Chương 95: Observations

Lucian had to consider himself lucky for noticing even those two points about the man; the rumour of his new mistress, and his difference in behaviour between the old and new noble houses.

He watched for almost an hour after Count Glaider's entrance but learnt nothing new of use, aside from building a vague idea of the man's public persona.

Instead his eyes shifted to Princess Irina.

'Stop being so polite girl, they won't go away unless you shoo them.'

He decided to give her a bit more time to figure it out for herself before giving her an out.

The announcer's voice rang out once more at that moment, and the guest of honor was introduced.

"His Highness, Crown Prince of Demia, Aris Raymond Demia enters!"

He was a tall man with a warrior's build and short black hair, wearing fine but flexible clothes and a sword at his waist. The Crown Prince had a small smile and an appearance every bit as heroic as his younger brother Takis had claimed.

But it was a figure behind that man that caught most of Lucian's attention.

Still a bit taller than Lucian himself, with a physique that reminded one of a large bear, Tyr, formerly Four, followed the prince in.

He had no weapons sheathed on his body, but Lucian knew that within the gold pin on his chest, Tyr was likely more armed than most in the hall.

The princess seized the chance to separate herself from the crowd that clung to her and moved quickly to greet her eldest brother, while Takis nodded with a smile to the man.

The surrounding conversations grew louder with talk of the Crown Prince's achievement, and the reason for this banquet. Prince Aris had taken not just the Toubian border town of Gunlitt, but the town of Hardhen as well, capitalizing on the ongoing chaos within the Empire.

"You've become a banquet-goer now, Lulu?" Tyr called out in a voice rougher than he'd had the last time they spoke.

The large man approached and pulled Lucian into a rough hug with intentionally too much strength that Lucian matched equally.

"Not everyone is so lucky to spend their days mindlessly punching walls my friend."

Tyr chuckled at the mention of it. He had indeed been tasked that at one point. Not the hard walls of Gunlitt, reinforced by daoists and artificers, but the thinner walls of Hardhen, taken in a rushed assault before the arrival of reinforcements and barrier users.

As they separated, Lucian caught sight of Count Glaider approaching the Crown Prince and tried to listen in to his greetings.

Unfortunately, this time, the target of his eavesdropping really did make an effort to avoid being overhead, going so far as to lean in and whisper to the prince.

He squinted his eyes slightly before catching himself and schooling his expression.

'Don't overthink things. Feints exist in a banquet hall as much as any duel.'

"So?" Tyr asked as he looked over the surrounding people. "Anything interesting to keep an eye on?"

"Not particularly. These things are hosted so often, if something happened every time then no one would attend."

Glider separated from the Crown Prince after exchanging quiet greetings, and continued to mingle with others.

"Well, something's always happening. Just nothing overt." He mumbled under his breath.

The two caught up with each other as he kept watch, the tranquil state slipping away as they did. Lucian spoke of the Cinderheart sect while monitoring the people, and Tyr spoke of those he'd met on the frontlines, and the few battles he'd had with opposing champions.

Champions were those few soldiers with high cultivations that mobilized under direct orders to cripple opposing armies or counter enemy Champions. More often than not, they hid within the ranks until receiving a signal to go wild and decimate soldiers, or counter another Champion that tried the same.

Tyr though, had spent a great amount of time by the prince's side during those battles, rather than blending in. It seemed Prince Aris had decided to build a reputation for Tyr as a fierce champion of the Crown Prince, so as to influence morale through him.

Because of that, a few of the nobility, usually lesser nobles and those related to the military, greeted Tyr briefly as they moved past, making small impressions.

When Prince Aris called Tyr away, Lucian's eyes rested on Count Glaider once more.

'That's the second time he's spoken to Marquis Edwin Bailey.'

Lucian's eyes glowed dimly before fading as he focused his lifesense on just that man Glaider spoke to. After ensuring the man's cultivation was only at the early 3rd stage or so, he probed deeper, careful not to alert anyone.

Something he wouldn't be able to describe to others appeared, like colors in one's sight, but for a sense most did not have. They were the man's surface emotions.

'Anxiety. Impatience. Slight anger, and… fear?'

He didn't dare probe Glaider as the man was well known for his talent in cultivation, despite being of the old blood; the noble houses founded long before qi or cultivation talent played a role in status.

'Why is Marquis Bailey so anxious? By title and rank he is Glaider's superior, even if his cultivation is lacking.'

Glaider moved away from the man and continued speaking with others, but Marquis Bailey remained anxious.

Glaider spoke toold and new nobility, with the same well mannered smile beneath a well trimmed mustache. He had separated from his wife, who now spoke with another group of noble women.

"Lord Adam Hart of the Heaven Toppling sect enters!"

