Meanwhile, the receptionist froze as she observed Orion's familiar face in shock. She had been with her family at a gathering earlier today and, most especially, knew who Orion was. He was known as the Princess of the Garden's partner, renowned for his almost unbelievable deeds, and one of the key figures of the territory where they currently resided, a name familiar to everybody within the Pixie Kingdom.
She was also aware that he was currently in the Pixie Kingdom to complete several tasks assigned by the High King so that he could negotiate with the royal family on an important matter.
"MR ORION, I AM VERY SORRY FOR NOT RECOGNISING YOUR IDENTITY AND FOR WASTING YOUR TIME!" the receptionist shouted, pleading at the top of her lungs for failing to recognise him.
She knew that wasn't enough of an excuse, even though she had failed to do so due to his change of attire and the Pixie wings behind his back.
The whole room suddenly fell into an eerie silence before various voices began to fill the air.
"Hey, did I hear correctly? Is Orion... that Orion here right now?" asked a man in confusion.
"Of course, didn't you hear? I was at the gathering, and the rumours are that he's here completing some tasks to negotiate important matters with the royal family," responded another figure, fixing his eyes with surprise on the counter.
"Unfortunately, I was busy dealing with some weeds, so I missed the gathering."
As several more voices echoed in the air, Prince Alden couldn't help but feel intensely irritated. At this point, he could only anxiously hope that his first brother wouldn't suddenly arrive here if he had already returned.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMeanwhile, the receptionist soon realised that if the person standing before her was indeed Orion, then the other individual who had previously introduced himself –
The receptionist bowed again towards Prince Alden's direction and loudly apologised, "FOURTH PRINCE ALDEN, I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR NOT RECOGNISING YOUR IDENTITY ON TIME, PLEASE FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE!"
Upon hearing the receptionist's words, the crowd immediately broke out in commotion again.
"Wait, fourth Prince Alden, that rascal is also here!" said a woman.
"Shh! He can hear you!" scolded a man who was nearby.
Another man asked, "Did the High King arrange for him to take care of Mr Orion during his time in the Kingdom?"
As the voices of the Pixies buzzed around them, Prince Alden couldn't help but feel as though the veins in his head were about to burst.
Great! His plan might as well be ruined at this moment.
Prince Alden glanced around for anything suspicious before he exhaled in relief. He noticed nothing, which meant that his first brother had not yet started searching for them.
Orion cleared his throat, dispersing the tension in the air. "Can we make a deposit now?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the receptionist's trembling figure.
The receptionist nodded fiercely in response. "You can drop them here. I will check them immediately and give you a proof of deposit that you can use to collect your reward," she responded, quickly clearing the top of her desk.
Orion nodded and bent down to pick up a large sack that seemed large enough to contain three grown pixies. He dropped it on the desk with a thud.
"Are these the remains of the weeds you took care of?" the receptionist asked, her eyes widening at the large sack before her. This was the largest deposit she had ever seen from just two people.
Sure enough, the individuals before her had not lied about their identity; she had merely misunderstood them.
"Yes. Are there any problems?" Orion asked skeptically.
"No worries. I'll take care of it as quickly as possible," the receptionist shook her head before immediately going to work. She flew up and opened the bag to begin her inspections.
…....….
After ten minutes
"Here you go, Mr Orion, Fourth Prince, these are your rewards," the receptionist said, gently dropping three bags that appeared to be three times larger than a pouch sack before wiping the sweat off her forehead.
Two more figures followed suit and dropped three sacks each, making it nine.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"These sacks are filled with 207 medium-sized crystal pieces, while this one has three large-sized crystal pieces," the receptionist added, collecting the last sack from the others and personally handing the sack filled with three large-sized crystal pieces to Orion.
Orion received the sack and opened it to reveal three large fist-
sized milky crystals. From what Prince Alden had told him, these crystal pieces possessed an extremely pure amount of natural energy. The pixies used them to grow stronger and utilised them as their currency, and only the royal family had control over them, which they used to maintain order within the Pixie Kingdom.
Since the Pixies didn't lack food, water, or other basic necessities, they often spent their wealth on various luxuries. One reason for this was that there were specific kinds of attire, some with their own effects and others purely to show their status.
However, Orion couldn't help but ask, "I thought that the guild didn't hand the rewards immediately until the other remains of the weeds were collected."
Prince Alden exhaled inwardly, already guessing what was going on.
The receptionist showed a strained smile that had been present since learning about Orion's and Prince Alden's identity. "Since this is Mr Orion's first time, we made an exception. Of course, including the Fourth Prince too," she responded, her smile forced.
She added, "Also, the guildmaster has already finished his meeting and would be thankful if you had the time to speak with him."
Prince Alden snorted in response.
Orion inwardly pondered for a moment before nodding in response. While here, he might as well take the opportunity to forge good relationships with influential figures within the Pixie Kingdom.
Since the Guildmaster of the Gardener guild was responsible for all the gardeners handling the Garden, he saw this as a good start.
Witnessing Orion's response, the receptionist smiled brightly. "Please follow me; I'll lead the way. Don't worry about the rewards; the guild will securely hold them for you until your return," she said, stretching her hand forward as she turned around and walked ahead.