In the evening, a horse-drawn carriage arrived at the apartment building on Narcissus Street.
Soon after, Sylutia came downstairs, bid farewell to her two friends, and boarded the carriage.
"Remember to be careful when you come back tonight," Aurora waved to the girl in the car.
Although the Asura District is generally safe, the various incidents that have occurred in the past six months have made the three of them feel unsafe, and they have become much more cautious.
"I know." Sylutia nodded, then lowered the curtain.
The black carriage carried Sylutia away. Compared to the roaring Steam Locomotive, this improved high-end carriage was much more comfortable to ride in. If they weren't in a hurry, most wealthy people would still choose the traditional carriage.
Furthermore, regarding carriages, the people of this world have developed a fairly sophisticated rating system, which clearly ranks carriages based on their structural materials, decorations, and the animals that pull them.
The carriage that Sylutia currently riding in is equipped with two Red-Maned Pavilion Horse, which are First Order Blood Law and are quite expensive. Compared to ordinary horses, Tingge horses are much gentler and smarter, easy to train, and have a high degree of obedience. They are also handsome and are a new breed that has been continuously bred and cultivated by the nobles of the Ninth Era. They are very popular among the wealthy and powerful.
With its superior horse breed, black Hutao body, and exquisitely decorated copper ornaments, this carriage is considered a rare mid-to-high-end vehicle in the Asura District. The next level up would be a carriage equipped with a second-tier war beast, and as for a carriage equipped with a third-tier beast, that's something ordinary people can't even see. Perhaps Aurora's main family has a few spares, but as the legitimate daughter, Aurora can't just use them casually.
Twenty minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of the Night Fragrance Club on Beetle Street. A servant in a black uniform opened the door and let the beautiful young woman inside, who was lifting her skirt, step down slowly.
This was her second time here, but this time Sylutia didn't have any missions to perform. She looked up at the lit-up sign above the hall and then went inside.
It was a typical banquet, attended mostly by acquaintances and friends of the Fox family, and the atmosphere was relaxed.
Banquets are generally divided into three types. The first type is banquets for important events, such as weddings, celebrations, political negotiations, etc. The second type is a regular gathering of the wealthy, used to connect with each other, socialize, and relax, without any important purpose. The third type involves a smaller number of people, mostly very close friends or relatives.
This banquet clearly falls into the second category, because the Fox family owns a stake in " Night Fragrance," so they frequently hold banquets here, usually once or twice a month.
The dim lighting in the venue created a relaxing atmosphere. Guests chatted in small groups around the tables, and occasionally, when the mood struck them, they would join their partners on the dance floor for a song.
After entering, Sylutia looked around and found that most of the guests were older, with young people like herself, under twenty or in their twenties, making up only a small portion.
Instead of asking the waiter where Hutao was, she strolled quietly through the dimly lit banquet hall, selecting her favorite fruits and desserts to enjoy.
Since we're already here, let's eat something first. If we start socializing later, we probably won't even have a chance to eat. After all, it's a bit impolite to eat while others are talking.
As expected of a family whose main business is pastries and food, the quality of the food here is quite good, with many items reaching the " First Order Excellent" quality. Even a small piece of pastry costs close to 1 gold coin, and the entire banquet would cost at least 500-600 gold coins. However, it seems that this level of banquet is the norm for the Fox Family.
After enjoying some snacks and fruit, Sylutia saw a mature noblewoman walking into the venue arm in arm with Hutao. Many guests went up to greet her, some to express their gratitude, some to catch up and chat, and some to discuss business.
Seeing that the crowd was getting a bit crowded, Sylutia didn't go forward and continued to sit at a small round table to the side, enjoying her snacks.
About half an hour later, the noblewoman finally managed to briefly go through the guests who had gathered around her. At that moment, prompted by her niece, she spotted Sylutia in a distant corner.
With a slight nod, the noblewoman in a long black dress with red trim walked over and sat down opposite Sylutia.
"Hello, I'm Marid. Welcome, Miss Hedra, to this banquet." She introduced herself simply.
"Hello, Mrs. Marid," Sylutia put down the food she was holding and responded politely.
The lady then exchanged a few more polite questions and words, before gently beckoning Hutao, who was standing to the side, to come over.
"I have some things to take care of today, so I'll have to leave Hutao with Hedra. I hope you two have a pleasant chat." With that, she stood up to say goodbye and went to meet her old friends at the banquet.
Seeing her aunt leave, Hutao had just sat down, quickly relaxed, and the corners of her eyes returned to their usual slightly upturned look. She waved to the maid following behind her, and the maid poured her her favorite iced wine.
