I materialized a sci-fi fortress in a magical world.

"Someone's been expelled? What did they do?"

"Hahaha~ That's hilarious! I can't believe someone was expelled so quickly. This is the first time this has ever happened since the [Night Banquet] started, isn't it?"

"I was fortunate enough to enter the [Night Banquet] once. The atmosphere inside was exceptionally elegant and relaxed, and the so-called rules were just the most basic etiquette. How could someone be expelled? Can't they even do such a small thing?"

"This shows that this person has extremely poor manners and is an incompetent spoiled brat. How could someone like this attend an event like ours?"

Amid the murmurs of the crowd, a figure emerged on the island square in the middle of the lake—it was number 22, who had been expelled.

Then, a portly middle-aged nobleman, his face ashen, rushed over, slapped number 22 across the face, knocking him to the ground, and then kicked him several times, cursing incessantly:

"You bastard! You pig! You've disgraced the family! You useless piece of trash!"

As he continued cursing, the middle-aged nobleman suddenly convulsed and fainted on the spot.

Clearly, he paid a heavy price for this opportunity...

Compared to the various items left behind in the secret realm, buying this invitation is a real drain on resources.

He didn't even expect his son to perform well, nor did he demand any "source of magic." He just wanted him not to embarrass him and to use this opportunity to infiltrate the Grand Duke's circle.

But because of one "undignified" act, their entire family will be labeled, and the news will soon become common knowledge.

For the nobles who could attend this banquet, dignity was more important than life itself...

The Grand Duke on the platform watched this scene, but simply shook his head, a hint of disappointment and displeasure on his face.

He made a great decision to sell the invitation to this count, since giving him the invitation meant rejecting a marquis or a powerful group.

Who would have thought that the Earl's son would be so disappointing, being expelled less than an hour after entering, making the Grand Duke feel humiliated.

"I don't want to see him again."

The Grand Duke whispered instructions to the steward behind him, then took a form from a maid beside him, which listed the bets placed by the nobles.

Since it was just "a little gambling for fun," there weren't many betting options. The main bets were on "who will be the first to awaken" and "who will ultimately obtain the [Fountain of Magic]."

The three most favored candidates in both betting markets are No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9, who come from the three major mage schools respectively. All three have been heavily bet on, with each receiving thousands of gold coins.

The three major schools of thought, as embodiments of intellectual barriers, encompass almost all young geniuses. In the past, the "biggest winners" mostly came from these three schools. Only a few people from other aristocratic factions were able to snatch the "Source of Magic" by luck.

However, some people are optimistic about the two candidates sent by the church, as well as some well-known geniuses from noble families, with the number ranging from dozens to hundreds.

Besides these people, only number 30, Lemir, was favored, with two betting odds placing bets of 10 gold coins each.

That was ordered by the Grand Duke himself...

The remaining numbers are either mystical "lucky numbers" or symbolic representations of support for one's own people, with bets of only a few gold coins.

As for number 22, he has two zeros, and nobody has any faith in him...

So the little incident of being expelled only elicited a few laughs, and people's attention quickly returned to the topic of "who exactly was the first to wake up, number 29".

Many people have come to the Grand Duke to inquire, but he has been brushed off and no information has been revealed yet.

He was already considering whether he could use this person's identity to exchange for some useful information.

........................

"So that's what 'The Night Banquet' refers to..."

Looking down at the fully-fledged stage with its curtains drawn, Luo Yue murmured to himself.

After all the guests had entered the private room, the curtain on the stage was pulled open by the large tweezers hand, revealing a magnificent banquet hall behind it.

Inside, there are many tiny tweezers-like figures made of a few sharp spikes, clinking glasses or dancing gracefully.

A melodious symphony filled the theater, and it sounded quite nice.

Luo Yue found the atmosphere pleasant, so he put the large pile of "compensation" on the ground into his mind space, then disassembled it and neatly arranged it by type in the underground warehouse of the golden crown.

The family on the 22nd was quite well-off, and it took Luo Yue more than half an hour to sort out their belongings.

Then he went to lie down on the sofa, found a comfortable position, and entered a meditative state accompanied by the music in his ears.

It must be said that this music is really something. With its help, Luo Yue felt his mind was clear and his thinking was exceptionally active, which naturally improved the efficiency of his meditation.

Moreover, it seemed to have the effect of eliminating sleepiness. More than an hour passed quickly, and by 10 p.m., Luo Yue did not feel sleepy at all.

"It truly is an auspicious place for cultivation. I've already made the most of these three days to cultivate properly."

As he was reminiscing, the music in his ears suddenly stopped and was replaced by a burst of rapid drumbeats, like the style of a circus opening, as if some big show was about to begin.

Luo Yue then awoke from her meditation, drew back the curtains, and went out onto the balcony.

The tiny tweezers figures on the stage below had all retreated to the sides, making way for a large space, and were making strange "wai-boo-wai-boo" sounds, as if they were discussing something in a language that humans couldn't understand.

Then, the large hand with tweezers emerged from backstage, holding a huge turntable between its fingers, and placed it in the middle of the banquet hall.

A pointer is inserted into the turntable, which is divided into three concentric circles from the outside in. The outermost circle has numbers from 1 to 30, representing the 30 guests who came here.

The second circle has three large empty spaces labeled [Battle], [Performance], and [Gift]; the innermost circle has many small squares corresponding to [Powerful Enemy], [Adventure], [Poetry], and [Jewelry].

This spinning wheel is the core gameplay of "Pleasing".

The large hand with tweezers will turn the dial, and when the pointer stops, it will point to the person and the specific project that will be presented next.

For example, pointing to [5-Performance-Poetry] means that guest number 5 will go on stage to recite poetry; pointing to [6-Gift-Antique] means that guest number 6 will go on stage to present the antique they have prepared to the host.

If you perform well, the little tweezers will cheer and applaud, and the big tweezers will present you with a corresponding prize; otherwise, you will be booed by the whole audience and slink back to your private room.

Everyone only has one chance.

However, the exact time of this "pleasure" is completely random, and with the addition of this spinning wheel, the randomness is even greater.

So everyone who comes in carries a full bag, just to cope with this capricious randomness...