Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 358 - 70: The Beginning_1

Chapter 358: Chapter 70: The Beginning_1

"Let us raise our glasses together to celebrate this hard-won peace." Joseph raised his glass high and spoke loudly to the crowd below, "May the day come when all districts can bask in the sunlight of peace and breathe the air of harmony."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh", as soon as Joseph finished speaking, goblin fireworks shot from dozens of secret locations prepared in advance inside and outside the Crown Casino. The multi-colored fireworks exploded in various shapes in the sky, illuminating the gambling district like daylight. As the fireworks ascended, the Crystal Energy lights in the venue gradually dimmed. Under the dim light, everyone could see the beautiful and brilliant fireworks through the windows. The fireworks, which were supposed to be filled with joy, now made everyone’s expressions seem uncertain in their intermittent glow.

Those who were privileged enough to receive an invitation to the inner chamber were either dignitaries or leaders of large and medium-sized organizations in the City of Innocence. None of them were simple-minded fools; each one was adept at strategies and discerning motives. Not long after arriving at the venue, they sensed an unsettling atmosphere, regretting why they had agreed to attend. Among them, the foreign tycoons were not particularly nervous, for in the City of Innocence, any fight would certainly not involve them, these potential clients. Their only concern was incidental harm in case of an incident. However, the leaders of the various organizations were much less comfortable. They didn’t have the Amulet of Protection that the foreign tycoons had, in a power struggle, any force can take them down, and other forces wouldn’t mind a quick takeover of their organizations. With this mindset, if it were not for the consequence of inadvertently inviting an attack by leaving now, the leaders would have scattered long ago. But even though they are still in the venue, they are determined to keep a low profile today and just be good spectators.

The spectacular fireworks lasted for ten minutes. Some pedestrians outside were carried away by the excitement of the fireworks display, stopped their carriages in the middle of the street, and stuck their heads out of the carriage windows to look up at the sky. Among the pedestrians, there were some suspicious characters who weaved in and out, stealing a few gold coins from the pockets of those less vigilant. Some of these thieves were quickly dragged into a dark alley, soon followed by screams and the smell of blood.

Although the streets were bustling, the venue was quiet for a full ten minutes. No one made a sound, and each person had their thoughts, pretending to be engrossed and admiring the splendid fireworks outside.

The beautiful fireworks eventually faded away. When the colors outside returned to darkness, the lights in the venue also restored to their original brightness. Everyone, with a touch of reluctance, withdrew their gaze from the window, as if mourning the last calm before the storm.

The interior of the venue was arranged in accordance with one of the standard formats for informal dance parties. At the front center is a large stage where the orchestra is responsible for the music for the entire night. Below the stage is the dance floor, which took up a third of the hall. This is an eight to nine hundred square meters space where everyone could freely dance after finding a partner. The end of the stage was a relaxation area, which took up half of the hall. The relaxation area was filled with dozens of round dining tables, each for four people, with an assortment of exquisite dishes laid out for everyone to pick as they wished. There were no seats by the tables, as everyone was expected to move around and take food. Such arrangement was to blur the distinction between superior and inferior among guests, increasingly adopted by many informal dance parties. Of course, there were seats. A row of chairs was placed around the outside of the relaxation area, where anyone feeling tired could sit and rest.

Besides these, there was a unique feature in this venue. On one side of the relaxation area, stood a platform slightly higher than the floor, with an oval table on top. Beside the table was only Joseph. The seating arrangement was very subtle. In theory, the most respected central seat should have been left vacant by Joseph, as well as the highest-ranking seat on the right and the secondary one on the left, but Joseph, instead, had chosen the lowest-ranking seat. His face was calm, revealing no thoughts. This subtle seating arrangement made all the attendees feel a certain strangeness. No one was foolish enough to approach Joseph for small talk and relationship-building at this moment. Life was precious, and none of them wanted to invite death.

The atmosphere in the venue was bizarre. Only two or three pairs of guests from outside were open-hearted enough to still feel like dancing to the music in the dance floor. Most of the people gathered around the dining tables in the relaxation area, each holding a glass of wine, whispering in groups of two or three. The fireworks show had been over for ten minutes. Some drinks had been consumed in the venue but very little food. The guests, who were completely unable to eat, were secretly hoping in their hearts that, no matter what was going to be staged, it would start soon and end early, so they could leave the venue that felt stifling.

