The night has started to fall, blanketing the city in soft lights, however, the celebrations in the Romanov club still continued on. Within the colorful, blinking lights, it was as if the guests lost all sense of self, as they danced and sang in the tune of the music. Euphoria permeated the room, prompting even those who were sitting to dance.
Despite all that commotion, however, the employees focused on serving the guests, especially the guests sitting in the VIP lounge.
In each circular table, the elites enjoyed the night's festivities with a gaze full of wonder. They looked a bit different compared to the other guests, as they wore proper clothing. However, some wore military-style uniforms, while others wore casual clothing.
They are the most important people in Perm City.
Behind one of the tables, one guest with a rotund body was surrounded by all kinds of beautiful women. He kept laughing at his own jokes, his laughter accompanied by the hostesses laughing with him and encouraging him to spend a little more. He is Borat Keen, the captain of the Perm City guards. Even though his position in the city seemed small, he boasted an incredibly high influence.
Not far from that table, a group of men and women were busy enjoying their vodka. They wore all-black clothing, and one of their members seem to be well-known in the adventurers' community. They are the members of Black Company, and Argus, a Saint Realm, sat with his group. As the owner, Oswald of course were there as well, but he was sitting on a separate seat.
Oswald was sitting next to the person with the most power in Perm City, Mayor Benjamin. Both of them laughed and drank together.
Of course, that wasn't all of the important guests there. A lot of rich merchants and adventurers with prestige, even those from the 17 guilds protecting Perm City, were also there. One of such guilds, Red Keepers, was easy to spot due to their members' distinctive strength. Another one, Blue Pegasus, wore their trademark blue uniform. Meanwhile, the first ranked guild in Perm, Heaven's Will, sent some of their representatives.
"This place is incredible... it is unfortunate our leader refused to come."
The four representatives from Heaven's Will sat around the VIP table in the corner of the room. One of them was a woman with long black hair decked in dark blue dress. Her beautiful appearance and the way she carried herself attracted a few eyes, but no one dared to approach, as she was sitting at the table reserved for Heaven's Will.
"Radcliff hates crowds," the woman answered without expression.
"Yeah, you are right, Anna."
Not long after, they stared at the crowds again. Anna seemed like she was staring at nothing, however, from her expression, something seems to be plaguing her mind.
Meanwhile, the owner of the club was busy ensuring the party went on without a hitch.
Eva was helping the dancers for their show on the stage. The Swedish Princess expertly helped them dress up and put on makeup.
In the corner of the room, Viktor checked himself in front of the mirror, ensuring everything about his appearance was impeccable, Of course, his strange behavior attracted Anna's attention, as it was unusual for the usually easy-going Viktor to act like that. In her eyes, everything Viktor was doing seemed strange.
"Dear, can I help you with something?" Eva asked in curiosity.
Viktor shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile, "There is no need for you to help with anything, Eva. Just focus on the show, okay?"
She nodded, and Viktor decided to leave the backstage to make an announcement.
"Everyone! Did you enjoy the party?"
Viktor said while walking around the VIP guests, each stride he took full of confidence. His voice attracted everyone's attention. Of course, most of them only recognized Viktor from the rumors. A young master from the Romanov family, the last child whose only hobby was drinking and having fun. No one else would think to open a bar like this in the middle of an apocalypse.
However, all that rumor pales from the rumor that the esteemed Metal Guardian works under him.
"This is exquisite, Master Viktor! Everything reminds me of the past"
The first person who decided to greet Viktor was Mayor Benjamin, who immediately stood to speak at the savior of Perm City. They shake hands and talked for a while, then they laughed together, as if they were sharing a secret no one else could know.
Afterwards, the leader of Black Company stood and shook Viktor's hand. They also seemed like they were having fun.
"This club exceeds my expectation. This was truly..." Oswald made a chef's kiss gesture, "Extraordinary."
Viktor only gave a humble smile, "It is nothing like that, Mr. Oswald. This club couldn't even be built without your help. The tiles, the glass statues, the paintings, all the beautiful furniture you have gifted us were useful in making the guests more comfortable."
Hearing the praise, Oswald felt a bit carried away, "Ah, of course not. Under the right hands, anything can become extraordinary. You are indeed a skilled club owner."
Oswald and Viktor proceeded to talk and laugh together like they were the best of friends. Mayor Benjamin, not wanting to be left out, joined their conversation as well. They kept on talking while downing glasses of vodka.
From afar, people were staring at these three. They did not expect Viktor to be able to get close to the most influential people in Perm City, especially with Oswald.
"Were they always that close?"
"I thought he was just a spoiled Romanov brat. I didn't expect he was good at making connections."
"Damn, I need to introduce myself, too."
Whispers started to sneak in between the loud music. They were of course talking about Viktor.
After spending some time with Mayor Benjamin and Oswald, Viktor walked towards another VIP table. Before he could do anything, a few guests stood and greeted him.
"Mr. Romanov, my name is Andrei Kalanski, the owner of Kalanski Expedition. If you need to send anything, just tell me."
"Hello, Mr. Romanov. Your club is so exquisite, I am at a loss for words. I am the owner of Reign Industry, whenever you need anything, you can tell me."
"My name is Flores Hargreaves. As you can see, I am the leader of the Red Keepers."
One by one, the VIP guests shook Viktor's hand and introduced themselves. It was clear from their demeanor that they wished to have some kind of relation to Viktor, the youngest of the Romanov. A few of the guests even tried to attract his attention. Viktor took some time to drink and talk with them for a few minutes. They might be useful in the future, after all.
In the end, there was so much a powerful figure like a metal guardian can do, tonight he was fully Viktor Romanov, getting close, creating influence, making them know he was the biggest tipper, the most generous of them all. This was always the recipe of success that Viktor was best at.
But in the grand scheme of things, he didn't really care about them all, he only has one person in his mind right now.
The woman sitting in the corner, together with the Heaven's Will representatives – Anna.n-(o--v//e-/l(.B)(I-)n