I'm here to save the world, what are you doing?

"it is good."

Lucius smiled and nodded, raising his hand to ruffle Ivilia's smooth hair.

42-Feast

As night fell, the carriages of the dignitaries of the East Territory formed a long dragon in the outer courtyard of Clovis Manor, and the Jade Pavilion in the manor's villa was brightly lit.

This is a typical Baroque building with intricate carvings and bright colors on the exterior and extremely luxurious interior decoration. Twelve lamps hang from the painted dome, malachite columns are decorated with golden patterns, and music flows out from the corridor on the second floor.

The long oak table is covered with a crimson velvet tablecloth, and fine wine and delicious food are available at will. Waiters shuttle between them, keeping an eye on all directions and providing timely assistance to guests.

The guests gathered in twos and threes, holding their wine glasses, and discussed why the Grand Duke suddenly convened this banquet.

Except for a very few people, most of the guests were in a state of confusion. The invitation to the banquet was too sudden. They didn't even have time to make much preparation and had to rush here without stopping.

Count Xavier was one of those few people. This was the seventh time he had wiped the monocle in his hand. The reflection on the lens revealed the twitching corners of his eyes and the fine beads of sweat on his temples.

Not long ago, a messenger brought back bad news from the border, and the Grand Duke's sudden hosting of a banquet at this time made him even more uneasy.

"ah!"

With a low scream, another noble lady "accidentally" fell into Lucius' arms due to a slip.

"I'm sorry, young lord, this skirt is really too long. I'm not used to it and I accidentally..."

The girl bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes full of affection.

"It's okay, beautiful lady. It's your greatest blessing that you weren't hurt. I hope this accident won't affect your enjoyment of the banquet."

Lucius smiled and straightened the man's body. His behavior was polite and courteous, without any impoliteness.

"As for my apology, I think it would be more appropriate to say it to my secretary, Iveliya."

Lucius raised his hand and pointed at Iveliya, who was standing next to him and whose dress was soaked by the wine accidentally spilled by the noble girl when she fell.

After hearing Lucius' words, the noble girl immediately lifted her skirt with both hands, slightly bent her knees towards Iveliya and apologized solemnly with a very proper and sincere attitude.

But only Iveliya could see the resentment and jealousy hidden deep in the other's eyes.

Iveliya: ...

Damn it, if you like Brother Lu, just like him, why do you have so much resentment towards me?

Haven’t I succeeded yet?

"The tenth accident."

"When she faked the fall just now, her hand was almost touching your belt."

After the noble lady walked away, Iveliya tiredly used her magic to evaporate the small dark stain on her skirt caused by the wine.

"I really don't understand what they're thinking. They want to create an encounter with you, so why do they always throw wine on me?"

"Wouldn't it be better to throw it on you? If it works, I can continue to make a fuss about this matter. If it doesn't, it will make you have a deeper impression of her than others."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another young woman walking towards Lucius with a wine glass in hand, and Iveliya quietly distanced herself from Lucius.

"Oh wow, Xiao Ai'ai really understands~"

"My vision is not bad. You really have the potential to be a military advisor."

Noticing Iveliya's little movement and taking another look at the approaching woman, Lucius decisively chose to run away with Iveliya.

The last person had already dared to touch his belt, who knows if the next one will do something more radical? Lucius doesn't dare to gamble on the probability of opening a blind box.

The two of them found a secluded corner to sit down, away from the socializing in the hall. Everyone knew how to read people's expressions, so seeing this situation, they naturally wouldn't come up to disturb them.

“Brother Lu, is it really okay for you to hide here as the host?”

"no problem."

Lucius took a Sunshine Green Grape and put it in his mouth. "It's almost time for Old Deng to appear. He's the star of the night. We can just watch him perform."

Lucius: Lao Deng, Lao Deng, your bullying operation is indeed very convenient, but it still relies too much on your own strength. Do you have any operation that is more suitable for young people but not easy to use that you can recommend?

Glade: Yes, I have sons. Of course, there is more than one such powerful operation. There are nine in total. They are all the skills of controlling subordinates that have been passed down from generation to generation and have stood the test of time.

If you master one or two, you will have no problem becoming the leader of a small group. If you can master more than half of them, it will be quite easy to play Splanda.

If you can max out all nine proficiency levels like your father did, you can take over the guardianship of the East Territory tomorrow.

If you want to learn something, tell your dad and he will teach you.

The bronze sparrow of the clock began to chime the time, and the cheerful music suddenly stopped. Everyone stopped talking and cast their eyes towards the stair railing on the second floor.

"tread"

The sound of heels hitting the ground shattered the silence.

Grand Duke Glade emerged from the stairs in a white suit, with a rose ostentatiously tucked into his breast pocket.

"Thank you for being on time, my friends."

He leaned against the railing and raised his glass to the guests:

"It's a pity that Baron Kraft cannot attend this wonderful party due to some special reasons."

"But seeing that you old guys are doing well, I feel much better."

"I have no other intention in gathering you all tonight except to create an opportunity for you to get together and have a good time."

