I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"Furthermore, Dr. House is connected to Mrs. Martina and the Catania family, and someone from the Catania family has also died..."

As he said this, he flipped through the case file again and looked at the list of those on trial.

Twisted Fate quickly recognized a familiar name: McKee, the name of the gangster who died because of the Glass Flower.

He participated in the operation to kill the Sharp Knife Gang, but was later made a scapegoat and was eventually released on bail without punishment.

"So this is where the connection was..."

Drizzt felt the threads in his mind gradually becoming clearer.

The deaths of these three people are indeed related to this incident.

What kind of murderer would harbor such hatred to kill these three people?

Trist believed that as long as a motive could be found, the murderer could be deduced quickly.

Because these cases are clearly highly purposeful.

Once the motive is revealed, it clearly points to the murderer.

"It seems I'll have to ask the Catania family a good question tonight."

He thought of his banquet invitation.

……

evening.

The core urban area of ​​the abandoned capital.

This place is completely different from the surrounding area.

The streets were clean, the buildings stood side by side, and the windows were much brighter.

The streets are filled with all kinds of vehicles, flowing endlessly, and people coming and going.

Colorful signs stand between buildings, making the road colorful as well. The streetlights are so bright that they obscure the starlight and moonlight.

From any random shop on the street, you could hear songs playing on a gramophone, the cheerful music filling the area as if trying to cover up all the evil.

Most of the people on the street were dressed in decent clothes. These clothes were exquisitely made, some were hand-sewn, and fit the body perfectly. The cost of just one button was enough to feed the people in the slums for a week.

This was Lu Ban's first time truly visiting such an affluent area. The mansion in the ancient capital was already considered luxurious, but now he could feel that the people in the ancient capital were just ordinary rich people, while the people living here were the true upper class of the ruined capital.

Children who grow up here will never know what pig feed tastes like, will never have to sell their bodies for money, and will never show a bright smile over bread stained with mud or a sandwich left over from someone else.

Lu Ban wasn't feeling too comfortable either. He was wearing a cheap suit, which was rented and didn't fit him well. There weren't many people his height in the ruined city, so the suit was a bit too small.

Drizzt also pulled out his most treasured formal attire, handling it with utmost care, afraid of getting it dirty.

As for Sia, she rented an emerald green evening gown. For Sia, who had grown up in a free environment, wearing such a corseted dress and high heels was obviously quite uncomfortable.

"May I take off my shoes, at least before the banquet begins?"

Sia rubbed her fair feet. The torment of high heels on her heels was more agonizing than the most troublesome magic problem. She couldn't help but take off her shoes and walk barefoot in the car, feeling quite pleased.

"Watch your image, I don't want you to get kicked out."

Trist straightened his tie. The car arrived at the hotel entrance just in time. He got out first, followed by Lu Ban, and finally, Sia, who looked displeased and had put on high heels.

They are about to attend a charity banquet hosted by the Catania family.

Chapter 408 Pay Attention to Your Image

Having witnessed the filth and stench of the Black Street and the hardships and misery of the poor, Lu Ban felt that the difference between this luxurious banquet in the Upper City and his journey to another world was even greater.

Inside the brightly lit hall, men and women dressed in gorgeous clothes were singing and dancing on the dance floor, chatting on the sofas, and standing on the terrace, holding expensive cigarettes and cigars, puffing away.

On the banquet hall tables, a dazzling array of food was on display: roasted suckling pig with crispy skin and tender meat, steaks sizzling on the hot plate, roasted chickens, fried fish, and more. Although it couldn't compare to the exquisite and elaborate presentation of food in Lu Ban's era, in the environment of the ruined capital, these dishes could definitely be considered luxurious.

"With so much food, I can just eat whatever I want?"

Looking at the table full of food, Xia felt her soul almost spilling out of her mouth.

"You... mind your image."

Trist knew he couldn't dissuade Sia; this glutton would inevitably drown in a sea of ​​food and forget the purpose of his trip.

However, he also noticed that there were many guests sitting around the table, including a member of the Catania family, the eldest brother of this generation, Peter.

“Peter Catania is more of a gourmet than a gangster. He loves food and has little interest in the family business. You can use meals to keep an eye on him.”

Trist said to Sia.

Sia's eyes had turned into the shape of roasted chickens, and it was unclear whether she had understood what she was saying.

As soon as Trist let go, Sia rushed to the dining table, grabbed a mountain of food from her plate, and sat down two tables away from the gangster boss. She wolfed down her food, which surprised many people.

No one bothered her.

Most of the people who attend these charity banquets are wealthy people who have so much money they don't know what to do with it and need to satisfy their spiritual needs through donations. Everyone is very polite and will not speak rudely to unfamiliar and pretty girls.

Even though she ate, she didn't look much better than a pig.

Lu Ban had experienced similar situations several times and knew how to handle them.

He and Drizzt each grabbed a glass of wine, pretending to be familiar with the others as they greeted them. Meanwhile, Drizzt was explaining some things about the Catania family to him.

