Feast of Bliss

Lorenzo pulled Eve into the frenzied banquet, where everything became clear before their eyes. A long corridor led directly into the depths, but like a spiderweb, it branched into dozens of smaller paths as they ventured deeper. At every intersection, people lay with dazed expressions, as if intoxicated by some beautiful dream from which they could never wake.

"What on earth is this..."

Eve was nearly suffocated, her words failing her.

"The Feast of Bliss."

Lorenzo answered in a flat tone. This blood-boiling atmosphere could not stir him in the slightest, as if his own blood were cold. His gaze swept over the people sprawled on the ground, embracing each other passionately, lost together in their dreams.

This was merely the periphery; no one knew how many others were lost in this state beneath the vast underground palace.

But Lorenzo did not care. He pulled Eve forward, stepping over the twisting, writhing bodies.

"What are those people doing?"

"Dreaming. It's their way of finding release."

Lorenzo walked on, holding Eve's arm as he spoke.

"Do you know about the hallucinogens ravaging the Outer District? That's what they've injected. Just a little bit is enough to escape reality for a long time. This is one of the programs at Sabo's ball. People in the Lower District usually call this gathering the Feast of Bliss; in their eyes, this act is like ascending to heaven together."

His gaze turned cold. Lorenzo had never liked such methods of escapism.

"But it only lasts for a while. Dreams always come to an end. They fall hard from their beautiful heaven, only to wake up in the filthy Lower District and weep."

Eve froze. The cruelty of the world had only revealed a corner to her, yet she already felt an immense sense of oppression.

"Why... why do they do this?"

It was as if she were asking why they didn't work harder or love their lives more.

This was the age of steam technology. Thundering steam engines pushed the world's technology forward with great force, but the prosperity brought by this progress did not grace everyone, not even here in Inverwig's Old Dunling.

All of Old Dunling existed in a morbid, deformed state. The sky was thick with dark clouds, and the Zeppelins never descended. The world's cutting-edge technology was nurtured in this industrial hotbed, and everything seemed to be developing in the most wonderful direction.

Yet the price for all this was agonizing. Air mixed with exhaust fumes echoed in the lungs of every Inverwig citizen. To keep the furnaces burning forever, the forests of old had long since been burned to ash, leaving behind only barren land waiting to be exploited.

The pinnacle of technology always served the military first. Consequently, Inverwig emerged victorious from the century-long Glorious War. The dividends of war and unique military technology led to its rapid rise. Under this distorted development, the Midgard Serpent covered nearly all of Inverwig's territory, a silent torrent of steel capable of easily crushing any nation that refused to submit.

But the darkest places are always the deep shadows beneath the daylight.

The nascent public infrastructure could only satisfy the needs of the nobility and a portion of the populace. The Mechanical Institute could send hundreds of tons of war machines into the sky, yet it could not light an electric bulb in every dark home. The liberation of productivity resulted in countless people losing their jobs. They were cast out by their own country like stray dogs, left to survive in damp sewers before finally descending into the madness of desperation.

"All of Old Dunling is a pyramid. The classes press down layer by layer, and in the end, the foundation is supported by those who are powerless," Lorenzo said, cold and merciless.

"Machines don't need wages, and they don't need rest, but people do. So they are discarded, and in the end, they can only survive here."

Eve said nothing; as a member of the noble class, she had no words.

After walking the long path, with her vision and hearing constantly assaulted by the chaotic stimuli, Eve finally breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped into the true ballroom.

As the two entered, all the guests were already present. The great doors behind them slowly closed, and music began to rise. Men and women twisted and danced on the floor, as if the doors had sealed off the entire world, completely isolating the chaotic warmth within.

Countless crystals hung from the massive chandelier, reflecting the light and illuminating the dome as if it were broad daylight.

The hall was much larger than it had appeared from the corridor, with tiers rising upward like an ancient Roman amphitheater. The opulence was unimaginable. Eve had never thought such a facility could exist in the impoverished Lower District; it was as if all the wealth of the Lower District had been gathered here to build this magnificent place.

"Do you know how to dance?"

Lorenzo pulled Eve and bowed. Without waiting for her answer, he led her into a dance on the floor.

"I'm not very good at it."

Even as Eve said this, she felt it was too late. The two were already moving, weaving through the crowd on the dance floor.

The band on the high platform played with abandon, the music provoking everyone's emotions.

"As a noble, you should have learned more. Perhaps you'll meet your future husband at a ball, won't you?"

Lorenzo displayed incredible proficiency. Eve was like a marionette in his hands, swaying and dancing along with him.

"Then how do you know how? Does a detective have to learn to dance?"

"As you know, catching a cheating spouse usually happens after the ball ends."

Lorenzo's voice was a bit dry; constantly bringing up his own dark history was indeed not ideal.

Eve gave a mischievous smile, her mood relaxing involuntarily. If she forgot how she had arrived and what her purpose was, this was no different from an ordinary ball.

"Observe your surroundings carefully. We need to find Sabo next."

He spun Eve around. The girl was much lighter than he had imagined, and her long dress fanned out as she turned, like a blooming lotus.

"You don't know what he looks like?"

"I'm just a detective; how could I have seen him? So we have to find a way to locate him before it ends."

While he spoke to Eve, Lorenzo's gaze kept sweeping back and forth.

"He's a Viking. With his tall stature, he should be very conspicuous, right?"

Eve offered her suggestion, but Lorenzo shook his head.

"He won't appear on the dance floor. He is the master of this place, and this is merely the warm-up. There is no need for the host to appear so early."

Lorenzo's gaze darted back and forth across the resplendent hall; if not for his mask, he would have looked like a petty thief scouting for loot.

"This is his kingdom, and a king should sit at the highest point to overlook his subjects. No matter what happens, he can see it at a glance."

The girl's slender waist felt like a willow branch in Lorenzo's hand. As they swayed and spun, they wove through the crowd, spurred on by the music.

"Just like those Zeppelins. They are always above the clouds, and no matter what the people on the ground do, they see it all clearly."

His gaze finally settled on the high platform, and Lorenzo whispered into Eve's ear.

"I think I've found him."

It was a raised dais where the most distinguished guests had taken their seats early on. They chatted with one another, savoring fine wine and food while discussing matters they wished to keep hidden from others.

"You're saying he's among that group?"

Eve caught a glimpse of the area during a spin and whispered back.

"No, higher up."

Lorenzo's eyes remained fixed on the space above the dais, where the walls were adorned with magnificent stained glass.

Despite being underground, the walls were covered in painted glass depicting scenes that looked like myths from a cathedral. Yet, this was the underworld; the holy light could never descend to illuminate it all.

"We are underground, and that stained glass is so out of place. There must be a room behind it. He is right behind that glass, quietly observing us."

"Then what do we do? Shoot at it?" Eve was incredibly reckless.

"If we did that, we'd both die here today. We are underground, and you've seen how complex the routes are. The only exit we know of is the way we came. That is a terrain advantage; as long as someone stands there with a musket, they could hold off a hundred men. Even an army would struggle to break through."

It was just like the Thermopylae that Leonidas defended; no matter how many enemies there were, the narrow terrain made it an even fight.

"Then what do we do?"

"Wait."

Lorenzo appeared full of confidence.

"There will always be an opportunity."