A round of murmurs and confusion sounded within the hall as Lucian frowned.

'Lord? How on earth did a Lord get invited? And of a sect at that.'

Lord's were the lowest of nobles in the Demia kingdom, a landless title often given to cultivators and the like who showed merit to the crown. But this was an Archduke's gathering.

Lucian's eyes turned back to Marquis Bailey, who's anxiety and worry were now fading away at a rapid pace.

'Strange.'

Count Glaider showed surprise at the appearance of the Lord, as did most in the hall, but soon turned away uninterested.

Lucian began to wander the edge of the hall, maintaining his Featureless technique and trying to regain some of his tranquil state.

Conversations passed through his ears, but none of any merit. He committed what he could to memory as he kept moving.

"I'm glad you could make it Adam." The host of the banquet said in a deep, resonant voice that had to be at least partly practiced.

"Of course, thank you for the invitation, Archduke Ballas."

"It's nothing, I have long heard of your achievements within the Heaven Toppling sect. I even paid a great amount of gold to obtain one of your Phasesteel blades. I swear, ever since I held it in my hands I've wanted to meet the man who forged such a wonder."

"You honor me Your Grace."

'So it was the Archduke that invited the Lord? That makes sense, I doubt any others would invite a Lord here, lest they insult the host. But why was Marquis Bailey so nervous?'

Lucian kept stalking the two subtly for many hours but couldn't piece it together. Apparently, the Archduke had bought a recent invention of Lord Hart's and wanted to speak about his ideas for this 'Phasesteel'.

When finally the call was given to move from this large, empty hall to the actual banquet, Lucian could only sigh and shake his head. Little could be learned once the food and wine got involved. Those with secrets were even more cautious to guard them around alcohol, while those without spoke so loudly that eavesdropping was near impossible without looming over your target.

As he expected, by the time the banquet ended hours later, he had learnt nothing new aside from the Crown Prince's surprisingly low tolerance for alcohol. Despite his heroic appearance, after just a few drinks he was hugging his younger brother and the Archduke close to him and swaying to the music played. After a few more still, he tried to get up and chase Princess Irina who refused to hug him, only to be held back by the Archduke and Takis.

It was a surprisingly warm night, compared to most banquets he'd been to. The man's drunken shenanigans had helped others of lower status drop their walls to an extent and have fun.

When the night came to an end, Lucian waited to see if Marquis Bailey or Count Glaider spoke with anyone else before leaving, but the two neither acknowledged each other nor others any more than to say farewell.

Lucian almost shook his head in disappointment. 'It's so hard to tell whether something is a real connection or just coincidence. They only spoke twice and the Marquis' anxiety seemed to do with Lord Hart rather than Glaider. Am I seeing things that aren't there?

'But he never spoke with Lord Hart, and never mentioned Phasesteel or the Heaven Toppling sect. So why was he anxious?

'If it weren't for those damned explosives in the Cinderheart sect, I wouldn't be worrying over every little thing.

'...Heaven Toppling sect. I hope it's just a coincidence.'

When finally he sat on the cushioned seats of Takis' carriage, Lucian sighed in relaxation. Whatever the case, he was finally done for the night.

"Since you've relaxed I can assume nothing happened tonight?" Takis asked.

"No emergencies, but I noted a few things."

He recounted everything of note that he'd witnessed throughout the night, and then left Takis to consider for a few seconds.

"Alright. I have some things to look into tonight, why don't you take the rest of the night off and catch up with Tyrius."

Lucian paused for a moment in consideration before nodding.

It was rare that Takis asked to be alone for lengths of time, but it had happened before.

'Still… I have a bad feeling about all of this.'

Adam Hart stayed in the Archduke's estate for an hour longer after the banquet, speaking of the capabilities of his latest invention, Phasesteel, and the different variations of it.

The Archduke was a passionate man with many ideas, eager to sponsor his research, but Adam stifled a sigh in his heart. The man was passionate, yes. But he knew very little about artificing and didn't seem to understand just how little that was.

Most of his ideas, while truly creative, were just not viable.

But that didn't matter. A good impression was good for a reason, and he had achieved his other goal this day. Within his meal had been an inscribed beast bone, a spatial link, that when snapped would expel items stored beyond.

He'd secreted it away during all the commotion and was sure that whoever arranged all of this was up to something big. The larger it was, the more he stood to profit if he chose his actions wisely.

"Well Your Grace, consider the restrictions I spoke of, and if you can think of a way around them please contact me immediately. You could be onto something great with this."

"Of course, I have kept you late. Please, let me show you out."

Adam Hart smiled in thanks, eagerness welling within as he smoothed his clothes in excuse to feel the hidden pocket within.