"Would you like some, Hedra?" She gestured to the glass in her hand, which held clear rosy wine that wafted in the water and emitted a delicate fragrance—a subtle yet refreshing aroma that was quite rare.
"This is my favorite Starberry Liqueur, would you like to try it?" she introduced to Sylutia.
After saying that, she instructed the maid beside her to pour a small cup for Sylutia, and then took it to her.
Taking the glass of wine, the girl sniffed it. It emitted a rare berry fragrance and a slight sweetness. Filled with curiosity, Sylutia took a small sip.
The cool sensation spreads from the tip of the tongue to the throat, as if one could smell the fresh scent of the mountains after the rain. A slight bitterness is mixed in with the sweetness, which makes one feel refreshed. Finally, the bitterness dissipates and turns into a light sweet aftertaste, which is quite novel.
"How is it? Pretty good, right?" Hutao smiled as she watched Sylutia taste it.
"It is very special." Sylutia nodded.
After exchanging a few polite words, Hutao brought up their previous meeting.
"Last time you came to the banquet, you ate cookies and ice cream together. I tried it later and it was great. How about we try making a new product using this idea?"
That must be the ice cream cone I knew from my past life, Sylutia quickly realized. But it seems this world doesn't have that kind of idea yet; ice cream, on the other hand, has appeared ahead of time.
In the past, before the Industrial Revolution, artificial refrigeration and ice making were very troublesome, so ice cream was invented relatively late. Now, with the help of extraordinary forces, although the common people still suffer, the upper class has already tried many new tricks.
"Sure, but I'm not good at these things. I just came up with that way of eating on a whim." Sylutia didn't seem to care much about this little idea.
"Alright, I'll have someone research it then. By the way, what name do you think would be good?"
An ice cream cone? That's too ordinary.
Naming it after someone? It doesn't seem like it would be easy to spread.
Perhaps they could work on ice cream; the girl quickly thought of the familiar spherical ice cream.
"Let's call it 'Silky Snowball '," said Hilti, "And we can match the colors to different flavors so that buyers can not only enjoy the delicious taste but also get a better visual experience, making it easier to promote." Soon, Tia suggested several flavor combinations.
"----Cream with Purple Vanilla, Midsummer Berry, White Mong Fruit, etc." She said casually, not finding anything special about it, but the maid opposite her was quite focused on memorizing all of these ingredients.
After discussing the ice cream, their conversation gradually shifted to the banquet.
It was clear that Hutao wanted to get along with her, but this pampered young lady, who was used to being pampered, never bothered to please others. As a result, Hutao ended up constantly introducing her family's businesses and their impressive and well-known places.
This is her area of expertise, where guests often feel awe or ingratiation in the presence of her family background, making the conversation easier and more relaxed.
Fortunately, this time Sylutia was indeed quite interested in the Fox family, and responded to each question in turn, allowing Hutao to immerse herself in the conversation.
"Where did that mysterious giant fire fox come from at the Fox Feast?" The two finally began to discuss the legend of the Fox family's ancestors.
"Many people are concerned about this issue, hehe." Hutao smiled, lightly covering her face with her folding fan.
"Indeed, if it weren't for that mysterious fox, my family probably wouldn't have achieved what we have today." She closed her folding fan, rested it lightly on her wrist, and then recalled what her family members had said.
"According to my grandfather, that fox did indeed have a special connection with our family. The dragon meat in its mouth didn't come out of thin air; it was obtained from a powerful warrior after our ancestor saved him. That warrior was covered in dragon blood, his weapon was broken, and only half a dragon tail remained beside him."
"That was a powerful warrior capable of slaying dragons. Our ancestor guessed that the warrior's strength might be at the Seventh Order, but he wasn't sure, because the warrior died not long after being revived."
"Although he defeated the unknown Dragon, he was also seriously injured. After being discovered, the matter was reported to the family ancestor, who then revived him."
"After the warrior briefly recovered, knowing he didn't have long to live, he made many arrangements before he died. The fox was summoned by him through some special ritual."
"During the ceremony, the dragon's tail was cut into several pieces by the warriors. We don't know where some of the pieces went, but he specially left one piece and gave it to the fox, saying it was a token of gratitude to our ancestors. The reason he didn't give it directly to our ancestors was because our family was relatively weak at that time and couldn't protect such a precious thing."
"What followed was the well-known Fox Feast. Through a special means, our family summoned the fire fox, which also delivered the promised piece of dragon meat."
Hutao Tao spoke casually about her family's secrets, it was unclear whether this was because it was no longer important, or simply because the young lady didn't realize that this was a history that should be kept secret.