Chapter 38: Evening Banquet
The candlelight from more than a dozen crystal chandeliers illuminated the entire banquet hall almost as bright as daylight.
Plants cultivated through special means emitted a faint fragrance, refreshing but not cloying.
A shallow layer of white mist drifted over the floor of the banquet hall, lending a cool feeling to the room despite the heat from the large crowd gathered within.
On ten three-meter-long tables, five on each side, were spread an array of luxurious delicacies, some of which were extravagantly prepared using parts of magical beasts as ingredients.
Dozens of attendants moved through the hall with trays in hand, swiftly delivering fine wines and beverages to guests at their beck and call.
Yam and Akar stood in a corner of the banquet hall, quietly observing this feast that completely overturned their imaginations.
"I thought the food we had at White Forest Castle was already the most luxurious in this world," Akar mumbled through a large chunk of roasted meat of unknown origin. "But now I realize, there’s an even higher level of luxury."
Yam, though not as overwhelmed as Akar, also had a gleam in his eyes. He whispered, "After all, a marquis is ranked higher than a baron, and our White Mountain Territory has never been wealthy. Frankly, I’ve always thought we could cut back on many expenses."
"We..." Akar muttered, but didn’t continue speaking.
At that moment, however, faint chuckling could be heard nearby.
Before Yam could react, Akar had already turned to look. A few young men, dressed in the fashion of rich heirs, were snickering at him.
Their laughter was clearly loud enough to be heard on purpose. One of them even gave a provocative tilt of his head as Akar glanced his way, like a proud rooster, unaware that the gesture only seemed ridiculous.
This banquet, held under the pretense of celebrating Monica’s birthday, was in fact the Kasein Family’s way of announcing to all of Red River City that they had a new master.
Thus, the attendees were not limited to Bloodline Users. There were also notable figures from across Red River City, and even representatives of trade guilds that conducted large-scale commerce between the major counties.
These young men didn’t bear the aura of Bloodline Users, yet they clearly weren’t afraid of them either. Their arrogant attitude toward Akar hinted at some influential background.
Yam didn’t plan to make an issue of it, but Akar had other ideas.
After chewing the meat in his mouth a few more times and swallowing it, he gave them a ferocious grin. "How about a Knight's Duel?"
The expressions on the rich youths instantly changed.
The one who seemed to be their leader looked defiant. Though his face had paled, he still shouted, "Do you even know who I am?"
Even Yam couldn’t help but turn to look.
"I used to think only stories made up of such lines," Akar scoffed. "Didn’t think people actually said that."
He waved over a waiter, placed his empty plate on the tray, then pulled a glove from his clothes. "I feel insulted, so I challenge you to a Knight's Duel. What does knowing who you are have to do with that?"
Hearing Akar’s words and seeing the pile of gloves stuffed into his clothing, the young man's face went completely white.
His companions hurriedly tugged at him, clearly trying to get away quickly.
"Wait a moment." A light laugh from behind them halted their escape. "Offending a Bloodline User and trying to leave without even apologizing? Are you trying to bring trouble to the Bruno Merchant Guild?"
A young man with pale blue hair held a wine glass in one hand, swirling the amber-colored liquid as he smiled at everyone.
His smile was lazy and carefree, with curved brows and a charming demeanor that might have seemed frivolous at first glance. But his attire, a white formal suit paired with a black half-cape draped over one shoulder, golden tassels dangling from both sides, transformed him into an elegantly roguish noble.
As soon as the young men turned and recognized this noble, they froze.
They may not have known who Yam and Akar were, but they instantly recognized the identity of the young man before them.
Atork Senels.
Seeing that this prominent young leader of the Senels Family had clearly stepped in to defend them, they finally realized these two must hold a status they hadn’t guessed. Hastily apologizing, they fled the scene in panic.
Akar clicked his tongue regretfully but stuffed the glove he had pulled out back into his pocket.
Catching Atork’s gaze on his pocket, he paused, then pulled out three more gloves and offered them. "You want some? Here, take a few. I’ve got plenty."
Atork looked at him with a helpless expression, then curiously asked, "Why do you carry so many gloves?"
"This is the Marquis’s estate. Too many rules. I can’t just start a fight," Akar replied matter-of-factly.
"But if I issue a proper 'Knight's Duel' challenge, then it’s all good... If you hadn’t stopped me earlier, I’d have smashed their heads in."
Atork shook his head and chuckled. "Bullying the weak isn’t what a knight does."
"Mocking the strong comes with a price," Yam said, taking over the conversation.
Between Bloodline Users and ordinary people, there already existed an unbridgeable gap.
No matter how much Bloodline Users behaved like ordinary people, in the eyes of others, they would always be labeled as the "strong."
Therefore, if they were insulted, it was only natural to wash away the humiliation with the opponent’s blood.
This was not just about their personal pride, but also about the dignity of the entire "Bloodline User class."
"You’re right," Atork nodded.
He certainly understood the rule that "if the weak mock the strong, it must be repaid with the blood of the weak."
However, it was a rather flexible rule with a lot of room for interpretation. But since Yam used that line as the closing remark for the incident, he had no reason to argue, he wasn't here to quarrel with Yam anyway.
"Atork Senels."
"Yam Soderbell."
