Harbinger Of Doom: The Attainer

41. Art Of Tea

"Such a unique way of serving tea." Lores sipped his tea and savoured its exquisite taste. He felt placid at the moment.

"Three-silver teahouse is a first-class teahouse. The tea here is top-notch. Their method of service is one of a kind. Little wonder they were able to host this Master Herling." Lores added. Mo rubbed his temple softly, inhaling the vapour rising from the tea, savouring its aroma. His eyes were calmly shut, his curled up eyelids faintly gleaming from the intrusion of sunlight through the window. It looked like the waning moon under the eaves.

"The choice has been made via the highest number of votes. Let's hear the heroic story Master Herling has for us today." Mo opened his eyes and sampled his tea as he spoke gently.

The votes were simply taken. Those who wanted to hear about heroism were separated from those who wanted other genres. The number of those who wanted heroism prevailed. Everyone assented to the decision so long as the story was coming from Master Herling. It would be a rare moment of enjoyment to listen to him.

Master Herling bowed his head.

"Welcome dear listeners. Today we are going to hear about the quelling of the southern revolt." The crowd cheered in response. Master Herling smiled, fanning himself incessantly. When the joyful cries mellowed, he continued. He demonstrated with his folding fan while he talked.

"As we know, the bronze seal was invented by the Freydor dynasty. It symbolizes military authority. Inexplicably, it fell into the hands of the remnants of king Gusloe. What were we in for? The resurgence of the red armour camp and another rebellion? Aiyah! We thought we've been plunged into a dire strait. But then, Prince of Nan came into the spotlight in order to regain the seal and end the revolt once and for all. He was brave, full of courage! He took his soldiers and matched to the southern province. As expected, King Gusloe's remnants were already awaiting him. That night, a ferocious battle took place at Fense county. The prince fought tirelessly against the rebels. Guess what? He totally eliminated them! He regained the bronze seal and saved the people." When he finished, the listeners clapped and cheered in satisfaction.

"Interesting!"

"Good! So good!"

"The Prince of Nan is amazing for sure. He quelled the rebellion and won the archery contest."

"That's true. He will make a good king."

"But a crown prince hasn't been chosen yet. I wonder what the king has in mind."

"Whatever, I can attest to his suitability."

Mo sighed and held his head as if he newly developed a headache from the background of noise fueled by the discussion of the listeners. Howbeit there was no embellishment added to the story of Master Herling, it rather sounded incredibly heroic and praiseworthy to Mo. It seemed more like a factual overstatement. Master Herling really deserved his reputation.

On second thoughts, it was as if someone put Master Herling to it. Mo shrugged off his train of thoughts and sampled his tea.

Lores listened with an amusing look of jealousy on his face."I was also there that night." He hummed.

In the spur of the moment, a listener spoke out loudly.

"We all seem submerged in the superficials. The eastern capital is the real deal of an impending calamity. Have we forgotten the prophecy? What about the star of doom? Each day the fate of Liz gets grimmer. We have overreacted to the short-lived period of peace." The other listeners assented verbally to him.

"True. The prophecy holds a significant impact on our future. The southern revolt is but a joke compared to the eastern region."

"The star of doom still sparkles boldly. It's not a time to rejoice."