Chapter 60 - Confusion

"What are they laughing about?" a merchant wearing a top hat asked. He was standing a little ways away.

"Maybe business is booming and they've recently come into a windfall of cash?" someone next to him replied.

"In that case, we should ask them about it later," the merchant said, turning to look at the respondent. Both men smiled to themselves at the topic of money.

Merchants had their joys; so did martial artists. Wealth wasn’t the only source of happiness in this world.

***

It took a long time for noon to finally arrive.

Hykal wore a specially tailored blue suit that, without a left sleeve, looked like a waistcoat. This way, it wasn’t so obvious that he was missing an arm.

He quickly walked to the center of the hall and with his glass goblet raised, loudly announced the start of the banquet before downing the contents in one go. Everyone else followed suit.

Some people lingered at the long tables full of food, placing a few things on their plates, but it was all for show. Others couldn't be bothered to go through that effort and simply scouted around for conversation partners, never letting go of their wine glasses. The main purpose of the banquet was not to fill their stomachs, but to network.

At one glance, the entire banquet of around eighty people was divided into several circles. One of the circles consisted of older men who were mostly owners of manufacturing companies, gathered together to discuss serious business. Another group was composed of charming noblewomen who spoke and laughed quietly with their hands covering their mouths, mostly gossiping about high society or the latest luxury items. The last circle was full of attractive young men and women who chatted and laughed with occasional exclamations and boastful remarks.

On the other side of the long table, Moses and Cassius were inhaling the food, each armed with a fork and a plate overflowing with various delicacies.

Moses ripped off half a juicy smoked pork leg in a single bite. He chewed contentedly, glancing approvingly at Cassius who was also gnawing on a leg. Cassius seemed to sense his senior brother's gaze, and when theiir eyes met, they flashed a smile at each other.

"Hey, you gluttons, stop eating and come help," Lance complained jokingly, his face weary from the neverending conversations.

"At least let us eat our fill first!" Moses looked up.

Lance was speechless. "

Hmph

, being a little hungry won't kill you."

Moses chuckled. Meanwhile, Cassius was focused on chewing on a large piece of meat. He had always eaten in the canteen, and while it was good, it definitely paled in comparison to the banquet's dishes. His mouth was smothered in oil and grease.

Cassius called over a waiter and took a glass of wine from the tray to make his food go down smoother. The banquet had at least a dozen waiters walking around, all of whom were tall and handsome young men wearing black and white uniforms with black armbands around both sleeves. The armband's purpose was twofold: it could adjust the sleeve length by fixing it on the upper arm and pulling it up to the desired length, and it could also hold the rolled-up sleeves in place. Many gentlemen wore such armbands in the summer.

A soft and pleasant voice came from his left. "Mr. Li Wei, may I have a word with you?"

Cassius gulped down the wine and turned to look.

A beautiful girl stood in front of him. She had delicate features with reserved yet charming eyes. Her light red silk gown accentuated her long legs with a waistline that seemed deliberately cinched to make her figure appear slender. Her red-wine hair was piled high, further highlighting her pale neck and snow white chest.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Michelle Romero." The girl's smile had a hint of elegance.

Five minutes later, Michelle returned to her small circle, looking visibly frustrated. Some of the girls who were close by clamoured over to inquire about the encounter.

"I don't even want to talk about it. The one thing I'll say is that he's a unique guy." Michelle murmured to herself, "A peculiar loner..."

For the next ten minutes, the girls went up to him, one after another, to talk but all failed unequivocally.

A wise man once said that a refined gentleman could always enliven the atmosphere when he was speaking with ladies. Unfortunately, Cassius was anything but and always ended up killing the mood.

"Mr. Li Wei, you seem so tall and strong!"

"Yes."

"Mr. Li Wei, you look like you enjoy gourmet food!"

"Yes."

"Mr. Li Wei, your martial arts must be impressive!"

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Yes."

???

Wouldn’t a normal person elaborate after answering?

For example, when one compliments another’s build, a good conversationalist might show off their muscles for a bit before launching into talking about how difficult training was, and how dedicated they were. Or when one mentions another’s preference for food, a person with adept social skills would probably bring up their favorite dishes. The girls' questions were not yes-or-no questions; they were open-ended that required elaboration.

However, there was no need to explain what kind of person Cassius was. This was his way of doing things, and he wasn't going to change for irrelevant people.

In Cassius's opinion, flowery words and pleasantries could never beat a good punch.

Soon after, no one bothered to approach Cassius anymore. Thrilled to be free once more, he spent his time gnawing on ribs with Moses and enjoying the sight of Hykal and Lance bustling around.

Time went slowly until it was around two in the afternoon.

The music changed, and the customary ballroom dance finally began. Pairs of luxuriously dressed men and women danced to the lyrical music, with the man gently touching the space below the woman's left shoulder blade rather than her waist. The woman would rest her hand on the man's right shoulder, with their left hands clasped together.

"Junior Brother, don't you think our Third Senior Brother and his partner there look like two women dancing?" The bear-like Moses sprawled comfortably on the sofa in the corner, raising his eyebrows at Cassius.

Cassius, who was sipping his drink next to him, turned to look.

He could see, from afar, Senior Brother Lance dancing gracefully with a girl with an innocently cute face. However, compared to the girl, Lance seemed much more beautiful and refined. To the left, Senior Brother Hykal was also dancing with a beautiful noblewoman. He had an aristocratic air about him as he danced, graceful despite having only one arm.

"Senior Brother Hykal's a pretty good dancer," Cassius remarked.

"He is, isn't he? He's very perceptive and good at picking things up. One practice and he gets it," Moses said, snatching a bright red cherry off the coffee table and tossing it into his mouth.

Five minutes later, Cassius grabbed a glass of wine and headed toward the long table to get some dessert. He was accosted by a tall and thin middle-aged gentleman on his way there.

"Good day, Mr. Li Wei. My name is Negri, owner of Sunset Antiques. I'd like you to have my business card. Here."

As Cassius accepted the proffered card, a question popped into his mind.

If he found legendary antiques or antiques with lingering attachment during his time-travel journey, could he absorb the lingering attachment within them?