Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 226 [The Match Begins]

Ethan greeted today's guests in his sanctuary.

For Ethan, the Kingdom Arts Centre is his sanctuary today, an art sanctuary.

The first floor of the art center has been completely cleared out and replaced with Ethan's works.

Outside, a crowd of onlookers watched with great interest.

The journey to the art center was quite arduous.

If it weren't for the police clearing the way beforehand, Ethan wouldn't have been able to get in at all.

Everyone wanted to see Ethan's face and see what this young man, who had recently caused a stir in the capital, looked like.

But Ethan ultimately didn't give them that chance.

By the time he arrived at the art center, it was already past nine o'clock. He straightened his clothes, and everything was ready.

The first group of guests were naturally the most important: Andy, the president of the Kingdom Arts Association, and a group of big names in the industry.

However, most of them were people Ethan had seen in the Hall of Mirrors, so they weren't exactly strangers today.

After a brief greeting, a waiter led us to the bar area, where there were simple snacks, fruits, and grape juice.

For such a large-scale exhibition, the infrastructure is definitely top-notch.

Next to arrive were some dignitaries and important figures, whom Ethan didn't recognize many of, but Jackson knew them well and introduced them to Ethan one by one.

If you observe the atmosphere carefully, you'll find that everyone seems a bit distracted.

Even among the elites of this social class, their greater interest today wasn't actually in Ethan's paintings.

The main reason is that the online feud has been going on for so long that everyone is eagerly awaiting the outcome.

Even people who are used to a life of luxury can't resist the urge to gossip.

Or perhaps, the more pampered a person is, the more they enjoy this kind of thing.

After several more groups of guests arrived, some noise and commotion finally broke out outside, and the people inside the art center became excited.

Coming?

Rubens?
The result was slightly disappointing for them; it was Popor who came.

Pope is indeed a national idol; his fame extends beyond the art world, and he is also loved by many members of the public.

As Popper walked into the art center, seeing everyone looking somewhat dejected, he couldn't help but joke, "Looks like you're not very welcoming of me?"

In fact, he knew perfectly well what the highlight of today's event was.

Therefore, before Rubens arrived, no one even had the intention of appreciating the painting beforehand.

It was ten o'clock.

The noise outside suddenly grew louder, almost turning into a wave of sound.

Rubens finally arrived.

Actually, Rubens wasn't that famous before. He was more popular within his own circle, and not many people outside of it knew him.

Therefore, it can be said that he became famous through this war of words.

Therefore, today, we must also determine who is superior.

Rubens enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, and for a moment, he felt as if he had the same influence as Pope.

It's impossible for a painter not to envy Popper.

So Rubens walked very slowly, greeting the people outside as he went, and even had time to sign autographs.

It wasn't until 10:30 that he finally arrived at the art center.

He certainly didn't come alone.

He brought a very impressive team.

Half of the art critics' circle in the capital came, including many well-known artists, some of whom had come from other places.

They all followed behind Rubens, looking almost like an army.

This scene was undoubtedly captured on camera. Ethan, standing alone inside the door to greet them, appeared somewhat lonely, and there was a sense of him facing everyone alone.

In short, the duel has officially begun.

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the other side.

Inside the dark sanctuary.

Vasini was already seated in his place at the head of the table, looking down at everyone who had arrived.

Almost everyone was present today.

By "almost," I mean there were still some people who didn't come.

The one who didn't come was the head of the Hoffman family. The Hoffman family belongs to the New World Mafia, not the pure Mafia.

They joined and rose to power during the rise of the Mafia.

They've been trying to clean up their image and do business all these years.

The South District has been in chaos lately. After seeing the Mafia's repeated defeats, the Hoffman family had long harbored ulterior motives and had skipped the previous meetings under various pretexts.

This time they've dropped the pretense; they've simply turned against us. It's likely that the head of the Hoffmann family surrendered to Uttahan a few days ago.

Everyone present already knows this.

Therefore, the atmosphere was unusually oppressive.

Because Vasini had already made a strong statement, the Hoffmann family's choice was tantamount to slapping him in the face.

This shows a lack of faith in Vasini's abilities.

Even though he had already repelled and severely injured Luca once.

They still believe he can't do it.

Even though most of these people chose to attend this meeting today.

Essentially, it was still a compromise, giving Vasini some face, for fear that he would go crazy again.

But they had absolutely no idea what Vasini was going to do next.
What will he do?

Luca asked the question from behind the bar counter at a bar.

This is the headquarters of Uttarhan, a bar located deep in a dark alley that emits a strong, damp stench on rainy days.

But Luca likes it this way.

This was the first place he stayed after arriving in the capital.

It's dark enough.

He knew, of course, that Vasini was holding a family meeting today, because Henry, the head of the Hoffmann family, was sitting right across from him.

Henry seemed uncomfortable, mainly because the smell was so awful. He couldn't imagine how people could drink in such a place, let alone survive.

He wanted to cover his nose with a handkerchief, but he was afraid of angering Luca across from him, so he could only endure it. He also had to force an ugly smile and say, "Don't worry about what he does, he won't do anything. I watched Vasini grow up. He's not the kind of person with real guts. Last time was the end of his courage. He won't do anything again."

"is it?"

Luca glanced at his empty left hand, which had been left forever in the gutter that day.

"Of course, otherwise they wouldn't be in this situation today. By the way, Luca, about that business deal you mentioned earlier..."

Henry came today not only to completely defect, but also for business.

I don't know where this rat in the gutter got his hands on some high-level connections, yet he's able to get in touch with the Ministry of Commerce. If the Hoffman family can get on that bandwagon, they could really clean up their act.

"Don't worry, I will definitely do what I promised you."

Luca still felt uneasy; he had to do something, so he stood up.

"I already told you, don't worry about him," Henry muttered dismissively.

(End of this chapter)