The Banquet

Night fell again. Outside a sprawling estate on the west side of Bunta City, carriages of every lavish design lined the road. Inside, countless finely dressed guests wandered about, every gesture betraying their noble breeding. The estate, usually so quiet, had come alive with noise.

Anyone familiar with Bunta City's noble circles would have recognized most of the guests as the city's nobles, great and small. A sharp-eyed observer might also have spotted a sturdy, stern-faced middle-aged man deep within the estate, chatting happily with its owner.

That man was the most powerful person in Bunta City: Count Sean Samo, the city lord himself!

The handsome young owner speaking with him was just as well known among the city's nobles. He was Viscount Leslie, a favorite of noble ladies young and old.

Viscount Leslie had always preferred peace and quiet, so his sudden announcement of a banquet had taken Bunta City's nobles by surprise.

His stated reason for holding it was rather... amusing: a nephew of his had been born far away in Anvilmar City. But nobles loved banquets and the chance to strengthen their ties. The reason hardly mattered; what mattered was that Viscount Leslie was hosting one. Not a single noble who received an invitation declined.

A small portion of the guests were not nobles. Even so, a closer look would show that every one of them held some standing in Bunta City. Not one was an unremarkable commoner.

Nobody found that surprising.

How could an irrelevant commoner possibly slip into a banquet hosted by Viscount Leslie?

Xu Yi therefore tucked himself obediently into a corner and tried not to attract attention.

With his status, he really had no business being there.

The Xinfei Merchant Guild had made a fortune from Magic Fans, but strictly speaking, it was still a fledgling guild. Bunta City had dozens upon dozens of small guilds like it. Xu Yi hardly stood out among them.

Could he rely on his status as a mage?

What a joke! Xu Yi had not even passed the Mages' Guild certification exam. Technically, he did not qualify as a full-fledged mage, much less as someone entitled to attend this banquet.

Xu Yi was good-looking, but that alone would not draw much attention here. He should have had no trouble hiding. Unfortunately, beside this inconspicuous leaf stood a dazzling flower, as impossible to overlook as the moon in a night sky.

Xu Yi could not help rolling his eyes at her. "Didn't I tell you this was just an ordinary banquet? What could I do when you refused to believe me?"

"Hmph! You've got some nerve saying that to me," Stille retorted. "Who kept telling me noble banquets were unbearably dull and that he'd rather go home and study Magic Arrays?"

Xu Yi rubbed his face. "All right. Me."

"So of course I found it strange when you came to a banquet yourself. I thought there must be something special about this one to draw you here, but there isn't anything special at all. I got excited for nothing." Stille feigned anger.

Xu Yi looked Stille up and down. She had clearly taken care with her appearance today. A fitted pale-purple gown flattered her figure, while her loosely pinned golden hair exposed just enough of her long, fair neck to lend her an elegant air. Yet her nearly perfect features still shone with youthful energy. Together, the two qualities made her irresistible. No wonder everyone who passed their corner stole another glance at her.

In less than half an hour, more than ten young men had come over to strike up a conversation.

If Xu Yi had not been standing beside her, that number might have been several times higher.

"There is something special, actually." Xu Yi took a sip of fruit juice and explained, "Stille, remember what we finished developing a few days ago?"

Stille paused. "The Magic Air Conditioner?"

"Right." Xu Yi nodded.

Since joining the research institute, Stille had naturally taken part in developing the Magic Air Conditioner.

In fact, her contribution was a major reason they had finished it so quickly.

"What does the Magic Air Conditioner have to do with this banquet?" Stille asked, even more puzzled.

Xu Yi smiled. "Haven't you noticed how many people are packed into this room, yet it isn't very hot?"

At his reminder, Stille caught on. She looked around and soon spotted two Magic Air Conditioners mounted on the walls of the reception hall, steadily blowing out cool air. No wonder the hall did not feel hot at all.

"Xu Yi, don't tell me you and Viscount Leslie planned this together?" Stille asked.

"Don't make it sound like a conspiracy. We're cooperating," Xu Yi corrected her. "Normally, you should have been involved in this as our spokesperson. But you didn't seem interested in pitching products to a roomful of people, so I dropped the idea."

"Hmph. I'm not going up to strangers and saying, 'Hello, buy our products!' That would be ridiculous." Stille sniffed. "That wasn't part of the spokesperson job you described."

