Chapter 109: Palace Banquet
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
New guests continued to stream in, their chatter blending into a constant hum that drifted beneath the bright chandeliers of the banquet hall. Suddenly, the noise began to die down from one end of the hall, spreading like a quiet ripple across the crowd. People instinctively parted, retreating like the tide under the weight of silence. A calm, youthful voice rang out, steady and composed. “Please, no need for formality. Enjoy the gentle night.”
The murmur of conversation resumed slightly, but in the path of the speaker, the crowd remained respectfully quiet—until he chose to engage them directly.
Heinrich stood beside a tall, pristine Roman column, his posture composed. From the crowd, Zhou Pingbo, who had struggled to extricate himself from a dense knot of guests, spotted Heinrich’s distinctive silver hair and quickly made his way over with a glass in hand.
“Ah, fewer people over here. I really don’t understand how they all have so much to say,” Zhou grumbled as he approached.
“Mmh,” Heinrich replied noncommittally, offering no opinion. Not far off, several representatives from large weapons manufacturers were still watching Zhou Pingbo, trying to determine if they could coax out any information about the soon-to-be-mass-produced new Zerg weapons—specifically, which company had won the contract.
However, Heinrich’s presence gave them pause. Among the many legions of the Imperial military, the Seventh Patrol Legion was one of the rare few that refused corporate sponsorship and maintained full independence. That alone made approaching him a delicate matter.
Before they could make up their minds, someone else stepped in. Someone neither Heinrich nor Zhou Pingbo could afford to turn away.
Crown Prince Leo Arsen of the Marion Empire. “Good evening, Marshal Chu.”
Prince Leo had a warm, composed demeanor, holding a flute of champagne in his hand. Noticing Heinrich’s hands empty at his sides, he gestured to a nearby server, who promptly brought over a glass of fragrant wine.
“To Marshal Chu of the Empire,” Leo said, raising his glass. “May victory always be at your side.”
He turned with a smile to Zhou Pingbo. “And to Principal Zhou as well.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Heinrich replied in a low voice and drained his glass in one smooth motion.
Zhou Pingbo couldn’t very well snub the prince either. Despite already having several drinks thanks to a barrage of flattery earlier, he raised his glass and swallowed the remaining wine in one gulp. The alcohol hit quickly, and he staggered slightly.
“Principal Zhou, are you alright?” Leo asked with polite concern.
Zhou waved it off with a smile. “Poor constitution, not much of a drinker.”
“You’re a pillar of the nation, Principal Zhou,” the prince said. “Your research is important, but so is your health. Please take care of yourself.”
“I appreciate Your Highness’s concern.”
Leo turned back to Heinrich. “You as well, Marshal. I heard you were injured while pursuing the Zerg on your way to ancient Earth. Thank you for your service.”
“It’s all part of the job,” Heinrich replied.
Leo looked like he wanted to say more, but just then, a palace attendant approached and whispered something in his ear. Leo listened, then gave both men an apologetic smile. “His Majesty is calling for me. Please, excuse me.”
After the prince left, Zhou Pingbo grabbed a glass of juice to wash the alcohol from his mouth. “Keeping up that approachable image must be exhausting,” he muttered. “Such a young kid already smiling like a pre-programmed robot.”
He knew Heinrich wouldn’t take part in gossip about the royal family and didn’t expect a response—but there was one bit of gossip that might just get his attention.
“Did you see the rumors about you and Lin Xu floating around StarNet? They’ve even got ones about Lin Xu and Godric, and Lin Xu and Mandan.”
“What?” Heinrich finally reacted.
Zhou shot him a look. “Arnold said you’ve been so busy lately you haven’t had time to go to HQ, just attending meetings online. Looks like it’s true—you haven’t even had time to check StarNet.”
“Haven’t seen it,” Heinrich admitted.
“Eh, nothing major.” Zhou waved it off. “But aren’t you living at Lin Xu’s place now? What’ve you two been doing?”
“Cooking.”
“…What?”
“Cooking,” Heinrich repeated, choosing a simpler word.
“No, I heard you. I’m just shocked you actually cook?”
“Lin Xu taught me,” Heinrich said. “He doesn’t use smart robots. Doesn’t like nutrition packs either. Someone has to cook.”
Zhou turned to him, stunned. After a long pause, he finally said, “You’ll have to let me try your cooking sometime.”
“We’ll see—after we get back from Thales,” Heinrich replied, lifting his head casually to glance around. But at that moment, his gaze froze, fixed on the entrance of the banquet hall.
Zhou followed his line of sight and immediately spotted the tall, broad-shouldered alpha male standing out from the crowd—a man with rugged stubble and the wild, magnetic presence of a lion.
“Chief of Staff Guy always knows how to stand out,” Zhou murmured.
Heinrich didn’t respond. His attention wasn’t on the Sixth Legion’s chief of staff. It was on someone else at the doorway—Lin Xu, standing beside the palace guards, having his invitation carefully inspected.
– –
The Perseus Group needed a high-ranking representative to attend the palace banquet. When Marianna was around, she would attend in person. This time, the plan was for Mandan to go, but earlier that afternoon, he had ingested the SA099 catalyst. Lin Xu had accidentally dislocated his wrist bone, leaving a large bruise across his forehead. Mandan was still lying in the hospital, unable to move.
Chen Jinshan had left Capital Star to search for allied artifacts for Lin Xu, so Lin Xu was the only candidate left.
Mandan, sedated and still groggy in a dazed, weakened state, instinctively grabbed Lin Xu’s sleeve, crying out and begging him not to forget the banquet. The Perseus Group wouldn’t dare stand His Majesty the Emperor up.
