Chapter 650 Sweet Dreams
"...Okay, that's probably the situation. When you enter the venue later, you can move freely and try whatever you want. But remember, try to see more, listen more, and talk less. If you are not sure about something, just ask me directly."
Seeing that the servants of the City Lord's Mansion who came to pick them up were already waiting by the carriage door, Shute gave a final instruction, and then got off the carriage with the three of them, and stepped into the brightly lit carnival banquet tonight.
After entering the glorious gate, the luxurious interior of the castle was completely revealed to the four people.
The huge white marble columns were embossed with exquisite patterns, countless gorgeous oil paintings were hung on the walls, and a bright magic crystal chandelier was hung every few meters in the wide and interconnected corridors.
One by one, the sweet-looking, coolly dressed elves and orc maids shuttled through the corridors, guiding many distinguished guests to step onto the spiral staircase covered with red carpets and enter the main banquet hall on the second floor of the castle.
The air was filled with sweet and charming fragrance, which made the weaker Roche and the other two blush.
"What happened to them?"
However, as they walked, the sharp-eyed Alyssa noticed that in the corners of some corridors in the distance, some professionals with blurred eyes were lying on the ground or half leaning against the wall.
Even if the maids around them passed by them, they just carefully avoided them and did not take any measures against them.
"Those people? It's just the effect of the dream potion."
Glancing at the direction indicated by Alyssa, Shuter spoke nonchalantly.
"They are low-level professionals raised by the City Lord's Mansion, but with their current strength and status, they can only participate in the carnival banquet held in the open-air garden of the courtyard tonight.
At the banquet, everyone can receive a bottle of dream potion as a reward. I believe some of you should have heard of this potion, which allows the drinker to temporarily put aside all the troubles in reality and have a good dream."
"Of course, everything has its shortcomings. The biggest problem with this potion is that when the effect of the potion ends and you have to wake up from the dream, the huge gap in reality will make the user feel a huge sense of loss, and then seek more dream potions.
And as the number of times increases, the user will gradually develop drug resistance, causing the original potion to become less effective, and have to choose to take a larger dose or a higher-level dream potion at a time."
"Why do you want to touch this kind of thing? Don't they know the consequences of taking too much potion?"
Alyssa asked incomprehensibly. Whether it was her aristocratic family education or the knight's commandments, it was difficult for her to understand why someone would choose to be so self-degrading.
"Besides, why did the City Lord's Mansion give them such things? Wouldn't it seriously weaken their perception and combat capabilities? What if an enemy attacks them while they are asleep?"
"I think, Alyssa, this is their sadness..."
After looking at Roche, who also looked a little confused, and Shuster, who was silent, Matt finally spoke carefully and expressed his understanding of this.
"These people who use potions are usually low-level professionals who have to flee here for some reason.
They usually bear huge mental pressure and live in anxiety every day. If they close their eyes today, they cannot guarantee that they can open them again tomorrow.
If you want to get rid of this state, you can only find a way to break through the fourth level.
But in this remote border city, cultivation resources are strictly controlled. In addition to the sky-high resources on the black market, you can only choose to perform various extremely dangerous and difficult tasks in exchange.
In this state, even if they are very clear about the consequences, many people will choose to find the next bottle of potion to numb themselves after waking up, because they can't see any hope in the future."
"Machi is right, Alyssa, Roche, maybe you may find it difficult to understand, but for most professionals, the fourth level is an insurmountable chasm."
[Spark] Deputy Leader Xiu Te nodded, and then continued with Matt's words.
"The people you see are actually just the epitome of more hopeless civilian professionals. Due to the monopoly of the noble rulers, without the assistance of rare treasures or magic potions, they usually cannot break through in their lifetime."
"As for why the City Lord's Mansion gave them this potion, the reason is also very simple. I hope you can understand one thing, the so-called "disadvantages" and "advantages" are relative."
"In order to obtain this potion, these professionals are willing to pay a huge price. Then, as long as the City Lord's Mansion controls the source of this potion, it is equivalent to controlling these professionals.
Although only the strength of the second or third level, it is enough to be an ordinary guard or city guard."
Speaking of this, the group just arrived in front of the main banquet hall. Xu Te stopped talking, signaled the three to stop discussing, and then entered it under the welcome of the maid.
.
….….
Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, the environment in the banquet hall has become much quieter and more elegant.
A huge spiral chandelier hung from the expanded ceiling, and the white light shone through countless faceted crystals, reflecting brilliant colors throughout the grand banquet hall.
Compared to the garden outside the castle, the servants here were obviously more charming, and their gauze clothes were more delicate and revealing.
Glittering gem-like wines were piled up into tall wine towers, and the mithril plates were piled with delicacies from all over the Federation. Masked guests were already wandering around the banquet hall, enjoying everything they could see.
On the main seat, the city lord, wearing a dark golden mask, was enjoying himself with several old friends.
Several girls and boys in rags crowded around him. Although they all had a hint of fear in their eyes, they were still trying their best to please him.
After entering the hall, Shuster looked around, and then walked towards a man in a black and white striped dress with a half-black and half-silver mask with a clear goal.
Several people had gathered around the other party at this moment, and it was unknown what they were discussing.
But in the process, his steps suddenly stopped, and his eyes under the dark mask suddenly turned to the direction deeper into the city lord's mansion.
Just now, some very hidden mental fluctuations penetrated his mental barrier and detected the breath of his body. The other party's strength was at least the same level as him, or even higher!
This made Xu Te's heart tighten instantly, and his slightly relaxed heart suddenly lifted up. He immediately tried to track the other party's position in reverse, but in the end he got nothing.
Looking deeply at the city lord who was unaware of all this, Xu Te frowned secretly.
In the intelligence, the city lord of Longying City was only a seventh-level, and he himself was the strongest in this area. But now it seems that the situation seems a bit complicated. Behind the other party, there may also be a strong man standing.
This detection behavior is not only to count the strength of the guests, but also a disguised display of muscle. Unless you are a ninth-level crown, don't make trouble here.
After calming down, Xu Te walked towards the ambassador without changing his pace.
He has no conflict with the organizer of the party for the time being, so there is no need to make trouble. The main thing is to negotiate cooperation with the ambassador as soon as possible.
.
….….
"An eighth-level peak? This breath is a bit familiar. It seems that the deputy commander of Xinghuo is here too?"
However, in the direction where Xu Te's gaze was staring, Avis retracted his mental power and looked at him with some surprise.
"The people he brought with him seemed to be familiar faces, Roche, Matt, and Alyssa? It seems like she chose the resistance route in the end."