"Akar Soderbell."
The three of them lightly struck their left chest with a clenched fist and gave a slight nod to each other, this was the universal knightly etiquette among Bloodline Users, usually employed during first meetings under non-hostile circumstances. It conveyed meanings like "respect," "praise," and "salutation."
If it were a subordinate meeting a superior, the nod would be replaced by a formal bow.
However, it was mostly used among Bloodline Knights in social settings; the Bloodline Nobles generally did not favor this practice.
"Those guys earlier were all from the Bruno Merchant Guild. The one leading them is the son of a Steward responsible for the Red River Territory," Atork gestured toward the group of young men.
"His older brother is a Third-Tier Bloodline User. Even Baron Hess and Baron Ster treat him amicably. His brother spoils him, which has led to some bad habits, but he’s not a bad person at heart."
Though Yam didn't understand why someone from the Senels Family was approaching him and his brother, he wasn’t going to reject goodwill. So he took the opportunity to ask about things he didn’t know.
Even though Lily had helped him cram a lot of knowledge about the Bloodline User class, there were still many things he didn’t understand.
And those things couldn’t be learned from books.
"Bruno Merchant Guild?"
"One of the most famous merchant guilds in the Southern Region. They mainly deal in magical beast materials and bloodline potions, operating around the Eaglehead Mountains, Fertile Plains, and Cold Ridge Valley," Atork explained.
"They hold many formulas for fire, water, ice, and some earth bloodline advancement paths. It’s said that the Golden Lion Family and the Golden Flower Family are behind them."
The Eaglehead Mountains referred to the Marquisate of Red Eagle, which was now under the control of the Kasein Family.
Territories like Gem Territory, White Mountain Territory, Forest Territory, Red Soil Territory, Eaglehead Territory, Red River Territory, and Bayor Territory all fell within the Marquisate of Red Eagle.
The Fertile Plains referred to the County of Fertile Plains, a domain governed by Count Shuvaric.
As for Cold Ridge Valley, Yam didn’t know its location, but he assumed it must either be part of a County or a Marquisate. Otherwise, Atork wouldn’t have mentioned it together with the other two.
He knew the Golden Lion Family referred to the Robert Family, headed by the Southern Duke, but he wasn’t sure who the Golden Flower Family was.
Just as Yam was about to inquire more about Cold Ridge Valley and the Golden Flower Family, the soft clinking of a glass being tapped sounded.
Having been tutored on noble dining etiquette, Yam knew this signaled the host’s pre-dinner speech. As guests, if they didn’t want to offend the hosts, this was the moment to stop all conversation and show attentiveness and respect.
"I am Monica Kasein. Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate my twentieth birthday..."
In the eyes of many, Monica never shone as brilliantly as Anna, but now, dressed in a black, backless, corset evening gown that accentuated her curves and paired with expertly applied makeup and loose silver-gray hair, she exuded a natural and pure beauty. In that moment, she gave a stunning visual impression.
Especially given her already noble origins, every movement she made carried a dignified elegance.
But Yam sharply noticed that there was a near-essential change in Monica compared to the day before, she now radiated more confidence. And this confidence, born of strong backing, gave her a natural air of authority.
With just a few simple sentences, she had already become the focal point of the entire banquet hall.
"The foundation of a marquis’s family is truly extraordinary," Atork sighed softly, looking at Monica with a gaze filled with unspeakable envy.
Yam didn’t understand why Atork would say that at this moment.
But his instincts told him that something had changed in Monica, something he couldn’t comprehend, and it was clearly tied to the foundation of the Kasein Family.
Otherwise, Atork, whose family background wasn’t much inferior, wouldn’t have made such a remark.
"...Then, I won’t take up any more of your time."
Raising a wine-filled goblet above her head, Monica smiled and said, "I hope you all enjoy the banquet tonight."
"Oh!"
No extra words were needed. In just under a minute, Monica had successfully brought the evening banquet to a climax.
Her speech was concise and straightforward, with not a single unnecessary word. In summary, the entire message could be boiled down to just six characters: "Eat well, play well, drink well."
Clearly, no one understood better than Monica what these young people from distinguished backgrounds truly wanted.
At that moment, Yam suddenly realized in astonishment that there wasn’t a single elder figure present in the banquet hall.
"This is a social occasion for our younger generation," Atork seemed to notice Yam's confusion and spoke up.
"The big names have their own social circles... Besides, this evening's banquet is Miss Monica’s birthday celebration. It wouldn’t be right for others to steal the spotlight, would it?"
Yam gave a slight nod.
At first, he didn’t quite understand these things, but now he suddenly gained a new insight into the noble class: different levels had different social circles. Though it wasn’t explicitly stated, the divisions were always clearly present.
Yam glanced around.
He didn’t see any Bloodline Knights in attendance.
Whether it was peers of his own age or those slightly older, none of them appeared here.
In that instant, Yam understood why Baron Ster had asked him to come.
Because he was no longer just an unknown Bloodline Knight, but the Lord of White Mountain Territory, the son-in-law of Baron Ster Bole, Yam Soderbell.
It was precisely this "ticket" that qualified him to appear in this banquet hall today.
And perhaps Atork’s earlier goodwill toward him was for this very reason.