Ma’am Willis glanced at Dwayne Dantès and said with a smile, completely unfazed, “Your past, and your experiences in Desi Bay and the Southern Continent, are more interesting than any novel I’ve read. It makes me feel like having a similar experience of my own.”
“It’s because those are only the interesting ones. There are many that I’d rather not be reminded of.”
After that simple statement, he began enjoying the dessert. However, when Ma’am Willis and the other ladies heard that, they were somehow reminded of a best-selling novel, “A Man with a Story.” To them, Dwayne Dantès was such a man. Although he looked like a placid lake, there was more deep down. Hidden there were more pleasant surprises and plenty of pain.
The banquet ended twenty minutes to ten. A number of gentlemen and ladies went to the card room to play two hours of Texas hold’em, while the remaining men headed for the activity room to have a chat. They didn’t bar women from joining, but as it was inevitable for them to broach on sexual matters while smoking, no women joined them. They either circled the piano at the first story and listened to and sang along with the performer, or they grouped up to play chess.
Klein chose to head to the activity room on the second story. Private conversations with a few people had helped him speed up his admission into the circle.
After entering the room, he observed the environment and went straight for the windows to open them. Then, he pulled a nearby high-back chair to sit down.
Just as he did this, he saw the banquet’s host, Portland Moment laugh with a pipe in hand.
“Men often need some space for themselves.”
His voice was sonorous, and he had a big build. He was an elder in his sixties with a ruddy complexion and rather thick hair despite being all white. His facial features were the most classic features of a Loenese man with nothing that stood out.
“Yes, men have to take note of their image when the ladies are around. We have to be considerate about their thoughts. I’ve already wanted to kiss this an hour ago,” Hazel’s father, Member of Parliament Macht, took out a gorgeous silver box, taking out a cigar from inside.
The other men in the activity room did the same as pipes or cigarettes appeared in their hands as though they were pulling off a magic trick.
As the flames flickered, wisps of smoke began to billow, filling the room as though the smog from yesteryear hadn’t dispersed.
After enjoying it for a few seconds with his eyes closed, Portland Moment looked to the guest by the window and asked, “Dwayne, do you not smoke?”
Klein clenched his fist and placed it to his mouth, coughing slightly as he said, “I have yet to recover. The doctor advised me not to smoke for the time being.”
To be frank, he was almost choking. Thankfully, he had smartly chosen a seat by the window.
He had the urge to use the Beyonder powers of a Magician to create an invisible air pipe that extended outside to draw in fresh air so as to escape the harm of second-hand smoke. But considering how there might be Beyonders hiding amongst these men, he wisely gave up on the idea.
Portland Moment laughed upon hearing that.
“I heard from Bishop Elektra that it’s not without reason that you were sick. You lack a wife!”
This professor was a believer of the God of Steam and Machinery, but his wife was a believer of the Evernight Goddess. Therefore, they had taken up residence in Böklund Street near Saint Samuel Cathedral. He often had bishops visiting him and having exchanges.
“I place great importance on marriage. I’d rather remain single if there’s no one suitable.”
At this moment, the high-ranking employee of the Backlund municipal office, Mr. Willis, spewed out smoke and said, “Actually, I envy Dwayne’s single status. it allows him to be able to pursue any kind of woman that he likes.”
He had deliberated enunciated “any kind,” causing ambiguous laughter to sound out.
He first suspected that it was the loudmouth, Bishop Elektra, that had spread the news, but later believed that it was Butler Walter who had proactively gotten the servants to spread the gossip.
This was because a nearly flawless, charming gentleman would often be unknowingly ostracized by members of the same sex in a circle. But when a blemish surfaced, with a topic that could be used in jest, it made it easier for him to build closer ties.
Klein wasn’t angry about such treatment; instead, he deliberately gave a wry smile in a rather gentlemanly manner.
“That’s why I have difficulty choosing, causing me to remain single to this day.”
“Haha.” Portland Moment and company laughed in unison.
Member of Parliament Macht then said, “What you need is to be a little more decisive. A good marriage and a good family aids a man greatly.”
He stopped teasing him and gave serious advice.
At this moment, he saw a figure. It was Hazel Macht, who was dressed in a black-green gown, following a trail going deeper into the garden, pausing from time to time to look around as though she was looking for something.
When guests attend banquets or balls, leaving the hall to head into the garden isn’t something impolite. After all, it’s a very stylish habit to take a stroll under the moon and take in the flowery aroma of the night winds. However, this often implies a rendezvous.
Klein didn’t have any thoughts of intervening in the situation outside. After all, something that Hazel could sense was definitely nothing too dangerous. Besides, Saint Samuel Cathedral was nearby. If there were any hidden secrets, no one would attempt to escalate matters and, would instead, try to lay low.
At this moment, Macht finally calmed down from an untasteful joke and looked towards Portland Moment.
“I heard you’ll be leaving Backlund University?”
Professor Portland Moment sucked at his pipe and said, “That’s right. The Higher Education Commission wishes that I become the chancellor of the reorganized Backlund University of Technology. Heh heh, although a large amount of my wealth comes from metal alloys, what I’m best at is mechanical engineering.”
“They’ve promised to build me a better laboratory there, and also provide me with more funding. Ha, at my age, having more autonomy and helpers is more important.”
Mr. Willis echoed with a smile, “And Backlund University will have a full-time professor spot empty up. Those Senior Associate Professors that have been waiting for decades can finally have a chance.”
In Loen’s tertiary education system, full-time professors weren’t just a title, but also a post. It was equivalent to a dean, so there was only one.
…
In the garden, Hazel arrived in a dark and secluded corner.
She had discovered that ants and other insects on the ground were gathering in an abnormal manner, and her spiritual perception felt that something was hidden here.
This was innate to her Sequence, and it had never failed in the past.
Without any additional help, she could directly choose the precious items hidden among several sealed boxes. Of course, she wasn’t able to distinguish what it was exactly. All she knew was that compared to the rest, what her spiritual perception told her was something definitely more valuable.
She sensed that copious amounts of spirituality were gathered underneath, thus attracting insects and souls.
She tipped her chin slightly and looked back at the building. She believed that Portland Moment’s family had at least one person with extraordinary powers.
And if this problem in the garden wasn’t resolved, the nearby houses would have paranormal activity in the coming days!
Hazel retracted her gaze, extended her left hand, and aimed it at the soil. With a gentle grip, she slowly twisted her wrist.
The gathered spirituality vanished as though it had been stolen by someone.
