The atmosphere was brewing just in time, and the crystal lamp on the high platform suddenly turned a little brighter.
As the host, Verzant stood in front of the stage holding a glass of Gandhi Plateau aged black wine.
The servants in the audience also poured a glass of the same wine for each guest from the corridor.
Only to hear Verzant begin to speak in a solemn and rich voice.
"Everyone here tonight is the backbone of Gelfondo and the coachmen who promote the prosperity of this city."
"Today's banquet is a toast to Her Royal Highness the Princess and the Saint who have come from afar, to the coming morning light, and to your efforts for the prosperity of Gelfondo so far."
All the guests in the audience also raised their glasses.
"Praise the morning light."
"Praise the morning light."
After finishing the drink, it was time for the protagonist to wait.
I saw Xi Liu, the Holy Maiden of the Morning, walking forward with her long golden hair and a gorgeous white dress, looking like an angel in full bloom like a white lotus.
"The morning light guided Xi Liu to this place, and Xi Liu also witnessed the prosperity here with his own eyes. All of you are indispensable for this, and all of this is seen by my Lord."
"However, there are also dark corners that the sun cannot shine through. Dirty and evil rats are always good at hiding. The dawn predicts that this city is being eroded by evil."
"Xi Liu was ordered to come here. May the morning light dispel the darkness, and may prosperity and civilization last forever."
"May prosperity and civilization last forever——"
…
Xi Liu stated the purpose of his visit. Most of the nobles in the middle row had already known about it in advance, so most of them behaved calmly, while the seats on both sides began to chatter among themselves.
Evil cults are nothing new in the human kingdom. Especially after the Keynes Empire occupied the center of the continent, the evil gods, demons, devils, and even some demons from the lower planes began to establish cults in human society.
Among them, there are also many evil gods like Ariel who do not control the priesthood that is closely related to humans.
However, at the home ground of the human kingdom, the real war of faith mainly takes place within the pantheon of gods that is truly deeply rooted in mankind.
There are good and righteous gods, and naturally there are evil evil gods. The most notorious among them are naturally the three gods of death:
Bane, Lord of Tyranny.
Melkor, Lord of Bones.
and Baal, the god of murder.
These three evil gods may not be the most powerful among the evil gods, and the power of the cult is probably not the strongest among the evil cults.
But these three are undoubtedly the ones who have the most conflicts with the churches of Zhengshen and are the most capable.
It is said that in the ten legendary adventure novels, a conspiracy about the Three Death Gods will be destroyed, and every three years, the regional cult of the Three Death Gods will be destroyed.
When reading this sentence, the boss may have died again, and the three gods of death may be planning the next conspiracy.
Even the first assassination Xu Yang encountered in this world was the work of a believer in the God of Murder.
…
After the dinner, it moved to the main hall, followed by a cocktail reception and musical dance.
The first was a concerto performance prepared by the host, the Marquis de Verzant.
The conductor of the one-hundred-person symphony orchestra is Rita, the married eldest daughter of Marquis of Wiltzent, and the lead singer in the orchestra is Sif, the youngest daughter of Duke of Wiltzent.
It is rumored that Wiltzen spent a lot of money to recruit the best musicians in the entire Griffindor to create an orchestra. It was actually a 16th birthday gift for his youngest daughter. Now it seems that this is indeed possible.
The orchestra also played Keynes' famous song "After the Morning Arrives".
Legend has it that the Lord of the Morning could not bear the flames of war, and the god came to earth to end the war between the kingdoms.
The cheers of the soldiers on both sides gathered together, and the music composed by the musicians and bards seemed to be attracted by the light. At this time, it was also in response to the sight of the Lord of the Dawn arriving.
After the symphony, there will be a long social time. The servants will bring drinks, fruits and some desserts, and the orchestra will alternately deliver soft and soothing music according to the relationship between the groups.
The music was soft but it would not interfere with the communication between the nobles. The chattering voices of the nobles were unexpectedly neutralized by the soft music.
Ifreya had a huge appetite today. Not only did she eat all the food on the table, but she also couldn't let go of the desserts at the reception.
However, after this period of experience of visiting Xu Yang's doorstep, Ifreya also summed up a set of techniques for eating at banquets.
How to calmly take away the desserts on the table, how to pretend to realize that the desserts are gone and call the servant over, how to pretend to be aloof and reject the prodigal son who comes to chat, and at the same time quietly leave the dinner plate next to someone else's seat.
If nothing else, Ifreya’s skills during this period are all focused on this.
So this guy is really suitable to be used as a human shield to resist damage.
Looking at Ifreya's appearance, Xu Yang became even more convinced that there must be something fishy about being able to easily get through to the nobles during this period.
Xu Yang is not an aristocrat, but he has played Dr. Wang many times. Dr. Wang always likes to play an old gentleman with a British accent, even though this guy doesn't speak English at all.
He even held a similar banquet with his fellow patients at night, and he had 40 points of legendary charm and a "social aura" specially prepared for this banquet.
