Chapter 378: Decent Flavor
It wasn’t just those few students sitting near Lu Yin who were discussing Astral-10; practically all of Shangwu Academy’s students were doing so.
Lu Yin initially wanted to visit Shangwu Academy and look around a bit, but then, he suddenly received an invitation from Lily Anne to attend a small gathering at Northgate Mansion.
Northgate Mansion was Northgate Platform’s most luxurious convention center, and it featured the Northline Flowzone’s most delectable extravagances. This was where Northgate Platform hosted their most important guests, and it was also used as a gathering area on a regular basis.
Of course, an average person could not use the location since it was exclusively reserved for the seventeen families’ use.
Lily Anne had invited Lu Yin to attend a gathering of the younger generation from the seventeen families so that he could meet some peers. This gathering was a tradition that was often used to resolve grudges that arose before the Northgate Platform Compet.i.tion began.
After hesitating for a bit, Lu Yin agreed. After all, he could not reject the various invitations forever, and he truly did need to have some interactions with the cultivators in his own generation. He was supposed to oversee the local youths and represent the Ten Arbiters, but he was actually quite new to this position.
Northgate Mansion was not too far from Lu Yin’s accommodations since his hotel was second only to Northgate Mansion in terms of opulence.
At this moment, quite a few youths had gathered at the mansion, and it seemed like the influential students were starting to arrive. There were a number of beauties standing outside the building, gazing at the entering students with expectant faces, hoping to be taken inside. If they could enter Northgate Mansion, then their status would skyrocket since this event was being watched by everyone on the Northgate Platform. Hence, every time there was a gathering at the Northgate Mansion, countless beauties would gather outside in an attempt to make their way in. No matter the social circle, they all had their own internal struggles. Even if outsiders could not see the internal battles, they still existed.
Right when Lu Yin arrived outside of Northgate Mansion, a beautiful woman emerged by his side and glued herself to him, intent on accompanying him as shown by her seductive movements and pa.s.sionate eyes.
To be honest, Lu Yin had never encountered such a situation before. He was just slightly over twenty, young, and healthy. Thus, he was stunned when a beautiful girl wrapped herself around him.
Fortunately, someone quickly arrived to rescue him: Lily Anne. “Brother Lu, it hasn’t even been a full day, but you’re already paired up with a pretty lady. It looks like An’er will need to step up her game.” Lily Anne put on a brilliant smile as she walked towards Lu Yin.
Lu Yin didn’t reply, but the face of the pretty girl next to him abruptly changed as she hurriedly untangled herself from Lu Yin’s arm while frantically apologizing before fleeing the scene.
Lu Yin was stumped. “What just happened?”
Lily Anne smiled at him. “They’re just trying to worm closer to people of influence. Brother Lu, don’t bother with them.”
Lu Yin immediately understood after thinking about it some more. As he looked around, there were many beautiful women briefly appearing near him and directing expectant faces his way. Lu Yin didn’t hate these women; everyone took a different path in life, and both their methods and struggles would naturally be different. No one was qualified to look down on such people. However, playing with someone’s feelings was another matter altogether.
“Let’s go, Brother Lu. Everyone’s waiting for you.” Lily Anne gestured towards the inside of Northgate Mansion, and Lu Yin followed her inside.
He already had some expectation for what he would see upon arriving, but Lu Yin was still shocked at the extravagance before his eyes when he actually walked into Northgate Mansion. It was completely different from the external world! It seemed as if everything pleasurable had been brought into this place: gourmet food, fine liquor, beautiful people, and even glowing fruits. There was everything that one could imagine.
Lily Anne looked at Lu Yin and saw his shock, as well as his slow recovery. Involuntarily, her brow furrowed; wasn’t Lu Yin’s ident.i.ty so complicated that even the Daynight clan had to be cautious of him? Why would he be astonished at Northgate Mansion’s display? Such luxuries and decorations might be beyond the imagination of a common citizen, but this should be nothing to an heir of a great power.
