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After eating, Damien takes Svetlana and Gwen on a tour of the Valley to help them work out a defensive strategy. The valley is quite large, unlike the Guild Castle, so simply placing a few guards in stationary locations isn’t going to work here. Instead, they’re planning to call their bodyguard and sorcerer summons, an ability that was shared with Lieutenants and Commanders beginning when Cain reached level 180 and tripled all his summons.

Split into four teams of four; they will patrol the territory in a loop determined by their survey today and call for reinforcements if they find an issue. They’ll also be able to serve as city guards, though the locals have that taken care of on their own. 

The Long Fang City’s answer to a public security force was to have the sanitation and maintenance department do it. They’re always out and about, and it’s a pretty low-crime area. 

With the prying eyes gone, Cain asks the Puppets to watch over the Manor for him and releases the summons from his Merger. He then brings all the Companions in, except the clone of Nila that is back on the Queen Rose. 

“Alright ladies, have you picked an outfit suitable for the Royal Court? We’ve got to leave right away.” Cain informs Misha and Mythryll, who are still in casual armor but with their hair and makeup beautifully done. 

Mythryll gives him a big smile while Misha looks nervous. “We’re all ready, but they wouldn’t be comfortable for the journey, so we will change when we get there.”

Cain considers using the transport circle in the yard, but it leads to the one in the shopping district of the Capital, which is a fair ways from the palace, so instead he calls them each a Dark Phoenix to travel back to the capital, the lack of wind in the void saving the elaborate hairstyles from destruction.

The moment they land in the open courtyard where the ranking fair was held, the two ladies change to their choice of elegant gowns. It’s not often they have a genuine excuse to get all dressed up, and they both look unusually excited for the opportunity. 

Mythryll picked an elegant sleeveless cheongsam style floor length dress with a keyhole neckline showing off a little cleavage, dark green with golden embroidery, and a matching jacket in light silk, worn open. 

Misha picked a Spanish flamenco-style gown with a plunging neckline and open upper back in white with green flowers and embroidered lace at the collar, making fluffy short sleeves and ruffled layers upon the skirt, which parts at her right leg when she walks to show a matching green silk layer underneath. 

Cain admires the effort the ladies have put into their appearance for a moment before choosing a black three-piece suit with a green tie and pocket square. A gold scarf hung over his shoulders, mostly tucked under the coat, adds a flash of color to the outfit, and Cain crooks his arms for the ladies to take as they walk up towards the castle. 

If anything, they’re still underdressed for the occasion, as they see many bright colors, huge ruffles, wide boned skirts, and flowing trains among the lady’s wear. The men are a bit more conservative, with a mix of brightly colored suits and formal black wear being the norm.

The Beastkin men are all wearing hats, perhaps trying to look more human, but the Beastkin ladies have a wide array of jewelry and shining glitter adorning their ears. The variety of styles is stunning, covering a thousand years and a whole world of historical fashion, but in every case, they’re dressed to impress. 

One thing they notice is the gloves; everyone wears gloves. Misha and Mythryll hunt for a set to match their dresses as they walk, while Cain equips a set of soft black leather gloves to hide his hands. They forgot to ask King James about the dress code, and nobody else they’ve been around would have known for sure. The fact they caught on to this much was pure luck. 

Cain introduces them to every friendly face they meet, learning that those arriving this early are almost all lower nobility. As it is with new Nobles, it’s considered polite for them to come before the proceedings start. They’re all eager to meet the new Duke, especially after learning that he has taken over Long Fang Valley, one of the most fertile areas near the capital. 

As a hub for a variety of high-quality food, having it left unattended concerned the lower Nobles of the capital very profoundly. Any interruption to the valley’s farms had the potential to directly impact their diet. 

Mythryll fulfills her supposed role of assistant well today, taking notes in who is who among the lower Nobles and setting up a few meetings for Damien with ones that wish to make business arrangements with the new Duke.

It might be more work for the already overburdened Administrator, but it’s still his job to determine what deals and with whom it is in the Valley’s best interest to agree to. Once the meetings are over, he will pass the information back to Cain for a final stamp of approval. 

In all honesty, Cain intends to let Svetlana have the final say on most of the small details, but he will instruct her to pass it off as his decision if it makes Damien happier. 

Before entering the Palace itself, the trio finds Duke Chen waiting for them, with a raven haired preteen human girl in a fluffy pink princess dress. The Duke is again in the same black Taoist robes as Cain saw him at the fair and smiling warmly in their direction. 

“Greetings. I came to make sure you didn’t miss anything important on your first visit. This is my granddaughter Penelope. She has just turned twelve, and it’s custom among the Nobles to start arranging marriages at her age, so there are no complications when it comes time for them to be wed.”

“Greetings, Duke Cain. Welcome to Skyview.” Penelope curtsies politely, and Cain smiles. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Penelope. Duke Chen, I do hope we didn’t make any serious mistakes. It looks like we might be a bit underdressed, though.” Cain replies with a polite nod of his head. 

