember to wear the suits. You're dismissed."
… … …
The Shrek group had designated places to stand at. They were getting a lot of curious looks. Respectful looks. But, there was more curiosity than respect. They were lined up in a row. Karni was next to Tang Wulin. To Karni's left was Xie Xie. On Tang Wulin's right was Gu Yue.
The problem was that Karni noticed Wulin being somewhat drowsy. "Hey. Did you happen to bump into weird people yesterday?"
Wulin looked at him, shaken out of his stupor. "Eh? How'd you know."
"Did anything weird happen?"
Wulin thought about it. "No, not really."
Karni sighed in relief. "That's fine then."
"What's this about?" Wulin asked.
"You probably met the princess, is the thing." Karni said.
Tang Wulin shook his head. "No way. I know how she looks like."
"Did you actually see her face?"
Wulin paused. "Huh… No. The girl was dressed up the way I couldn't really see her right."
Karni nodded. "Just in case. You really didn't cause trouble."
"No Karni. Gods, what is this about?"
Karni sighed. "Can't tell you much, but let's just say that the princess was supposed to cause you trouble. Maybe due to my and Siduo's influence a year ago, she won't. Hopefully. As long as you don't cause trouble."
Wulin looked at him and yawned. "This one of those things like the trains you couldn't mention?"
Karni confirmed. "Yes, except this time I want to prevent what I know would eventually happen."
"Right, right. I'll entrust my safety to you in regards for that." He yawned and almost fell asleep standing.
"Dude." Karni couldn't believe this guy. Was he really so bored by ceremonies? "For starters, don't fall asleep."
Wulin did not react to him anymore. The ceremony started. Karni couldn't but be slightly frustrated by the guy. I mean. That was asking for trouble.
Karni stood upright, his own tinge of stubbornness preventing him from helping out Wulin. If Wulin wanted to get in trouble despite what Karni said, he'd let him do so. Karni would help Wulin out, but he would not be a babysitter.
But he had to admit. The ceremony was boring.
The people readied guns to fire at the arrival of the Royal Family. Tang Wulin slightly flinched at the shots, almost readying Soul Power. Gu Yue talked him down. "It's just the guns for the ceremony."
Tang Wulin looked at the guns and closed his eyes again.
Karni couldn't help himself. "Dude. Get your shit together. It's a Royal Ceremony for fuck's sake." He said it in a way only Wulin could hear it. He didn't need his Martial Soul to influence Sound for something so small.
Wulin did not listen to him.
Karni sent him a creepy whisper in the air. "What the hell were you doing last night for you to be so tired."
Wulin glanced at him, somewhat annoyed.
"I'd like to say that I was awake for two days before this, and I'm keeping myself awake." Karni judged Tang Wulin a bit.
Wulin sighed. "I'll try."
Karni stopped complaining. At least that was something. If he helped out anymore, he really would get the status of a Wulin-sitter. He did not want that.
Tang Wulin only lasted a minute. Karni only rolled his eyes. The dude did try to stay awake, but Wulin somehow made staying awake look like torture.
Karni felt no sympathy. If anything, he was the one who understood him most now. But because of that, he also knew that Wulin had the capability of staying awake if he wanted to. If Karni could tolerate the influence of his own bloodline and it trying to put him to sleep, then Wulin should be able to tolerate this.
The ceremony continued as normal. The Emperor spoke of the international exchange and about building friendly relations and yada, yada, yada. Karni did not care much. He knew the international relations would go bad sometime in the future, and only end up okay in some 10 years or so. Wulin would fix that without Karni's help, so Karni did not have to worry about it.
Tang Wulin suddenly flinched and looked at Karni… "Sorry." He whispered. "I'll try to stay awake; you don't have to do that."
Karni was confused. "Do what?"
Now Wulin looked confused "... You mean you didn't just whisper 'wake up' at me with an old witch's voice?"
Karni shook his head. "Nope. I gave you my warning. That's all you're getting from me."
"Then who…" Wulin sighed. "Never mind."
The ceremony continued normally for another five minutes before Wulin flinched again. He looked at Karni, and Karni looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you alright?"
Wulin shook his head. He looked at Gu Yue, who looked equally confused.
This happened another five times before Tang Wulin became annoyed enough to keep himself awake.
Karni looked around. What was happening? Whatever it was, it was better than what happened originally. Originally, Wulin should have thought someone was under attack and used his powers out in the open. Which would summon the guards and… it was meant to be a whole kerfuffle. It was why Karni gave him a warning.
That reminded him… he looked toward Yun'er. She was looking at him, a slight smirk combined with annoyance. It was her. She was whispering to him to wake up. In some way he was thankful. What was supposed to happen—her making him go full combat mode—didn't.
The ceremony completed without problem. It was a normal royal—and boring—welcome.
The princess called the Shrek group after. She did not look particularly happy.
She bowed to Elder Cai, then looked at Tang Wulin. "You. You fell asleep. Can I take that as disrespect toward the Royal Family?"
Tang Wulin was taken aback. He chuckled. "I'm sorry. I was just really tired-"
"This is a formal international meeting. I get it is boring. It is boring to me too. But you are the Captain of this team. Your strength is—based on my sources," she pointed at Karni, "on the same level as him and Wu Siduo. And yet you are the Captain. Act like one. You are in the leadership position; don't you dare laugh that off. You made a princess of a foreign country keep you awake to make you show at least the minimal amount of respect to my family."
Wulin was silent. He found out who put voices in his head. Her whispers were both annoying and creepy. And yet, he somehow couldn't complain about it now.
"The last time I disrespected someone due to my boredom I was slapped in the face. She's now my best friend."
