Soon, the black-haired wizard accompanied the young lady of the Corona family through the garden on the outskirts of the mansion and into the Silver Room, where the banquet was held. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

The fluorite lamps on the sumptuous gilded chandeliers make the whole hall as bright as day. Long tables lined with pale blue flanked the hall, and sterling silver cutlery glittered under the candlesticks.

Men in long robes, bejeweled women, and the sound of staggering are endless. The sound of footsteps and laughter mingled in one place, and melodious notes came from the corners around the hall, accompanied by the tune of the lyre, which made people dizzy.

The magnificent hall is frescoed on the left and floor-to-ceiling windows on the right. Guests in the banquet hall enjoyed a lavish feast, looking back at the laughter and laughter in the garden, and the silence of Ebolden under the night sky.

It's like a dream, it's like passing away.

Loren, who walked into the hall, did have the illusion of being in a previous life at that moment, as if everything he saw in front of him was just the words he read and the pictures he saw.

But only for a moment.

Ariel always clung to the black-haired wizard's side, clinging to his shoulders and refusing to let go, as if she would be gone as soon as she let go. The corners of his mouth twitched, and Loren had no choice but to look elsewhere, carefully observing the crowd around him.

Even in the banquet hall, the guards were all around, one could be seen almost every other window, and there were people who came to take over the shift, which meant that the actual number of these guards should be two to three times as many as in front of them.

Well-made leather armor, a broadsword of moderate length, and a crossbow hanging from the side of the thigh. Although they were not carefully counted, almost every one of the guards walked at almost the same frequency, with a slight difference to the point of negligibility - these guards were definitely not the appearance of the City Guard, all of them were real mercenary regiments.

Unlike Lothair, most of the nobles here do not have their own territories, so there are no vassals and vassals, and mercenary groups that go to sea with ocean-going fleets all year round, and even participate in wars in other territories are their "standing army".

Although the mercenaries were nominally loyal to the Free Council at Ebolden, they did not mind serving some nobleman who could afford to pay - the Bellini family, one of the wealthiest nobles in Ebolden.

"Mr. Ain Rand, what are you looking at?" the girl next to her suddenly asked, "It seems that you are very eager, and you are the one who has made an appointment?"

"I'm your man tonight, Miss Ariel. Loren smiled and replied, "You alone are enough to make others jealous of me." ”

Just standing still, the black-haired wizard could sense the inquiring, suspicious, curious, and envious gazes around him—people who might not know him, but who certainly knew Miss Ariel of House Corona.

"And what are you going to do?" Ariel chuckled suddenly, "Could it be that you've found your target and are planning an escape route?"

“...... You seem to have decided that I had bad intentions tonight. Loren, who couldn't help but want to complain just now, immediately noticed another figure approaching him with his dark pupils, and slightly restrained the smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Mr. Ain Rand, it is a pleasure to meet you here...... Holy Cross is on it, what a coincidence!"

Verlot, who was shrinking his neck, took the initiative to step forward, the smile on his face was so stiff and stiff, and his surprised eyes kept glancing at the girl on the side: "And you, Miss Ariel, it is also an honor for the Bellini family to be able to welcome the guests of the Corona family!"

Apparently Verlow wasn't willing to say hello to Loren - he would have kicked the hillbilly out of the door of the mansion if he could. But this time it was Aalto's "request", and as the "mentor" of this genius alchemist, Verlot could only do it.

"I am also very honored to thank the Bellini family for their passion. The girl lifted the corner of her skirt slightly and saluted him, and looked at the two wizards in front of her with a little "surprise": "Do you mean...... Do you know each other?"

Verlot's smile was even more awkward.

"Lord Verlow was my reviewer when I participated in the review of the Nine-Pointed Star Wizard Tower, and we had a relationship. Loren, with his hands behind his back, had a formulaic smile on his face: "And both of us specialize in spells, so we can be regarded as wizards of the same school." ”

Who is of the same school as you, a hillbilly?!Cheap dog, I really regret not letting those gangsters blow you up to the sky! Verlow, who scolded Loren a thousand times in his heart, nodded with a smile on his face: "That's right...... That's it. ”

"So that's the case?" the delicate girl blinked her crystalline eyes, "Did Lord Verlow feel sorry for Lord Ain when he was appraising?"

"Lord Verlot was very tolerant of me, and listened very carefully to all my explanations. Loren smiled and turned his gaze to Verlow, who was already in a cold sweat: "In fact, he has a lot to offer about my research...... Very useful advice!"

"Your Excellency Ain Rand is so humble, your research on the 'Magic Array' is simply impeccable!" Verlow barely managed to squeeze out a smile: "We are all looking forward to the day when your research is completed, it will definitely be a historic moment!"

"What a prize, this thing is not worth mentioning in the face of your apprentice's research!"

"No, no, no, it's you who is humble......"

The two men continued to think of snakes as snakes, and praised each other a few words. Then, as if suddenly remembered, the black-haired wizard took out a gold-plated ring from the pocket of his coat and placed it in the palm of his hand. Verlot, who was still laughing just now, immediately froze, his trembling cheeks seemed to cramp, and he trembled.

"This is what I got from a thief named Vansterno, who was about to steal my purse, but I caught him. Playing with the gold-plated ring in his palm, Loren looked at the other man's expression playfully—excited, urgent, angry, and fearful...... I can't count them.

"According to him, this ring was given to him by you...... I guess he meant to steal it from you, right?"

"Well, that's of course......! I've never heard of that name!" Verlot, who was in a cold sweat, smiled more and more reluctantly: "This ring was lost a few days ago, a very precious treasure, how could it be given to a gangster in the gutter alley?"

"Oh? That's weird. ”

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't seem to tell you that Vansteno was a gangster in Gutter Alley, did I?"

Verlow Bellini's smile froze, and Ariel on the side gently blocked her mouth with her little hand, and couldn't help but snicker - Birdlaire was a wizard of the Corona family, and of course she knew what was going on.

"Since it's yours, I'll just give it back to you. Gently putting the ring into the other party's pocket, Loren's smile was very cold: "But don't have a next time, maybe I will ......"

Before he could finish speaking, Loren was stunned again, and he saw Peter Fasa again not far away, and the other party seemed to be equally aware of someone staring at him, and turned and hid in the crowd around him.

What the hell was he doing? Could it be that he was just thinking too much, and Peter just wanted to sneak in for the banquet? The dark-haired wizard who was lost in thought did not move, only his pupils trembled slightly.

"Lord Ain Rand?"

Seeing Loren's stunned Ariel, she softly called to each other, and Verlot, who reacted, hurriedly "fled" away - the promised Aalto was done, and he didn't want to stay with this damn hillbilly for even a second.

A look of disdain flashed across the girl's face, and then she patted the black-haired wizard on the back with concern: "Are you looking for someone?"

“...... It should be. ”

Loren, who had recovered from his contemplation, nodded subconsciously and glanced hesitantly at Ariel beside him: "I'm very sorry, Miss Corona, I may have to leave for a while - please wait a while, I'll be back soon!"

"Don't be so polite. Although there was no blood, the girl's smile seemed to have some kind of charming color:

"I'm your man tonight too. ”