Early in the morning, Li Ke and Jinx first strolled around outside Noxus twice.
"Li Ke, there are so few breakfast shops around here."
This was the first thing Jinx said when she got back into the building.
Wrinkling her nose, she held a sachet she'd bought from a roadside stall, filled with fried pancakes. Jinx had started eating them on the way, but she only took one bite before tossing the rest to Li Ke.
Li Ke shook his head after eating the fried pancake; the taste and texture were truly just a lump in his Li Ke.
It feels a bit like chewing mud? And it has an indescribable taste, which, to Li Ke, would be like the taste of Play-Doh.
Hmm, just thinking about clay that tastes like Play-Doh, that's definitely not food for humans.
In response, Li Ke could only say that Noxus's industrial level was indeed still in a primitive stage, and the wealth of this empire was accumulated in the hands of the upper class, with very few resources available to ordinary people.
To put it simply, Noxians can afford to open a shop in the Immortal Bastion are actually considered moderately wealthy families, but even so, they look very poor and are completely incomparable to Zaun.
The powerful and wealthy are rolling in money, while the common people are so poor they're practically dying of poverty.
This is the current situation in Noxus.
But this is not surprising, after all, Swain has only just taken over Noxus, so that powerful empire in the main universe will need to operate under Swain's leadership for another ten years before it can be considered truly powerful.
Jayce ate the fried pancakes Jinx brought back, his face contorted in bitterness. He'd never tasted such hardship before.
Later on, Jayce simply skipped breakfast altogether, deciding to empty his stomach and have a big meal at the evening banquet.
Hilko, however, ate all the fried pancakes, and the three of them—hilko, liksevika, and others—finished all the fried pancakes.
As he drank water to clean the dry bits of fried pancake left in his mouth, Li Ke suddenly turned around and called out to Jinx was trying to sneak out, with a hint of annoyance.
"Stop!"
"What?" Jinx, acting all sneaky, turned around, her Big Eyes darting around as she looked at Li Ke, then flashed her little white teeth.
"You're not allowed to sneak out alone. If you really want to go out, then have Sevika come with you, or I'll go with you," Li Ke said seriously to Jinx.
Jinx is quite strong individually. Although she didn't become Shimmer superhero like in the Twin Cities series, she is agile and carries all sorts of strange little weapons. It would be impossible for several adult men to defeat her.
But this isn't Zaun; this is Noxus. Noxians are far more physically capable than Zaunite, and most of the Noxians are active within the Immortal Bastion are veterans who have experienced numerous wars.
It's dangerous for Jinx to wander around here alone.
"I'm not planning to go very far, I'm just going to look around nearby," Jinx muttered.
"That won't do either," Li Ke said, glaring at her.
"Come back and sit down, read a book for a while, the Noxians should be here soon."
"Oh," Jinx lowered her head and obediently returned to Li Ke's side.
She just wants to go on an adventure!
Didn't that fat guy say that?
The interior of Immortal Bastion contains many dangerous forbidden areas, and for someone like Jinx with a cat-like personality, how could she not want to explore those forbidden areas?
Cats are creatures that, if you tell them not to do something, they'll do it the way they want to.
The Ha Foundation's hands are itching to get involved too.
While watching over Jinx and chatting with Mel about Noxus's internal affairs, the time quickly passed and it was already afternoon.
Just as Li Ke had thought, although the banquet was called an evening banquet, it was held in the afternoon. As special guests, the people from both cities would naturally arrive early to use the extra time to learn about the banquet in advance and to exchange ideas and make preparations.
When Srilan arrived, he was accompanied by four attendants. With a smile on his face, he entered the building and said loudly, "Gentlemen, you must all be hungry, right? Come, please follow me. I will take you to eat first, and after you have eaten something, I will explain the rules of the banquet."
Li Ke and the others stood up, exchanged glances, Mel nodded.
Then, Srilan walked down the street.
About ten minutes later, the group arrived in front of a huge gray-black building.
Several guards stood watch at the entrance. Upon seeing Srilan, one of them, who appeared to be the captain, stepped forward. Srilan spoke to him briefly, then turned and said, "Welcome, everyone, to the masquerade ball hosted by Marquis Boli."
Li Ke paused for a moment as he entered the building.
Because of the stark contrast between the interior and exterior styles, the building's exterior presents a solemn and dignified appearance, while the interior is resplendent with gold and jade.