Xu Yang quickly integrated into the circle of nobles at a speed comparable to the legendary Lu Xiaobu.
Everyone who has talked with Xu Yang calls Xu Yang a natural gentleman. They are all impressed by Xu Yang's magnanimity and undoubtedly impressed by Xu Yang's belief.
The young man who drank it accidentally expressed his vow to follow Xu Yang to regain the Eagle Territory.
And his handsome appearance and extraordinary temperament attracted many noble ladies, sharing a lot of pressure for Gale.
Nobles in various regions often have close marriages, and most girls born into nobility cannot escape this fate.
And these political marriages often begin at a banquet. It should be said that banquets often become blind dates for the younger generation of nobles.
For example, Verzant's youngest daughter Sif won the admiration of many young masters with her stunning concerto performance.
The three young masters who originally brought Lorna in had also left her behind. Playing with women was nothing in the young lives of aristocratic young men.
But when it comes to marriage, your head wife may affect the future inheritance of the title to a certain extent.
If Lorna is a fourth-level mage with great potential, then she may become the target of the young masters.
But if she is a third-level person, everyone will be happy to have various relationships with Lorna, but as for marrying her home, at least now Lorna is no longer in everyone's consideration range.
If a Viscount Baron family like theirs could catch Verzant's youngest daughter, the succession to the title would be basically certain.
There were many aristocratic ladies who came to talk to Xu Yang, especially since Gale was still by his side. The two of them almost became the focus of the blind date.
"Mr. Gale, Aunt Sammy just lent me a magic book. After the banquet, let's go to the hotel for a special tutorial."
"Gail, can you be my dance partner later?"
Gale has long been accustomed to this kind of relationship, and it's not like Gale has never agreed to special tutoring, but Gale has never liked these aristocratic ladies. Some of them may just be a night of mutual consent.
Gale, who was entangled by the noble girls, looked at the high platform with vague eyes. The name of the saint was Shiliu... Alvin, this surname brought back some memories and confusion for Gale.
"Gail will also be confused in his heart. He just feels that he is not worthy of being a partner with the person in his heart, but he wants to chase behind that figure like chasing the moonlight."
And all of this was seen by Lorna who was not far away. It was obvious that everyone was doing the same despicable things, so why could he be so superior?
Perhaps it was her jealousy of Gale that drove Lorna to where she is today, even alienating many people who also came from the civilian faction.
Lorna looked at Xi Liu who was being chatted with by several nobles on the banquet high platform. That was not a place where her status should be allowed.
However, this may be her only chance in this life, and it is also the reason why Lorna must attend this banquet no matter what.
"Alvin...I can definitely do it."
…
And Gale's sudden thoughts made Xu Yang think of Brion at the dinner table just now.
Although their thoughts were different, their sense of longing and 'that adult' in their hearts seemed to overlap, and Xu Yang had a bad feeling.
After the offensive of the noble ladies receded, he just asked with the mentality of giving it a try:
"Gail, do you know Phil?"
Gale glanced at Xu Yang and rolled his eyes, already doubting whether this guy could read minds.
"Why do you suddenly ask about this?"
Xu Yang shrugged and simulated Brion's situation a little, his acting skills were very natural and self-deprecating.
"I just suddenly had some doubts."
"I was still in the territory before, and I thought that I was able to open up the situation in Griffindor so quickly because everyone was easy to talk to. It seems that is not the case now."
Gratitude, frustration, or enlightenment, Xu Yang probably imagined that these three emotions were just like the voices of Brian and Gale.
Sure enough, Gale immediately showed a 'sympathetic' expression.
"Nobles never have a good time to talk."
She then showed admiration, "Because that's the kind of person she is. She is always self-righteous and helps strangers without any reason."
Gale smiled bitterly, "You must be worried that she has ulterior motives."
Xu Yang smiled slightly and did not answer. This kind of question was obvious and human nature.
Gale raised a glass of wine and took a sip. "Of course you will doubt it, right? After all, this is the world, and the relationship of interests always runs through communication."
"I also lived with this kind of doubt for several years, waiting for the day when I would repay her, until she gradually moved away."
Gale's recollection brought the time back to more than twenty years ago.
That was the first time Gale saw Phil. On the school's podium, Phil patiently talked about the benefits of enrollment, but most civilians only came here for the free gifts.
It wasn't until Phil said that studying at the school would lead to the qualifications to enter the central city magic school that everyone became excited.
Gale, who was still young at that time, didn't know how much Phil spent to build such a school, nor how much effort Phil spent on getting a place in the Gryffindor Academy of Magic.
The school does not teach magic, but only some simple knowledge, as well as a lot of life knowledge and life skills, morality, and history.
Although this knowledge is of little use to most civilians, it is far inferior to working as an apprentice in a blacksmith or tailor shop.
Therefore, most of the people who were able to enter the school in the first place were businessmen and wealthy families.
