Faced with the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of all the men present, Laine seemed to ponder for a moment, then slightly shook his head. He wrapped Veronica in his arms and then smiled, saying, "I already have my partner, Lady Agneda. I have a date with her tomorrow night, so I'm very sorry."
"That's really... such a pity~" Agneda chuckled softly, "Whenever, Mr. Laine, the Aesthetic Society always welcomes you as a guest. I also want to see what differences there are between the warriors of the north and the men of the south."
He was indeed sensible! The men in the hall, seeing Laine's refusal, on one hand thought he was sensible, but on the other hand thought he had a screw loose. How could someone reject a personal invitation from the president of the Aesthetic Society?
How many men would spend a fortune and still not get such an opportunity?
After meeting everyone, Schultz found a secluded place, signaling that he wanted to chat privately with Laine. Seeing this, Veronica took her apprentice and found a place outside to wait.
"It's hard to imagine you actually turned down Agneda's invitation." The Duke of Marinburg stood beside Laine, his eyes flickering with a strange light: "But I'm not surprised; you understand, we all hate such people. Propagating hedonism is always disgusting, but with half the parliament enamored with her, I can't say much."
"She always has a stench about her, much like..." Laine made a symbol in the air: "A follower of that one."
"Are you sure?" Schultz's eyes widened slightly.
"You know what I am, and you know I'm most sensitive to that kind of aura." Laine shrugged.
"Then I have to ask, are you on a mission in this world?" Schultz whispered, "Judicial Court? National Church? Defense Army? Navy? Astartes? Looking at your insignia, you should be Astartes?"
"Simply because I'm his son." Laine replied quietly. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel-fire.ɴet
Schultz jerked up as if electrified, his pupils dilated to the maximum. The Duke of Marinburg scrutinized Laine carefully, and after a long time, he shook his head frantically: "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!!"
"Nothing is impossible." Laine extended his hand, and in the center of his palm appeared an engraving of a golden double-headed eagle, a proof left by the Emperor and his strongest identification.
Seeing the mark of Endless Great Power, Schultz no longer had doubts. Without the Emperor's will, he wouldn't be here, so he carefully asked, "Then which one are you..."
"Impossible, there are only twenty Primarchs!"
"Can't he make new ones?"
Schultz's astonishment grew heavier, with sweat appearing on the Duke of Marinburg's forehead. Finally, he extended his hand and quietly made a "twenty-one" gesture.
Laine nodded this time.
"I understand, oh great son of God, go ahead with whatever you wish to do. I will support you." Schultz's face displayed a near-neurotic frenzy and worship. The Grand Duke looked at Laine as if he wanted to devour him: "Rest assured, the Upper House is under my control."
"For Your Majesty! For Holy Terra!"
After fifteen minutes, the secret meeting ended, and Laine and Schultz walked out beaming, then shook hands to signal: "Laine, there are many other fun and tasty things here; feel free to explore. I have other matters to attend to."
"Alright." Laine bid farewell to the Duke of Marinburg and came out, seeing Veronica talking with a tall Demon Hunter. When she saw Laine approaching, Veronica walked over with a smile and took his arm: "Laine, Vice President Jacob has arrived."
The newcomer, nearly two meters tall, wore a long cloak and a wide-brimmed hat, with scars covering his face. The muscular Demon Hunter greeted Laine: "Hello, Laine. I came here to track Belte."
Jacob was an old Demon Hunting Master from an era earlier than Belte, and in recent years, he had taken on fewer missions due to his age.
"Has the situation become this serious?" Seeing the vice president of the Demon Hunter Guild, Laine's expression turned very serious. He signaled for a group of people to move towards a small room.
Typically, in such large banquets, the hosts provide numerous small rooms for various purposes... discussing matters being one of them. However, after checking several rooms, they found "Do Not Disturb" signs hanging on the doorways, with strange sounds coming from within.
Finally, the four of them could only find a corner of the banquet. The tall Jacob found a place to sit and unceremoniously grabbed food with his hand, digging in. The high-grade wine, in the hands of the Demon Hunter, was consumed like juice, one cup after another.
Many nobles and merchants frowned at Jacob's way of attending the banquet, but seeing the day's host Laine and his companion chatting with Jacob, they thought better of making comments. Furthermore, the Demon Master's aura of blood and ferocity made him seem unapproachable.
The banquet was essentially a medium; nobles and merchants of this world's largest trade center needed a reason to gather everyone together. Before conversation and whispers, new trade partners might emerge, or a transaction worth hundreds or thousands of Gold Coins might be settled.
Laine acquired some red wine, filling glasses for Veronica and her young apprentice. Catherine's little face was full of excitement, very happy to have the opportunity to attend such a large banquet. Veronica gently adjusted her skirt and cautioned her young apprentice not to be overwhelmed. She remained quietly listening to Laine and Jacob's conversation, appearing like a pretty flower vase. However, the brilliance in her eyes indicated her deep contemplation, despite her silence.