We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Inside the spacious banquet hall, the flickering fireplace cast a soft glow on the gilded tapestries draped across the walls.

The long oak dining table was covered with a deep red velvet cloth, with silver plates and tin cups neatly arranged. Roasted meat was piled high and dried fruit was plentiful. The air was filled with the aroma of red wine and the smell of charred fat, exuding an inappropriate sense of extravagance.

Compared to the dilapidated state of the rest of the mansion, this place was like another world.

There were no attendants in the hall, only a fully armored guard standing quietly on the high platform at the front, his helmet drooping and motionless.

The banquet hall, which should have been bustling, was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Apart from the guards and Hao Jia, who had just entered, there were already three people waiting there.

Chi Feng, needless to say, is an old acquaintance.

The other two were dressed in dark robes, one of whom had a bandage wrapped around his head, with only one eye showing, making him look quite frightening.

The moment Xu Zhou stepped into the hall, he keenly sensed that the one-eyed man was casting an undisguised hostile gaze at him, which left him feeling bewildered.

"Eye……"

After a moment's thought, Xu Zhou vaguely grasped the key point.

"Could it be that he was the one who used his domain power against me?"

Upon closer inspection, Xu Zhou noticed that while the one-eyed man kept staring at him, his companion kept his gaze fixed on Chi Feng. Neither of them had a friendly expression, which further confirmed Xu Zhou's suspicions.

At the same time, we have also made a rough deduction about the methods used by Chi Feng.

"Either force me to reveal my trump card, or use me as a tool to weaken other teams. What a brilliant strategy of using one enemy to devour another, leaving yourself completely unscathed."

Seemingly sensing Xu Zhou's gaze, Chi Feng, who was gently swirling his wine glass, turned his head, raised his glass in a distant toast, and a calm smile appeared on his lips.

Now all the teams have revealed themselves, totaling four teams.

On the surface, Xu Zhou and Wu Lulu are a team, along with the Chosen One team, the One-Eyed Brothers, and Chi Feng, who is all alone.

As for the actual composition of Xu Zhou and Chi Feng's respective teams, neither of them revealed it.

For some reason, Xu Zhou had a vague premonition that things weren't going well. The attention of the other three teams was seemingly focused on him and Wu Lulu, and the two of them seemed to have become the target of everyone's attention.

This is not a good sign.

Before the count could appear, Xu Zhou walked up to the one-eyed man. The two men immediately looked at him warily, their eyes full of suspicion.

"I know you're just doing this for money." Xu Zhou didn't mince words and went straight to the point. "What price did Chifeng quote you?"

The one-eyed man paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"You're an honest person, I admire that, but this matter concerns both of us brothers..."

"I'll pay double!" Xu Zhou interrupted directly.

Before he could finish speaking, the one-eyed man's companion immediately interjected, speaking rapidly: "The deposit is for a piece of crafted armor, and the balance is for a crafted weapon."

"Fan Yi!"

"Boss, have you forgotten how that priest tricked us?"

Upon hearing Fan Yi's words, the one-eyed man was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Xu Zhou saw this and immediately understood.

He smiled slightly, his tone sincere:

"There's a saying that goes, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Perhaps we've had some misunderstandings before, but there's no hurdle that can't be smoothed over. I believe my sincerity will move you both."

As he spoke, he took out an enchanted book from inside his leather jacket and waved it in front of the two of them.

Two pairs of eyes lit up simultaneously, their greed undisguised.

Seeing Xu Zhou put the enchanted book away again, the one-eyed man frowned and squinted at him.

"We won't do anything for you without a deposit."

Xu Zhou shrugged, his smile undiminished.

"I don't need you to do anything, or to put it another way, as long as you two don't cause me any trouble in this challenge, this thing is yours."

"this one?"

"That's it!"

The one-eyed man nodded in thought, a hint of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

But soon, persuaded by his companion in a low voice, he made a decision, raised his head and reached out his hand to Xu Zhou.