Still, Lily Anne did not put too much thought into Lu Yin’s reaction. Every family would nurture their young in their own way, so it was possible that Lu Yin had been raised in poverty!
Lu Yin casually picked up a gleaming fruit and took a bite. It was sweet and juicy with an exquisite taste. It’s texture felt wonderful as he swallowed and he admired the fruit as he picked up another.
Lily Anne just smiled at him.
There were more than a hundred youths from the seventeen families gathered in Northgate Mansion, and there were also some other youths from various powers that were on friendly terms with the Northline Flowzone. Most of them were in the lobby, although a select few were gathered in a private room on the top floor. This was a place that was typically reserved for those from the three great families.
At this moment, the ones in the private area were laughing as they watched a screen. “This Lu Yin must not have much of a background. Look at his poverty-stricken face! It’s as if he hasn’t ever eaten anything good in his life!” someone ridiculed.
Northgate Gang’s lips curled up. “Don’t say it like that. Maybe he’s hungry.”
“Haha,” the crowd laughed along.
A pretty girl’s eyes gleamed as she asked, “Right, Brother Northgate, when is Senior Lie arriving?”
Northgate Gang slowly answered, “I’m not sure. He might come, and he also might not come.”
“What a pity. There are rumors that this Lu Yin can match up to the tailend of the Top 100 Rankings, so I was hoping that Senior Lie would come and teach him a lesson. It’s a joke that someone like him is actually overseeing us!”
“That’s right! Historically, the Ten Arbiters Council haven’t ever intervened in our Northline Flowzone’s matters, but now, they’ve actually sent a student over to stand above us!”
When this was mentioned, Northgate Gang lost his previous jovial mood. The Northgate family had spent a great deal of effort to nurture Northgate Lie in hopes that he would one day be able to make his way into the ranks of the Ten Arbiters Council and eventually supervise the Northline Flowzone and perhaps even the other surrounding Flowzones. This would greatly help reduce the pressure that the Northline Flowzone’s neighbors placed upon it, but all of these plans had been destroyed by Lu Yin’s appearance. This was the primary reason why Lu Yin was despised by the entire Northgate family.
Thump!
The door burst open as a youth excitedly rushed in. “I heard that Lu Yin’s here. Where is he? Where is he?”
Many people felt their heads ache when they saw this youth, Lily Shu"er. She specialized in creating trouble, but she was also the second in line to the Lily family, right after Lily Anne. She held a rather high position in their family and was doted upon by Granny Chan, so she was able to act with impunity within the Northline Flowzone.
Northgate Gang felt even worse than the others in the room; he had been ordered by his family to pursue Lily Shu"er, but the more he interacted with her, the more impossible he knew this task was. This brat had a fiery personality, and she could even cause problems over the course of a simple meal. He did not know what more he could do.
“Yes, your sister is playing hostess for him.” Northgate Gang pointed at the screen.
She looked up and saw Lu Yin swallow an egg-shaped object, which was actually a delicious cake.
Lily Shu"er blinked. “That’s Lu Yin? Is he that hungry?”
The crowd burst into laughter.
Suddenly, Lu Yin looked up at them, and they felt their hearts tighten, as if something had thrust through their chests. They instinctively avoided Lu Yin’s gaze after being faced with it.
Fortunately, Lu Yin only glanced up briefly before lowering his head back down and continuing to sample the offered food.
Northgate Gang narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. He had been frightened by just a look! This Lu Yin had to be taught a lesson.
“Not a bad expression. I like it! Northgate Gang, get Senior Lie to fight with him. I don’t believe that this guy’s as strong as they portrayed him to be in the Tournament of the Strongest. Those battles were definitely staged!” Lily Shu"er cried out.
Northgate Gang had the same intentions as her, but he could only wait for his elder brother to show up. Hopefully, his elder brother would end up coming!
Lu Yin had been eating for a while since the food here was just too delicious. Even though the dishes were not made with ingredients that were as rare as what Madam Nalan had shared with him, it was all still very tasty. “Not bad, your Northline Flowzone has excellent delicacies. I have a friend who calls himself a gourmet, but I doubt that he’ll be here.”