The massive load-bearing columns were even adorned with various beautiful gold ornaments, and the long, smooth, shiny red cloth hanging from above looked to be of very good quality.
Various chairs have already been placed on both sides, and the huge empty space in the middle seems to be used as the center of the ball?
Srilan led Li Ke and the others into a room. Through the swaying beaded curtain, they saw several long tables set up inside, laden with various foods.
"You all eat first, I still have some things to take care of," Srilan said, bowing to the group.
After saying that, he smiled and left the room.
Jinx was the first to move, rushing forward and grabbing a leg of lamb, taking a bite out of it.
Before Silco could even speak to stop her, seeing Jinx enjoying her food and Mel nodding in agreement, Silco dismissed the thought. Yes, he instinctively felt that the Noxians might poison the food.
Jayce picked up his silver glass, took a sip of wine, then stood next to Jinx and started eating.
The two-meter-tall Jinx standing next to him, who is only 1.6 meters tall, creates a really strong visual impact, especially since the two of them are munching on food like starving ghosts.
How will Black Rose win us over?
Silco looked at Mel and asked.
"I don't know either." Mel shook her head. Since arriving in Noxus, she had hardly smiled. She continued, "Li Ke has already decided to cooperate with Swain, so Black Rose's attempts to win him over are irrelevant. We'll refuse anyway."
"Well, Mel, are you sure Swain will come looking for us on his own, like you said yesterday?"
Mel nodded in agreement.
She was certain Swain would come, though she wasn't sure if Swain knew the dinner was hosted by the Black Rose. But given Swain's shrewdness, he would definitely come looking for the Twin Cities man once he arrived.
Li Ke stepped forward, picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and then ate something.
When Srilan returned, he was wearing a goat's face mask that covered the upper half of his face. The servants following behind him carried a pile of clothes, and two of them were carrying silver trays with several masks on them.
These servants were also dressed in the same style of clothing, namely red and blue hooded jackets, and their faces were also covered by masks.
"It's a masquerade ball, and to ensure everyone has a good time, we've provided costumes and masks. This is also one of the rules of the banquet; during the banquet, no one may reveal their true identity," Srilan said.
He waved his hand, and the servants behind him came up with the clothes and bowed respectfully.
Li Ke reached for the clothes, put them on, pulled the hat over his head, and then looked at the mask on the plate.
There are all kinds of silver masks, some animal-shaped, some irregular, and some for men and women.
Jinx chose a butterfly-shaped mask that covered the upper half of her face, revealing her plain lower half.
Jayce chose a mask that resembled a helmet and covered his entire face.
Silco, on the other hand, chose an inconspicuous mask.
Li Ke thought for a moment, then picked up a mask shaped like the Chinese character for "corpse," put it on, and revealed a small part of his profile.
"Alright, everyone, please follow me. The guests have been arriving one after another." Srilan clapped his hands, took a cloak from a servant, put it on, and walked ahead.
"After the banquet begins, there will be various halls. In the very center is the ballroom, followed by a wine room, a food room, and a music room. You can choose according to your preferences. Of course, the most lively place is the ballroom, which will be packed with people by evening."
Srilan began to speak.
Following Srilan, we returned to the hall we had passed through when we entered. The hall was already full of people, all dressed similarly in red or blue cloaks and wearing masks of various designs.
As Srilan explained, this was a masquerade ball.
Li Ke held Jinx's hand and squeezed through the crowd to prevent Jinx from suddenly running away.
After following Srilan into a hall, Li Ke saw the host of the dinner party— the Marquis Boli.
He is about 1.8 meters tall and has a slightly overweight, or rather, robust build.
He was wearing a red and black cardigan and black trousers, with nothing underneath, revealing his bare chest and a horizontal tattoo on his chest. He wore a warrior's helmet, and the lower half of his face was covered in fleshy muscles.
"I'm Boli, welcome to my dinner party. I can't believe you all actually agreed to come. I bet it was Mel's idea, wasn't it?"
Marquis Boli walked up, laughing, and handed a wine glass to Mel.
Despite Mel wearing a mask and a cloak, he still recognized Mel.
"I have a good relationship with your mother, Ambessa. I don't know if you remember, Mel, I held you when you were little."
"I'm sorry, Marquis Boli, I've almost completely forgotten my childhood memories." Mel looked at Marquis Boli with a hint of surprise on her face, then shook her head and said.
