Chapter 647: Holy Land (2 in 1)

As the old man pushed the door open, an intense smell of low-quality alcohol wafted into his nose, causing the glaring and flashing lights around the stage to start revolving around in his head. This was joined by a ear-piercing and ground-shaking rumble created by the noisy crowd.

Wearing a frown on his face, the old man searched the crowd, before finally spotting a girl chewing bubblegum at the corner of the bar.

“Fuck! You’re really wearing an ugly disguise!” said the girl, chewing on her bubblegum as she sized up the old man that had approached her, while a smile appeared on her face. However, in reality, she had worn an even more disgusting disguise. Her large buck teeth and a face filled with pimples was more than enough to stop any male in their tracks. Even under the influence of the completely gross low-quality alcohol, no man would develop any feelings of lust for her.

“What’s the urgency.” The old man replied, the face mask he wore shown no change in his expression when speaking. Nevertheless, his chilly and indifferent tone, as well as his nervously clenched hands, betrayed his current emotions.

“Haha. Congrats for entering the finals.” The girl said as she blinked.

Although she was wearing a pretty good disguise, those pair of gentle-looking eyes could still be seen by the old man.

A deeper frown appeared on the “old man’s” face. Despite the considerably loud noise and shaking coming from the music and the dancing crowd within the bar, utterly no one could hear what they were talking about. However…

“Be straight to the point!”

“Oi! Don’t be like this! It has been a very long time, you know? Tsk tsk. So you’re looking down on me after gaining some fame, huh?” replied the girl in a teasing manner.

Hearing that, the “old man’s” eyes grew increasingly cold as he replied. “You know I don’t mean that.”

“Ha ha. Don’t stare at me like that, okay. I’ll get scared.” The girl chuckled while blowing on her bubblegum. “The higher-ups want Tianjing to lose, so do it reasonably…”

Bending over towards the old man’s ear, the girl continued to suppress her voice, before silently shoving a bottle-like object in his hand.

The “little old man’s” hand shook, while rage filled his eyes. Nevertheless, he did not say anything after seeing the ambiguous expression on the girl’s face.

Nevertheless, a teasing look was still present on her face as she said, “You should know what happens to those who disobey orders. You’re not the one… death, is definitely not the worst outcome.”

The old man’s body shook slightly, though he did not reply. In the next moment, the moving crowd proceeded to mask his disappearing figure.

As this happened, the girl stared at the disappearing figure for 3 whole seconds. This was probably a rather long time of rest for her. In fact, ever since she was born, there was never, ever a moment where she could really rest herself.

“That fellow’s not that stupid.” She muttered in satisfaction while nodding her head, before walking out from the back exit of the bar. As she walked through the door, her pimple-covered face instantly disappeared, while her obese figure appeared to have lost all of its fat.

Her perky small chest, fiery small waist, her long and slender legs, coupled with her short and revealing miniskirt instantly transformed her into an extremely appealing loli that was more than enough to turn men crazy.

If there were any members of the Blazing squadron present, or if Mario himself was present, their jaws would immediately drop wide open.

This… wasn’t this the person who had used a fan’s identity to scam… no no no! Wasn’t that the little lass that had kidnapped their vice-captain Mario?!

“Okay okay! I’m basically poking into other people’s business.” She muttered with a pout, before shooting a look at a relatively high-class looking bar across the street. The fancy lighting and charming waiter caused her eyes to light up as she shoved the short-lived caution to the back of her mind. “What’s the use of being worried! This is such a hard-earned holiday! It’s time for me to get high! HOHOHO, your queen has arrived, handsome men!”

Deep into the night, the Tianjing villa had quietened down, though happiness still filled the air.

Footsteps rang out, before Milami noticed that Grai had just returned. Gawking slightly, she asked, “Grai, finals are about to start. It’s best to not run around recklessly, okay?”

Grai placed down the package in his hand. Throughout this CHF journey, Grai had frankly been extremely indifferent, as though he had not felt even a sliver of nervousness. There were even times where he would read the books he had chosen in an extremely leisurely manner, or wander about during his free time. Naturally, due to his strength, there was no need to worry about him. Nevertheless, with the actions the Gui Family had done, it was still best to be careful with one’s actions.

“Okay, senior. Ah, it’s already that late. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

“I’m hungry, okay? You shouldn’t ask about girl matters, okay!” Milami replied in a domineering fashion, causing a faint smile to appear on Grai’s face.

