Chapter Seven: The Banquet at the City Lord's Mansion (Part Two)

Beneath the surface, there was no alternation between day and night. In fact, the entire Forgotten Star lacked such cycles; the constant irradiation from three stars meant that even if the Forgotten Three Stars did rotate—and they didn’t—it would be impossible to escape the pervasive starlight. Yet, to mark the passage of time, every twenty-four hours—a standard day—a bell would ring in Nostalgia City, telling everyone that another full day had passed.

Three days went by swiftly, with Anna’s company and Qian Duo’s frequent visits full of questions. Before long, the fourth day arrived.

Just three days earlier, scarcely had Kuang Chi returned to Old Tuo’s home after his feast, an invitation from the city lord’s mansion arrived at Old Tuo’s home.

The city lord’s mansion banquet had been held every half-year since the founding of Nostalgia City, according to the ancient calendar—the one humanity used before escaping Earth’s confines. Even now, many human activities still followed the rhythm of the old calendar for significant events.

The purpose of the city lord’s banquet was to regularly gather the powerful families of the city, to sit together and resolve matters too tangled for daily decision, those which the city lord’s mansion struggled to settle. Over time, however, the banquet became a stage for the families to compete for dominance; many issues were no longer settled by principle but by force. Attendance was not open to all—only those recognized by the city lord and the influential powers of the city could participate. In truth, the banquet was the very heart of Nostalgia City’s power.

Old Tuo brought Kuang Chi, Qian Duo, three skilled members chosen from his family, and his son—the current steward of the Tuo family.

This was the usual custom for families attending the city lord’s banquet; each brought a few experts. If trouble arose, it was generally handled by their retainers, rarely by the heads themselves. Should a retainer suffer mishap, the families involved would not become sworn enemies, but if a family head was harmed, their feud would be irreconcilable.

Everyone understood this, so each brought their best to the banquet.

The city lord’s mansion stood at the very heart of Nostalgia City, built atop a small hill, surrounded by walls nearly as high as those of the outer city, with a moat several meters wide—truly a city within a city.

As they approached the gate, which was even grander than that of the outer city, Old Tuo stopped and turned to Kuang Chi, saying, “Young man, we’re about to enter the city lord’s mansion. There are things you should know. Perhaps you aren’t aware, but Nostalgia City has been here for thousands of years. Though we have a city lord system, and the lord’s power is not absolute, you must show proper respect. The city lordship is hereditary; this city was built by the family of the current lord. The lord’s influence here is immeasurable. If you wish to establish yourself in Nostalgia City, you must earn the city lord’s approval. Even if you manage without it, the difficulty increases tenfold. Do you understand?”

Kuang Chi smiled and nodded—he knew Old Tuo was looking out for him, worried he might inadvertently offend the city lord, whom he had yet to meet. It seemed the city lord was not as simple as appearances suggested.

Old Tuo chuckled, “But when you meet the city lord, you’ll be quite surprised. As long as you don’t provoke her, she shouldn’t trouble you.” With that, he laughed heartily.

From outside, the city lord’s mansion seemed like a small city, but once inside, it revealed itself as a quaint village, with several small, ancient, dark wooden houses of simple design.

In front of these houses stretched a vast plaza, paved with milky white stone slabs. Only here did one feel the true gravity of the place—this was the city lord’s mansion.

Seeing Kuang Chi’s amazement, Old Tuo smiled, “Beautiful, isn’t it? This was designed thousands of years ago by our city’s most famous architect. It’s said to be in the style of an ancient country from our ancestral planet, Earth.”

At this, Kuang Chi couldn’t help but laugh, pointing ahead and exclaiming, “What? You mean this was designed by a famous architect?” He burst into laughter, drawing the attention of everyone around. After repeated questioning by Old Tuo and the others, Kuang Chi pointed at the houses, saying, “These do have a bit of old Earth’s classic style, but—” He gestured, still laughing, “But don’t you think the city walls combined with these little houses look rather strange?”

Old Tuo and the others studied the scene, but Old Tuo shook his head, “I don’t think so. I find it even more charming than decades ago.”

Kuang Chi couldn’t help but laugh again. Eventually, Qian Duo, seeing people crowding around, hurriedly stopped him.

Old Tuo grew a bit annoyed, grumbling, “You say it’s strange? Fine. I was just about to build a garden for my retirement—how about you design it for me?”

Kuang Chi had no objection; all he needed to do was describe some designs he’d seen before.

Just then, a mutated person slowly approached from the outskirts of the crowd. After coming before Kuang Chi, this person observed him for a moment and addressed Old Tuo, “Old fellow, I hear you went up to the surface again recently. You’re certainly hard to kill.”

The voice was that of an elder, though it was impossible to tell the age—these mutated people were covered head to toe in white hair, and Kuang Chi could not discern their years from appearance.

Old Tuo was clearly displeased, grumbling before replying, “If you’re not dead yet, how could I go first? As for you, I hear you’re already dispersing your cultivation. When you’re about to die, let me know in advance, or I won’t have time to see you off.”

Watching their exchange, it was clear they were old rivals.

The mutated person snorted, ignoring Old Tuo, and turned to Kuang Chi, “You must be the new exile, Mr. Kuang Chi.”

Kuang Chi smiled and gave a noble salute. After returning the gesture, Kuang Chi asked, “May I ask who you are, elder?”

The mutated person glanced at Old Tuo, “I am the current head of the Tokar family of Nostalgia City. I hope Mr. Kuang will take care of us in future.”

Kuang Chi quickly replied, “Family head, you are too kind. I am new here; I should be hoping for the care of all the great families of Nostalgia City.”

Old Tuo snorted angrily.

The self-proclaimed Tokar family head ignored him and retreated to his group.

Once he was gone, Old Tuo growled, “That old fox gets craftier by the day—be careful. He’ll chew you up and spit out nothing but bones. All he ever does is scheme.”

Old Tuo’s son quietly said from behind, “Father, keep your voice down. It wouldn’t be good if someone overheard.”

Old Tuo spun around and barked, “Afraid? Afraid of what? You worry about everything. Where’s the dignity of a family head? I regret ever handing you the family.”

His son knew Old Tuo’s temper well and said nothing, merely stepping back into the ranks of their three retainers.

“Stop—robbery—hand over your ticket, not your clothes—”