Karni coughed to the side. "Wouldn't that mean you two would become friends someday?"
Tang Wulin and Yun'er looked at him, both shocked, but Wulin was also holding back laughter. Meanwhile Yun'er was getting red. She was embarrassed. She didn't realise it could be twisted like that. She would facepalm if not for the need to keep her appearances.
She cleared her throat. Deciding to go along with it. "Let us put what Karni said to good use. He is correct. I did observe your somewhat miserable attempt at staying awake. I was going to take away your custom royal guard suit-"
"Royal Guard suit?" Xie Xie sounded from the side, surprised.
Yun'er nodded. "Yes. I gifted you a custom made clothe Soul Tool which can be both for armour and formal occasions. That way the guards can be most efficient. Anyway, Tang Wulin. I propose a bet to solve our little problem."
Tang Wulin usually wouldn't accept these kinds of things, but based on everything the princess said… well… he really didn't want to offend a foreign country on his first week here. And Karni just eased the situation for him as well. That being said, he also wouldn't allow to be taken advantage of.
He cleared his throat. "What bet do you propose, princess." She was right in some sense. He did have to act according to his station. Even if the way she said it was… a bit direct.
"If we meet in the tournament and you beat me, your team gets to keep the uniforms and will receive my endorsement in the public eye, as well as financial support while you're here. They are 6-Star Soul Tools by the way. If you don't want to bet, you have to return them and pay for their manufacturing costs. These were made especially for you, we cannot reuse them easily. The same goes if you lose the bet. If you want to keep them anyway, you can keep them—granted that you remove my insignia—and pay double."
Wulin swallowed his saliva. Since he was the offending party, it was hard to negotiate, when the offer was already quite balanced. Sure, this was a gift they did not ask for, but there wouldn't have been a problem if he had simply controlled himself. It was a genuine act of kindness from the princess to show such support originally. "How much are they worth exactly?"
"That would be 300.000 Imperial Coins… in Federation Credits it is about… 200.000. Each. That means one point eight million Federation Credits to pay, or three point six million if you wish to keep them. And I will not make it hard for you. You have to return the money in half a year in both cases."
Tang Wulin glanced at Karni, who raised his hands. "You're the Captain."
He looked at Wu Zhangkong. "A Captain should take responsibility for his actions. You choose. The school will not help. It is up to the team to deal with this."
"Would your financial support of us give a similar range of money as the amount we would owe?"
"That and more if I find your abilities worthwhile." Yun'er nodded. She was not afraid to invest in talent.
Wulin nodded, thinking. "And what if we do not meet?"
"We decide based on what happened with the last person I faced in your team. If I lost, then I lost anyway, and you win. Otherwise, I win."
"And if somehow you get disqualified?" It was Gu Yue who now chimed in with a slightly hostile look.
Dai Yun'er kept her temper in check. "Let us say I face one of our academy's geniuses and lose. We will organise a private bout between us. Let us say the same for if it happens to you too." She raised her chin. She was still the princess of an empire after all. Her behaviour showed it.
"Alright." Wulin offered his hand. "It's a fair deal. I accept the bet." He would rather take this chance than lose 1.8 million credits immediately.
The princess shook his hand, then turned to Elder Cai. "I hope that Shrek Academy does not take this as a personal attack."
Elder Cai waved her hand. "No worries. It's for the youth to decide about things like this. Besides," she looked at Wulin. "He deserved it."
Princess Yun'er clapped her hands. "Excellent. Now if you will excuse me."
The princess left, but Karni felt his soul communicator buzz immediately after. He looked at it and saw a message from Yun'er. "Can we meet up for a drink? I want to explain myself."
Karni just texted back. "Sure."
… … …
The two were at the coffee shop with the best cocoa in the city. The princess wore casual clothes that hid her face. Sunglasses, hair in a ponytail. The usual.
"I hope you don't take what I did personally." She spoke surprisingly weakly. "It's just… since Siduo taught me about responsibility… I wanted to make her proud. I've been working on myself. So this was me doing that. It wasn't a personal attack.
Karni drank the cocoa. It was... okay. "I don't mind at all. If anything, I feared for worse."
"Worse? I wouldn't do anything worse. This was a ceremony!"
Karni chuckled to himself. "Would you believe me if I said I saw the future where Wulin goes full combat mode with his Martial Soul out in the middle of the ceremony, because he fell asleep and someone shouted in his head?"
Yun'er fell silent. "Sounds like something I would do before I met Siduo. I'd probably… shout 'boom' at the gunshots part and then 'MURDER' or something along those lines." She held her head. Then she looked at him. "Did you learn to see the faraway future?"
Karni smiled. "Kind of. Can't really control it." He was genuinely in a jovial mood. If this changed, the very fucked up future when she tried to rape Wulin by drugging him also shouldn't happen.
"Say, how good do you think my chances are?" She asked.
Karni looked at her. "Fifty, fifty." In the original, Wulin won. But this also wasn't the same princess anymore.
She breathed in deeply. "I hope I face him. I kind of want to bash his face in the mud for some reason."
Karni chuckled; the chuckle turned nervous. He remembered something. She hated Tang Wulin's guts in the original timeline as well. Only after the tournament did she fall for him. During the Tang Sect event in that parallel dimension... or was it a valley?
Well, he could only hope for the best now. "Just remember my warning."
"Falling for him? You wish. He isn't my type. Too carefree. Never mind that. How's your little project going? I know you just started yesterday, but still."
Karni breathed in deeply, and let his worries flow away for a moment. He turned serious. "I'm about to rant. Are you sure you wanna hear that?"
The princess chuckled. "Sure. Maybe I can give you an outsider's perspective"