Lin Xu sighed at how pitiful Mandan looked and promised he would go. After leaving the hospital, Godric suggested Lin Xu take his car straight to the palace. So, as the city lights flickered on at dusk, Lin Xu arrived at the banquet hall inside the Imperial Palace and showed his electronic invitation to the guards. On the other side of the grand entrance, a tall alpha soldier was also verifying an invitation.
“Lin Xu, Director of Perseus Group,” the guard confirmed after scanning the ID. Just as he was about to let him pass, a voice called out beside him.
“Lin Xu?”
Lin Xu looked up toward the source of the voice. His expression froze, then slowly furrowed his brows. He opened his mouth but didn’t know how to address the person.
At that moment, the other person’s invitation verification beeped. “Guy, Chief of Staff of the Sixth Legion.”
Lin Xu hesitated, confirmed the name and title, then spoke slowly, “Hello, Chief of Staff Guy.”
Guy took a few steps toward Lin Xu, his amber eyes seeming to hold some meaning. “Long time no see. Looks like you’re doing well in Capital Star.”
“Thank you for your care all those years ago,” Lin Xu said, understanding the unspoken message. “Your health has improved quite a bit too, Chief.”
Guy smiled. “It benefits both of us. Well, I’ll go in first.”
Without hesitation, Guy turned and walked into the banquet hall. Many guests recognized him, and he greeted them warmly. Eventually, he met up with Kalt, Vice-Marshal Kalt affiliated with the Sixth Legion and one of his subordinates. Kalt led him toward other high-ranking Capital Star officials. Godric, who had stayed by Lin Xu’s side, asked, “Does Dr. Lin know the Chief of Staff Guy?”
“We’ve met a few times,” Lin Xu answered.
More than a few times. Back in the border region, Lin Xu had personally saved Guy from the fangs of a strange beast. In return, Guy had helped Lin Xu get a perfect new identity for very little money.
Back then, Guy had been the leader of the Star Pirates, the most dangerous band in the border region! Lin Xu didn’t know how Guy had transformed into Chief of Staff of the Sixth Legion, but now, both men knew each other’s secret identities and tacitly agreed to keep silent.
Guy’s tall figure soon disappeared into the crowd. Lin Xu, carrying his doubts, stepped into the banquet hall and immediately met Heinrich’s golden eyes. He headed toward that quiet corner. Godric wisely chose not to follow but overheard whispers as he passed through the crowd.
“How did Lin Xu get in?”
“This banquet isn’t fully invitation-only. Aren’t outsiders barred?”
“Chapman’s rich. Marshal Chu’s rich. Either one could get him in to feed their vanity.”
“But now it looks like he came with Chapman. Why did he walk straight over to Marshal Chu? Are those people really that close?”
“Who knows?”
Online posts could be deleted, but face-to-face gossip was harder to avoid.
Godric’s expression darkened. When a few familiar friends boldly asked how he had gotten Lin Xu inside, hoping to bring their own dates next time, Godric quickly masked his growing frustration and spoke up, smiling modestly.
“The palace has its own rules; I can’t break them. Dr. Lin is the heir to the Perseus Group. His invitation was personally signed by His Majesty. By the way, White Bird Shipping is negotiating a tech partnership with the Perseus Group. If anyone is interested in investing, feel free to pay attention.”
Heir to the Perseus Group?! Some gasped. Everyone knew how terrifyingly powerful the Perseus Group’s money machine was.
“Isn’t the heir supposed to be Ms. Perser’s husband?” someone doubted.
Godric explained, “Dr. Lin was Ms. Perser’s favorite student. He inherited half of the group.”
If that was true, previous speculation about Lin Xu’s relationship with Heinrich, Godric, and Mandan could no longer be trusted—perhaps the truth was the opposite. Some whispered to their companions, “Isn’t Marshal Chu supposed to avoid contact with private corporations? But now he’s cozying up to Lin Xu… I’m starting to worry, maybe the Abyss Fleet is running out of funds and Marshal Chu has no choice but to…”
“Girl, wake up. Who can force Marshal Chu?”
“Could it be that Marshal Chu is bearing the humiliation willingly?”
Not everyone attending the banquet was from the Capital Star nobility. So most of the whispered conversations were driven purely by gossip. But Lanser listened to the murmurs with a stiff expression. An omega tried to strike up some gossip with him, but his face fell, and he turned away without a word. He hurried into the lounge beside the banquet hall, and in that short walk, tears streaked down his face. Those seated in the room were interrupted by his sudden arrival and looked displeased.
Lanser’s father, Sophos, cast a sharp, stern glance at him. But Lanser paid no attention—he collapsed at his father’s feet, crying out, “Father, what is going on with that Lin Xu? Chapman said he’s the heir to the Perseus Group.”
“What did you say?!”
Lanser looked toward the deeply shocked Duke Chu. “Lin Xu is the heir to the Perseus Group.”
Duke Paris pressed down on Duke Chu, who was about to stand, and said coldly, “We’ve already made an agreement, Duke Chu. There’s no room for backtracking here.”
“But your plan has gone awry.” As he spoke, the screen by Paris’s side showed live news footage—an image of Mandan pinned to the ground by Lin Xu. This was absolutely not the outcome they wanted. Comments were already flooding in the live feed, spreading rumors about the banquet—someone had apparently leaked Lin Xu’s status as heir online.
The comment section exploded:
“??? So this isn’t the cold-faced Marshal and his delicate little wife?”
“Nor the white moonlight of two domineering CEOs?”
“Looking at the picture, it seems the Perseus Group and White Bird Shipping were negotiating business. Maybe CEO Mandan’s terms didn’t satisfy Lin Xu, and now it’s a capitalists’ showdown with the employee getting beaten up.”
