America: The Cremator

Chapter 169 Byron Wick, the Triple Moon Realm!

At 10 p.m., the old butler rang the silver bell in his hand again, announcing the official end of the banquet.

The waiters quickly removed the plates from the tables and rearranged parts of the venue to create a more open and social setting, after which the ballroom dance party began.

A retro-styled brass phonograph began playing a soothing and elegant waltz, and the lights in the hall were adjusted to a soft, warm tone.

The guests inside the venue naturally split into two groups.

Some people stepped onto the dance floor in the center of the hall and freely invited their partners to dance; others dispersed to the meeting areas throughout the hall, engaging in in-depth exchanges in small groups.

This was the most substantial and core part of the entire banquet: the young exorcists moved between different small circles, displaying the sacred objects in their hands, exchanging rare spiritual materials, or buying and selling exclusive information.

Surong had no interest in the transactions inside the room, so he and Elena walked to the buffet table by the floor-to-ceiling window and picked up a glass of champagne.

His gaze swept past the swaying crowd on the dance floor and settled once again on the brown-haired young man who had been sitting in the corner for the entire dinner.

The man kept his head down, intently flipping through the black notebook in his hand, hardly communicating with anyone, as if all the noise around him was irrelevant.

Su Long took a sip of champagne, his mind racing with whether he should go over and strike up a conversation, casually throwing in the label of "Intelligence Master."

Use the active skill "Insight" to find out more about this guy.

Just then, the man in the burgundy suit who had been humiliated at the table walked over with a wine glass, completely ignoring Su Long beside him, and looked straight at Elena with what he thought was a charming smile on his face, giving a slight bow.

"Miss Elena, would I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Su Long took a step forward without making a sound, his tall figure blocking Elena's path, and politely declined, saying, "I'm sorry, Elena and I prefer quiet and don't want to dance for the time being."

The man in the burgundy suit wasn't angry at being rejected outright. Instead, he walked to Su Long's side and glanced meaningfully at the small groups of people making quiet deals in the room.

"Mr. Suron, won't you go and pick out some materials you need? This banquet is hosted by the Wick and Campbell families, and there are plenty of rare and precious items here."

He paused, a mocking smile playing on his lips, then changed the subject: "Or is it that Mr. Su Long's wealth is insufficient to support your transactions with others?"

Looking at the man in the suit's smug expression, Su Long chuckled and casually remarked, "Perhaps it's because I'm not lacking in sacred artifacts. Shouldn't everyone have a few of these?"

Upon hearing this, several young exorcists who had been whispering among themselves stopped what they were doing and turned to look at them.

The man in the suit froze instantly.

How many per person?

In the world of exorcists, obtaining a decent relic often requires a lot of effort and resources. Many D-rank or even C-rank exorcists are considered elite if they have a handy relic!

But this guy in front of me actually dares to say that everyone should have "a few" of these sacred objects?

The man in the suit sneered, "Mr. Su Long, there's a limit to arrogance. Since you speak of sacred objects as worthless, I'd like to see what kind of earth-shattering artifact you're carrying!"

"Could it be that—" he deliberately drew out his words, staring defiantly at Su Long, "you don't actually have the sacred object at all, and are just bluffing here?"

As he spoke, the man in the suit proudly pulled out a brass lighter with an intricately engraved pattern from the inside pocket of his suit.

He lifted the cover, pressed his thumb on the lighter's flint wheel, and slid it down forcefully.

With a "click," a cluster of orange-red flames, about the thickness of a thumb, shot out from the lighter's nozzle.

The man held the flickering lighter close to Su Long, boasting, "This is my sacred object, the Holy Spirit Lighter. The flame it ignites can burn any lowly or eerie spirit; it's a flame capable of destroying all evil!"

"You've probably never seen such pure spiritual fire in your entire life, have you?"

Looking at the cluster of orange-red flames flickering in front of him, and then at the man in the suit with an expression that was so proud he was practically floating on air, Su Long suddenly laughed, his expression even carrying a hint of doting.

"What are you laughing at?!" The man in the suit was enraged by Su Long's strange smile, and his voice involuntarily rose eight octaves.

Su Long did not reply, but simply spread his five fingers open, palm facing upwards.

"boom!"

A ball of raging purple and gold flames erupted directly from Su Long's palm!

The moment the flame appeared, the light in the entire banquet hall was distorted.

The purplish-gold flames were so bright that they even overshadowed the three enormous crystal chandeliers overhead, casting an eerie purple glow on the faces of the people around them.

The flames, half a meter high, emitted a deep and violent roar.

The man in the burgundy suit froze on the spot, facing the terrifying heat of the world-destroying fire, and fine beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead.

The moment the purple-gold flames rose, the lighter's flame suddenly began to tremble violently. The flame, which had been pointing straight upwards, now strangely bent down, drooping towards Su Long's palm, in a posture that was one of complete submission.

Immediately afterwards, with a soft "poof," the cluster of thumb-sized flames, which were said to be able to destroy all evil, was completely extinguished under the violent spiritual crushing force of the world-destroying fire.

