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    Chapter 97: Whose Face?

    Shining Light City.

    The city was abuzz with excitement today.

    The streets were brightly decorated with colorful lanterns and banners, overflowing with people.

    On both sides of the streets hung drapes bearing the insignia of a golden flame, the symbol of the Shining Light Family.

    In the distant square, tables were set up for beer barrels and food, available for all to enjoy.

    The entire city was enveloped in an atmosphere of joyous celebration.

    Inside a carriage, Mu Zhu lifted the curtain, excitedly looking out at the street scene and the throngs of people.

    “Shining Light City is much more prosperous than before.”

    Ota, sitting opposite him, nodded and said, “After all, Shining Light City is now the center of the Golden Rock Province.”

    After defeating the Golden Rock Marquis, Marquis Kei had established Shining Light City as the center of the province. The Lord’s Mansion was still the original Baron’s Mansion, but it had been expanded.

    Today’s Shining Light City was the political and economic center of the entire Golden Rock Province, naturally becoming increasingly prosperous.

    “President, I heard that the Grand Duke of Starsea and the other five Marquises have all sent envoys to offer congratulations. Is it true?” Ota asked curiously.

    Mu Zhu smiled, “Of course it’s true. The noble Marquis Shining Light, he deserves a little respect, you know.”

    “That’s a pretty big deal.”

    As they spoke, the carriage arrived at the Lord’s Mansion.

    Various luxurious carriages were parked in the open space in front of the mansion. The carriages were adorned with countless noble emblems.

    He estimated that there were at least two or three hundred different emblems.

    Ota even saw a few familiar aristocratic crests, clearly belonging to the nobility of the Thornflower Duchy!

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    “Even the nobles from our duchy have come. Marquis Shining Light’s influence is too great!”

    Mu Zhu said with a hint of amusement, “His influence is undeniably great, but it may not be Shining Light’s face he’s getting.”

    Ota was slightly stunned, then he thoughtfully nodded.

    They handed their gifts to the servants by the gate, then presented their invitations. After a brief inspection, they entered the mansion and were led by the servants towards the grand hall.

    Even from a distance, they could hear bursts of laughter and conversation from within the hall.

    The bright and spacious hall was dotted with tables draped in white cloth. They were laden with a feast of delicious food and fine wine.

    Numerous men and women, their attire elegant and their bearing exuding an air of privilege, were gathered in groups, clinking their wine glasses and conversing gracefully.

    Mu Zhu surveyed the crowd, recognizing many familiar faces.

    They were all big shots rarely seen by ordinary people, many of them viscounts or even earls.

    Yet these individuals, who held a position of high esteem in the eyes of ordinary people, were now gathered in the grand hall, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their host.

    Mu Zhu smiled inwardly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, noting two small groups that drew significant attention.

    The first group consisted of a cluster of middle-aged men gathered near the center of the hall, to the right.

    Compared to the other nobles present, they exhibited less grace and more tenacity in their speech and demeanor, carrying a hint of the iron-blooded spirit typical of soldiers.

    If he had to guess, these were probably the newly promoted military nobles of Marquis Kei.

    These individuals had risen to prominence relatively recently and found it difficult to blend in with the established nobility from elsewhere, so they formed their own circle and chatted among themselves.

    Mu Zhu scanned the group and sure enough, he saw a few familiar faces – Viscount Bred, Baron Jorton, and Baron Stary.

    He had grown acquainted with these three, as they frequently led trade caravans to Shining Light City.

    The other group was comprised of a dozen or so teenage boys and girls.

    Their young and innocent faces stood out among the crowd of adults, drawing attention.

    However, nobody dared to underestimate these young people. In fact, many were secretly observing them.

    After all, these young people were all students of *that one*.

    Several nobles approached them with smiles, hoping to join their conversation, but they retreated soon after, looking troubled, seemingly unsuccessful.

    Mu Zhu looked around again, but he couldn’t find Su Nan.

    He thought to himself that Su Nan wouldn’t appear at this time, so he decided to stop thinking about it. He signaled a passing servant to stop and took a glass of wine from the tray, then forced a smile and walked towards the nearest group of nobles.

    As for Ota, he was directed to another hall, where all the guards accompanying the nobles were gathered.

    “Such a boring banquet.”

    Cole frowned, watching the nobles in the hall laughing and chattering, a hint of impatience flashing across his face.

    “And a bunch of boring people.”

    Atyl laughed, “Don’t say that. This is the Lord’s wedding. If Teacher hears you saying these things, he’ll definitely scold you.”

    Cole snorted, his lips curling in disdain, but he suppressed his impatience.

    He still held great respect for his Teacher.

    In fact, if his Teacher wouldn’t be attending the wedding, he wouldn’t have come here.

