The Red Gryphon Hotel was one of the finest luxury hotels in Port Vias. Today, it was closed to the public; the entire establishment had been booked.
Some idle townsfolk struck up friendly conversations with the hotel servants and learned that the Red Gryphon Hotel had been booked for an indefinite period. "Indefinite" meant that so long as the wealthy guest who had booked it wished, the entire hotel would serve him—and him alone.
A wealthy guest—an exceptionally wealthy guest! The idlers spread the news, and soon all of Port Vias knew that, besides that Eastern Marquis of astonishing origins, another immensely rich figure had arrived in the city, a great personage native to the Vias Commercial Federation itself.
The hotel's main building was a three-story stone structure. As one of Port Vias's most luxurious hotels, every room in the Red Gryphon Hotel was a two-level duplex suite. In other words, although the hotel had only three stories of rooms, its actual height was equivalent to six floors.
On either side of the north-facing, south-facing main building stood two annexes opposite each other to the east and west. The two-story annexes were connected to the main building by two-level corridors. Between them lay a vast square, with flowerbeds, flowing water, and fountains. At the center of the square stood three flagpoles. On ordinary days, they flew the national flag of the Vias Commercial Federation, the city flag of Port Vias, and a family heraldic banner depicting a red griffin clutching a giant python.
But today, all three flags had been lowered and replaced by the Longshan Family's banner—a giant dragon standing atop a mountain of gold. This told everyone that the Red Gryphon Hotel had been booked by the Longshan Family, whose glory had only recently been restored, and that