Chapter 134: Li Ming the Pandaren

"My Lord Earl," Louis asked with a hint of curiosity, "I once heard the Princess mention that many years ago, His Majesty intended to marry her off to the... to a foreign land. Was it these Nephalem people?"

"Indeed." Crowley sighed with a peculiar expression. "What utter nonsense... Louis, my lad, Countess Sakura, please wait here for a moment. The Bishop and I will step out to ask Bishop Alwin and the others where they are."

With that, Crowley and Bishop John stepped out of the carriage.

Louis blinked, still pondering the Earl's dismissal of the idea as "nonsense," and turned his gaze toward Sakura, the "all-knowing guide" he had specifically sought out.

Sakura was equally perplexed, failing to grasp the meaning behind the word "nonsense." She rolled her eyes and began to hazard a guess: "My Lord, the status of Dragonkin in mundane society is extremely low."

Unlike the Dragonkin nobles in the Holy Oak, who wore ornamental horns, the Dragonkin in mundane society were unaware of the existence of magic, wizards, or even dragons. Most were descendants of those captured during the Age of Discovery. These Dragonkin slaves originated from primitive tribes, lacked a unified nation, and had never received an education. Consequently, they were mistakenly perceived as intellectually inferior and relegated to menial labor, resulting in a very low social standing.

Sakura continued, "In the eyes of the Solondorians, they are nothing more than 'African tribal chiefs.' How could the only princess of the great Empire on which the sun never sets be married off to an African chief?"

Feeling increasingly confident in her theory, Sakura fanned herself with a flourish, her face beaming. "So, in the eyes of the ministers, the marriage proposal was just a 'joke'?"

Having finished, she leaned languidly against Louis, pouting in a coquettish manner.

Louis pushed her away, his expression growing strange. The Nephalem outside the window clearly looked like people from a civilized world—like high-ranking foreign nobles!

They looked nothing like other Dragonkin; their skin was free of mottled scales, their demeanor was noble and refined, and they possessed deep aristocratic roots and immense wealth. Just look at the attire of the Nephalem and their Dragonkin guards! Compared to them, human nobles looked like mere country bumpkins.

Moreover, the Nephalem had helped Solondor in war and even possessed knowledge of magic!

Reasonably, this mysterious Kingdom of Nephalem should have been seen as an ally to be courted and won over. So why did some ministers dismiss the marriage proposals brought up by Delphinia and Igor as "nonsense"?

"That Nephalem prince is quite tall and handsome, isn't he?" Louis asked, swatting away Sakura's hand as it crept into his robes.

Sakura nuzzled closer, touching him playfully as she purred, "Not as tall as you..."

"Ahem, young friend..." Bishop John suddenly pulled open the door, only to see the embarrassed Louis and the dazed Countess Sakura inside. He blinked hard, cast a meaningful look at Louis, and closed the door.

Louis pushed Sakura aside and rubbed his temples.

A short while later, the Bishop returned with "Brother" Crowley, inviting the two to disembark and head toward a nearby garden.

It seemed the matter had been settled. Bishop John smiled at Louis and said, "My young friend, a mere Nephalem princess cannot compare to you—your identity is far more mysterious and noble."

Louis was left bewildered by this statement.

As they rounded a building, the landscape suddenly opened up. Louis stared in astonishment, noting that the aesthetic here surprisingly resembled the antique style of the Celestial Empire. Though there were some differences, there was a bamboo grove, numerous small pavilions, and lotus flowers blooming in a pond.

A "Grand Mage" (Bishop) in a crimson robe was standing near a bamboo stalk thicker than a giant tree, chatting with a group of "mages" (priests). Some junior clerics held altars, holy water, and other items. To Louis's bewilderment, many priests were also holding cameras, reflectors, and backdrops—as if they were setting up for ID photos.

"We do indeed need to process some credentials here," Bishop John said, stroking his beard and pointing to a small blackboard on the backdrop. "That space is for recording your lineage. We will need to summon a 'Divine Dragon' later to help write it in—don't worry, it's all been arranged."