Thinking about this villa and the people staying within here, a subconscious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, while warm and fuzzy feelings surfaced in his heart. This place was filled with wonderful memories for him, odd words for someone like him to say. In the past, he had read about those terms from books, yet had never experienced them before. During his childhood, there really were no worthwhile memories for him to reminisce about. Every single day was the same as the others…

A person walked out of the great hall before giving a stretch and a yawn. Seeing Milami and Grai, Ma Dong gave a wave before saying, “You’ve just returned, huh, Grai? Please don’t run about recklessly before the finals, okay?”

“I know. Senior has just educated me.” replied Grai with a smile. “I won’t continue bothering you too.”

Ma Dong gave a thumbs up, while silently approving to Grai’s response. Being such a happy day, he really wished to hug Milami to sleep. However, she just wasn’t willing too, giving excuses like the finals were round the corner, and that it wasn’t good to do something like that.

…If it was possible during the semifinals, how was it not possible during the finals?

Wu wu. Okay, okay. The finals were indeed the more important matter.

Tapping her finger on Ma Dong’s head, Milami said, “Hurry up and sleep, okay? I’ll sleep after grabbing a bite.”

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“Okie! Gimme a kiss, baby!” With no one around, Ma Dong could no longer hold his flirtatious behaviour back. Unable to hold him back, Milami had no choice but to him a quick peck. Only then did Ma Dong slowly swagger back to the room.

Returning back to his room, Grai laid down on his bed, though he was unable to fall asleep. He thought back about the times where he had spent with everyone from Tianjing. Many different scenes flashed across his mind, from the time he had started schooling in Tianjing, to meeting each and every one of them. All of the memories, everything he had experienced then, every step that he had taken. There were too many joyful and happy moments…

At Tianjing, and here at the CHF, he had felt for the first time what warmth and friendship were! All of them were honest to themselves and they continued to strive for the future. Yet, this final… he and Wang Zhong were both clear of the outcome…

Grai closed his eyes, and allowed the world in his mind to continue swirling about, while a faint smile appeared on his face. So this was what intoxication felt like. Looks like he would not have a quiet and peaceful night after all.

Grai enjoying the feeling of intoxication was one of the many complicated scenes present in Stuart City. At another corner of the city, Carolyn was also enjoying some wine, while standing at the highest point of the city, the top of the 30-storey Stuart Family mansion. The 360-degree unobstructed glass panel walling allowed anyone here to observe the flourishing Stuart City until they were satisfied.

Frankly speaking, there weren’t many strong feelings present in Carolyn’s heart. However, being the core of the Federation, and even the world, she was experiencing increasing feelings of abandonment as the CHF progressed to the finals.

During the day, she had initiated contact with Tianjing. Yet, Carolyn’s invitation was politely rejected by the other party, on the grounds of making preparations for the finals. Any other power or influence that had tried to do the same was similarly fruitless in their invitations. However, for the prideful Stuart Family that had remained in the top of the Federation, this rejection felt somewhat of a discourteous action to them. Nevertheless, for Carolyn, this personally felt like the honour Wang Zhong was showing to not glance back after turning around.

Meeting at the CHF was Carolyn’s personal proposition. It was also her idea to “break” that meeting. However, from the looks of it, it seemed like it was Wang Zhong’s turn to make the decisions. This person, who was no more than an ant in the Stuart Family’s eyes a month or 2 ago, had now turned into an incomparably important figure.

Swirling the wine in her glass, Carolyn continued to stand quietly beside the glass walls, looking down on the vibrant city beneath. At this moment, a flash of absent-mindedness and hesitation struck her. This was the first time she felt such emotions ever since she decided to shoulder the responsibilities of her family, and toss away her immaturity and childishness. Furthermore, it was more of a setback towards her self-respect. She clearly knew that she was standing at the apex, yet was unable to find a way out of the situation before her.

Di Di Di Di….

The Skylink by the side started to ring.

There weren’t many people that dared to privately ring Carolyn up in the middle of the night. Therefore, she immediately answered it.

However, upon opening her Skylink, Carolyn was still slightly surprised to see that the caller was Solomon.

It was already very late, and it was not an appropriate time for diplomacy. This was a time for personal and private matters, and it was impossible for Solomon to be unaware of this fact.

A sliver of hesitation appeared on her face, though Carolyn proceeded to answer the call. A holographic image of Solomon, with his smile and gentlemanly appearance. There was a reduction in the fake, diplomatic outer expression, with an additional look of familiarity, as though he was looking a long-time friend.

Every word and every action in this transformation showed the level of control Solomon had over himself and the subject of communication. Even an outstanding diplomat might not be able to accomplish a similar feat. However, Solomon was able to make Carolyn feel as though he had done everything without the slightest trace of awkwardness.

