Of course, Cedric had never experienced what the call felt like. After transmigrating and awakening at the age of seventeen, he went straight to the Bastion to join the next lunar eclipse in order to level up.

’Come to think of it, since there was no longer a bridge to or in the first ring, it seems that those below my Grade would not feel the call again until they evolve to Grade Three, which would not be anytime soon,’ he thought.

...Lucky them.

Without going to the ring to kill monsters for evolution quotients, it took time for people to evolve even just a single Grade. The only ways to do so were through training or killing a fellow Dominant. But with the tiny amount of experience gained from training, it would take years for a Grade Two to get to Grade Three, and even longer for a Grade One to reach it.

’Hm.’

This also made Cedric now realize that if the higher rings were eventually conquered just like the first ring had been, the overall magical power in the empires would face a massive decline.

Alicia tilted her head when Cedric did not respond.

That gesture, however, was enough to break him from his thoughts. So he composed himself and nodded to her question.

Alicia smiled and continued, "I don’t know where you were during the month we returned from the First Ring, but you should already know that the Grand Council had taken quite the interest in you. However, as I’ve said earlier, the king himself is not only interested in you, but he has even asked the High Seekers to find you and has also issued an official summons for you. You might want to pay the Imperial Castle a visit before you return to the Bastion. I came to let you know that the king shall be coming back to this world from the Fourth Ring tomorrow morning."

"Hm..." Cedric leaned back in contemplation.

Truth be told, Aika had already informed him about the official summons when he got back. She had ignored the summons because she was a Bond without a bearer at the time and had decided to wait until his return.

However, by the time he got back, the king was already away on a trip to the Fourth Ring. Unlike those in the lower Grades, those in the God-tier Grades could travel back and forth between their rings without the need for bridges.

’Since the King would be back tomorrow, I should respond to the summons,’ Cedric thought. ’I cannot ignore a summons from the king himself.’

This was more about his life and safety than his respect for his Royal Majesty.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know that, Alicia," Cedric said with a smile.

She nodded, taking her final sip of coffee before setting the cup back down. Suddenly, a sly expression crossed her face. "You must be at least eighteen, right?"

Just as she asked, Lila walked in carrying a fresh cup of coffee for Cedric. She placed it on the side table and bowed as Cedric thanked her.

He then turned his attention back to Alicia, arching a brow as he raised the cup to take a sip. "Yeah. Why?"

The corner of her blood-red lips curled. "The Carnal Festival is this weekend. Do you want to attend the event at the Imperial Castle as a high noble?"

Cedric coughed and nearly choked on his coffee.

The Carnal Festival was a massive celebration that took place twice a year. Before the bridges, it used to happen just once, but now it happened twice a year, just like most eclipse traditions and balls did. The theme and atmosphere of this particular event openly encouraged wild hedonism, drinking, and gluttony.

Some people believed that the festival was originally dedicated to one of the ancient gods, though no one could remember exactly which one anymore.

This event was not only for the middle and elite classes who lived inside the central city and the grand capital, but also for the lower classes who lived outside the walls.

During the festival, which ran for two days, all the waterways in the imperial city were magically transformed into wine. The public fountains and aqueducts in the central city flowed with it constantly, keeping the entire population completely intoxicated.

While most of the low nobility, middle class, and commoners above the age of eighteen partied openly on the streets, all the high nobles, such as counts, marquesses, dukes, and the royal household, above the age of eighteen were invited to attend a more exclusive masquerade ball inside the imperial castle.

Since anonymity was the core rule of the night, everyone attending was expected to wear masks and keep their true identities hidden.

That way, they could fully go all out without worrying about the consequences or staining their family reputations.

However, unlike other people who loved and waited for this celebration, Cedric was not interested. As someone from Earth where such hedonism didn’t happen so openly, this was something that he just wasn’t used to, and so he had just planned to sleep through those nights of the festival.

"I hit eighteen a few months ago so I’m allowed to go. Since you have cut yourself off from your marquisate, I got you a guest pass," Alicia said.

"Uh..." Cedric dropped his coffee cup. "I don’t... I didn’t have any plans for going."

He shook his head.

"Huh?" Alicia looked visibly confused.

Of course, her reaction was not surprising. Nobles who were not considered high nobility wished to have such an opportunity, and those who were high nobility but were not up to the age of eighteen couldn’t wait to grow up so that they could attend.

"What do you mean? It’s going to be amazing, and I hear there’s going to be a lot of dark indulgence this time around," she stated matter-of-factly. "Come on, you need to have some proper fun before we head back to prepare for the second ring."

"I’m serious," Cedric muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I really don’t think I’m cut out for all that."

Alicia sighed and her expression softened. "Alright."

She reached into her bag and took out a sleek silver envelope. "I’m still going to drop this here though in case you change your mind."

She placed it on the table and slid it over to him.

As Cedric picked it up and examined the heavy parchment, she stood up and dusted off her coat. "In the meantime, let me know if you need anything else."

Cedric nodded. "Thanks again."

She smiled and turned to leave, and when she got to the door, Arthur accompanied her out.

Cedric’s eyes returned to the envelope.

’I’m sure that Dion’s probably eighteen now. I’ll have this sent over to him. Mate is probably going to do all sorts of weird shit that night.’

He chuckled as he stood and put the invitation into his inventory. Then he slipped his hands into his pockets and began walking out of the room.

Suddenly, he halted as he remembered something.

’By the way, I need to send a message to Leon and have him pay my fees for the Bastion this session. He also needs to make sure that I’m registered in the grandest dorm reserved for the highest nobles just like him and the princess.’

He smiled.

’Ah, I really moved up in the world. Heh, heh.’