Seed of Titan-Chapter 231: A Gathering of the Entwined

As their car wove through the city’s hum and drew closer to the heart of the capital, Drai’s gaze kept getting pulled toward the extremely faint blur right in front of him. Judging by its height, he guessed Ghost was either crouching or sitting in what must be an awkward position. Therefore, Drai’s legs always tensed whenever the car braked since he didn’t want to accidentally slide forward and bump his manhood onto Ghost’s face.

If this were any other occasion, Drai would’ve definitely questioned Ghost before allowing him to hitch their ride. Alas, now he could only pray that Ghost wouldn’t do anything that might end up implicating him, Ailem, or Alancho.

As Drai gazed through the window, watching the passing lights under the darkening sky, he wondered if Ghost’s concealment skill also concealed his "flavors" from Ailem or if she sensed them but just assumed they were his own.

’Maybe Ghost had been waiting for an opportunity to leave the base for a breather since the atmosphere hasn’t been good lately. I guess it’ll be fine letting him secretly snack on the food there if he decides to stay for the event, but I hope he doesn’t rat me out if he ever gets caught.’

Moments later, their car slowed down before stopping at an ornate gate. After Ailem showed their invitations to the gatekeeper, they were allowed to proceed further and soon arrived at a wide lot that had plenty of shiny cars parked there.

Drai felt Ghost’s presence fade immediately after he opened the door. Before he got off, he once again prayed that he hadn’t made a mistake by bringing along his enigmatic squadmate.

"I’ll be waiting there, Captain," their driver informed while gesturing at the nearby gazebos, which were already filled with people, presumably other drivers.

Ailem nodded. "Have a good time, Jeff. And no drinking."

"Of course, Captain. May both of you have a pleasant evening too."

Ailem then led Drai through the walkway until they reached a bright area situated amid the greenery. Unlike what Drai expected, the gala wasn’t held in a luxurious high-rise ballroom, but in a semi-outdoor venue, with only stone pillars and a roof sheltering the guests from the evening sky.

’Maybe the richer you are, the more fascinating mundanity becomes. My camping time with Max would probably feel like a special exotic trip for them,’ Drai mused as he took in his surroundings.

Ailem and Drai slowly made their way across the venue, passing by small groups seated at elegantly arranged tables. The other guests’ gazes were drawn to Ailem due to her peculiar facial feature, and to Drai because of his glaring youth. The stares and whispers only receded after the guests realized the eye-catching duo seemed to be heading straight to the main table where tonight’s hosts and key dignitaries congregated.

"I thought you two were going to be late," Alancho mentioned upon his juniors’ arrival.

"Luckily the traffic was unusually light, otherwise we’d probably still be stuck in Victory Avenue," Ailem replied smilingly as she took a seat beside Alancho.

"Come and sit here, Drai," Alancho prompted, patting the chair on his right.

After Drai settled himself, he glanced at the other people there. They were mostly around Alancho’s age, and the few younger ones seemed closer to Frost’s age. And as he expected, he failed to recognize any of them. In addition, Drai also noticed there were a couple of vacant seats, suggesting that he and Ailem weren’t the last to arrive among those of this table.

The fragrant scent from the plates of food in front of him made Drai salivate, but since he didn’t want to embarrass Alancho, he held back the urge to devour them.

Alancho suddenly leaned toward him and whispered, "I’ll introduce you to everyone here later, but there are a few notable people that might interest you. For example, see the man with a fur coat there? He’s Geoffrey Westwind, one of my key patrons."

Drai glanced at the man in question and saw that he had a striking mustache and was quite fat, though not nearly as round as Beachball.

Just then, Drai remembered something Frost once mentioned.

"Wait—Westwind? That Westwind? The family that popularized battle arenas?"

Alancho instantly raised a brow. "Ho... I didn’t think you’d recognize the Westwind Family."

"I was told about it by Frost since a daughter of theirs is my senior in VV."

"Ah, Muzianne, right? It’s really unfortunate what happened to her. Geoffrey hasn’t been the same ever since his daughter was abducted," Alancho noted before sighing.

Having noticed the heavy bags under Geoffrey’s eyes and his slightly haggard complexion, Drai saw Alancho’s point.

