Chapter 198: Humiliation

Wu Qingsong had thought that he would receive an audience with Lord Riniconia, much like scenes he had seen in medieval movies and television shows: being received by the marquis, attending a banquet, and engaging in a cordial and friendly conversation. Everything they had prepared was for such a scenario.

However, what he had not anticipated at all was that they did not meet the marquis immediately. The so-called “Lord Marquis has been waiting for you” was merely a polite remark. They were taken to a room on the first floor and settled there. Soon after, someone came to reiterate the etiquette for their audience with the marquis, reminding them to strictly adhere to their duties, not to say anything inappropriate, and not to do anything they shouldn’t. Then, they were left to wait for a long time.

They were not even allowed to take a walk outside, only able to view the scenery through the crystal windows.

Xeila carefully checked their surroundings and found no eavesdropping devices. Wu Qingsong used the power of his soul fragments to inspect the room and its surroundings, also finding no magic arrays for monitoring or surveillance.

Perhaps, in their eyes, this minor baron was not worth much attention or effort.

“Do you know where Baron Nicholas is?” Wu Qingsong asked Xeila, somewhat disappointed as he looked at the beautiful yet inaccessible scenery outside.

“Of course.” 

Xeila had been sitting by the window, looking outside. She resembled a figure from a beautiful portrait, but for some reason, Wu Qingsong sensed that something was off about her. 

“Do you see that smaller floating island over there? The one with the pointed bottom and two bridges connecting to it from below? His residence should be on that island. They have collected many paintings of Padamia and conducted several indirect investigations. Although they only managed to determine the locations of a few nobles’ residences, it was enough to select suitable targets.”

The island was about four or five miles from their current location, with only one bridge connecting it to their island. This made Wu Qingsong somewhat worried for Xeila. After he had awakened her abilities, she was certainly powerful, but this was the heartland of the elves. Although not every island had a magic tower, who knew if they had magic to detect invisibility?

This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it also meant they both, especially Xeila, were taking great risks.

“Do they know that your abilities can be enhanced by me?” Wu Qingsong asked.

Xeila turned her head to look at him. “Do you want them to know?”

“I don’t know,” Wu Qingsong replied. “I don’t even know what they know.”

It suddenly downed on him why he disliked Dark Moon and his people. If they weren’t lying about not learning things from Xeila, it meant someone close to him or Nina was an agent from Dark Moon.

His abilities and actions were known only to a select few he trusted completely. But now, he realized one of them, or perhaps several, were spies from another faction. How could he remain calm knowing this?

“They probably don’t know about the Book of the Dead,” Xeila said. “But they know you’ve been to the desert and what happened the night Orgrimmar was attacked.”

That meant there were Dark Moon agents close to both him and Nina. The spy near Nina was likely one of the wolfmen, while his spy could be one of the houndmen, or even a pigman or horseman.

Such a situation was deeply unsettling. Wu Qingsong would rather not know about this, as it shook his trust in his companions and left him unsure how to identify the spy.

“You should be wary of Red Moon,” Xeila said. “I don’t know what her ability is, but I’ve overheard her talking to Dark Moon. It seems her ability is related to manipulating people’s hearts.”

“How did you meet them?”

“Dark Moon has another organization called Death Eaters, made up entirely of assassins. When I first arrived in the Imperial Capital, I took some jobs through them. He then discovered my secret and approached me.”

She didn’t go into further detail, but Wu Qingsong believed she hadn’t joined them for money. Was it simply for the thrill of killing, to prove her worth, or for some other reason?

“So the Batiz remnants also work with Dark Moon?” he asked.

Xeila shook her head. “I only represent myself.”

As they chatted quietly, the sky gradually darkened. The setting sun cast a breathtakingly beautiful light on the clouds surrounding the floating islands. For a moment, it seemed as if all of Padamia was enveloped in a sea of fire.

Finally, someone knocked on their door. 

“The banquet is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves.”

The so-called banquet was certainly not held for their benefit. In fact, their table was merely in a corner of the hall. Marquis Riniconia was likely entertaining some elves, with his stewards in attendance. Wu Qingsong was just an afterthought.

The food was exceptionally exquisite. Even though they were seated at the lowest tier as mere attendants, each dish was a culinary masterpiece. Although each serving was quite small, the variety was vast. Elemental golems, directed by half-elf servants, continuously brought in and cleared away dishes.

Wu Qingsong felt like he spent the entire evening continuously eating, admiring the beautiful presentation and exquisite utensils, yet his stomach remained empty. Instead of feeling full, he felt even hungrier.

Finally, as the banquet was nearing its end, someone mentioned his name during a break between courses. 

Marquis Riniconia then showed interest and said, “Where is he? Bring him up. I want to see what kind of person the Marquis Osaga has highly recommended to me.”

Following the etiquette repeatedly explained by the stewards, Wu Qingsong greeted the nobles and then answered Marquis Riniconia’s questions. However, it was clear their attention was not on him. Instead, they were discussing the insect plague in Esola, the power struggle within the Fantali family, and then moved on to the recent conflicts between Sentalus and Yagata.

Two young elves firmly believed that the two great families were likely to have further conflicts, while the older elves thought that misunderstandings would eventually be cleared up and everything would return to normal.

Wu Qingsong and Xeila stood there extremely awkwardly. They couldn’t leave, nor could they join the conversation. After standing for more than ten minutes, Marquis Riniconia finally noticed them again and casually waved his hand. 

“What are you still doing here? Dismissed!”

Wu Qingsong’s face turned red with anger. Xeila quietly grabbed his hand, calming him down a bit.

Perhaps for a true half-elf, being granted an audience with a marquis and exchanging a few words was a great honor. But for him, it was nothing but a great humiliation.

‘Laugh while you can. Such days will soon come to an end!’