The banquet finally drew to a close amid clinking cups and the undercurrents of schemes from every side.
Representatives of the various factions departed one after another, each carrying their own thoughts.
Outside the Spirit Hall Grand Hotel, carriages and horses filled the streets, canopies gathered like clouds, reflecting the sleepless lights of Spirit City—and the increasingly unpredictable future of the continent.
Jiang Zhen and his group returned to the luxurious guest room area Spirit Hall had arranged for them.
Lan Xi carefully supported the unsteady, flushed-cheeked Ice Empress.
Ice Empress seemed to still be immersed in the atmosphere of the banquet. She waved her left hand and mumbled incoherently, "Mm... I can still drink! Xue'er... have a cup with me... hic..."
"...These... these little human drinks... taste really... really strange... mm..."
Her emerald-green twin tails were somewhat disheveled, and her normally cool, glamorous face was now full of adorable drunken foolishness, utterly unlike her usual proud and sharp demeanor.
Snow Empress followed behind. Seeing Ice Empress in such a drunken state, she helplessly raised a hand to rub her smooth forehead, and a rare trace of a headache showed in her cold eyes.
Her Bing'er had always been straightforward by nature. It seemed she had developed a strong "research" interest in the wine brewed by humans, and had clearly overestimated her tolerance for this unfamiliar liquid, even forgetting that she could easily dispel the effects of alcohol with Soul Power.
Watching Lan Xi half-support and half-carry Ice Empress, Jiang Zhen asked with amusement, "Xi'er, didn't she use Soul Power to force the alcohol out of her body?"
Lan Xi shook her head, her little face carrying a hint of helplessness as well. "I don't know either. Sister Ice Empress seems to... really enjoy this feeling?"
With some effort, she