"And there’s another one, the gloomy lady with pink hair," Alancho continued.

Shifting his gaze, Drai saw the person Alancho was referring to. The woman didn’t seem too old and was wearing a subdued indigo robe that reminded Drai of the robes Zar used to wear. And just like what Alancho said, she was visibly somber, though she still managed to smile faintly during her exchanges with fellow guests.

Suddenly, Drai muttered, "That pink hair—don’t tell me..."

"Hm? Do you recognize her too?" Alancho asked.

"I’m not sure. Is she from the Astra Family?"

This time Alancho had to pause, his sharp brows narrowing further as he eyed his surprisingly knowledgeable protege.

’So I was right...’ Drai thought upon seeing Alancho’s expression. He then looked at the lady again, her conspicuous hair overlapped with Halo’s as the head of ops’ image resurfaced in Drai’s mind.

Retracting his baffled gaze, Alancho proceeded to explain, "The Astra Family is what I hope my family can one day become. They’ve successfully instilled the passion for magic to most of their descendants, and the collective might of their family members alone is enough to discourage any serious interference. A fair number of people from my retinue were sourced from them, hence her presence at this table."

"I have a senior who’s from the Astra Family, and she was abducted too during the invasion. Is she her daughter?"

"No. I know all Celine’s children, and one of them works directly under me. Your senior is probably her distant niece or something."

"Oh. I thought she was also gloomy because her daughter was missing, like Mr. Geoffrey."

"That’s a reasonable assumption, but I know for a fact her reason for looking like that is different, though I can’t actually disclose it to you since it concerns their family affairs and also some confidential information."

Drai waited a bit while glancing around, but Alancho remained silent, so he asked, "Is that all? Just those two?"

"Well, there’s one more person that might interest you, but he’s not here yet."

At that moment, a subdued commotion could be heard from the far end of the venue.

Drai turned to see what was going on and soon discovered that an imposing man with wildly-styled hair and beard was making his way across the floor, followed by two other people.

"Speak of the devil—that’s the person I was just telling you about," Alancho whispered.

As the man drew closer to the main table, Drai finally realized how formidable his figure and aura were. Not only was he even larger than Alancho, his face bore the same hardness. Drai even thought this man would be a perfect fit for Alancho’s current position. However, Drai somehow sensed a faint bitterness behind the man’s steely gaze, which puzzled him.

Shortly after, Alancho rose from his seat and welcomed the newcomer.

"Barely on time as usual, eh, Magnus?" he greeted while offering a handshake.

Magnus replied with a low grunt and a nod as he shook Alancho’s hand. He then glanced at Drai and asked, "That’s him?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

"Seems passable. I really like his gaze though—it lacks the cunning that yours brims with."

Hearing this, Alancho simply laughed and finally let Magnus and his entourage take their seats. He then checked the time before signaling at a nearby server.

After sitting down, Alancho whispered to Drai again, "Magnus Soltine, the second highest general of our nation."

"I see. Makes sense that he’s somewhat bitter."

"Yes, he too lost a child to the Crimson Order, his youngest son. Despite that, he hasn’t shirked his duties at all, which is truly commendable. If I were in his shoes, I would probably be too consumed by grief to work normally."

Just then, the lighting dimmed, leaving a man in an opulent red suit under a spotlight.

"Good evening, honorable guests. I trust you’ve been having a delightful time engaging with your distinguished company," the man’s sonorous voice filled the suddenly hushed venue. With his gaze sweeping over the guests, he smiled and continued, "It’s always a pleasure to gather so many influential individuals under one roof, especially when we’re about to commemorate two pivotal moments that will certainly usher in a brighter future. But first, let us hear a few words from today’s man of honor, Rividia’s Great General himself, Alancho Skyward."

A thunderous applause erupted across the floor as Alancho stood up and gave his welcoming speech.

Drai, however, wasn’t really paying attention to the general’s words, as he was busy eyeing one of Magnus’ entourage, a man draped in a black and gold robe. This was because despite the man’s completely expressionless face, Drai noticed that his gaze constantly drifted toward him before hastily looking away each time, as if trying to mask his fixation.