Chapter 43 The Ball

The atmosphere inside the Amber Lodge was bizarre. Everyone was feigning composure, yet their gazes kept drifting toward the pair of roommates at the far end of the banquet table, or rather, toward that specific boy.

Every half-blood present was impeccably dressed. The blessing of dragon blood granted them an otherworldly allure in both facial features and temperament; compared to them, Lu Mingfei looked like nothing more than an ordinary, scrawny boy.

"How did he send Anderson flying just now? I couldn't even see his movements."
"It's Time Zero. Word is he's an illegitimate son the principal abandoned out in the world—they even share the exact same Spirit."
"Good god, the principal actually has an illegitimate son like that? My respect for the principal just plummeted."
"I heard he's from a poor family, fostered out by others since childhood, which is probably why his brain is..."

Even though the speakers purposely lowered their voices, Lu Mingfei could actually hear every word, but he simply couldn't be bothered to care.

Finger did not abandon Lu Mingfei just because he had suddenly made a move. In fact, if not for his strenuous efforts to liven up the atmosphere, the mood on-site would have been even more awkward.

The two of them fully embraced the spirit of absolute foodies, sitting in the corner of the banquet table and devouring the food with great gusto.

Caesar was a generous host. Not only had he prepared lavish and exquisite buffet dishes, but he had also provided every single guest in attendance with an Australian lobster. These crimson-armored behemoths rested on beds of ice, their carapaces split open to reveal glistening white meat that was truly mouth-watering.

Dressed in a white suit, his features as handsome as an ancient Greek sculpture, Caesar walked over silently and sat down beside Lu Mingfei, his tone courteous and refined:
"Lu Mingfei, I apologize for the rudeness of our Student Union members."

Without even lifting his head, Lu Mingfei replied:
"It's fine. Just let this be the first and last time."

"But don't you think it's a bit excessive to trample a man's dignity into the dirt just because of a minor provocation?"

Caesar stared straight into Lu Mingfei's eyes.

It wasn't that he couldn't tolerate the existence of someone with a stronger lineage than his own in this world, nor was it that he despised Lu Mingfei's mental state or psychological resilience; rather, he loathed Lu Mingfei's attitude.

In Caesar's view, Lu Mingfei regarded things that everyone else should hold dear—such as human dignity and human life—as completely worthless.

Precisely because of this, during "Freedom Day," he had chosen to humiliate him by drawing a gun from his own body; he remained casual and lackadaisical when everyone else was striving to rescue executioners; and he would brutally humiliate someone simply for provoking him slightly.

Caesar had known for a long time that he was no match for Lu Mingfei, at least not in a direct confrontation, but he had never thought of concealing his true thoughts on account of that.

He could accept Lu Mingfei suddenly flying into a rage and making him lose face utterly in front of a crowd, but he could not accept playing the damn ostrich—turning a blind eye to Lu Mingfei's actions simply out of fear of his might.

This was the very dignity and pride lodged deep within his soul.

At this moment, every gaze inside the Amber Lodge converged upon them, causing even Finger, who had been thoroughly enjoying his food, to slow down his movements.

After all, Caesar was the host footing the bill for this banquet. Lu Mingfei put down the foie gras in his hand, looked up at him, and met Caesar's icy, glacier-blue eyes.

Lu Mingfei deliberated for a moment:
"Um... I think it's fine, considering he was the one who provoked me first."

The anger in Caesar's eyes burned hotter:
"You could have—"

Just then, a Student Union official wearing white gloves on the second floor suddenly shook a small brass bell in his hand.

As the crisp, pleasant chime rang out, the deep red velvet curtains on one side of the second floor suddenly parted, revealing a small band that had been concealed behind them.

The crystal chandelier in the center of the hall lit up accordingly. Down the two curved staircases leading to the second floor walked imposing young men in black suits on one side, and white-skirted girls wearing silk white gloves on the other.

The attendants' actions were abrupt. By now, the small band on the second floor had already begun sound-checking, and these sudden shifts shattered the pin-drop silence of the Amber Lodge, turning it noisy.

The lighting in the hall grew dim. The black-suited boys and white-skirted girls walking down the stairs began to dance as if no one else were around, forcing the guests who had been chatting in the hall to step back and give them space to avoid collisions.

The sudden transformation of everything forced Caesar, who had still been locked in a standoff with Lu Mingfei, to go and take charge of the situation first. He cast an icy glare at the bell-ringing attendant:
"Stop! Who authorized you to start the dance now?"

In truth, the scheduled start time for the dance was indeed right now, but the host hosting the dance was currently locked in a furious standoff with someone—who in their right mind would be foolish enough to start the dance at a time like this?

Yet the attendant showed no sign of trembling or guilt; his expression remained natural and relaxed, and upon finishing the bell-ringing, he retreated with light steps into a corner.

Caesar barked:
"I am talking to you! Did you not hear me?!"

It was as though, as though...
As though it were a pre-programmed script.

Caesar had known this attendant beforehand, and with his acute sensitivity, he naturally realized something was amiss.

Frowning deeply, he swept his gaze across the room and reached for his waist. A pair of massive silver Desert Eagles materialized in his hands as he roared:
"Alert! This attendant has been controlled by someone! We have an enemy intrusion!"

In an ordinary ball, the hall would have plunged into utter chaos at this moment, but Cassel College was not filled with delicate, fragile aristocrats; this was an extraordinary institution that trained dragon-slayers.

The somewhat chilly and awkward atmosphere of the hall suddenly turned murderous. The impeccably dressed youths quickly scavenged for improvised weapons, then formed small groups in swift succession, charging toward those attendants whose expressions were natural yet whose behavioral logic was disordered.

With almost no resistance, several attendants and a few members of the small band on the second floor were subdued.

Lu Mingfei sighed, swallowed the last bite of foie gras, and slowly stood up to survey his surroundings.

Ye Sheng, Jiu De Yaji, Nono—all three of them were completely nowhere to be seen. What earthly use was there in capturing these mind-controlled puppets?

He truly wasn't cut out to be an investigator. He had originally hoped that the chaos of the ball would cause the anomalous Ye Sheng or Jiu De Yaji to expose their own flaws, but as it turned out, everything had been ruined before it even began.

The key to breaking the deadlock now lay in tracking down the whereabouts of Ye Sheng and Jiu De Yaji, and the person one relied on to find them was Nono.

Lu Mingfei patted Caesar on the shoulder and asked:
"Brother Caesar, have you seen where Nono went?"

Caesar's face was as dark as water:
"I parted ways with her in the corridor when I came to find you. I'm going to report a dragon attack to the school authorities; please go and ensure Nono's safety."

"So you don't know where Nono is, then?"
"..."

Lu Mingfei snapped his fingers:
"Set up the altar. I'll make an exception and divine her location once more today."