"You can call me Fan Jia. I'll take this job."

"I'm glad we were able to reach an agreement."

Xu Zhou shook the other person's hand, said nothing more, and turned to walk back to Wu Lulu's side.

At this moment, the girl was tearing into a whole roasted chicken with all her might, her mouth dripping with oil.

Seeing Xu Zhou return, she wiped her mouth, looked up, and asked:

"Boss, is it all done?"

"No, it failed."

"How could that be? You two seem to be having a great time chatting."

"Sigh, those two blockheads." Xu Zhou rubbed his temples helplessly. "I knew what they were up to the moment I saw them."

He admitted that he was still too young and had not yet shaken off the ideas he had developed in his previous life amidst flowers and white doves.

Seeing Wu Lulu tilting her head and looking confused, he patiently explained.

"They probably take my willingness to cooperate as a sign of weakness. They're probably plotting how to kill me, steal the treasure, and then collect the remaining payment from Chi Feng, making money twice over."

"Huh?" Wu Lulu's eyes widened, and she said indignantly, "That's so unprofessional!"

"What morals do two outlaws have? They're not even from the Alliance... Oh, Chifeng is also from the Alliance, so never mind."

Looking at Chi Feng again, the other party still had that calm and composed smile, but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes, clearly seeing through Xu Zhou's current frustration.

Before long, a figure appeared at the entrance to the second-floor staircase deep inside the banquet hall.

The newcomer was nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a sturdy build. He wore a sharp aristocratic suit and his back was as straight as a pine tree.

He descended the steps with firm strides, the heavy sound of his footsteps echoing clearly in the silent hall, each step seeming to pound on people's hearts.

Earl Lionheart's cold gaze swept over everyone in the hall, his body radiating a chilling aura as if he had crawled out of a pile of corpses, making everyone present feel suffocated and almost unable to breathe.

Wu Lulu, however, was completely oblivious, engrossed in her struggle with a goose leg, gnawing on it with such concentration that Xu Zhou secretly worried for her.

But then I thought, this is a banquet after all, and the Earl probably won't care about these trivial matters.

And indeed, that was the case. Count Lionheart stepped onto the platform, took the wine glass from the butler behind him, glanced around below again, and slowly spoke, his voice deep and resonant.

"Gentlemen, for decades, I have stood at the forefront of humanity's defenses, fighting and battling the dark creatures lurking in the world, day and night without rest."

"My family has two sons and one daughter, all of whom went to the battlefield with me and perished in the war against the dark creatures. Not a single one of my blood and flesh survived."

"Years of bloody battles, countless times facing dire straits, yet I, the Earl, have never retreated a single step!" The Earl raised his arm, his chest puffed out, his voice suddenly rising, "For even if darkness reigns supreme for a time, it can never annihilate humanity! Humanity will surely win the final victory!"

He raised his glass high.

"Gentlemen! Tonight's banquet is not for the war, but solely for my youngest daughter! I am deeply grateful for your presence. May you all drink heartily and enjoy the delicious food! With this cup, I toast you all, to the courage of humanity, and to the well-being and happiness of my daughter throughout her life!"

After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

You could tell he was an old nobleman the moment he opened his mouth; he was quite adept at social niceties.

At that moment, someone unexpected spoke up.

Standing in the center, Chi Feng raised his wine glass and calmly gestured to the Earl.

"Your Excellency Earl, since this banquet is for your daughter, why not invite your daughter to meet us? We can then present her with gifts and blessings in person."

"That's exactly what I'm about to say." The count handed the wine glass back to the butler and gave everyone a friendly smile.

"To be honest, my daughter has been frail and sickly since childhood and has lived in seclusion on the manor for many years, rarely going out. Today's banquet is not only to celebrate her birthday, but also to invite all of you distinguished guests to accompany her so that she can enjoy herself to the fullest."

"There will naturally be a reward for this. If any of you can find the young lady in my household and win her favor, I will surely bestow upon you a generous gift!"