Lily Anne smiled. “If Brother Lu’s friend visits us, then the Lily family will absolutely offer them a warm welcome.”
Lu Yin laughed; he had been referring to Silver. If Silver really came, then how would the Lily family welcome him? Did the Neohuman Alliance require a warm welcome? The welcome would consist not of a banquet, but rather of a death sentence.
“Brother Lu, have you eaten your fill?” Lily Anne asked.
Lu Yin nodded. “Yes, let’s go. Hopefully, the people that we’ve been waiting for have arrived by now.”
Her eyes flashed. “Who is Brother Lu referring to?”
Lu Yin shrugged. “I’m not sure, but doesn’t the guest of honor usually show up last to these sort of gatherings?”
Lily Anne smiled. “Is Brother Lu referring to himself?”
“Miss An’er, don’t be mistaken. I’ll wager that there’s still someone who has yet to arrive.” Lu Yin was now interested, as he was gradually coming to better understand these aristocrats’ habits. The more important the gathering was, the later the self-important people would arrive. It was all done to showcase their value.
Lily Anne politely declined the wager since she was well aware that Northgate Lie was still missing. Could Lu Yin be referring to him?
Of the seventeen families, only the most important children of the three great families could gather at the top floor. Anybody who could step foot within the top level would attract attention, so Lu Yin was feeling the gaze of the entire Northgate Mansion lobby crowd on him, and especially so from some young ladies who desperately wanted to accompany him.
Entering Northgate Mansion indicated one kind of status, but entering the top floor was another.
When they saw Lu Yin’s face, quite a few people cried out. The Astral Combat Tournament and the Tournament of the Strongest had caused Lu Yin’s fame to skyrocket, and he was now an existence that most people were aware of. Even though not that many people had seen the Tournament of the Strongest, the entire Human Domain had seen the Astral Combat Tournament. Lu Yin was no longer able to go unnoticed unless he purposefully altered his appearance.
“It’s Lu Yin! Lu Yin’s arrived. The Ten Arbiters Council sent him here to oversee the younger generation of our Northline Flowzone.”
“It’s really Lu Yin. I really want to have a match with him and taste the power of the strongest student from Astral Combat Academy.”
“Brother, forget about it. If we can’t even defeat those regular students of Astral-10, then you should forget about Lu Yin.”
…
Lu Yin did not even know the degree of influence that he currently wielded among the younger generation. Because of him, the number of youths who wanted to enter the Astral Combat Academy had dramatically spiked. Many youngsters were eager to become famous, and nothing could create fame faster than being declared the best in the entire universe at something. Lu Yin’s achievements had built a standard, just like the Ten Arbiters had.
Lily Anne soon escorted Lu Yin to the private room on the top floor of the mansion. The people inside had been watching Lu Yin the moment he stepped inside the mansion, so no one was surprised at his arrival.
Lu Yin had just noticed the numerous monitoring devices in the lobby, so he had already known that he was being watched. He could even tell that quite a few of the people present did not want him here.
“Everyone, allow me to introduce Lu Yin, a member of the Council of Astral Academy. He’s responsible for the Northline Flowzone’s younger generation’s education, supervision, punishment, and other such administrative issues.”
After her introduction, quite a few stepped forward to exchange some greetings with Lu Yin, though others, such as Northgate Gang, did not bother.
One girl was especially lively and rushed over to stare at Lu Yin with large, curious eyes.
Lu Yin looked back at the kid, feeling rather perplexed.
“Shu"er, stop playing around and get over here,” Lily Anne berated softly as she pulled the girl behind her. She then apologized to Lu Yin. “I’m sorry, Brother Lu. This is my little sister, Lily Shu"er. She’s a bit mischievous, so please don’t be offended by her actions.”
“Sis, I’m already old enough, so don’t treat me like a kid!” Lily Shu"er was not happy with her sister’s introduction.
Lily Anne returned her sister’s look with a glare of her own.
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