It started with a few casual greetings, before the conversation proceeded to the CHF celebrations hosted by Stuart in a rather natural manner. The live-broadcast over at the empires was a huge success. While congratulating about the perfect CHF productions, he also expressed his admiration towards the Federation’s wealth and Stuart’s strength. Frankly speaking, Carolyn didn’t feel very comfortable after hearing his praises and slight grovelling, as she had lost in the CHF matches. However, the hidden flattery in Solomon’s words was able to cause others to be comforted. That’s right. In view of the world, what did Tianjing, and Wang Zhong amount to? They were just rare occurrences at the very most!

“You didn’t call to talk about this at this time of the day, right, your highness Solomon? Truthfully speaking, I’m not feeling really good at this moment.” Naturally, Carolyn would react differently towards an intelligent person.

“I know how Miss Carolyn is feeling right now, so I’ve got a good way to allow Tianjing to lose in a wholehearted manner. I don’t know if you’re interested in it.” Solomon replied with a smile. Without beating around the bush, he had proceeded to talk about Tianjing, the main reason behind his call.

“Oh, isn’t it Heaven’s Fate?” replied Carolyn with a slightly surprised expression. Everyone knew that Stuart had lost to Heaven’s Fate. Therefore, from various aspects, Stuart’s goal shouldn’t be for Tianjing to lose.

Hearing her reply, a genial smile continued to be present on Solomon’s face. Nevertheless, he did not explain his reasons while continuing to speak. “The reasons aren’t important. I feel that we will both benefit equally from this.”

Solomon’s reasoning was naturally sufficient. From the bigger picture, Tianjing snatching the championship will definitely shake the roots of the aristocratic family powers. From a personal standpoint, a person that previously needed to crawl before her, had suddenly risen to an equal position to her. That had definitely infuriated her. Nevertheless, she couldn’t mention it at all. Now, Solomon had seen through her, and this had caused her wishes to change.

“What harm is there to say it?” Carolyn replied in an indifferent tone.

“Truthfully speaking, I’ve only a very simple request.” Solomon continued with a faint smile. “I hope that the Stuart Family will cast the deciding vote for the ‘Holy Land’ to be opened for the 3 great empires.”

Finally, he had revealed his objective, though it wasn’t far off from Carolyn’s expectations. Recently, the empires had been rather proactive about this matter.

Carolyn’s expression did not change as she heard his request. In fact, with the expansions that the empires had made in the hyperdimension, there was already no way to hide the Holy Land from both the Kaiser and the Amazon Empires. Even the Tutankhamun Empire had openly requested for it, with them saying they were willing to be submitted under the Federation’s rule in return.

The higher-ups of the Federation had been discussing and debating about this for a very long time, though they had yet to come to a decision.

Frankly speaking, there was no way the Federation could obstruct the empires from entering the Holy Land. After all, global communication was the current trend, and the Federation had indeed obtained massive benefits from the 3 great empires. There were many issues that had become intertwined, and those had massive benefits to the Federation’s progress. Under the current circumstances, using martial might to suppress the empires would be not wise. After all, moving the armed forces through the hyperdimension or across the oceans would still result in a loss. This was something both sides knew and understood.

As of now, the Federation was the one formulating the rules. However, once the Holy Land discovered this, they would open it up to everyone. This problem had been going on for a very long time, though the leaders of the 10 great families, as well as the Parliament, had already come to an agreement to not deny the empires this right. Now the only factor was the price and benefits they could obtain from the empires.

Therefore, the underlying reason behind the massive promotion of this CHF was for the sake of choosing candidates for the Holy Land. They did not wish to end up in a struggle with the empires over the Holy Land.

All of the great families, as well as the Parliament, had their own agenda towards this matter. Furthermore, the worldwide live-broadcast had displayed the Federation’s youngsters with the greatest potential, while increasing the appeal, and thereby the craving, of the Holy Land to the empires. Every great family was going out to obtain benefits through their own channels, with Stuart being of no exception. However, never did Carolyn expect Solomon to deliver himself to her doorstep.

Truly worthy of the most highly regarded opponent of the Federation. Compared to the short-sighted Tutankhamun Empire, or the Amazon Empire with their lacklustre attitude, Kaiser clearly had the greatest foresight in politics and development. Clearly, Solomon had already noticed the slackening of the Federation.

Nevertheless, Carolyn did not expose this fact. A resistive look would always have more enticing than an enthusiastic look. “I can only bring this up as a suggestion. I do not have the authority to use the family’s vote. Furthermore,” a smile appeared on her face, “this doesn’t seem to concern me at all.”

Solomon maintained his genial smile throughout the conversation, as he knew that Carolyn had already accepted his proposal. As long as there was an open discussion, it would only be a matter of discussing the conditions. The family had their own agenda, and so did Carolyn. This was something separate from benefits. Every bigshot loved to doing something like “creating obstacles” to raise their status.