I'm a villain in the superhero world.

This answer caught both Ji Mingyang and Yin Qing off guard.

Of the two, the former had considered all the possibilities beforehand, and the latter had prepared for danger from the very beginning.

But now, Lü Buyi tells them that he really only invited Ji Mingyang to have a meal.

This is truly... unexpected, yet perfectly logical.

"Is that really all? Nothing else?" Ji Mingyang was a little skeptical.

It's not that he felt Lü Buyi had any ill intentions towards him, but did a simple meal really need such a grand affair?

The entire city made way for him...

Even now, he still feels that what he saw along the way was somewhat exaggerated.

"Otherwise what?" This time it was Lü Buyi's turn to ask back.

"And before this, didn't you say that many people would come to take you away in three days?"

"So, is it unreasonable for me to treat you to a meal and, incidentally, to ensure your safety during these next few days?"

Ji Mingyang was speechless and had no way to refute.

Yin Qing's hand finally loosened a little, and the arc in her eyes was no longer as tense as it had been at the beginning.

Just then, Gu Yu's voice came from outside, bringing his final greetings before the banquet began:

"Master, everything is ready—would you like to dine now?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Buyi didn't say anything more. He simply raised his hand, and Gu Yu already understood the meaning behind it.

A moment later, the heavy door was pushed open again—

There were no noisy footsteps, only almost silent, rigorously trained steps.

The waiters filed in.

Instead of the rows of bowing servants I had seen along the way through the manor, there were only four of them, standing on either side of the long table.

Their movements were as precise as gears tuned to the same command; the soft sound of plates hitting the table occurred almost simultaneously.

After doing all this, they walked out and waited for the next round to begin.

Ji Mingyang had already laid out such a long prelude, so the so-called "Imperial Banquet" would most likely be like a long and solemn ceremony.

He was also worried that he might not be able to finish his food, which would lead to waste, or that he wasn't familiar with things like etiquette.

But it seems that Lü Buyi had considered these things from the beginning.

None of the concerns that Ji Mingyang could think of materialized.

Clearly, Lü Buyi had eliminated those unnecessary steps from the very beginning.

However, Ji Mingyang believes that Lü Buyi most likely did not make any changes to the ingredients.

Everywhere you look, the food for each round and each stage is served in containers of restrained size and understated patterns.

There is no exaggerated gold leaf embellishment, nor overly complicated carving.

The texture and luster of the ingredients alone are enough to make anyone who knows their stuff unable to look away.

Since her brother at the social security bureau also had a colleague who spent money like water, Yin Qing was able to recognize the origin of one of the ingredients with her keen eyesight.

It is a type of shellfish that comes from the deep sea of ​​the North Atlantic. Because it cannot be artificially bred and the fishing conditions are extremely harsh, it is known as the "black truffle of the sea" in the top food market.

The current transaction price per gram should be 800,000 euros.

The plate placed in front of her at that moment could probably be measured in kilograms.

She couldn't recognize many of the others, but without a doubt, each one was much more expensive than the one in front of her.

For example, a bluefin tuna from the deep sea off Norway, with an annual wild catch quota of less than forty, is taken from the fattest part of the "snake belly" behind the gills.

And the fish that Lü Buyi mentioned at the beginning, which was airlifted from Bergen.

It was served on an extremely thin crystal plate, the fish meat appearing almost transparent pinkish-white, with a texture as fine as fresh snow.

This was the only time Ji Mingyang tentatively asked about the price during the entire banquet, and then he shut up.

because……

"This fish was caught in the Norwegian sea and landed in Haidu. The entire process was carried out under cold chain temperature control. The transportation team consisted of 27 people, and the coordination of temporary changes to the flight route involved air traffic control agencies from four countries."

"The total cost is approximately 130 million Dongxia currency."

This was the price quoted by Lü Buyi, which is why the piece of fish that Ji Mingyang had just picked up was hanging in mid-air.

He paused for three seconds, then very slowly put it back on the plate.

"...I suddenly don't feel very hungry anymore."

Lü Buyi chuckled softly.

This was the most obvious laugh he had all night.

"Eat up," he said, his tone as casual as if he were urging Ji Mingyang to eat a simple dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. "Kong Qing rarely oversees transportation herself; if you don't try a bite, she'll probably feel like she's neglecting her duty."

Ji Mingyang eventually ate it.

However, he noticed that Lü Buyi ate very little throughout the entire meal.

Most of the time, he hardly touched his chopsticks, just propped his chin up and occasionally responded to Ji Mingyang's clumsy questions about the dishes.

Compared to the banquet, watching Ji Mingyang swallow those astronomical figures with an almost tragic expression seemed more interesting to him.

The entire banquet consisted of twenty-seven courses, from the opening cold appetizers to the final dessert.

The total time was one hour and forty minutes.

Most of these things ended up in Ji Mingyang's stomach, while Yin Qing maintained a restrained vigilance throughout.

Until the last dessert was removed and the waiters filed out, the vast hall returned to silence.

"If you want to rest, your rooms have been prepared."

"Do you want one room or two?"

Lü Buyi had no intention of letting the two return. He stated his arrangements frankly and asked for their opinions.

"Two rooms." This was Ji Mingyang sighing and rubbing his forehead.

"One room." This reflects Yin Qing's lingering concerns.

However, Yin Qing ultimately failed to persuade Ji Mingyang, so Lü Buyi still accepted the former's request.

"Go outside and find Gu Yu and Kong Qing; they'll arrange suitable rooms for you."

"I'm a bit tired too. If there's anything else, let's put it aside for now and talk again tomorrow."

"After all, it's best to talk about troublesome things after the sun has risen—"

Ji Mingyang did not refuse; he was indeed a little sleepy. But before turning to leave with Yin Qing, he whispered his last words for the day:

Goodnight, Lao Lü.

Lü Buyi turned his head and glanced at him.

There was no politeness, no refusal, and certainly no platitudes like "you're welcome" in that glance.

He simply nodded.

Goodnight, Mingyang.

Soon after, everything fell silent, and only Lü Buyi remained sitting alone in the hall.

In the shadows and silence, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

That's Jiang Liyue.

She didn't appear at the banquet, but at this very moment she walked up to Lü Buyi.

"Lord Jiang, is there something you need?" Lü Buyi asked with a smile.

But Jiang Liyue simply reached out her hand and then touched a barrier in front of him.

"Ever since you came back, you've never closed the door to the remote mountains and seas—"

"What are you worried about?"

She spoke softly, puzzled.