Zayne's face darkened instantly. He fled the restroom as if escaping for his life, and his urge to pee vanished on the spot.
"Boss, what's wrong?" Francis asked, confused.
"It's nothing. I think this banquet is actually necessary after all." Zayne suddenly changed his mind. He seriously suspected that if he stayed in the Ward family mansion any longer, he would end up dying from holding it in.
"That's great, boss. Tonight's auction banquet has plenty of good stuff. Equipment, skills, all kinds of things," Francis said.
"Huh? Stuff like that too?" Zayne froze.
"Of course. Old Shipyard Port holds an auction banquet like this every year before the college entrance trials. Ordinary people just don't know about it," Francis explained.
Zayne fell silent for a moment. He was not even an ordinary person. He was a slum rat.
Although he decided to attend the banquet, Zayne ultimately refused to wear the formal suit Francis had prepared for him. Wearing something like that felt unbearably awkward. He preferred his own clothes.
Evening arrived quickly. Blake took Francis and Zayne to the most luxurious hotel in Old Shipyard Port.
Luxury cars were already parked outside the entrance. The moment Blake appeared, the doormen immediately bowed and ushered him inside with practiced smiles.
After all, Ward Group ranked among the top corporations in the entire city.
The three of them took the elevator to the top floor. The scene there was something else entirely. Two long tables were covered with premium ingredients for guests to help themselves. Elegantly dressed people gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing.
There were business tycoons, high level Transcenders, and political power brokers. Nearly everyone of importance in Old Shipyard Port was present.
As soon as Blake arrived, he joined a circle of old acquaintances. Francis was already used to this.
"The older generation has their circle. We younger ones have ours. Let's go over there," Francis said, pointing toward another table filled with young people.
"It's fine. Do your thing. Don't worry about me," Zayne replied.
He was already starving. At noon, surrounded by maids, he had barely eaten anything.
Ignoring Francis, Zayne walked straight to the table and began eating with abandon.
Everyone else ate with impeccable manners, dressed in expensive custom attire. Zayne's starving man routine instantly drew countless stares from the surrounding guests. Francis felt his toes digging into the floor.
"Boss, maybe we eat later? Let me introduce you to some of my friends first?"
"No rush. Let me eat my fill first."
"Boss, when we get home, you can eat whatever you want. I'll have it made for you. Just stop eating for now."
Francis sounded desperate. He could feel more and more eyes drifting their way. But Zayne ignored him completely, happily devouring his dinner.
In his panic, Francis actually reached out to grab the lobster in Zayne's hand.
Zayne's eyes sharpened instantly.
"Forbidden Spell…"
Francis froze on the spot, forcing an awkward smile.
"Nothing, boss. Eat. Please, eat."
Covering his face in despair, Francis retreated from Zayne's side. He had brought Zayne here hoping to introduce him to his friends and help him make a good impression.
But with Zayne eating like a reincarnated famine victim, Francis did not dare introduce him at all. If he told people this man was his boss, he would become a laughingstock among the city's elite heirs.
With Francis gone, Zayne happily enjoyed his meal.
As for what others thought of him, he did not care in the slightest. Filling his stomach was what mattered most.
Just as he was eating to his heart's content, a cool female voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Zayne?"
Zayne turned his head with half a lobster still in his mouth and saw Nia staring at him in disbelief.
Beside her stood a girl in a white dress. She was petite, much shorter than Nia, but her looks were in no way inferior.
"It really is you. What are you doing here?" Disgust clearly surfaced on Nia's face. "You didn't sneak in just to freeload food, did you?"
Zayne had no intention of dealing with Nia. He silently cursed his bad luck. Why did he run into this woman everywhere? Still, considering Astrachior's status, it was not surprising that Nia would attend this banquet.
"Nia, who is he?" the girl in the white dress asked curiously. It was the first time she had ever seen such obvious disgust on Nia's face.
Even when persistent admirers chased her relentlessly, Nia had never looked like this.
"Who is he? Hah. Just a coward afraid of death," Nia snorted. "Do you remember the Shadowcaster I told you about, the one who saved me?"
"I do. You said he controlled Hellfire, was incredibly powerful, and one shotted an eighth level monster on his very first night in the beginner realm," the girl nodded.
"Before I met Shadowcaster, I met this guy first. His strength wasn't weak. If he had been willing to fight alongside me against that eighth level Dragonblood Troll, I would never have been pushed into a corner. But he was terrified of death and ran off, leaving me behind."
As she spoke, Nia glared fiercely at Zayne. Meanwhile, Zayne was completely focused on eating and did not even spare her a glance.
"Huh?" The girl tilted her head. "But avoiding danger is human instinct. Sure, he was cowardly, but is that really worth getting this angry over?"
"Ivy!" Nia shouted the girl's name, cheeks puffed with irritation. "Whose side are you on, exactly?"
"Yours, yours," Ivy said, sticking out her tongue.
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been driven into desperation by that Dragonblood Troll. I wouldn't have met Shadowcaster in such a humiliating state. Shadowcaster thought I was dead weight, and because of that, I still haven't found him. Tell me, shouldn't I be angry?" Nia shot back.
"Yeah, that does sound infuriating. I'd be mad too," Ivy agreed.
She knew all too well how obsessively this young lady had been searching for Shadowcaster these past two days. She was practically ready to dig up the entire city.
"Alright, alright. Since you're angry, let's not look at him. Out of sight, out of mind. Come on, let's go over there."
Ivy gently pushed Nia toward another area, cutting off any chance of further conflict. Even so, Nia still shot Zayne a vicious glare as she left.
As Zayne continued eating, a mischievous thought suddenly crossed his mind.
So his fake Shadowcaster persona had left such a deep impression on her?
He found himself oddly curious about what kind of expression Nia would make if she ever discovered that Shadowcaster had been him all along.