Chapter 006: Meeting

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Miss, you’re joking. If given the chance, I would definitely talk with you about life’s ideals. But right now, there are too many matters at hand. Even if I wanted to, I’m unable to. Perhaps we should avoid such unpleasant topics. Miss, could you continue to introduce me to this Oscar?”
The woman nodded and said, “This Oscar is said to be quite famous among bards. The Bards’ Guild has promoted his most famous work, titled something like ‘Seizing Jing’. Although Oscar has been in Rui Gen City for some time, I’ve never heard him perform his famous songs. Maybe tonight, for that important figure from the capital, he’ll put on a good show.”
Du Fan nodded slightly and glanced in that direction again. He saw the bard Oscar slowly walking toward a corner. After a while, several servants led him upstairs to the second floor of the hall.
The guests who had gathered there were somewhat disappointed, as they hadn’t come to the ball for such a bard. Soon, they forgot about him, and the atmosphere of the masquerade ball grew increasingly lively.
After accompanying the unnamed lady around a few more times, Du Fan grew increasingly bored. He realized it wasn’t that he couldn’t interact with people in this circle, but rather that the so-called nobles of Rui Gen City were simply of very low standard. Compared to the high-ranking nobles he was used to seeing in the capital, they fell far short in terms of demeanor and grace.
Feeling even more bored, he excused himself from the lady beside him. Under her slightly sorrowful gaze, he slowly stepped back, ready to leave.
But before he could go far, two guards suddenly blocked his path. Both bowed respectfully, one of them saying politely, “This must be Young Master Du Fan, right?”
Du Fan naturally understood that Baron Gabriel must have instructed those guards about his appearance, so he wasn’t too surprised. He simply replied with a “Mm” and said calmly, “It’s me.”
The guard quickly whispered, “Young Master Du Fan, my lord has asked that if you’ve had enough of playing down here, you please come upstairs to join us.”
Du Fan nodded slightly, thinking, “Here it comes!” But he kept a calm expression and said simply, “Then lead the way.”

The two guards did not dare say much. They hurriedly led Du Fan around several times in the hall, avoiding the chaotic crowd below. In no time, they brought Du Fan to the second floor of the hall. The two of them stopped in front of a door, reached out to grab the copper knocker on it, and knocked gently a few times. After bowing again, they quickly retreated.

Du Fan casually removed the mask from his face, stuffed it into his arms, and wore a holy smile on his face.

A moment later, the door was gently opened. Standing at the door was Baron Gabriel. Seeing Du Fan, he laughed and said, “So it’s Young Master Du Fan… Come on, come on. Young Master Du Fan came at just the right time… I happen to have a few people I’d like to introduce to you. I was about to send someone down to look for you, but who would have thought Young Master Du Fan would come up himself? What good luck, what luck…”

Saying this, Gabriel gestured for Du Fan to enter the room.

It was a not-so-large room, its walls covered in gold powder, making them appear splendid. One wall was semi-recessed, with a large opening inside filled with a huge crystal. This crystal not only isolated the sounds from below but also allowed one to see clearly what was happening down there.

Bright crystal chandeliers hung in the four corners of the room, and the branches burning in the fireplace in the corner emitted a faint scent of pine oil.

In the center of the room stood a low circular wooden table, surrounded by sofas. The fabric of the sofas seemed extremely soft; those sitting on them seemed to sink into it, making them incredibly comfortable.

Next to each of those people was a woman. Although these women couldn’t be called breathtakingly beautiful, they were still considered pretty in this northern land.

Du Fan was secretly surprised. Although Gabriel was the ruler of this city, given the situation of Rui City, even if this city lord were a reincarnated Zhou Bapi, it would be impossible for him to amass so much wealth. From this, it could be inferred that the power behind Baron Gabriel was definitely not ordinary.

Yet, despite these thoughts, Du Fan kept a calm expression. He glanced at those people and found that out of the four present, he recognized three: Simon, who didn’t have many days left to live; Oscar, the bard who had caused a stir earlier; and the last one was Carol…

It was the short, chubby man that Du Fan didn’t recognize—someone not even 1.5 meters tall. Although Simon was also quite stocky, compared to this short man, he could definitely be considered slim.

