As Tristan Wesseling and Professor Zin Galbraith continued to talk among each other from their seats in the Commercial District, the VIP guests were slowly being led to their assigned seating blocks.
Ves felt more apprehensive as he and his fellow Larkinsons approached Block L.
The seating blocks all floated up in the air, so everyone either needed to float over by themselves or board one of the many ornate platforms that acted as ferries.
The Larkinsons opted to move onto the same floating platform on account of the kids they brought along.
"We're so high above the ground." Marvaine said as he walked up to the side and gazed below the streets and the bannered government structures.
Large crowds of guests melded into a river of moving energy at this altitude. The boy grew so wondrous that he continued to lean forward until a cat moved forward and pressed him back from the edge.
"Miaow miaow miaow!"
"I want to go back, papa! Clixie is so mean!"
Ves grabbed his son and held him close. "Marvaine, have you forgotten the safety rules that I have explained to you? Your anti-grav clothing or powerful shield generator can always fail or fail to protect you under specific circumstances. Clixie was protecting you for your own good!"
He admonished his son and made sure to repeat his warnings to all of his children.
He couldn't help but remember that blasted day back in Prosperous Hill IV where an entire biological mech arena turned out to be a giant death trap. So many people up high fell to their deaths during the ensuing chaos that Ves never wanted his children to meet their end in such an awful fashion!
The fact that all of the seating blocks were floating structures did not please him at all. Their elevation made them painfully vulnerable to surprise attacks from many different locations in Kotor City. The mechanisms responsible for keeping them aloft could also be hacked or destroyed, causing everyone to be brought to a destination against their will unless they were able to flee from their seats. freeweɓnovel.cøm
However, as the Larkinson delegation arrived at the entrance of the seating block and slowly moved their way to the inner area, Ves only had to take one look above his head to see that a strong energy shield enveloped the floating structure.
If Ves was lucky, then the energy shield allowed for free passage in one direction. If not, then it could easily produce a cage that kept everyone trapped inside!
The personal security arrangements also left much to be desired in his opinion.
"We can't bring in our guards?!" Ves complained to a Davutan security captain.
"Our sincerest apologies, Patriarch Larkinson, but Skyline Palace directly set these rules." The completely armored and full-helmeted officer replied. "Each party of representatives can only bring a maximum of 10 guards, and each of them cannot go further than this checkpoint."
In other words, the guards had to wait outside and remain out of sight. They could not be allowed to threaten the other guests or ruin the appearance of the seating block in the historical footage.
Everything related to the founding ceremony was destined to be captured in historic footage that would be viewed by countless descendants in the future. Given the significance of this, the colonial government wanted to make sure that everything looked as neat and organized as possible!
Ves was still able to accept this situation as the distance between his group and his honor guards was not too much.
He waved his family to go on ahead. They all got through without a problem as the shield generators they carried were permissible equipment. Even Lucky and Clixie managed to get past without a problem as they made an effort to look as harmless and adorable as possible while they were carried by his two daughters.
Meanwhile, Ves approached his tallest honor guard.
"Stay alert, Nitaa."
"I am always alert, sir." The helmeted woman dutifully replied.
They did not have to exchange that many words. Nitaa had been in the same room when Calabast unveiled the possibility of a deathly conspiracy to Ves.
The real reason why Ves approached his chief guard was because he wanted to take an important item.
He reached out and took the thick and heavy metal suitcase from her grasp.
Despite the recent upgrades made to the armor of all of the honor guards that Ves had brought along today, none of this would be of any help if the two remained apart from each other.
If a circumstance ever took place where the honor guards could not fulfill their primary responsibilities and come to Ves, then he would have to rely on himself and whatever tools he had in his possession.
There was no way that Ves wanted to meet any impending crisis while wearing nothing but his ceremonial patriarch uniform!
Although it was a lot tougher than it looked, there was no substitute for genuine armor!
Besides, his Unending Regalia also integrated a lot of other useful modules and systems that he wanted to have at his disposal.
He exchanged a few more short and terse words with Nitaa before he turned around and tried to pass through the security checkpoint.
The same security captain stepped forward and raised his palm. "Halt. The rules do not permit you to carry any form of heavy combat equipment into the inner seating area. Please leave your gear behind."
A tense silence ensued as Ves stared at the obstructing officer without making any move to obey the latest instruction.
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