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Path to Prosperity - B2 Chapter 49
🕑 Added 2024-09-25 10:00:09 +0000 UTCInstead of proceeding to determine whether everyone’s doubts were valid or if it all was just a big mistake, the King chose to postpone the grand final to the next day.
“I think we have a lot to talk about,” Phillip Kain said to Paul Reeze in a severe tone. Paul agreed with a simple nod.
The Queen turned to Percy. Her lips parted, but she didn’t say anything when she noticed how overwhelmed he was. She pressed her lips together and nodded slowly.
“I think it would be best if we continued tomorrow,” she mumbled and gestured to one of the servants. Bring Percy to one of the guest rooms and follow his wishes.”
Something in the Queen’s voice confused Percy, but he was too overwhelmed and tired to respond. The servant hinted a bow and gestured to Percy to follow him. It didn’t take long before they reached the guest corridor.
The servant pointed at a door and hinted a bow toward him as well, “Call me if you need anything, sir.”
“That won’t be necessary. You can leave,” Percy mumbled absentmindedly and entered the room. The room’s interior was shocking, to say the least. The room was three times larger than the whole floor above the Dragon Lair shop and had much better furniture. First of all, the bed was massive. Six people of Percy’s size could sleep in the bed without any issues. However, the bed was only the beginning. The furniture, every piece of it, was probably worth several gold coins. There was a high-quality nightstand engraved with an illumination rune, but Percy had never seen this kind of illumination rune. The runic enchantment had been altered, and some configurations had been added to it.
Multiple similar runic enchantments spread across the room, allowing the residents to light up the room from everything. It was very interesting, and Percy would have studied them for a while to potentially alter the powers of his Ego in the future, but he was too tired. The only thing he did before crashing in the massive bed was to enter the bathroom, which was attached to the massive room.
The bathroom was several times bigger than the Dragon Lair’s storage room. Percy could have lived in the bathroom, given its shocking size. However, he was more interested in the furniture in the bathroom.
There was a large porcelain bowl connected to a system of multiple runic enchantments with which one could flush away the waste to a different location, probably the sewer.
“Is that what they call a toilet?” Percy tilted his head, bending down before the toilet to inspect the runic enchantments. He was tired, but seeing a fully functioning runic toilet for the first time washed away his exhaustion. A little bit, at least. However, he was more interested in the distraction the runic toilet granted.
He retrieved a small stone from his spatial storage and threw it into the bowl before activating one of the runic enchantments. Then, he watched a small whirlpool of water sweep away the contents of the bowl.
His attention was pulled to a small cabin made of glass. There was a tub made of porcelain next to the glass cabin – probably one of the advanced bathtubs Percy had heard about – but the glass cabin was much more intriguing. It was a construct with far more altered runic enchantments, which Percy decided to use. He could roughly decipher the use of the glass cabin, given his basic knowledge of a bunch of runes, and removed his clothes before getting inside.
Percy discovered the shower.
***
Showering was a heavenly experience. Percy had never felt this clean before. It felt like he was reborn again.
I guess I’ll have to learn more about runic enchantments.
Installing a shower on the second floor of the Dragon Lair shop was added to his priority list that night.
But that was all that happened. Percy felt clean and crashed into the bed. He fell asleep right away even though his mind tried tormenting him again with doubts and worries.
Fortunately, the pulling force of the massive bed was greater. He was pulled into deep slumber when his head hit the comfortable cushion.
It was early morning when a knock on the door woke Percy. He shot up and was disoriented for a moment,
What’s going on? Who’s attacking me? Where am I?!
His head flicked around, analyzing the situation, and it didn’t take long for him to come to a realization.
Oh. I’m at the palace. Right. I forgot about that part. So much happened yesterday.
A few minutes of silence passed as Percy got up from the bed. He looked at the door, but since nobody had entered, Percy started stretching.
Only after ten minutes of silence passed did the knock return.