“Ignore them. They’ve got people to impress. Dukes don’t dress to impress others; others dress to impress us.” Chen informs them, and Cain relaxes a little. At least it’s not just Chen’s style that’s more relaxed than the lower Nobles. 

“For the Noble ladies it’s a bloodthirsty competition to outdo each other as the most beautiful, elegant or refined looking. Not just here, but every single time they meet.” Little Penelope whispers to Misha, but loud enough for the whole group to hear.

[That girl is wise beyond her years.] Misha sends in party chat. But outwardly just smiled and nodded in thanks for the advice as the girl scalpers back to her grandfather. 

Cain and company follow the Duke through a series of corridors and away from the others before coming to a large ballroom used as a sitting room by the Earls and Dukes. 

“Everyone, may I present Duke Cain, now Lord of the Long Fang Valley and our newest member,” Chen announces to them as they arrive. 

“Ladies, you might as well split off to go see the vultures; Cain has a lot of people to greet. Penelope, why don’t you go visit Julia?” The long-bearded Duke whispers before turning a polite smile to the room and beginning to introduce Cain. 

Technically it’s not necessary; he turned on nameplates in his interface before they entered, but meeting everyone is an essential formality even if you know their names. 

It’s not long before the division in the nobility becomes obvious; on one team are the second and third generation young masters, the political elite focused mostly on maintaining their status and political power. During these pre Court meetings they have very little interaction with the other faction, the business-minded Dukes. They’re the ones who focus on growing wealth, providing services, and advancing their economic interests away from the palace. 

The fact Cain is in the second group is unquestioned. Even before Duke Chen introduced him in a friendly manner, the fact he chose a suit and not a flashy and impractical court outfit determined his mindset.

The political faction is mostly made up of high-paid bureaucrats who run the country daily. The conflict with the business people, who see them as somewhere between parasites and a necessary evil, was inevitable, really. Not that there aren’t friends across faction lines, but there’s definitely a friction between them. 

“Duke Cain, I am Duke Archibald, Defense Minister and administrator of the capital region.” A particularly pompous middle-aged noble introduces himself. Even for the political faction, he’s gaudy, his outfit covered in jewels and gold. Ignoring the horrendous fashion sense he looks to be a well-built man, though, 185 cm tall, with broad shoulders and a trim waist.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you; I heard your name many times after arriving here in the Capital.” Cain replies, shaking his hand. 

Archibald sniffs and turns his nose up a little. “Inevitable, as defense minister, my work never ends. Especially with lazy border Barons allowing all sorts of riffraff through their lands.”

Cain nods in understanding. “The soldiers of the capital speak highly of you, though, so that I wouldn’t take the criticism too much to heart.”

In his mind, Vala is laughing so hard that she would be in tears if she had a body. [Oh, he should take it to heart. The man doesn’t have a clue, much less a plan. Some Defense Minister] 

Duke Archibald drags a young woman over to them with a gesture, a young man of the political faction following her like a lost puppy. “I would like to meet my niece Aprilia, and her husband Earl Gibson, the internal affairs Minister.” 

“Duke Cain, a true pleasure. I hope we get the time to know each other better in the future.” Aprilia gushes, rubbing up against Cain while her husband looks down with a defeated frown on his face. Cain could swear he hates Duke Archibald tell him to grow a backbone, but he might be mistaken. 

Cain thought he knew much of the Dao of Shamelessness, but this woman, flirting with him so blatantly in public and front of her husband, is a true master. Even her uncle has the grace to look embarrassed on her behalf before discreetly pulling her away from Cain.

“I’m certain you’re a busy woman; being the wife of the Internal Affairs Minister, I wouldn’t want to keep you too long from your duties.” Cain does his best to be polite, but he can see her face darken at his rejection. Politics are never going to be his strong suit. 

A group of other ministers pulls Duke Archibald’s attention away, and the Duke pulls Aprilia away with him. Once they’re out of earshot, a young Hippo-headed Beastkin Cain recalls as being Earl Millsap comes over with a smile. 

“Nice deflection. She threw a fit and several glasses and plates when I turned her down. She’s a favorite toy of the Political faction at their private parties if you’re actually into such things.” The big man whispers. 

“I’ve got my fill of that at home. One woman is enough for my tastes.” Cain smiles back, and the Earl pulls a smaller version of himself out from behind him. 

“This is Marshall, my oldest son. Like Duke Chen’s granddaughter, he’s also twelve, so I’ve been bringing him with me to court. It’s a valuable experience and helps him get his nose out of the books and meet new people.”

The Young man manages to bow politely without looking up from the book he is reading, and Cain chuckles. “Education is important, but don’t forget to spend time with others. You can’t learn everything all by yourself.”

The boy gives him a confused look, contemplating the information before turning back to his book. “I can’t verify the veracity of that statement until I have tried.”

Understandable, books are much easier to get along with than most people.