Only a pitiful wisp of smoke remained, drifting out from the nozzle of the brass lighter.

A deathly silence fell over this corner of the hall.

The young exorcists who had originally planned to laugh at Su Long were now staring wide-eyed, and the entire venue fell silent.

Su Long looked at the pale-faced man in the burgundy suit, casually flicked his wrist, and suddenly clenched his fist.

"Bang."

The half-meter-high purple-gold flames vanished without a trace in an instant, as if they had never existed.

Su Long crossed his arms and calmly looked at the man in the suit in front of him. The man's lips trembled twice, and he took two steps back in a sorry state before turning around and slinking into the crowd without daring to utter a single harsh word.

"Slap, slap, slap."

A crisp round of applause broke the brief silence. Rodney, standing not far away, clapped with a smile, and Edith nodded slightly, her eyes full of admiration.

Then, scattered applause rang out in the hall, which quickly turned into a continuous burst of applause.

The world of exorcists always reveres the strong, and Su Long's move just now was enough to earn the respect of the vast majority of people present.

Once everyone had put their hands down, Hedley, holding a glass of champagne, walked from the main seat to the edge of the dance floor in the center of the hall.

She glanced around the room, her gaze lingering on Su Long for a moment, before smiling and saying, "It seems the young people tonight are all eager to show their skills. Since the atmosphere is right, let's get started."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall was instantly ignited. The young exorcists, who had been testing each other and exchanging information, all turned their attention to the center of the dance floor.

The waiters quickly pushed several round tables around the dance floor away, creating a spacious dance area.

Hedley raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then announced the competition rules: "This competition will take place on the center dance floor."

"Any two exorcists may enter the dance floor to begin a battle. The fighting style is unrestricted, but for everyone's safety, firearms are prohibited, and death is strictly prohibited. If one party is knocked off the edge of the dance floor or voluntarily surrenders, they are considered to have lost."

She paused, then held up a coin that shimmered with a ghostly silver light: "As for the final winner, they will receive the prize for the competition—a mithril coin."

As the mithril coin refracted an alluring luster under the light, a series of heavy breathing sounds filled the hall. For most mid- to low-level exorcists, mithril, such an extraordinary material, usually only existed in family treasuries or on the trading lists of high-level exorcists; it was practically priceless on the market.

Surong stared at the mithril coin on Hedley's fingertip, his eyes instantly lighting up.

He currently has several two-star attributes eagerly awaiting upgrades, and he's been wondering where to get mithril coins to acquire them. He originally thought he was just here tonight to be a ruthless shield, but he didn't expect this unexpected gain. He's determined to have this mithril coin.

The brown-haired young man in the corner was still looking down at his notebook, seemingly uninterested even in mithril coins.

After announcing the rules, Hedley retreated to the edge of the dance floor, completely clearing the space.

"I'll go first."

A male exorcist dressed in a dark blue tuxedo was the first to walk onto the dance floor. He took out a palm-sized brass cross from his pocket, held it tightly in his palm, and looked around at the crowd.

Soon, a female exorcist dressed in a black backless evening gown stepped gracefully onto the dance floor, carrying an antique bronze mirror the size of a palm.

The two stood at opposite ends of the dance floor and exchanged a standard exorcist's hat-tipping salute.

The battle erupted in an instant.

The male exorcist had no intention of testing him. He suddenly raised the brass cross in his hand and quickly chanted a short Latin prayer.

Suddenly, a blinding pure white holy light burst forth from the surface of the cross. This light was not simply illumination, but rather carried an extremely strong repulsive force and gravitational pressure, like an invisible wall that shoved fiercely towards the female exorcist.

Faced with the overwhelming holy light, the female exorcist suddenly flipped her wrist, holding the bronze mirror upright in front of her.

"Buzz" 6

The bronze mirror, which had been blurry, instantly became smooth and new, even rippling like water. When the pure white holy light struck the mirror, it did not produce a violent explosion; instead, it was absorbed by the mirror as if it had been thrown into the sea.

Immediately afterwards, the female exorcist sneered and suddenly pointed the bronze mirror at the male exorcist.

The holy light that had just been absorbed was actually distorted into several sharp blades of light in the mirror, which bounced back towards the male exorcist at twice the speed of before!

The light blade tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound. The male exorcist hurriedly retreated from the dance floor, saying, "I surrender."

The male exorcist put away the crucifix and walked into the crowd without looking back.

For the next half hour, a chaotic and whirlwind battle unfolded in the center of the dance floor.

The young exorcists took turns on the task, and all sorts of strange and unusual sacred objects and contract abilities emerged one after another.

The scene appeared intense, with various brilliant moments intertwined, but the actual lethality was strictly controlled below the lethal threshold.

Winners are constantly changing. Often, a person will win just two rounds, but then lose to the next challenger because of excessive spiritual depletion or being countered by specific sacred objects.

