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Under the guidance of the foreign national responsible for receiving Sandora, we finally entered the actual venue of the banquet.
It turned out that although this banquet was advertised as a completely open gathering, a princess was still a significant figure, so security measures couldn't be relaxed. The entire plaza was divided into two sections; the outer layer allowed citizens to move freely with only a few security staff, while the inner layer was a completely different scene. It was guarded by a large number of armed soldiers, separated far from the outer area. The inner section was sparsely populated, spacious, and high-class, with attendees whose attire and demeanor clearly indicated their prestigious status. Even someone as oblivious to upper society as I could recognize many of these public figures, though it seemed these big shots were also kept in the dark about Sandora's appearance. They only showed slight surprise at our ordinary outfits before turning back to their conversations. In fact, apart from a few royal family members from the Island Country Liska, hardly anyone knew what this princess looked like. Sandora's "fact composition" ability had many limitations, so it was already a stretch to legitimize her princess status. She couldn't impose her image into every Earthling's mind. Moreover, to ensure the visit's mystique and add a hint of mischief, Sandora tightly controlled information flow, so up till now, only relevant government officials and key reception staff knew her true appearance. Despite their high status, the attendees weren't privy to such details.
Being ignored seemed to have unexpected perks: I could finally eat freely.
Thus, among a group of elegant and courteous social elites, the following scene unfolded: a young man dressed as an ordinary high schooler, with an expression like a hungry wolf spotting a rabbit, swept through each dining table, devouring the feast with no manners. Occasionally, he picked a few items from the table and fed them to a seemingly blind little girl following him. Another golden-haired girl trailing behind them drew even more surprise; wherever she passed, plates and glasses were left in disarray, almost all the food gone. Various pastries and drinks disappeared into her mouth in a manner defying physics. If not for their somewhat decent attire, everyone might have mistaken them for refugees...
"Shuai shi ge de heng huo tao jian hei hu mu (Is the living condition in Liska this tough)?" Seeing Sandora's eating habits far exceeding mine, I was astonished.
"Li bu wu ai hang hu ao duo ao (You're not any better than me)" Sandora's mouth was stuffed like mine, mumbling indistinctly.
"How are you two managing to hold a conversation?" Qianqian was sweating profusely.
After a whirlwind of feasting, I finally subdued my rebellious digestive system.
"Whew—so satisfying—" I stretched comfortably and called out to Pandora, "Lili, let's go, time to head home."
"Get lost!" Qianqian unceremoniously pulled Pandora back, "So you came just to mooch off the food?"
"Pretty much," I nodded, "Sandora freeloads at my house all the time. It's rare to have a chance to return the favor, now that the goal is reached, it's time to go home."
Sandora immediately flicked my forehead: "Petty! Anyway, the event's expenses are covered by those overstuffed rich folks, you can't mooch off me."
I rubbed my head, saying, "I really don't get you, being so poised in front of others, but turning into a wild child around me..."
While we were joking, a slightly breathless voice came from beside us: "Yo, I wondered who made such a commotion, turns out it's a bunch of country bumpkins who've never seen the world. Don't know what the security staff are doing, letting just anyone in!"
We turned to see a strange fat man standing not far from us, looking at us disdainfully, accompanied by a tall, slender, well-dressed middle-aged man.
"Who is this fatty?" Qianqian whispered in my ear, her hot breath sending shivers down my spine.
"I don't know either."
Sandora thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered: "Seems like that guy we saw at school a few days ago!"
"That Young Master Liu?" Qianqian recalled the rich kid who bothered her at school three days ago, showing a disgusted expression, "I remember him not being a fatty though..."
I reminded her at the right time: "Didn't he get beaten into a pig head by his lackeys later?"
At first, this pig-headed side character didn't recognize us. He just saw a few seemingly poverty-stricken, gluttonous folks and habitually came over to ridicule us, only to run into us.
When Sandora and Qianqian entered his sight, his demeanor changed instantly, like roast pork showing an ugly smile. Pretending to be a gentleman, he bowed slightly and said, "I didn't expect to see two beautiful ladies here, but why are you with this poor kid? Why not let me accompany you..."
Looks guy's language skills had somewhat improved.
Qianqian didn't wait for him to finish and rudely interrupted: "Forget it, we country bumpkins shouldn't waste your valuable time, Young Master Liu!"
Sandora wiped the cream from her mouth, instantly transforming into a queen, her face frosty and tone dignified: "I have no time to waste on a rude and arrogant person!"
Pandora tugged at my clothes, silently, but I could still sense a bit of grievance from her ignored expression—seems like the pig head didn't even mention the cute Little Angel here?
I patted Pandora's little head reassuringly, saying, "Little one, grow taller quickly, then you won't be overlooked..."
Sandora's and Qianqian's reactions left Young Master Liu momentarily at a loss. Likely too accustomed to success, leveraging his family background, he had never failed in courting girls. The outright rejection left him stunned.
Too bad for him, picking up girls like Sandora would require world domination skills, and for Qianqian—at least the luck of surviving under the chase of a million Xyrin Empire soldiers.
Obviously, these conditions were as challenging as fighting God with a butcher's knife.
Just then, the slender middle-aged man with Young Master Liu started speaking: "Zicai, don't waste time here, our goal is not this today."
Upon hearing the middle-aged man, the newly named Young Master Liu—Liu Zicai—snorted coldly at us and said, "Seems like I don't need to waste time with you poor girls, the ones who truly deserve me are not you..."
"Enough, Zicai," the middle-aged man probably felt his son talked too much and admonished, "Stop wasting time with them, look at yourself right now! Hurry and get ready!"
After the Liu family father and son left, we all looked at each other and asked: "What do they mean?"
Qianqian thought for a moment and said: "Judging from his words, this guy has a target today, likely a girl—unless he means a man fitting his status!"
"Don't make such disgusting assumptions," I quickly dismissed the thought and analyzed: "So, who could be the girl fitting his status in this place?"
Sandora's face turned serious, her voice low: "The girl must be of noble birth, with a prestigious background, standing out even among these elites, and most importantly, she's single. So, who is this mysterious girl..."
Qianqian and I glared at her fiercely.
"Alright alright," Sandora waved her hand, "No more joking... I didn't expect this guy to have such fanciful ideas, seems like I can never take it easy, even having to participate in such a dull game..."
Isn't this trouble self-inflicted?
But on second thought, I seemed to look forward to the upcoming plot...