"Exactly. So I gave up on a very tempting idea. Besides, it would be a waste." Xu Yi glanced at her and smiled. "If I sent a beauty like you out to work as a salesperson, people would say I had no idea what a treasure I had."

Stille's face lit up. She spun lightly before him and asked with obvious pride, "You think I look beautiful today?"

"No, not just today. I've always thought you were beautiful. Especially today, though."

Stille looked even more pleased. She tipped her chin up and gave a soft hum. "At least you know what to say." After a pause, she asked, "But if you and Viscount Leslie arranged this together, why haven't I seen him promoting the Magic Air Conditioner for you?"

Xu Yi laughed. "He's a viscount. He can't go around selling products himself. That job belongs to a merchant steeped in the smell of money, like me." He glanced at Stille. "I'm going to start selling now. If you don't want to come, wait here for me."

Stille's eyes darted toward him, and she hurried to catch up.

"Let's see how a crafty merchant like you makes a sale."

Xu Yi smiled, scanned the banquet hall, and fixed his gaze on a dignified-looking middle-aged man.

"Viscount Zetaman, my lady. A pleasure to meet you both."

Viscount Zetaman and his wife turned toward the young man who had appeared before them, looking puzzled.

"And you are...?"

"My name is Xu Yi. I'm the president of the Xinfei Merchant Guild, and this is my companion—"

"She's Stille, isn't she? Great Mage Camilla's granddaughter. I've met her a few times," Viscount Zetaman cut in.

Stille quickly curtsied to them. "My grandmother has always said you are an upright man, Viscount Zetaman, and one of the few nobles she admires. Now that we've met, I agree with her completely."

Viscount Zetaman laughed. Naturally, he did not take the compliment too seriously. When he turned to Xu Yi, a trace of puzzlement appeared on his face.

"Did you say you're the president of the Xinfei Merchant Guild?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Xinfei Merchant Guild... Xinfei Merchant Guild... I've heard that name somewhere." Viscount Zetaman frowned in thought, then asked his wife, but she could not give him a definite answer either.

"I believe you heard it from your son Olin, my lord," Xu Yi prompted.

Viscount Zetaman paused, then remembered.

"Yes, that boy Olin did mention it. Ah, now I remember. He said he's been working at a workshop under your guild... no, a factory? Making some kind of... Magic Fan, was it?"

Xu Yi smiled and nodded. "My lord, I thought remembering that might make you angry."

Viscount Zetaman blinked. "Why would I be angry?"

"I thought you might consider it an embarrassment that your son was working in an ordinary factory. I hesitated for quite a while before approaching you. I had to work up my courage."

Beside him, Stille nearly burst out laughing.

The moment Xu Yi had spotted Viscount Zetaman, he had walked straight over without a pause. When had he hesitated or needed to work up any courage?

Viscount Zetaman laughed. "President Xu Yi, you're overthinking it. Olin is a fine boy, but I've always worried that he couldn't endure hardship and lacked patience. Yet he's managed to work at your factory for so long. That shows real growth. I'm delighted, not embarrassed."

"That's right," his wife added. "Olin looks exhausted whenever he comes home these days, but I can tell he's happy. To be honest, I've rarely seen him so genuinely happy. President Xu Yi, I don't know exactly what he does for you, but as his mother, I've wanted to thank you for giving him something he can throw himself into and enjoy."

"Not at all." Xu Yi waved his hands. "You're both too kind. Olin has helped me enormously. The Magic Array is the key component in the Magic Fans our guild makes, and Olin is responsible for that work. He doesn't just draw the arrays; he suggests improvements, too. I've even given him a special bonus for it. Recently, he's been working on the research and production of the Magic Air Conditioner, and he's been just as helpful there. If anything, I should thank you both for raising such an outstanding son."

In any world, parents were happy to hear their children praised to their faces. Viscount Zetaman and his wife were no exception.

"Ha! You're praising Olin too highly, President Xu Yi. Now, you mentioned he's been researching something called a Magic Air Conditioner. What is that? Is it related to the Magic Fan?"

Seeing the curiosity on Viscount Zetaman's face, Stille could not resist glancing at Xu Yi.

He'd hooked him just like that?

Sure enough, Xu Yi answered at his leisure. "As it happens, there are Magic Air Conditioners right here in this room..."