Su Long held a glass of freshly changed champagne, watching the fight on the dance floor while silently assessing the situation in his mind.

Most of these people are only at the C level, with a few occasionally reaching the B level. Although their methods are flashy, they are full of flaws in his eyes.

All the jugglers still performing were eliminated within minutes.

Just then, a very soft sound of a book closing came from a secluded corner of the hall.

Su Long turned his head and saw the brown-haired young man who had been indifferent to everything around him throughout the banquet closing the black notebook in his hand that was emitting a terrifying spiritual light.

The brown-haired young man stood up and casually stuffed the notebook into his trench coat pocket.

His right hand hung naturally beside the silver-plated M1911 pistol at his waist as he strode toward the dance floor.

A powerful, oppressive spiritual energy was slowly but firmly emanating from him.

The gaunt young man's smugness vanished instantly as he looked at the challenger who had suddenly entered his line of sight.

The oppressive feeling coming at him made it difficult for him to breathe.

The brown-haired young man walked to the edge of the dance floor, but instead of going in directly, he stopped and turned to look at Hedley, who was sitting in the main seat.

"Mrs. Hedley," the young man's voice was soft and flat, yet it carried clearly throughout the banquet hall, "If I can challenge and defeat everyone present at once, can I have this prize?"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell into absolute silence.

Then, an uncontrollable commotion erupted in the crowd.

arrogant.

This is the first word that comes to everyone's mind.

That guy named Su Long was arrogant enough to say that everyone had a few sacred artifacts, but at least he showed off that terrifying purple-gold flame as a sign of his confidence.

And now this guy, who hasn't even given his name, is going to take on all the young exorcists present by himself?

"Is this guy crazy? Does he really think he's some kind of A-rank expert?"

"A member of the Wick family? Judging by their behavior, they're probably an idiot."

A few suppressed curses came from the crowd. Many young exorcists gripped their sacred objects tightly, their faces ashen, clearly enraged by this arrogant attitude.

Hedley also looked surprised.

She glanced at Valerie, the matriarch of the Wick family, who was sitting in the central seat at the other end.

She had no idea that the Wick family would send such an unconventional young man this time.

Valery, holding his teacup, calmly returned Hedley's gaze. She took a small sip of her tea, clearly having anticipated, or even tacitly approved, the young man's actions.

Hedley withdrew her gaze, looking at the young man at the edge of the dance floor, a playful smile curving her lips: "If you can do it, this mithril coin is naturally yours. However, the prerequisite is that you can get them to agree to this challenge."

Su Long stood by the buffet table, raised an eyebrow, and turned to Elena beside him, muttering, "After watching for so long, I didn't expect this guy to be such a show-off?"

Elena stared at the young man, her brows furrowed, and whispered, "The Wick family has such a trump card hidden away. I've never heard of this person in the industry before."

"Judging from Madam Valerie's reaction, this is definitely not a young person's impulsive act, but a battle to establish the authority deliberately arranged by the Wick family."

Having received Hedley's promise, the brown-haired young man turned his head and indifferently swept his gaze across the angry faces in the room.

"My name is Byron Wick."

The moment he announced his name, the tip of his right foot lightly touched the wooden floor of the dance floor.

"Buzz"

A deep hum suddenly exploded in the hall, making everyone's eardrums go numb.

With this strange sound, an immense and suffocating force of rules, centered on Byron's toes, spread wildly in all directions like a flood bursting its banks.

This light was neither emitted by any sacred object nor the effect of an ordinary spell.

This is the domain!

The embodiment of rules that only top exorcists can access!

In a mere second, that force of rules precisely covered the entire dance floor, completely engulfing the original oak floorboards.

The scene inside the dance floor has undergone a complete transformation.

The once hard wooden floor had disappeared, replaced by a clear, still pool of water that reflected the eerie sky above.

The ceiling directly above the dance floor and the three enormous crystal chandeliers were gone, and a deep night sky enveloped everyone's heads. And in that night sky, three extremely bright full moons hung high.

The moonlight poured down, falling on the clear water and creating a cool, silvery glow.

Everyone standing at the edge of the dance floor was startled by the sudden shift in the area and retreated in surprise.

The gaunt young man who had been standing in the center of the dance floor was now horrified to find that his legs were already submerged in the clear water.

The gaunt young man desperately tried to pull his legs out, but found that the clear water was like super glue, pinning him to the spot. The spiritual energy within him was being frantically drained away by this domain.

Byron Wick stood on the water, without even a ripple beneath his feet.

He maintained the posture of one hand in his pocket, with the other hand casually resting on the grip of the pistol at his waist.

The cool light of the three bright moons converged on him, making him appear as arrogant as a god.

He raised his eyelids, his gray eyes sweeping over the speechless, shocked young exorcists in the hall, before finally settling precisely on Su Long.

Of all the people present, only the purple-gold flames that Su Long had just unleashed made him feel a slight threat.

"The Triple Moon Realm"

Byron's voice echoed in the empty space.

"Gentlemen, please enlighten me."

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