"No one knows which will come first, tomorrow or an accident. Some people might be celebrating here tonight, and then die forever tomorrow. Life is unpredictable, isn't it?"

Grand Master Glade made a little joke, but it didn't seem to have much effect. The guests just kept smiling reservedly, while some of them had cold sweat soaking through their shirts.

Several nobles with guilty consciences looked at each other, with guilt and fear in their eyes, fearing that they would be the unlucky ones who would be separated from everyone forever.

"Haha, relax, my friends, having fun is the most important thing right now."

"Honor the Empire."

Grand Duke Glade drank the wine in the cup in one gulp.

"To the Empire!"

The guests raised their glasses and drank with the great public.

The light and cheerful music began to flow again, and the entire Jade Pavilion was once again filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Grand Duke Glade walked through the crowd without putting on any airs, chatting and laughing with everyone, occasionally teasing the ladies, and no one knew what he said, but it made them blush and their hearts beat faster.

"Good night, Xavier."

Finally, the Grand Duke came before Count Xavier.

"Good night, my lord."

Count Xavier bowed slightly, his hand holding the wine glass trembling slightly.

"I heard that your caravan brought in some interesting things from the Elf King's Court?"

The Archduke glanced at Xavier's hand and smiled softly.

Xavier's heart sank. The Grand Duke had indeed come to call for punishment.

"Sir, it was my momentary negligence and my failure to control myself that led to this mistake. Please rest assured that this will never happen again."

There is no point in quibbling. It is better to admit your mistake directly and show an attitude of admitting your mistake.

Although the Grand Duke is decisive and ruthless, he wouldn't chop off his head for such a small matter, right?

"Well, I feel relieved with your assurance."

The Grand Duke nodded with satisfaction, then asked:

“Oh, and how does the wine production in the Burdu region this year compare to last year?”

"Same as last year, my Lord."

Xavier replied, looking down.

Burdu is one of the most important grape-producing areas in the empire, and the Xavier family's main industry is operating vineyards and brewing wine here.

"is it?"

The Grand Duke shook the wine glass in his hand and said playfully:

"But I saw in the customs report that wine exports this year are much higher than last year."

"Some foreigners also reported that the taste of this year's wine is not as good as before, so I thought that maybe someone in your territory is secretly brewing inferior wine."

"!!!"

Xavier's expression froze, and he said quickly:

"Thank you for the reminder, Grand Duke. After the banquet, I will arrange for my men to go to the territory and investigate the situation thoroughly."

"No need."

The Grand Duke waved his hand and said, "I've already sent people to investigate for you. The entire inferior liquor industry has been confiscated."

“…Thank you for your generosity.”

Xavier was silent for a long time, and finally expressed his gratitude to the Grand Duke in a weak voice.

"Brother Lu, cracking down on the inferior alcohol industry should be a good thing for Xavier, but why does he look unhappy?"

Ivilia, who was watching the whole thing, poked Lucius beside her.

"Because he himself started the inferior liquor industry."

Lucius said leisurely, "Officially produced wine is subject to heavy taxes, but inferior wine is not only exempt from taxes, but can also be passed off as genuine wine and sold at the price of the genuine product. What a bargain."

"Old Deng is doing this just to tell Xavier that small moves can't be hidden from his eyes."

"Everyone!"

Grand Duke Glade suddenly spoke loudly, attracting everyone's attention again:

"As you all know, my son Lucius will be heading to Splenda to enroll in the Royal Academy in a few days."

"I'm interested in promoting interaction among the younger generation. Is there anyone here who would like to give their children a ride?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

Lucius:? ? ?

No, Lao Deng, you didn’t tell me there was such a thing?

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PS: Please vote!

43-When he gets through the storm, he will become a real man

"Lao Deng, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

After the banquet, Lucius returned to the main house and chose to hold court on the spot.

He looked at Glade Oldden with a bad look, stroking the communication crystal that had been restored to function with the help of his mother, as if he was ready to complain if they didn't agree.

The initiative proposed by Lao Deng at the banquet naturally received a collective response from the dignitaries. No one would refuse this opportunity to get closer to the heir of the East Territory.

The older Dengs all rushed to send their younger children to the special train. Even if none of their immediate relatives were going to enroll in the Imperial Royal Academy for the time being, they would still bring a relative over.

Maybe I could just chat with him casually on the train and be noticed by Lucius?

Thanks to the enthusiasm of the old guys, the Grand Duke's special train "Orient Express", which was originally more than enough to carry two guards, now had to temporarily add a few more carriages.

Oh, come to think of it, the one who suffered the most should be Sanita.

I had clearly spent a lot of money to book a quiet, safe and luxurious train journey, but now, because of Lao Deng's words, the train has been ruined.

Alas, the Clovis family is truly the family that respects Sanita the most in the entire East.

If Brother Lu were to say, Hajige really deserves some love. He made the decision on his own without even discussing it with Brother Lu.

It's funny to see Lu Ge, the new-age male protagonist with a distinguished family background and noble bloodline, who awakened the power of the evil god after the death of a genius and changed his fate, who likes to be abstract, is decisive in killing, and is so handsome that he can be called a girl killer.