The melodious music reverberated.
The banquet hall was resplendent.
Gu Shen and Lin Lin hadn’t even entered the hall yet, just stood at the doorway, when someone warmly came over to greet them.
The Fortress Guardians, who had met on the Gu Castle Giant Wall, were chatting outside the hall. When they saw Gu Shen, they smiled and came over to say hello.
Apart from them, there were many unfamiliar faces as well.
Gu Shen felt "overwhelmed by unexpected favor" for a moment.
He leaned in and asked softly, "Didn’t Duke Zhuxue say... this banquet wasn’t held for us?"
Lin Lin took out a cigarette, lit it, and said casually, "His words, just take them as nonsense."
Gu Shen fell silent for a moment.
The young Quasi-General with a cigarette in his mouth looked at the increasing crowd around them. He frowned, patted Gu Shen on the shoulder, and said with a hint of schadenfreude in his voice, "Looks like you’re the main character of tonight’s banquet, just enjoy it... I don’t like crowds, I’m leaving."
The notable guests invited to this evening banquet in North Continent weren’t just the military power-wielding guardians but also many big business bosses from intercontinental companies, who were also interested in Gu Shen... In addition, some "Central City reporters" who only had interviewing rights and couldn’t join the banquet were also mixed in the crowd at this moment.
For a time, Gu Shen was busy handling social interactions.
Chu Ling, who had been watching the scene from the zero-zero-one compartment, suddenly spoke, "It seems Duke Zhuxue, Lin Chou, values you a lot. This banquet might indeed be held especially to welcome ’you’."
"Why do you say that?"
"Your seat was placed in the front... Hmm, to be precise, it seems Lin Chou values the returnees who successfully completed the maze mission this time. That table is full of your old acquaintances."
After dealing with everyone around.
Gu Shen finally got out of the crowd and turned his gaze towards the foremost table.
Li Chen stood up, beckoning from afar, "Over here, Brother Gu!"
He was in a black suit, looking completely different from his appearance when he had left the frontier.
The Investigation Corps Second Team members had all donned evening wear, each looking proper, their demeanor underwent a dramatic change.
Gu Shen took a seat with difficulty, exhaled a long breath, and smiled, "You guys just watched me get surrounded... not offering any help?"
Mo Hongyi had a mischievous grin on his face, "Brother Gu, that’s not right, such blessings are not something we want to experience twice."
They arrived earlier than he did...
From the wrinkles on these burly men’s evening wear, it seemed that they too had their share of being "surrounded" earlier.
"Who exactly are these people... why are they so enthusiastic?"
Gu Shen was somewhat curious.
"The Captain said that after tonight’s banquet, there will be an ’honoring’ ceremony." Zhu Xiao sipped a little fruit wine, feeling refreshed, "That’s a first-class medal, you saw those reporters earlier, Central City will write up a special report on us."
No wonder, everyone attended in full dress, even the usually low-key Su He switched to a brand-new outfit.
Compared with them, his attire today seemed overly "down on his luck."
However, Gu Shen didn’t care much about the "honoring" ceremony, as he glanced around and curiously asked, "Where’s Lin Lin?"
Only after taking a seat did he realize that this table was already full of people.
And at the surrounding seats, there was no sign of Lin Lin’s nameplate. This guy was also a major contributor to the Gu Castle campaign, logically he should be honored as well, why wasn’t he given a front-row seat?
Li Chen was the only one scratching his head, replying to Gu Shen.
The rest of the Second Team seemed not to care about this at all.
They were sipping their drinks, eagerly awaiting the start of the banquet.
"Lin Lin went to the second floor."
Chu Ling consulted the banquet hall’s surveillance, and she slowly spoke, "He left through the VIP passage... It’s worth mentioning that there is no ’identity nameplate’ for him anywhere in the banquet, which means if there’s an honoring ceremony after the banquet, then Duke Zhuxue has tacitly allowed no specific honoring or reward for Lin Lin."
A major contributor to the Gu Castle campaign... After coming all the way to Central City, there’s no honor for him?
Gu Shen was lost in thought.
After a moment, he greeted the people around him and used the excuse of going to the toilet to get up and leave his seat.
"You can go right ahead and sit."
The second floor of the banquet hall.
Lin Chou smiled, gesturing for the upright man in front of him to sit down.
Lin Lin, holding a cigarette, slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
Sitting would mean a long conversation.
And he did not want to sit.
After exhaling the smoke, Lin Lin coldly said, "Get to the point if you have something to say, I’m waiting to go down and eat."
Hearing this, Zhu Xue had a somewhat complex expression.
Everyone invited to tonight’s banquet knew... the banquet wasn’t the main event; the main event was the "honoring ceremony" after the banquet, where he would award medals to the miracle returnees of the maze mission on behalf of Her Majesty the Empress.
Who’s here just to eat?
"There’s no seat arranged for you downstairs." Lin Chou chuckled, clasping his hands together: "Now that you’re back in Central City, you should get accustomed to changes in status... You’re not a Guardian of the Gu Castle Fortress anymore."
"I don’t have the habit of someone thinking too highly of themselves, let me make it clear, I came to Central City just to have a meal, and in the end, I’ll go back to where I came from." Lin Lin pressed his finished cigarette butt onto Duke Zhuxue’s expensive pear-wood desktop, the cigarette butt sizzling, causing Lin Chou to frown immediately.