Joseph, as the host, had been observing everything in the venue, yet made no move to ease the tension, simply sitting quietly, staring blankly at the empty plate in front of him, as if lost in thought.

"It’s beginning now," "It’s beginning now," "It’s beginning now," whispers began to circulate among the guests, creating a ripple effect similar to a gentle breeze stirring up fine waves on a calm lake.

Amid the hushed whispers, the main door leading to the second-floor venue suddenly swung open from outside. Someone entered, crossing her arms over her chest, as if she owned the place.

"Is that her?" A group of tycoons who had frequent dealings with Shadow Hand changed their expression to fear and exclaimed in surprise, "Joseph can’t possibly have so much sway to invite her to join the celebration."

"Who is she?" A friend standing nearby took a more detailed look at this seemingly calm and composed woman, dressed in a light purple floor-length dress, wearing simple but expensive hair accessories, paired with finely made silver boots. Everything seemed perfectly normal, except for the fact that she didn’t have any accessories. No necklace, bracelet, or earrings: "Why do you look so amazed? She looks like an intellectual beauty."

"Heh, heh heh." The one being questioned stared at his friend with morbid stillness. "That’s Miss Insanity from the Shadow Hand."

The questioner nearly dived under the table. Her mercurial, mad temperament was well known. Even ordinary praise could provoke calamity. Despite being more than ten meters away and whispering, Miss Insanity heard everything. However, it seemed as if she was in a clear-headed state at present. She lifted her skirt elegantly, expressing gratitude to the two men, then walked towards a small platform where Joseph sat alone, threading through a pathway opened for her by the crowd in the resting area.

Having scrutinized the layout of the platform and taken a detailed survey of the venue, Miss Insanity snickered and walked away from the seat reserved for the most distinguished guest, to sit unapologetically. Naturally, an unfortunate waiter rushed to pour her wine. After taking a sip of the rich red wine, she put the glass back on the table, crossed her arms, and leaned back on the chair, closing her eyes as if in meditation, seemingly in no hurry whatsoever.

The people in the resting area looked at one another, understanding the impending confrontation. By this point, some gave up their wild speculations and simply began to dance with their partners. They knew that in such a high-stake standoff, if there were any accidental injuries, they could occur anywhere, so staying in the resting area was pointless. Why not enjoy the pleasures of the dance instead, rather than spending half the night anxious.

A few minutes later, the just slightly relaxed atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point. A side door leading to the lounge opened unexpectedly. A young boy, with a bashful smile on his face, bounced through the entrance.

At first, no one was surprised by the sudden appearance of a child; they continued with their own affairs. However, when the leader of a medium-sized organization accidentally glanced at the child, he let out a low exclaim: "Lord Cruel!"

Silence spread outwardly from him, and within ten seconds, the whole venue fell deadly quiet. Lord Cruel’s notorious reputation had spread throughout the entire Yarran Continent. He was the person every woman feared the most. When they realized the innocent-looking child standing before them was the same Lord Cruel, known for slaughtering women for pleasure, two women accompanying tycoons promptly fainted, while other conscious women experienced a choking sensation.

With a bounce in his steps, Lord Cruel approached the elliptical dining table, playfully tilted his head to the side, observing the layout, and bashfully took the seat at the head of the table. Simultaneously, Miss Insanity opened her eyes. The two captains whose hobbies had some subtle connections locked eyes in mid-air. After a glance, they each broke into a smile, then closed their eyes again, quietly waiting.

"Strange, isn’t Joseph subordinate to another?" A guest whispered, "Why would he sit at the principal seat?"

"Do you want to know?" The person next to him retorted.

"Absolutely not." The one who asked immediately shook his head, afraid that if he were too slow, someone might misunderstand.

Time dragged slowly, both for the dancers and the conversationalists. It had only been fifteen minutes since Lord Cruel’s appearance, but everyone felt like several years had passed.

However, it didn’t take long for five or six of them to start longing for the torment of earlier, because they saw the person they least wanted to see. This person made their faces pale in an instant, as though they had fallen into terrifying memories. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)