As the time for the banquet drew near, Ailaira Green stepped down from the carriage. She looked at the brightly lit City Hall before her.
All sorts of fine food and wine filled the tables, and expensive floral arrangements decorated the facilities at every turn. It was truly rare for that usually honest and penniless City Lord to be so extravagant for once.
If the manor originally intended to welcome foreign guests hadn’t been occupied by Ailaira Green for a long time, the banquet likely wouldn’t have been held at the City Hall.
Of course, he didn’t have the experience to host a banquet of this scale on his own, so he had naturally invited the United Guild to assist him.
The United Guild had likely taken the initiative to help, probably aiming to establish commercial cooperation with the Non-Human Races.
The City Lord, considering the city’s reputation, couldn’t simply hide behind the scenes the entire time without showing his face.
The timing of this event was chosen quite cleverly. Having realized that allowing the Visiting Delegation to move freely meant these Non-Human Races wouldn’t cause much trouble, he had immediately sent out the invitations.
It was somewhat of an attempt to borrow their prestige to bolster his own.
Ailaira Green didn’t mind this little bit of calculation. She had already obtained what she wanted, and she had already secured most of the exports the Non-Human Races could provide. The rest could be left for others to pick over; that was the only way to keep business healthy.
Ailaira Green spotted Xidi in the crowd, and the latter quickly walked toward her.
Once Xidi stood before Ailaira Green, she immediately pressed a Hero Card issued by the United Guild into Ailaira Green’s palm and said with a smile, “Miss Green, you have truly worked hard and achieved much.
This is your share from the perfume sales, along with a little personal token of my appreciation. I hope you won’t decline.”
Ailaira Green held the card between her fingers without asking for the specific amount. The two had cooperated for many years. If Xidi couldn’t even estimate a price that would satisfy her, she would have to consider finding a new partner.
“Go on and get busy. A friendly reminder: don’t go over to the Dragon Princess. All you’ll get is a beating. Other than that, she can’t even produce a single gold coin.”
Xidi glanced at Kuchierkan, who was currently devouring food at the feast in the distance. Her expression became strange, but she still heeded Ailaira Green’s warning. “Thank you for the advice. I shall take my leave then.”
‘Hmph, you’d better move quickly.’
‘Otherwise, if you’re too late, you probably won’t have time to talk business at all.’
After Xidi left, Ailaira Green sat alone in a high seat, sipping fine wine and quietly waiting for trouble to find its own way to her.
Kuchierkan shoved an entire plate of noodles into her mouth, then heartily patted her bulging stomach. She looked at Andrea, who was staring blankly at a piece of beef beside her, and asked, “Senior, aren’t you going to eat?”
Andrea replied with a small voice, pushing the beef toward Kuchierkan with a sigh. “You eat it. I have no appetite.”
“Oh, alright then.”
Kuchierkan finished the beef in two or three bites. She then used a fingernail she had sharpened into a point to pick her teeth, saying, “Humans really know how to enjoy themselves. We’ve never held a banquet like this in Dragon Valley. It’s always a frantic scramble for food, with everyone eating for themselves.”
“No wonder you didn’t want to go back to Dragon Valley, Senior.”
‘I’m sorry, but back when I was in Dragon Valley, I didn’t even have the right to scramble for food. I only ate what others left behind.’
Andrea shook her head and continued to focus intently on the guests, trying to sense any suspicious activity. But even with the enhanced senses of the Dragonkind, she couldn’t detect any clues. If that woman was truly hiding among the humans, she wouldn’t be able to find her unless she took the initiative to reveal herself.
Andrea looked at the swaying candlelight beside Kuchierkan, wondering if she should trick this foolish Princess into a more conspicuous place to see if she could lure Sillirora out.
But considering that Ailaira Green had mentioned Sillirora might not even recognize this stupid dragon, Andrea felt a headache coming on. Her small brain couldn’t think of a solution no matter how hard she tried.
Just as Andrea was feeling frustrated, Kuchierkan suddenly twitched her nose. She sniffed the air and mumbled, “Why is there a burnt smell?”
Andrea’s eyes lit up instantly. Suppressing her excitement, she leaned close to Kuchierkan and whispered, “Did you find something! Where is it?”
“It’s the aroma of roasted demon bear meat! I love that stuff!”
Andrea: “…”
She finally understood how Ailaira Green felt when she was rendered speechless by her.
On the other side, Ailaira Green released her Magical Power, spreading it inside and outside the venue. She would sense any unusual movement from any direction. But everything remained calm—so calm it was unbelievable. Had she guessed wrong? Was this banquet not the opportunity Sillirora had prepared to make a move?
“Everyone, good evening.”
The City Lord suddenly stood on the high platform and announced to the guests below, “Welcome, everyone, to this banquet. Whether you are friends from the Non-Human Races or subjects of the Kingdom who originally live in this city…”
“I hope everyone can feel the joy of this gathering. Then, let us raise our glasses together and toast to peace!”
The City Lord raised the wine cup in his hand and drained it. Just as he was about to say something inspiring, he suddenly felt a surge of sweetness in his throat. Immediately after, pitch-black blood gushed from his mouth. The City Lord’s vision went dark, and he fell from the high platform with blood flowing from his seven orifices, twitching uncontrollably on the ground.
The sudden turn of events plunged the room into silence. The next moment, a violent outburst of screams erupted as the crowd fled in all directions like headless chickens.
“The City Lord has been poisoned! Someone, come quickly!”
The Secretary Officer was the first to react, immediately ordering the Royal Guards to guard the exits. Until the person responsible was found, no one was allowed to leave the City Hall without permission.
Kuchierkan looked at the wine cup in her hand and fell into a brief daze. Then, she slammed the cup onto the ground, and her Greatsword appeared in her hand. She said angrily, “Some commoner actually wants to harm this Princess?”
Andrea, who didn’t like drinking to begin with, immediately turned her gaze toward Ailaira Green to check her status.
But poisoning an alchemy genius? Don’t be ridiculous. Every piece of food Ailaira Green consumed had been verified by her, not to mention her body had already reached a state where she was immune to a hundred poisons.
Ailaira Green moved toward where the City Lord had fallen. The Secretary Officer tried to stop her, but she casually sent him flying. She went straight to the medical officer who was performing healing and Cleansing magic on the City Lord. With a tap of her toe, a Magic Circle was instantly engraved into the ground beneath the City Lord. The effect of the medical officer’s magic amplified several times over in an instant, barely managing to keep the City Lord alive.
Xidi approached Ailaira Green with a grim expression and reported, “I’ve checked. Besides the City Lord, no one else has shown symptoms of poisoning. It seems the poisoner was only targeting the City Lord.”
“Miss Green, can you tell what kind of toxin this is?”
In truth, Ailaira Green had recognized it at a glance. It was precisely because of this that she felt confused. She turned her gaze toward Andrea and Kuchierkan, slowly uttering the words, “It is Dragon Poison.”
The moment she spoke, everyone’s eyes converged on Kuchierkan. Everyone present knew what Dragon Poison was. This toxin was an impurity secreted within the blood of Dragonkind. It was harmless to the dragons themselves and would lose its activity 10 minutes after leaving a dragon’s body. But for other races, especially for the Human Race with their fragile physical bodies…
It was a lethal, potent poison.
The Secretary Officer looked at Kuchierkan with a dark expression, and the Royal Guards surrounded her heavily. “Princess Kuchierkan, please come with us.”