"A... a Divine Dragon?" Louis was stunned.

Just then, the Cardinal in the distance, seeing Louis approach, walked over with eyes gleaming, clutching his great staff and accompanied by his priests.

The Cardinal, named Alwin, was quite excited today—this extradition was a major achievement! From now on, he would be the patron for this Paladin! John was truly clever—arranging for this young master the identity of a foreign prince. That was another diplomatic feather in his cap.

It was just a bit expensive to bribe that monk.

Bishop John introduced everyone, and after the pleasantries, Louis learned that his baptism would be performed here, along with the "processing" of his identity as a Prince of the Cloud Kingdom.

It seemed these people were all in on it. They were all among their own. This was likely not the first time they had arranged a foreign noble identity for someone, so they spoke quite openly.

"Hmph! A bunch of sycophants!" A cold snort came from nearby. Louis looked over and saw a figure sitting cross-legged on a boulder beneath the giant bamboo: a creature wearing monk's robes, covered in fur, and sporting dark circles under his eyes.

[Cloud Kingdom, Cloud Dream Province, Pandaren Missionary 'Li Ming']

"A... a Pandaren?!"

"It is the Panda monk 'Li Ming,' a missionary from the Cloud Kingdom. Don't worry, he's a good friend of mine; we've already worked it all out," Bishop Alwin whispered awkwardly before rushing to greet the priests, who were carrying a large gourd of fine wine.

The priests quickly offered the wine, and after some flattery, the Panda monk glanced at Louis and snorted again, though he began to eat and drink—clearly, the food and wine were quite good.

Suddenly, Louis heard him mutter something in a dialect reminiscent of ancient Nanjing or the Jianghuai region:

"No passport for studying abroad, what kind of nonsense is this? You little rascal, you look like an illegal immigrant at first glance. Too afraid to get a passport in the Cloud Kingdom, and now calling yourself a prince? Prince my foot! A total fraud."

Louis was utterly bewildered.

"Haha, that is the official language of the Cloud Kingdom. Mr. Li Ming is greeting you," Bishop Alwin said, stroking his beard and chuckling softly. "Rest assured, my young friend. The Cloud Kingdom is a hundred thousand miles away, and they have dozens of vassal states. With so many princes submitting to one Emperor, and countless descendants, there are many people with royal blood. Furthermore, with almost no contact between our two lands, even if someone occasionally arrives by ship claiming royal blood, the various royal families cannot tell the difference—but the Moon Court can."

Bishop Alwin’s words were laden with meaning—the implication being that they would help him cheat.

Louis and Sakura exchanged glances, both feeling curious.

"How... how do you determine identity and bloodline?"

"My young friend, you are unaware," Bishop John laughed, taking the opportunity to show off his knowledge. "Our Moon Court missionaries once visited the Cloud Kingdom and brought back the 'Divine Water' from the Divine Dragon River, as well as the 'Holy Soil' from the Loess Plateau."

As he spoke, Bishop John pointed to the pond water, the soil on the ground, and the exceptionally large lotuses and bamboo. "They are used specifically to cultivate these magic (medicinal) plants—ahem, holy trees and flowers."

Louis gaped, staring at the bamboo.

This is just bamboo, right?

It has to be bamboo, right?

"But this soil and water have other miraculous uses," Bishop Alwin added mysteriously.

"What uses?" Louis blinked.

"The people of the Cloud Kingdom are descendants of the Dragon and all possess Dragon bloodline. Any blood from the Cloud Kingdom that touches this water and soil will react—so, as long as an image appears, it proves you are a descendant of the Dragon. There are twelve auspicious signs, and since the Cloud Kingdom has twelve provinces, each omen represents a royal family member from one of the provinces."

Louis blinked. *That's a lie!*

*That sounds like the Chinese Zodiac, doesn't it?*

*It is the Chinese Zodiac, isn't it?!*

*You guys have no idea what "royal blood" is; at this rate, anyone who walks by would be royalty!*