He hung up the phone.
Li Xiao composed himself, so no one would notice anything amiss.
Returning to the banquet hall, Li Xiao quietly stood behind the mother and daughter.
Although the company matter was urgent, now was not the right time; at the very least, he had to wait until the banquet concluded before acting.
The banquet’s clamor was noisy.
Drunken Pure-bloods, Pure-bloods fawning over others, and Pure-bloods who, emboldened by drink, grabbed a servant, hugged their neck, and began to bite.
Amidst the clinking of glasses and the lively chatter, Li Xiao suddenly realized that although Pure-bloods were supernatural beings, they didn’t seem particularly special.
Any social group is bound to breed dirty dealings.
What difference was there between a Pure-blood merchant respectfully toasting an official from Eternal Night City and the collusion between officials and businessmen in the Human Federation?
Li Xiao chuckled and shook his head.
As time passed, the banquet reached its climax when Thorne led Marcus onto the stage.
“Everyone, allow me to introduce someone,” Thorne’s voice carried a smile.
Those present were very cooperative, stopping their conversations and focusing their gaze on the two men on stage.
“This gentleman beside me, Marcus Toreador, is a Pure-blood Noble descendant from the Torres Family in the Blood Domain Holy City.” Thorne raised his hand, and everyone followed his gaze to the mother and daughter below the stage.
“In the near future, my daughter, my pearl, Anna Angier Toreador, will be engaged to Marcus.” Marcus stood by, smiling and echoing, “It is an honor to be engaged to Miss Anna; a Pure-blood union will surely receive the blessing of the Ancestral God, Caine.” As Marcus finished speaking, a shower of applause erupted from below the stage.
Irina, under watchful eyes, also took her daughter Anna’s hand and walked onto the stage, placing Anna’s hand into Marcus’s palm with a smile.
Anna lowered her head; although somewhat resistant, she would not make any inappropriate gestures in public.
She calmed her emotions, then looked up and smiled at Marcus.
Marcus returned a smile; his every gesture exuded the essence of a noble young man.
…
When the Thorne Tremere and Marcus descended from the stage, the revelry and clamor of the banquet resumed.
This kind of standing-only banquet was quite an ordeal for Li Xiao.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait too long; the Thorne Tremere and Marcus finally left the banquet hall.
After exiting the banquet hall, Li Xiao, at Thorne’s command, followed Anna upstairs to her room to rest.
Upon entering the room, Anna’s pupils revealed a look of disdain as she slammed the door shut.
Li Xiao couldn’t be bothered to argue with her; he pushed open the door to his adjacent room without delay.
He took off his servant’s uniform and changed into a somewhat old, black tracksuit he had brought from Yunshan City, which he had always been reluctant to throw away.
It was the only possession he took when he left the orphanage, making its significance very special.
Li Xiao raised his hand and touched the ill-fitting, crooked, unidentifiable floral embroidery on the chest of the shirt, his eyes growing colder.
If becoming strong was merely for the sake of being strong, then it was meaningless.
Li Xiao’s blood-red pupils stared blankly, as if recalling a memory he wasn’t particularly willing to revisit.
“Soon, soon.” Li Xiao muttered, then turned and left the room through the window.
Before leaving, Li Xiao deliberately left a trace of internal energy on the door lock.
As long as the door was opened, even from a distance, he would faintly sense it and could rush back immediately.
Li Xiao’s figure, like a ghost, quickly left the Manor.
In the shadows outside the Manor, Li Xiao stopped for five minutes.
Since that day in the civilian district, when Li Xiao first entered the fifth-stage Grandmaster realm, he had vaguely felt someone following him.
Although he didn’t know who it was, he knew with certainty that it had to be related to Thorne.
He had only been in Eternal Night City for just over a month, during which he rarely went out, almost always staying in the Manor.
Aside from Thorne, Li Xiao couldn’t think of anyone else who would send people to follow him.
As for the Situ Family, they still had their own troubles to deal with; they wouldn’t have the energy for such things.
After confirming there was no one following him, Li Xiao immediately turned and left, his nimble movements weaving through tree branches and buildings.
With the support of his abundant internal energy, Li Xiao could cover dozens of meters with each step.
If he didn’t have to worry about the consumption of internal energy, Li Xiao could even achieve short bursts of flight.
—— Anna Manor.
In that exclusive study, Thorne and Marcus were seated, while the alluring and charming Irina nestled in Thorne’s arms, her soft fingers restlessly and obsessively stroking Thorne’s chest.
When the blood cup in front of him was half-filled with blood wine, Marcus raised his hand, signaling to the butler Micah.
Micah understood, stopped pouring the wine, straightened up, and stepped back to wait.
Marcus took a small sip of the wine in the cup and nodded contentedly.
“Excellent, it’s a top-grade blood wine.
It seems Patriarch Thorne has good taste.” Irina picked up a blood cup, brought it to Thorne’s lips, and smiled.
“Thorne’s cellar has many fine collections.
If you like it, you can always tell Micah.” Thorne took a sip of the blood wine his wife offered to his lips.
“Blood wine from a small place; I didn’t expect you to like it.” Marcus’s lips curved into a slight smile as he put down his cup, as if sighing.
“Compared to the Holy City, I feel the wine here has a certain vitality.” “Oh?
How so?” Thorne became somewhat interested.
He had also tasted the blood wine from the Holy City but hadn’t felt this way.
He was curious to hear what unique insights this noble young master, who had lived in the Holy City for many years, had.
“It’s normal for Patriarch Thorne, who doesn’t reside in the Holy City, not to know.
The blood servants in the Holy City are not like the people here; they have no freedom.
Their walking corpse-like bodies cannot produce top-grade blood wine.
Drinking too much of it always gives one a sense of lifelessness.” Thorne nodded in understanding.
He knew that other races in the Holy City were not protected.
He quickly understood the difference between the vitality and lifelessness Marcus spoke of.
One reason why Eternal Night City could be incorporated into the Human Federation was this: Eternal Night City was subject to the laws of the Human Federation.
Even Pure-bloods, if they violated the law, would be arrested.
Here, Pure-bloods must legally consume the blood of other races through employment or trade, and it must not result in death.
Similarly, the Conversion of other races must be voluntary and cannot be forced.
Of course, these were all superficial rules; some things, as long as they weren’t discovered, were as good as not having happened.
Marcus stood up and walked to the French window.
“This city is truly beautiful.
Compared to the lifeless Holy City, after just one day, I feel I prefer it here.” “You will, Marcus,” Irina said with a smile, nestled in Thorne’s arms.
“Once you and Anna are married, you will have the right to reside here.” Marcus turned and smiled, not continuing the topic, and sat back on the sofa.
“Patriarch Thorne, you should know my father’s conditions.” As they began to discuss serious matters, Thorne also became solemn.
Sensing the change in her husband’s attitude, Irina felt bored.
She rose from Thorne’s chest, half-reclined on the other end of the sofa, placed her foot on Thorne’s thigh, and gently swirled her blood cup, as if doing so could enhance the aroma of the blood wine.
Clearly, she wasn’t very interested in these so-called serious matters.
Thorne was already accustomed to Irina’s behavior.
He looked straight ahead, nodding with some confusion: “I know, but how could the blood cup be in Eternal Night City?
Isn’t that the sacred artifact of the Demon Party’s Tremere clan?” Marcus gently shook his head…