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

Old Tor was evidently a figure of great renown in Nostalgia City. People would frequently approach him to exchange pleasantries, and some would even chat briefly with Wild Eater to become acquainted, while others asked directly about the auctioning of ant crystal.

The banquet hosted by the City Lord’s manor was set in the upper left corner of the plaza, dozens of low purple-red wooden tables arranged on the ground, each accompanied by a seat cushion of unknown material. Everything was made to appear as rustic as possible, though in Wild Eater’s eyes, this pursuit of rusticity seemed somewhat forced and awkward.

By now, nearly twenty tables were occupied, apparently reserved for the leading figures of invited factions. The right side was designated for their accompanying subordinates, with several rows of long tables laid out grandly. Qian Duo followed the three experts brought by Old Tor to that area.

A mutated woman, noticing the arrival of Wild Eater and his companions, hurried over to greet them. Judging by her ample chest, she was clearly female.

Old Tor’s son was seated at the center among these tables. Wild Eater and Old Tor were placed together, with Old Tor at the front row, third table from the left, and Wild Eater at the fourth.

Wild Eater, confused, sat down as Old Tor urged him. The surrounding guests merely glanced at him without speaking; it seemed this arrangement was expected.

On the table were several plates of pastries, a wine jug, and a wine cup of purple-red jade-like material. Watching Old Tor sit cross-legged and eat and drink with gusto, Wild Eater sampled everything; the flavors were surprisingly good, though the ingredients remained a mystery.

Soon, all the low tables were filled. Old Tor wiped his long-haired mouth and finally set down the wine cup he had been holding. Noticing many others doing the same, Wild Eater guessed the banquet was about to begin.

Compared to the mutated people with long facial hair, Wild Eater’s cleaning tasks were far easier—just tidying up the table sufficed.

Shortly after, a group of servants entered, clearing the pastries and wine from each table. From afar, Wild Eater saw five people slowly emerge from a small wooden building nearby.

Leading them was a young woman, and Wild Eater was momentarily stunned. She wore a long purple-red robe, with matching jewelry. Her height was normal, and Wild Eater only reached her chest. Her face, framed by long black hair adorned with purple-red ornaments, was stunningly beautiful—at least in Wild Eater’s eyes, her appearance surpassed even Anna’s.

Behind her followed four mutated people, also clad in purple-red robes.

As she stepped out, the young woman looked straight at Wild Eater, walking toward the seat reserved for the City Lord. She smiled faintly at him, then gracefully took her place.

After sitting, she noticed Wild Eater’s surprised expression and offered a captivating smile before turning to those beside and behind him. After a pause, she said, “Ladies and gentlemen, how quickly half a year has passed—it is time once again for our manor banquet. In these six months, thanks to your diligent management, Nostalgia City…”

Her opening remarks held little interest for Wild Eater. Then she turned to him, smiling: “We have also welcomed the first exile to arrive on Forgetting Star in over three hundred years. On behalf of every citizen, I wish to thank Old Tor.”

Old Tor bowed slightly in response.

The young woman continued: “Mr. Wild Eater has decided to settle in Nostalgia City. This is a significant event for us, and I hope everyone present will do their utmost to help him.”

Upon hearing this, Wild Eater quickly expressed his gratitude. Now he was certain that this young woman was the current City Lord of Nostalgia City. Yet he wondered why the City Lord was someone his own age, and, moreover, a normal human.

The young woman clearly had a favorable impression of Wild Eater. She smiled at him again and said, “I have many questions I’d like to ask you, Mr. Wild Eater. When might you have time for me to visit?”

Wild Eater replied promptly, “City Lord, you are too polite. Please ask whatever you wish; I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”

Her face lit up with delight. “I don’t have many questions—I just want to hear about the world outside, to know what the realm beyond Forgetting Star is like.”

She wore a look of longing as she spoke.

Though Wild Eater couldn’t see the expressions under the facial hair of those nearby, he felt the burning curiosity in their gaze. Remembering the questions Old Tor and Anna had asked him lately, he understood well the yearning of those trapped on Forgetting Star.

Wild Eater looked into the City Lord’s eager, inquisitive eyes and sighed inwardly. “If you simply wish to know about the world outside, City Lord, I can tell you right now.”

She nodded repeatedly, and people behind Wild Eater urged him to speak quickly.

For nearly half the day, the manor banquet became Wild Eater’s personal lecture, or perhaps a press conference. He gave a general overview of the outside world, which only led to more questions—especially from the City Lord, whose barrage of inquiries left Wild Eater both amused and exasperated. She asked about the appearance of spaceships, what airships looked like, what clothes and jewelry girls wore outside, and what cosmetics they used. These were her chief concerns and the most frequent questions.

At last, the mutated person at the first table in the front row spoke up to halt the questioning.

The City Lord steadied herself, calmed her excitement, and finally asked, “Mr. Wild Eater, if Nostalgia City were to build a spaceship ourselves, do you think we could succeed? And how long would it take?”

Wild Eater pondered for a moment. This was clearly a question of great interest to all present; at this moment, he was the focus of everyone’s attention.

After some thought, he shook his head and said, “City Lord, the gravity and mass of Forgetting Star are too strong. Even if we managed to build a spaceship, escaping its gravitational pull would be extremely difficult. None of the propulsion systems I know could withstand such force.”

He glanced at the City Lord’s disappointed face and continued, “Even if we could build a ship capable of breaking free, the energy storms, spatial rifts, and ubiquitous wormholes in the outer space of Forgetting Star pose immense threats to any vessel.”

At this point, Old Tor spoke up: “Energy storms and spatial rifts don’t worry us. Forgetting Star has a type of ore that is immune to energy—no energy attack can affect it.”

Wild Eater was stunned. Energy immunity? Considering that all human warships now used energy weapons, a ship immune to such attacks could dominate any battlefield.

He quickly asked, “Old Tor, is this ore real? How tough is it?”

“It’s not very tough, but if you add the right amount of Kartar and ant crystal powder, its durability is no longer an issue.” Old Tor produced a small dagger he carried. “This is how our weapons are made here.”

Wild Eater caught the dagger thrown by Old Tor, examined it closely, and tested its sturdiness.

The City Lord spoke after he returned the dagger: “This ore and Kartar are both rare, but we can find ways to gather them. Only the ant crystal is elusive.”

Wild Eater pondered again, then shook his head: “It still won’t work. The ship would be too heavy—the metal is simply too dense. No matter how strong, without enough propulsion to escape the planet’s gravity, it’s pointless.”

Oh dear, it’s been a week and the number of recommendations still hasn’t surpassed the collections—what is going on here?