"Sir Liz," Katz lowered his voice, but in the suddenly silent hall, every word was clearly audible, "Poviss sent an envoy... alone."
Liz's slender fingers gently tapped the gilt handrail with a leisurely rhythm. "Oh?" He raised his eyebrows slightly, "The messenger of the Winter Solstice... is quite unique."
Herbert and several lords exchanged confused looks, and some even couldn't help but whisper, "What is this? Are you asking for peace?"
"Where is the messenger now?" Liz asked, his voice as calm as if he was asking about today's weather.
"Right at the city gate," Katz replied, "The defenders disarmed him according to the rules. He only brought a letter... and a wooden box."
Liz suddenly chuckled and stood up. His crimson cloak looked like flowing blood under the candlelight. "In that case," he glanced at everyone present, "Let us see what winter solstice gifts the Poviss people have prepared for us."
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became subtle. The cheerful holiday music had stopped long ago, replaced by the sound of armor scraping and uneasy whispers. The maids stood there at a loss, with the silver plates in their hands reflecting the cold light.
"Bring the messenger here to meet me" Liz's voice was not loud, but it exuded a kind of confidence and determination.
Katz immediately ordered the old housekeeper to go and bring the envoy to meet Liz City Lord.
After receiving the order, the butler bowed and left the banquet hall.
Feeling the suddenly stagnant atmosphere in the hall, Liz gently raised his hand. "Let's play music and then dance." There was a faint smile on his lips, as if this was just an ordinary guest's visit. The musicians hesitantly played the cheerful tune again, and the lords reluctantly raised their wine glasses, but everyone's eyes glanced at the closed door from time to time.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the carved oak door of the banquet hall opened again. The cold wind carried snowflakes into the room, causing the candlelight to sway violently. The old butler led a middle-aged man in Poviss traditional festival clothes and walked in slowly.
The music stopped suddenly, and the wine glass hung in the air. The messenger wore a dark blue cloak embroidered with silver thread, and an ice crystal-shaped family crest was pinned to his left chest. His steps were steady and powerful, and the heels of his boots made a clear sound on the marble floor. Facing the scrutiny of the nobles in the hall, his eyes were always as calm as water.
Yavi's pupils suddenly shrank. He put down the wine glass calmly and moved to the high platform under the cover of the crowd. Liz's attention was entirely on the messenger, and his long fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne.
The messenger stood three meters away from Liz - a distance that both showed respect and maintained safety. He performed a standard Poviss aristocratic salute: his right hand touched his chest, his left foot took half a step back, and the angle of his bend was as precise as if it had been measured.
"I greet you in the name of the night of the winter solstice, Lord Liz." The messenger's voice was gentle and clear, with a cold accent unique to the north, "Please forgive me for disturbing everyone's feast on this day of reunion."
Liz leaned forward slightly, and the lord's throne made a subtle creaking sound. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk. "Poviss's envoy chose to visit during the Winter Solstice... What a unique gift."
The messenger straightened up and took out a gilded letter and a beautifully carved walnut box from his arms. "This is a letter from Poviss to your Excellency, as well as a winter solstice gift. I hope you like it."
The old butler carefully took the items and carefully inspected the lock of the wooden box and the lacquer seal of the letter with his skinny fingers. After confirming that they were correct, he respectfully presented the two items to Liz.
Liz took the letter and wooden box, and rubbed his fingertips on the hot stamping seal. "Okay, then I'll see what kind of gift Poviss has prepared for me." He opened the letter slowly, and the parchment made a crisp sound when it was unfolded.
As he read, Liz's brows wrinkled almost imperceptibly, and then relaxed quickly. He put down the letter and his eyes fell on the exquisite walnut box with interest. "I am very curious about what is inside this wooden box. "Gift," he said with a playful smile, "Poviss's big gift really makes me so curious. But..." His long fingers tapped the lid of the box lightly, "What can such a small box hold?"
As the lid of the box slowly opened, everyone in the hall held their breath. There was nothing in the box.
Liz's expression froze instantly. Just when he was about to get angry, a strange purple light suddenly burst out from the seemingly empty box! The light instantly flooded the entire banquet hall like a tide, shrouding everyone in a strange purple light curtain.
"What's going on?!" Lord Royce roared and rushed towards the door, but was bounced back the moment it touched the light screen. Other lords also tried to break through, but found that the barrier formed by the light was indestructible.
Seeing that everyone was panicking, Poviss's messenger suddenly burst out into a burst of crazy laughter. The previous gentleness was no longer in the laughter, only the creepy madness remained.
"Sir Liz," the messenger's voice became hoarse and distorted, "This gift that you will never forget is - me!" As he spoke, the festive clothes on his body shredded like shedding skin, revealing the dark demon hunter leather armor underneath. His face began to twist and deform, his brown cat pupils were constantly glowing, and his scarred face looked like an evil ghost from hell.
"This banquet hall is shrouded in magic. Neither you nor the voice can leave here." The demon hunter slowly drew out the steel sword from behind, and the blade glowed an ominous dark red in the purple light. "No one will know what happened here, and today..." He deliberately prolonged his tone, pointing the sword tip directly at Liz, "Everyone of you here must! Die!"
The moment the last word fell, the demon hunter rushed towards the high platform like a ghost. Liz instinctively retreated, only to find that he was unarmed - for attending the banquet, his sword was still hanging on the wall of his bedroom.
The demon hunter's movements were faster than human limits. His steel sword drew a dark red afterimage, and the tip of the sword pierced the air and screamed like a poisonous snake. Liz could clearly see that the strange runes engraved on the sword were glowing with blood, and the chill of death had touched his chest--
"Bang!"
A deafening explosion suddenly exploded from the left side of Liz. The entire stained glass of the banquet hall, surrounded by magic, trembled in the sound waves, and the candles on the crystal chandeliers were all extinguished. The demon hunter seemed to be hit by an invisible giant hammer, and flew backwards. The black leather armor made a sound in the air, and finally hit the stone wall ten meters away.