The Catania family currently has two sons and three daughters.

Peter, the eldest brother, was there enjoying the food and wine while dealing with the flattery of others.

Corsica, the second son, is the most likely to inherit the family position. He is ruthless and highly skilled in combat. He once led a gang fight and killed more than a dozen people. The man surrounded by many people next to the dance floor is him.

The eldest daughter, Carol, is gentle and teaches at a school in the upper town; she did not attend the dinner tonight.

The second daughter, Talia, helps with the family business and is very shrewd. She has a tense relationship with her second brother and is seen dancing with a woman in a suit and trousers on the dance floor.

The third daughter, Madame Martina, loved theater and, after marrying a theater actor, frequently attended various parties, making her a socialite.

Madame Martina was nowhere to be seen at the banquet; only her husband was there, engaging in ostentatious and boastful conversation with several portly businessmen.

Lu Ban looked around, but he had already forgotten all the names.

He simply categorized the people present into the gourmet, the second brother, the tomboy, and Mrs. Martina.

As for why only Martina deserves a name, it's because Drizzt mentioned it too many times.

Their father, the true head of the Catania family, Godfather Corneón, usually did not attend such banquets, or he would simply sit in one of the rooms of the banquet hall, holding a cat and listening to other people's requests to kiss the ring on his finger.

In the ruined capital, there were just as many people who wanted to please him as there were people who wanted to kill him.

Suddenly, the music on the dance floor changed, and a classical melody began to play. Lu Ban looked over and saw a woman in a dress that clung to her body like a cheongsam smiling slightly as she began to sing. On the stage in front of the band, in front of the microphone, a woman wearing a dress that clung to her body like a cheongsam began to sing.

"I don't know why, but sorrow surrounds me. I pray every day to drive away the loneliness of love..."

Her voice is full of emotion, melodious and gentle, and when paired with old tunes, it is easy to immerse the listener in it.

"How could it be her?"

Drizzt paused, then stopped in his tracks when he saw the singer.

Lu Ban glanced at her. The singer was dressed gracefully and had a beautiful face with a classical charm, far superior to the internet celebrity beauties in his world.

"Is she the singer you were talking about?"

Lu Ban was curious.

"Yes, Ms. Charlotte, a real singer."

Trist instinctively straightened his clothes.

"I didn't expect them to invite her."

"Are you going to catch up with some old friends?"

Lu Ban glanced at the female singer. At least in Lu Ban's opinion, she didn't have any strange or unusual physical structure; she was at least a normal person.

No, thank you.

Triss's face turned as if he had suddenly found a weakness, or as if he had suddenly gained armor.

The charity dinner officially began a dozen minutes later.

The second brother gave the speech. Lu Ban saw that Stone, or rather Stone, was standing in the shadows behind the second brother. He was like a shadow, secretly observing everyone.

"...I hope to build a beautiful new wasteland where we can eliminate poverty, hunger, and crime, improve the living conditions of factory workers, make the air in the black streets no longer stink, and allow every resident of the wasteland to find their own happiness..."

My second brother spoke with great passion and enthusiasm. He has a natural talent for oratory; his pauses, tone of voice, and body language effectively evoked the emotions of the audience.

When he mentioned that the factory workers were suffering from various illnesses due to overwork and polluted air, some people in the audience wiped away tears, and when he spoke of the threats outside the ruins, the monsters, and the horrors of the ratmen, some guests showed fear.

If Lu Ban hadn't known he was the head of the gang, he almost would have believed it.

Then the donations began. Lu Ban vaguely remembered that a meal downstairs from Trist's house cost only ten or twenty yuan per person, but the donations here were tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. He wondered how many factory workers could have a full meal with that money.

"It's all fake. They call it charity, but it's actually forced donations. Many small business owners, such as factory owners or shopkeepers, have to donate money along with those big shots. In the end, the money they receive is returned to those big shots, and the rest is split 30/70 with the gangsters. Less than one-tenth of what's left for the workers is actually left."

Drizzt whispered to Lu Ban.

"Let's go find Mrs. Martina."

He found a member of the gang and explained his purpose to him.

The man then led Trist and Lu Ban to the entrance of a lounge outside the banquet hall.

Two burly thugs stood guard at the entrance. They glanced at Drizzt and opened the door to the lounge.

Lu Ban was initially curious about how Mrs. Martina, with her peculiar tastes, would react.

But when the door opened, everything was shattered.

In that room, on that soft sofa, the 30-something gangster woman, still charming, lay crookedly on her side in a strange posture, her abdomen, internal organs, and bones being pulled, twisted, and rotated.

The glass flower blooms quietly.

Chapter 409 I've Bloomed Too

In an instant, Trist recovered from his shock. As a detective, although such a scene could impact his rationality, he was also very quick to recover. He immediately went into the house to check if there were any other entrances or exits, and then sent the gang's thugs to call the rest of the Catania family.

"This room has no windows, and the banquet hall is on the other side of the wall. Apart from the ventilation opening, there is nowhere else to go out."

Trist glanced at the narrow ventilation opening.