Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 258 No Feast is Good

Although Grand Duke Ivan worked in the royal palace, he could not live in this residence, which theoretically belonged only to the Empress. His luxurious mansion was located on a hilltop on the other side, slightly lower than the Spring Palace.

They were both on the mountaintop, not far apart, but it took Murphy more than an hour to arrive.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Although we don't know what Ivan is up to, it certainly wasn't just about treating him to food and drinks.

However, Murphy did not refuse.

After all, the Queen had announced the operation tonight, and he had originally planned to visit Ivan's residence tonight anyway, so this saved him some trouble.

However, it was a bit too early, and he was worried that Grandma Yaga wouldn't be able to get the news in time to respond, so he kept dawdling.

First, they said he needed to change his clothes. After changing, he needed to wash up. After washing up, they said his clothes were wet, so he needed to change into another set. When he finally got ready and went out, the waiter waiting outside to take him there saw him and said, "Isn't this exactly the same as when you came in?"

The waiter looked puzzled. After they left, Murphy dawdled, saying the scenery was nice and he wanted to recite a poem. After a while, all he came up with was: "Ah, look at this moon, it's so big and round..."

A little while later, he came to the edge of the cliff and said he wanted to urinate ten feet into the wind, but the servants stopped him after much persuasion. After all, the ancestral tombs were below, and if he urinated there, the coffins of his ancestors would turn green with envy.

Completely annoyed by Murphy's antics, the waiter wanted to return to report, but Murphy wouldn't allow it, saying, "If you leave, who will show me the way?"

The waiter pointed to the main road beneath his feet: "Go straight ahead on this road..."

"My Mandarin isn't very good, can you say 'backwards'?"

"Forward, Mr. Murphy. Forward. In the direction I'm pointing."

"You said the moon is very round? Oh, I see." Murphy gave a thumbs up. "You're right."

"I mean, move forward, forward..."

"down?"

"Forward, forward...over there..."

"west?"

"...Let me take you there. This way, Mr. Murphy."

"What time is it?"

"It's 10 PM, Mr. Murphy..."

"It's so late! What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go, people are getting impatient!"

"..."

Leading the servant, who had been driven to the brink of mental collapse by his torment, to the Grand Duke's mansion, Murphy immediately attracted everyone's attention.

A waiter stopped him. "Please hand over your wand."

Murphy glanced at him, shrugged indifferently, and casually pulled out his wand from his waist and handed it to him.

Wands are no longer a necessity for him, but he still keeps about seventy or eighty in his storage ring. He'll just hand over one when asked to.

"British envoy Murphy Darkholm has arrived..." The announcer had barely finished speaking when Murphy slapped him on the head. "How dare you address me by my first name? Do you know who I am?"

"Who...who are you?"

"I, Darkholm III, am the Emperor of the Eldians, the Undead, the Yato, the Kurta, and the Uchiha, the Guardian of Hyrule, the Conqueror of Rilden, the Lord of Terraria, the Savior of the Borderlands, Yharnam, and Arad, the Super King, the Demon... cough, the Godfather in Black, the Savior—Avatar, Murphy Darkholm."

hiss……

The familiar sound of gasps echoed once again throughout the mansion.

However, the dozen or so envoys from other countries felt that something was amiss.

Why does it feel like... it's not quite the same as what you said before?

But Murphy had already arrived at the table and, without waiting for anyone to greet him, found a seat and sat down.

They were in an open-air courtyard, with countless lanterns floating in the sky, and a cliff beyond the railing, offering a very wide view.

Seated at the head of the table was a rather handsome middle-aged man, dressed in a red robe with gold trim. This was Grand Duke Ivan, whose portrait Murphy had seen before he came.

Standing beside him was a slightly shorter man in military uniform with sharp eyes; this was Sophie Christian, the former captain of the Royal Guard.

To Ivan's left sat a young man, about the same age as Murphy, who looked six or seven parts like Ivan. He was Ivan's eldest son, Lars Frederick.

To his right sat an elderly man with long, gray hair, thin and withered, with a rune on his dark forehead painted with some kind of crimson pigment that Murphy couldn't understand.

This is Felipe Carlos, a great shaman of the same rank as Alexei, known as the Song of the Earth.

Murphy frowned. Why was he still here after dawdling for so long? Had Grandma Yaga not made a move yet?

At this moment, Murphy felt that the gazes of Ivan and the other two were all on him. In the old shaman's eyes, there was something like a flame flickering. Even though they were looking at each other from a distance, Murphy could feel the other's surging magic power, which was as hard as stone and as heavy as a mountain, making him feel a chill down his spine.

This guy is pretty good; he shouldn't be much worse than Alexei.

Suddenly, Felipe stood up, his gaze still fixed on Murphy.

This guy... is he planning to make the first move?

Just then, a maid trotted over and whispered something in Grand Duke Ivan's ear. She then spoke a few words to the High Shaman, who frowned, glanced at Murphy one last time, and then left with the maid.

"I apologize, everyone, there's been a slight problem at the ancestral tombs. The High Shaman has to go check on them and won't be able to join us. But that's alright, now that everyone's here, let's begin the feast," said Grand Duke Ivan.

Murphy breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Grandma Yaga had made it in time.

The banquet started off very boring, consisting mainly of drinking, eating, singing, dancing, and boasting. Murphy didn't touch a single bite of the food or drinks; he was keeping track of the time and waiting to see what Ivan was really up to.

After several rounds of drinks, the servants cleared away the mess on the table and poured everyone a fresh cup of wine.

Ivan picked up his glass, stood up, and the music stopped abruptly.

Murphy also raised his eyes; the real drama was finally about to begin.

"We are deeply honored that you have come from afar to propose marriage to Her Majesty the Queen," Ivan said with a smile, delivering his speech eloquently and raising a toast with several guests.

"As everyone should know, Her Majesty Sophia is my sister's daughter, and I watched her grow up. Sophia is gentle, virtuous, and delicate. Having lost her child at a young age, she has always stayed by my side, and we are like father and daughter."

The crowd nodded in agreement, eagerly awaiting Ivan's next words.

Murphy rolled his eyes.

Delicate and frail temperament?

That empress?

And like father and daughter?

You two are truly a loving father and a filial daughter.

"My son," he said, pulling up Lars beside him, "Las Frederick, who has been by Sophia's side since childhood, and they were childhood sweethearts."

"The two have long since fallen in love and pledged their lives to each other. However, due to court etiquette, they have no choice but to extend an invitation to everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone who had just been saying "very good, very good" suddenly looked like chickens with their necks being choked, and they were all dumbfounded.

Good grief, what does that mean?

You want to arrange marriages within your own clan?

Are we just there to make up the numbers?

Although I've heard that you Soviets like to do this kind of thing, you shouldn't play tricks on people like this, right?

"For the happiness of my son, and for the continuation of my kingship, I, Ivan Frederick, apologize to you all. If you will withdraw from tomorrow's selection of a son-in-law, then drink this cup of wine, and I will offer you generous compensation before you leave the city."

Silence filled the hall as everyone was stunned and unsure how to react.

"Clap clap clap..." Just then, a round of applause rang out.

Murphy clapped his hands and nodded. "Sincere! Sincere! Duke Ivan's words are truly heartfelt, deeply moving, and bring tears to one's eyes. If I were you, I would drink that glass of wine right now."

(End of this chapter)