    He’d rather spend the time learning magic or refining another Blackrock Beast than attending this tedious banquet.No?v(el)B\\jnn

    Xieman chuckled to himself, looking at the lavish hall and the well-dressed nobles, a sense of nostalgia washing over him.

    Seeing Su Nan changing the subject, Kei didn’t mind, and he sat down on the sofa with a smile, pouring himself a glass of wine.

    “She’s gone back to rest. An eighteen-year-old girl, she’s been busy all day. She’s exhausted.”

    Su Nan raised an eyebrow and said, “Her health is not good. It’s not good for the offspring’s genes. Give her more Dragon Blood Fruit later.”

    Gene inheritance was even more pronounced in this world.

    The children of knights were more likely to be good candidates for knighthood.

    The children of Great Knights were almost guaranteed to become knights.

    Legendary Knights were even more extraordinary.

    This was why strong individuals often emerged from noble families with hundreds of years of history. Knights constantly arose from their ranks.

    This was a reflection of their improved genes.

    If both parents were knights, the probability of their children becoming knights was almost eighty or ninety percent.

    Unfortunately, female knights were rare in this era.

    Noble ladies focused more on their demeanor and social graces, learning things like singing, playing musical instruments, and table manners, perhaps also courtly dances and horsemanship, but they rarely practiced martial arts.

    But it didn’t matter. They might not be skilled in martial arts, but they could enhance their physical fitness.

    With Dragon Blood Fruit, dramatically enhancing their physique within a short period of time wasn’t difficult.

    The two chatted casually for a while, then the conversation shifted to the recent situation of the Starfire Sect.

    “The Starfire Sect’s most successful spread of faith has been in the Red Leaf Province and Frost Dye Province.”

    “In the former, they have the Grand Duke’s backing. From top to bottom, they faced almost no obstacles.”

    “The latter is currently undergoing reconstruction. The people are hungry and cold. The Starfire Sect can easily gain a large number of believers by simply distributing some food.”

    “As for the Lake Orchid Province, the Soloman Province, and the Purple Bamboo Province, they haven’t expressed support for the Starfire Sect’s spread of faith, but they haven’t actively hindered it either. They’re probably still observing the situation.”

    Kei didn’t mention the White Tower Province.

    However, judging from the White Tower Marquis’s decision to form an alliance with him, his stance was clear.

    “We need time to accumulate power, but we can’t just let the Starfire Sect expand its influence. Do you have any good ideas?” Kei asked seriously.

    Su Nan pondered for a moment.

    They couldn’t intervene in the territories of other provinces yet, so they couldn’t disrupt the Starfire Sect’s actions there.

    The only thing they could do was to join forces with the White Tower Province to prevent the Starfire Sect from entering their territory.

    Of course, to be honest, it wasn’t entirely impossible to take other measures.

    They couldn’t rely on the Golden Rock Province, but they still had the Mysterious Wooden Hut.

    Perhaps they could start from that angle.

    “I’ll figure something out.” Su Nan said.

    Hearing Su Nan’s words, Kei’s expression relaxed considerably.

    He always had great confidence in Su Nan. Since Su Nan had said so, it meant he had a plan.

    Knock, knock!

    A knock came from the door.

    “Come in.”

    The door opened, and Bred hurried in, his expression serious.

    “Lord, Master Su Nan.”

    He bowed to both before speaking in a somber tone,

    “The patrol team reported that the villagers of a village about ten kilometers north of the city have all disappeared!”

    Kei’s expression tightened, and he asked, “Have you found out what happened?”

    “According to the patrol team, there were many traces of beasts’ claws tearing flesh at the scene, and there was a large amount of blood left behind. Based on preliminary investigations, it is suspected that a pack of beasts attacked the village, killed everyone, and then dragged the bodies away.”

    “A pack of beasts?”

    Kei furrowed his brow, his expression uncertain.

    It wasn’t uncommon for packs of beasts to attack villages, but it was unthinkable for the entire village to have no survivors, not even a single person to send a message.

    How large of a pack of beasts could have done such a thing?

    Such an incident on such a happy day put Kei in a foul mood. He frowned and ordered, “You personally lead a team to investigate, you must find the perpetrators who attacked the village!”

    “Yes, sir!”

    Bred nodded solemnly, then left decisively to gather his forces.

    “This had to happen at a time like this” Kei sighed.

    Su Nan stood up and patted his shoulder, comforting him, “Take care of the wedding first. We’ll deal with other matters tomorrow.”

    Kei nodded, getting up to return to the grand hall.

    After all, he was the main attraction today, and he couldn’t be away for too long.

    Su Nan walked to the window and looked towards the northern direction, lost in thought.

    “A pack of beasts, huh?”

    (End of Chapter)