“Yes?” Percy responded hesitatingly when he realized that servants wouldn’t barge into his room just like that.
“May I enter, sir?” A servant, the same servant from the night before, asked.
“Of course. Come inside,” Percy responded.
The servant entered the room but froze when he saw Percy stretching his body. Percy added a light morning workout like the one he did every morning before opening his shop.
I hope everyone will be fine without me.
Percy thought about the Demi siblings and Bert but shrugged it off. He trusted them and didn’t think anything bad would happen today.
“The royal family invites you to join their breakfast, sir.”
Percy stopped doing push-ups and got up.
“I will…” His stomach grumbled before he could finish the sentence, “Join their breakfast, of course.”
The servant looked at Percy up and down and cleared his throat, “Do you wish us to prepare some suitable clothes, sir?”
Percy looked down at his body to check his clothes. He was already wearing his best clothes. Was something wrong with them? Percy tilted his head before realization struck him.
I should have bought another set of clothes for special meetings. Even if I wear expensive clothes, they start looking dirty and used if I wear them every day. Obviously, this is not fit to meet the royal family at the breakfast table.
“There is no need. I have something better to wear,” Percy said in a hurry, his cheeks burning red. This is so embarrassing!
“Of course, sir. I will leave you alone to change,” The servant said before his eyes drifted to Percy’s sweaty body and the shower.
I understand! Stop judging me with your looks!
The servant waited outside while Percy took a quick shower. He dried his body with an incredibly comfortable towel while using [Consume] on Prosperity to check his clothes.
[2000 Prosperity has been consumed.]
[Ocean Velvet Tunic’s fabric durability and material vividness have been improved.]
[Refined Silverhorn Sheep Hose’s toughness and material quality have been improved.]
[Nobleman Shoes’ dirt repellent and material have been tempered. Toughness has been improved, too.]
[Hair Pin - Dragon Symbol -’s Toughness, glow, and gemstones have been refined.]
Percy could have improved a lot more, but he didn’t. He stopped investing more Prosperity in his clothes because they looked much better than before already. If that was still not enough…so be it. He cleaned his shoes with a wave of mana and checked his other clothes for splatters of fat or food, but there was nothing like that. Percy didn’t look perfect, not compared to the royal family, but there was no need for that. Faking who he was never worked well for him. If they didn’t want him at their table because he didn’t owe any more tailored clothes for horrendous prices, Percy could leave.
He left the room and ignored the servant’s analytical gaze.
“That’s better,” The servant mumbled, but he was about to say something else. However, Percy gestured to him to lead the way. There was no need to delay any further.
***
The breakfast with the royal family started. Percy entered a massive hall with an unnecessarily long table and dozens of servants placed around the room. They looked like statues and Percy nearly missed them because their presence was close to nil. Several large chandelier descended from a seven-meter-tall ceiling and Percy would have nearly cursed.
What a waste of money. I’d rather use [Consume] on everything and earn a fortune to grow stronger while helping Bert, Louis, and Sabrina. But as long as it’s not my money…who am I to tell them what to do with their fortune?
Even though the table was massive, only three people were seated. The king sat at the right end of the table, and the Queen sat next to her. They were engaged in a heated discussion but stopped when the heavy double doors opened, revealing Percy. Meanwhile, Sophia was sleep-drunken and turned around absentmindedly, only to squeal aloud.
“You’re still here!”
I am. I’d rather not be here, but I still am. That much is true.
“I hope you slept well,” The Queen interrupted her daughter before the princess could say anything else.
The King chimed in, “The Old King is not present, but he told me that he will welcome you later.”
There was nothing weird about he King’s comment, yet the comment about the Old King and him ‘welcoming’ Percy didn’t sit right him.
Something about it felt a little bit weird, but Percy's thoughts were pulled toward something else.
Everyone looked at him, including the servants. It was almost like they expected something from him.
As if they knew everything about him.