When these four people saw Du Fan, their reactions varied. Simon was stunned, dropping his glass on the ground, while Carol looked extremely embarrassed, his hand stuck under the skirt of the woman sitting next to him, unsure whether to pull it out or not.

As for the bard Oscar, he seemed dissatisfied with Du Fan. He let out a slight snort but said nothing. It was the last man, the short one wearing a leather hat, who, upon seeing Du Fan enter, took off his hat and gave a slight nod as a greeting. Judging from his actions, he seemed… like a merchant?

Du Fan was slightly surprised. It wasn’t uncommon for a merchant to appear in such places, but his attitude toward Du Fan suggested this merchant must have something to be proud of. Yet Du Fan didn’t show any surprise on his face. With a faint smile, he said, “Lord Gabriel… I suppose you want to introduce these gentlemen to me?”

Gabriel laughed heartily and led Du Fan to sit in the middle seat, then returned to his own seat. He gave a gesture for the two maids behind him to start massaging him before saying in a low voice, “No rush… No rush… Young Master Du Fan, what do you think of my place?”

Du Fan glanced around and said, “Luxurious, wealthy, extravagant… But without this, how else could one show the noble bearing of Lord Gabriel of Gabriel City?”

Gabriel’s fox-like eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to Du Fan’s words. A cold glint flashed in his eyes at first, but upon hearing the rest, he smiled and said, “People from the capital truly are extraordinary. Ordinary people wouldn’t even realize this is what true nobility looks like. Come, come… For this reason alone, I must toast you.”

With that, Gabriel stood up himself and filled Du Fan’s glass with wine.

Du Fan was puzzled. This Gabriel seemed to look down on him at times and flatter him at others—his intentions were unclear. But since everyone wanted to benefit from him, and although Gabriel was just a dishonest baron, Du Fan couldn’t help but give him face. He accepted the glass and thanked him.

Gabriel laughed and said, “Alright… Come, Young Master Du Fan… I’ll introduce you to two friends now… Major Simon and Captain Carol need no introduction, but I’m sure Young Master Du Fan doesn’t know these two.”
With that, he pointed at Oscar and said, “This is Lord Oscar, the most famous bard in the empire. His stories are always absolutely wonderful. I’m sure Young Master Du Fan has heard of him.”
Du Fan nodded at Oscar and said, “So it’s Lord Oscar. I’ve read your work ‘Seizing the Thorns’ as well… I’ve always admired it, but never had the chance to meet you. It’s truly a rare honor to meet you today.”
Hearing Du Fan’s words, Oscar showed a rare polite smile. “Young Master Du Fan, you’re too kind. You belong to the Green family, a noble family after all. It’s truly an honor for me to meet you today. If you ever go to the capital, I hope you’ll take care of me out of today’s kindness…”
Du Fan smiled and said, “Oh, no, no. If Lord Oscar goes to the capital, I’ll surely take care of him as the host.”
After exchanging a few polite words, although everyone knew most of what they said was nonsense, such was the etiquette among nobles. Though Oscar was just a declining noble, Du Fan wouldn’t treat him differently because of it.
After they finally finished their polite exchanges, Gabriel cleared his throat gently and said, “As for this person, Young Master Du Fan may not have heard of his name, but you might be related to him… This is Viscount Evan. I’m sure you’ve heard of this name, right?”
Du Fan was slightly stunned but couldn’t imagine meeting such a person in this small border town. Although Viscount Evan didn’t hold a high title, he was quite famous in the Gaven Empire’s military. He was originally just an ordinary arms dealer, but somehow managed to establish connections with high-ranking military officials and became a supplier for the Gaven Empire’s military. Most of the empire’s weapons and equipment were produced by his workshops, and even most of the Northern Legion’s armaments came from this arms dealer. As someone from the Wu Yun family, how could Du Fan not have heard of him?
He just never expected to encounter such a person in a small border town like this.