Upon hearing this, Boli laughed, drank his beverage, paced around Mel twice, and then looked at the others.
"May I ask, which of you is the Lord of Zaun?"
Li Ke narrowed his eyes, about to step forward, when Srilan clapped his hands and coughed.
Boli was taken aback, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes, but it vanished in an instant. He said loudly, "Honestly, I completely forgot it's masquerade ball time. Rules can't be broken. Here's what we'll do: after the banquet, don't rush to leave."
Srilan, standing to the side, clutched his throat and bowed his head behind Boli.
"Well then, that's all for now. I hope our friends from both cities have a great time." He raised his glass again, drank it, and left the hall surrounded by a group of people.
"What are you looking at?" Silco moved closer to Li Ke, noticed Li Ke's gaze, and asked in a low voice.
"That woman... the way she walks is a little strange," Li Ke said softly.
Following Li Ke's gaze, Silco noticed a group of women following Boli. These women were not wearing cloaks, but only masks, leading Silco to conclude that they were the banquet's attendants.
What Li Ke saw was a slender woman wearing a black leather jacket; her legs were very long and thin, and her proportions highlighted a strange kind of beauty.
Silco couldn't help but look at Jinx. Jinx's legs were also long and slender, but they couldn't compare to the other woman's. However, Silco thought Jinx was more beautiful because that woman's legs looked too alluring.
"Silco, that woman doesn't seem human," Li Ke muttered, taking a sip of his drink.
Upon hearing this, Silco narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Are Vastaya?"
"No, she's not Vastaya. I can distinguish magic. The magical aura around her is different from that of Vastaya; it's more like...forbidden magic? Anyway, it's very evil." Li Ke shook his head.
As they were talking, a woman wearing a cloak gracefully passed by Li Ke and walked ahead, heading towards the spot where Boli had left.
Upon seeing this, Li Ke was taken aback at first, and then he smiled.
"Silco," Li Ke said.
"Um?"
"Let's get ready to watch the show."
"What?" Silco looked at Li Ke, puzzled.
Li Ke smiled slightly, watching the woman in the blue cloak disappear into the crowd, and whispered, "Swain's people have also come to this banquet."
"So what?"
"I think the woman who just passed by us is most likely here to assassinate Boli," Li Ke said.
Silco said, "Oh, did Janna tell you this again?"
Li Ke rolled his eyes at Silco, then stopped talking and began to focus his attention on his surroundings.
He heard all sorts of sounds amidst the loud music, and then he began to try to distinguish those sounds, only listening to the conversations he wanted to hear.
Then, Li Ke heard a familiar voice.
"Lord Boli, I'm so sorry about what happened just now."
"Stand tall, and don't lower your head when you speak. You are me now, understand?"
"Yes, I understand, but... after this is done, could you really introduce me to Pale Lady?"
"You're working for that person now. Who do you think cast the spells on you?"
"Alright, stop talking nonsense."
"Yes"
"Cough cough!"
Choking on his drink, Li Ke wiped his mouth and looked up at the location of the concert hall that Sri—no, it should be said that it was the real Marquis Boli— had previously introduced, his eyes filled with surprise.
This was something Li Ke really hadn't expected.
If it weren't for the Red-haired Woman passing by, Li Ke would never have been able to uncover this matter.
Srilan, this pot-bellied minor nobleman who lacked the rough and savage air of Noxians, always greeted them with a friendly, smiling face—was he actually the true Marquis Boli?
Did LeBlanc use magic to switch their identities?
Yes, that's something LeBlanc can definitely do.
Li Ke chuckled and shook his head.
This banquet is destined to be anything but peaceful. It seems the clash between Swain and LeBlanc has already begun. Although LeBlanc is often mocked as a foolish beauty, how could this woman, who has lived for over a thousand years and corrupted the Noxian Empire, truly be a fool?
After placing the glass on the table, Li Ke walked over to Jinx and prepared to keep Jayce and the others close to him as well.
After all, a fight could break out at any moment during this dinner.
I wonder if Katarina knows who the real Marquis Boli is.
Yes, the woman who followed Boli, who had passed by earlier with Li Ke and Silco, was Katarina.
Her red hair was truly eye-catching. Although there are many Red-haired Woman, in this situation, and with a walk as light and silent as Akali's, it could only be Katarina.
As for Katarina, who was disliked by her father and then became Swain's subordinate, what was her motivation for attending this dinner party?
Ha, is there even a need to think about it?