Chapter 007: Evan

Du Fan’s surprise this time was not concealed but clearly shown on his face.
Viscount Evan laughed heartily and said, “Young Master Du Fan, although this is our first meeting, I have long heard of your fame. I have also met your father, Duke Green, several times. He has spoken of you to me, saying you are a rare genius in the Green family over the centuries. Seeing you today, I confirm you truly are extraordinary.”
Du Fan thought to himself, Genius? That’s ridiculous! If his own father would mention him in front of others, that would be even more strange. However, Viscount Evan held considerable influence in the Gavin Empire, so Du Fan naturally wouldn’t expose him. He nodded slightly at Viscount Evan and said, “Viscount Evan, you’re too kind. What am I, Du Fan, compared to you? I’ve long heard of your fame and have always wanted to visit you when I have time. Unfortunately, I’ve been busy with my duties and haven’t had the chance. But meeting you here by chance today is quite fortunate for me.”
As they spoke, they exchanged glances and both laughed knowingly.
Du Fan raised his glass and gave a distant gesture as a toast to Evan.
Seeing this amicable scene, Gabriel smiled and said, “It seems bringing Viscount Evan and Lord Oscar here today was a good decision. It’s an honor for our small city of Rui to have such distinguished guests.”
Viscount Evan reached out and patted the full breasts of the maid serving him before laughing and saying, “Lord Gabriel, don’t be so formal either. It’s not the first time I’ve worked with you. If you’re always this polite, how can we continue doing business?”
Gabriel replied calmly, “Viscount Evan, you’re joking. Friendship is friendship, and business is business… I naturally need to keep them separate. But it’s not the time to discuss that today. After all, our young master Du Fan is here… shouldn’t we make him happy first?”

Evan’s gaze shifted, as if recalling something, and he smiled again—a smile filled with various emotions. He said softly, “My Lord Gabriel, from what I know of you, you certainly wouldn’t do the same thing every time. I’ve been sitting here for so long; although that masquerade party downstairs was unique, it was also quite dull. I thought it was just that you, Lord Gabriel, had run out of ideas this time, but it seems you’ve prepared a great gift for Young Master Du Fan. Young Master Du Fan, it seems your status is truly extraordinary!”
As he spoke, Evan glanced at Du Fan.
Du Fan was puzzled. From the conversation between Gabriel and Evan earlier, he could guess that there might be some kind of deal between them. But since they were saying it in front of so many people, it probably wasn’t something shameful. Moreover, he could faintly sense that these two either wanted to pull him into their scheme or offer him some reward.
So when he heard Evan say that, he already had a plan. With a smile, he said, “Lord Evan, you’re joking. If we’re talking about status, undoubtedly the highest here is you. If there’s anything interesting, it should be you who tries it first, don’t you think? Lord Baron Gabriel?”
Gabriel laughed heartily and said, “Enough, enough! You two, stop arguing. Come and see what I’ve prepared first, shall we? Otherwise, you might even start fighting over it.”
With that, Gabriel clapped his hands lightly, and two servants came out from a corner of the room, pushing a cart. They replaced all the leftover wine and empty glasses on the round table in front of them, while the maids standing by the guests slowly stepped back.
Gabriel and Evan clearly were very familiar with this kind of situation, so their expressions remained unchanged. Evan continued to smirk as he stretched out his plump hand and yanked down the skirt of one of the retreating maids.
Simon and Carol, on the other hand, seemed somewhat awkward.
Carol was fine—since Du Fan arrived, he had returned to his normal state. But Simon was clearly terrified of Du Fan, wearing a forced smile, his true feelings unclear.
Du Fan wanted to see what tricks Baron Gabriel could pull, so he didn’t say much. Instead, he gave Carol a gesture to stay calm from a distance, then leaned back on the sofa and watched quietly.

After the maids had all left, the crystal lamps around the room gradually dimmed. Then, it was unclear what had blocked the crystal window through which one could see the masquerade ball below. A deep and elegant voice came from somewhere, and along with it, a pale blue light emanated from all directions. It took Du Fan some time to adjust to the light, but soon he realized that what had been a wall had disappeared, revealing a small stage with a dark doorway behind it. The area around the stage was adorned with various lights. Du Fan frowned slightly upon seeing them but was secretly amazed—those lights were actually made of magic stones. Though these stones were extremely small and not worth much individually, together they were certainly costly. At that moment, the lights illuminated several people’s faces. Gabriel’s smile carried a hint of strangeness as he said softly, “Major Simon and Captain Carol, this must be your first time at such an event, right? And Lord Oscar and Young Master Du Fan, you’ve probably never experienced anything like this either. You must take good care to observe such a remarkable sight. As men, if you’ve never been to places like this, then… it’s quite disappointing…” Just then, a faint white light appeared on the stage, making it appear mysterious and sacred under that glow. What truly surprised Du Fan was that the white light was actually pure sacred magic—seemingly, a sacred magic array was engraved on the stage, with magic energy infused within it. Having spent many years in the Holy Church, Du Fan could not possibly misidentify such magic. Moreover, such magic should never leak out of the Holy Church. The only possibility of it appearing here was that Baron Gabriel must have significant connections with some high-ranking figure in the Holy Church. Baron Gabriel might seem unremarkable, but what was subtly revealed about him confirmed his extraordinariness. Du Fan became even more astonished and began to doubt his initial judgment of him. Yet, at such a moment, he had no time to overthink things. With a soft sigh, he said, “What pure sacred magic.”

Gabriel laughed and said, “Young Master Du Fan truly lives up to being a Priest of the White Robes. I’ve invited countless people to this place, but only you could instantly recognize the origin of this magic array. It seems the title of the most devout Priest of the White Robes throughout history isn’t given lightly. Since you’ve identified it, I won’t hide from you—initially, to create this magic array, I specifically consulted several magi from the northern lands. The conclusion we reached was that the most beautiful light came from the holy light of sacred magic. Little did I know how great a price I would have to pay for it.”

Du Fan replied calmly, “Lord Gabriel, you’re overestimating it. In my opinion, creating such a magic array must be as simple as saying a few words for you.”

Gabriel smiled slightly and didn’t deny it, essentially agreeing. He raised his hand and tapped it a few times. As he did, the faint holy light dimmed slightly, the melodious music grew faster, and at the same time, a vague figure stepped out from the doorway.

Du Fan took only one glance but felt somewhat puzzled. The woman who slowly emerged from the doorway had her hair loosely hanging down, wearing very little clothing—only small pieces of fabric covering the three most vital areas. Yet she wore a veil over her face, revealing only her eyes, which sparkled with vitality. Her appearance was quite similar to the so-called Arab women from Du Fan’s past life.

This woman had an extremely perfect figure. Without any clothing to cover her, everyone present could easily see that her curves were so flawless that even the Creator would envy them. Her skin, though dark, appeared extremely glossy, almost like silk.

Just by standing there quietly, she already stirred desire in everyone present. If given the chance to be with her, surely no one would refuse.

Although Du Fan considered himself to be quite composed, he wasn’t exactly a good person. He also reacted immediately. But with his mastery over countless spells and his heightened mental strength after absorbing the essence of divinity, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and his mental energy instantly enveloped a certain part of his body, causing that area to soften.

Upon seeing it work, Du Fan felt a sense of pride. He wondered if this mental power could expand that place; if so, it would truly allow for free contraction. But Du Fan wasn’t idle enough to test this issue, and his movements returned to normal, the desire in his eyes disappearing instantly.