Hosting a Banquet: Part One

Because of the delivery to the club, everyone soon learned that the Moonlight Wine had been created by this young mage.

So, before Donald's carriage had even returned to his manor, all sorts of information about his identity and family background had already reached the desks of those with an interest in him.

It turned out that the creator of Moonlight Wine was not only a mage but also a hereditary noble. He was the very apprentice Summoner who had caused a sensation by defeating a Black Iron Mage.

Moreover, this mage had led a rather tumultuous life. Decades ago, the Merlin Family had been hereditary nobles with lands in North Shire, but then they had lost their fief and all their property had been scattered, leaving them impoverished. More recently, Donald had been targeted for assassination by an organization with powerful connections, becoming the central figure in a series of upheavals in Giant Stone City.

And now, this genius apprentice had officially become a true mage with great potential.

If he were merely an impoverished noble who had lost his fief, there would be nothing remarkable about that. The Kingdom alone had hundreds of court nobles without lands!

A noble without a fief meant nothing to those so-called big shots. He was nothing more than a pest they could crush with a finger!

But now, Mr. Donald was not only a proper mage with a solid background, but also a rare Summoner!

That status was enough to keep the many factions in the chaotic city of Giant Stone from doing anything too outrageous, despite their envy.

Of course, this did not mean the "big shots" were afraid of Donald. Aside from considering his background, they also had to weigh whether the potential profits were worth casting aside all caution.

So these factions could not resort to the methods they usually used against commoners or minor nobles without connections. They had to lie low and wait for another opportunity. This was different from the way certain people, who regarded Donald as a thorn in their side, behaved.

But just because they could not touch the genius mage Donald did not mean these factions would simply give up. If they could not get to him, they would try to get their hands on the wine recipe instead.

So, after just one day, Dark Night Manor was practically "surrounded" by spies sent out by various factions.

What they did not know was that the Nature Barrier of the Tree of Life already covered the entire manor and everything within a two-kilometer radius. The moment the first spy secretly entered the barrier, the Tree of Life detected him. It then relayed the information through their mental connection to Donald, who was strolling around the manor.

The first spy had not concerned Donald much—but then more and more figures began appearing around the manor. Some even dared to crouch down and sneak inside for a look. They were like flies drawn to blood, impossible to get rid of. Nothing had happened so far, but being watched so brazenly was already starting to irritate Donald.

On the bright side, with so much attention focused on his manor, the faction that had tried to assassinate him would probably lie low for the time being. Otherwise, they would expose themselves to almost every faction in North Shire and attract powerful enemies they might not even know about.

The upper echelons of North Shire, who would rather protect their reputations than rob anyone, would surely be more than happy to uproot the faction hiding behind the assassination—and trade that favor for the wine recipe.

So while Donald made preparations in advance, he also ordered the Tree of Life to enter a state of readiness. Then he used Plant Animation on the plants outside the farm. Countless weeds and vines grew wildly like tentacles, binding several spies who had crossed the boundary and tossing them all outside the manor.

The commotion reminded the spies from the various factions that their target was no ordinary noble without a profession!

He was a mysterious and powerful mage!

Their Stealth skills might fool ordinary people and low-level melee professionals, but they could hardly escape the notice of mages with all sorts of tricks at their disposal.

The weaker spies grew anxious and dared not act rashly again. They could only wait outside the manor, watch for any movement inside, and report back to their superiors at once.

Against spies whose strength did not exceed Black Iron, Donald could easily summon a few creatures with the Book of Truth and wipe them all out. But that would amount to declaring war on every faction behind them. Donald was not afraid of them, but he did not want to invite that much trouble, so he merely sneered to himself.

"I'll let you off for now. Once my plans are complete and I'm strong enough, I'll make sure the factions behind you won't dare plot against me again!"

After intimidating the ill-intentioned spies, Donald told his butler to start preparing for the banquet he would hold the next day.

As a noble, maintaining the necessary social connections was important. At the last banquet he had attended at Baron of Red Maple's manor, two annoying people had interrupted him, but he had still walked away with a handsome wager.

Now that he had a manor as his foundation, Donald planned to host his first banquet.

He did not want to be merely a mage. No matter how powerful an individual became, there would always be things beyond his reach. The best way to secure his position was to become a powerful noble lord.

Take the threat he faced now. If he were a noble lord like Baron of Red Maple, with extensive connections and a place among the upper echelons of North Shire, then even if his enemy were determined to target him, they would have all sorts of concerns in this peaceful age.

Assassinating an official lord of the Kingdom was completely different from assassinating a lone mage, at least as far as the impact on the Kingdom of Selt was concerned. Never mind what the Kingdom's upper echelons, who would feel they shared the victim's plight, might think about a lord's assassination. The force of public opinion alone would compel the Kingdom to give an account of what had happened to the murdered lord.

Even if the culprit was another powerful noble, they would choose to sacrifice their former ally to quell public anger and completely distance themselves from the affair.

However, if he, like the mages at the club, shut himself away from the world and devoted himself to cultivation and research, barely leaving home once in six months, he would inevitably fall out of touch with noble society. That would be a serious obstacle to his plans for the future.

So hosting a banquet was essential. That very afternoon, invitations bearing the Merlin Family's name were delivered to the two guests he had chosen: Baron of Red Maple and Sir Jesse.

Donald had his reasons for choosing these two. Inviting every nearby noble would have been a good idea, but the manor was not yet fully built and could not accommodate too many guests. Besides, he had almost no ties to the other nobles, so it would have been awkward to invite them out of the blue.

Baron of Red Maple was the only landed noble near his manor. Their relationship was complicated. They were not exactly friendly, but neither were they enemies, so Donald needed to make the gesture of inviting him to reassure his neighbor. It would also serve as a return for the baron's previous invitation.

As for Sir Jesse, Donald thought he was worth cultivating a relationship with. Though he held only an honorary, lifetime title, he wielded considerable authority and knew a great deal about the Kingdom's political situation and the relationships between nobles in different regions. He was a capable administrator, so befriending him was clearly the best choice. Donald might find a use for him someday.

Besides, these were the only two nobles Donald knew who could be considered friendly. Most of the others were enemies of the Merlin Family, so he did not have many other options.

What was more, making the acquaintance of these two well-connected nobles would spread word of his situation among the surrounding nobility, making it easier for him to build relationships with other nobles in the future.