"I finally met her the year I graduated. I was much smarter than the kids of the same age. I saw her growing influence in Midtown. I also felt that my talents could repay her kindness, but she was That’s what you said to me.”
"Then go ahead and fly high. When one day you fly as high as me, go to another city and build a school like this there. Build a school that can provide it to more people. The factory where I work, this will be my repayment, so we won’t owe anything to each other, how about that?”
Gale didn't see Phil again for a long time after that, because Phil sold his family's manor in Midtown to the emerging Marquis and bought a remote and quiet villa in Midtown.
I just heard that Phil had built many small workshops in the outer city, and students who just learned general knowledge and had nowhere to go at home were also placed there.
"After I came to the central city, for a long time, I thought that I was getting closer to her step by step through my own efforts. One day, I had the same expression as you now."
"The teacher took me as an assistant because she liked her, and the general often arranged suitable jobs for me because she thought I was trustworthy.
My talent was noticed early by my tutor because of the connections she left when she was a part-time honorary professor at the Magic Academy earlier. "
"The entire civilian faction is able to qualify to enter the academy and enjoy a fair education in the academy. Everyone will not be bullied. It is all because of her silent efforts."
It was not until many years later that Gale had become famous in the central city, and many nobles began to woo this civilian magic genius.
It was also by chance that Gale saw Phil again. More than ten years later, Gale had grown into a strong and handsome young man, but Phil was exactly the same as when they first met.
Still the same beauty, still repeating the same things every day, tirelessly.
"Hey, oh, who are you? That, that, the one we have agreed upon, enmmm, it's Gale, right?
How about it? Seeing that I am so powerful, do you have no confidence anymore? After all, it is difficult to have another person as talented as me in this world. "
"The most important thing about this kind of thing is to act within your ability. Only a powerful person like me can do such powerful things. Don't try to think of me as a target. Just be yourself."
Gale smiled self-deprecatingly at Xu Yang.
"I was actually quite arrogant at that time. Many people said that I was very talented and it was only a matter of time before I became a legend. I thought I could finally stand in front of her and say to her, I am here to fulfill my original promise."
"It was only when I actually stood in front of her that I realized that I was still the same kid sitting in a well looking at the sky as when I first met her."
…
Xu Yang didn't know how to evaluate Gale's memories. It was very stupid to judge another person based on other people's memories.
The image of Phil in Gale's heart is not even admiration, but worship. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say it is faith. The experiences spoken from such people are naturally full of filters.
But Gale's words made Xu Yang reflect a little, and Xu Yang remembered something a certain patient once said.
People who believe that hard work will lead to success are often arrogant, because these people often like to attribute success to their own efforts, but ignore the help and chance along the way.
After coming to this world, everything went smoothly, which made Xu Yang feel a little swollen. This was no different from how Gale recalled himself.
Xu Yang kept the matter in his heart and was alert.
After walking around the banquet again, Xu Yang realized Phil's terror more deeply.
Not only among the civilian circles like Gael and the declining nobles like Brion, Phil's reputation among the noble circles was also terrifyingly high.
Almost everyone in the family respects and praises her very much. This kind of praise is not limited to the surface, but comes from the heart.
The younger generation of nobles even believed in Phil as a goddess and respected her, but they did not dare to have any dirty thoughts.
This kind of respect has nothing to do with interests or factions. Even these nobles have had some interests touched by Phil, but it is only because of Phil that the nobles are willing to give face.
This situation is simply unimaginable. It can almost be described as unrealistic and incredible.
On the surface, Phil lacks a sense of presence in the upper echelons of Gelfondo, but in fact, Phil's reputation far exceeds that of the bishops of various cathedrals, and even exceeds that of the three major lords and marquises except Miltesa. of the other two.
And the most horrifying thing is that Phil came from Gelffindor more than thirty years ago. At that time... it happened to be the period of Mirtesa's rise.
What worries Xu Yang even more is Phil's layout in the outer city, opening up education, building factories to provide jobs, this script...
This guy doesn't want to rebel.
The scary thing is that Phil's influence is completely invisible. Followers like Galbrion don't feel that they are Phil's followers at all, and Phil doesn't need to give orders at all if he wants to accomplish anything.
With such a huge influence, Klulu was not alert at all. Not only Klulu, Xu Yang suspected that those cults were also completely kept in the dark.
He and Gale have known each other for a while. If Brian hadn't happened to be present, even if Xu Yang could read Gale's thoughts, he would never have thought that Gale would be in contact with Phil.
After all, Phil's presence at the leadership level is too low.
Xu Yang even began to doubt whether the strength he saw of Phil was real.
After all, Phil had already become famous for his magical attainments more than 20 years ago. Now many fourth-level mage professors in Gelfondo College have listened to Phil's classes.
With her kind of talent, it is impossible no matter how you think about it, she has not been promoted to legend for more than 20 years.
Of course, what makes Xu Yang most angry is that the person he likes was caught first, and it was someone else who was licking the dog. Damn it.
