Li Wei was holding a glass of red wine in his hand, with the eyes under the tall hat, looking around in the resplendent venue.
If someone pays close attention, it can be seen that at this moment, his left eye is quite different from that of ordinary people. Within the scarlet pupils, a jade-like object is slowly rotating.
No one in this world understands this eye, but in another world, it has a well-known name - Sharingan.
"Come... let me see, where exactly are you... good, found it!"
His gaze is fixed on a fat middle-aged white man who is talking with three or four people.
This place is Changling Manor, a high-end club in the upper district of New West Duhm City. The cost of renting out Changling Manor for one night is about thirty purple crystals. Whether a worker can earn this much income in ten years of hard work, without eating or drinking, is still a question mark.
At this moment, the entire manor was brightly lit as a wedding was drawing to a close. The newlyweds, arm in arm, mingled with the guests in the grand hall, enjoying animated conversations. Under the resplendent ultra-large crystal chandelier in the magnificent hall, gentlemen and ladies were communicating joyfully.
It was also at this moment that the host on stage proclaimed loudly:
"...Let us welcome the youngest violin professor from Westdome Conservatory - Jack Robson!"
Li Wei closed his Sharingan and then, amidst the host's passionate announcement, ascended the rotating staircase, stepping from the darkness into the light.
In the fleeting moment of light and darkness transformation, the relaxed smile he had been maintaining on his face vanished, only to be replaced by a solemn and serious expression.
Beneath his solemn black tailcoat was a crisp white shirt, with a black bow tie perfectly tied at the collar, and a tall top hat atop his head. With each step, his leather shoes clicked against the polished marble stairs as Li Wei ascended to the top of the spiral staircase - the performance platform.
With a slight bow, the hall burst into applause, a token of respect not for him, but rather for the original owner of the appearance he now wore, Mr. Robertson.
But Li Wei paid no mind.
Without any superfluous words, he took an old-fashioned violin from the hand of a waiter beside him, and soon the melodious sound of music filled the air.
After the polite clapping subsided, amidst the music, people resumed their conversations. In the eyes of these gathered wealthy and influential figures, although the name of West Doom Music Conservatory carries some weight, and the youngest violin professor's title may sound intriguing, it's nothing more than that. The extent of their respect is the limit, could they really expect more?
What's more, after hearing the music, people felt that this so-called genius violinist was somewhat overrated, and the sound of his violin was not as wonderful as rumored.
Consequently, people lost their interest in him.
This turned out to be a better thing for Li Wei, who continued to play his music without any change in appearance.
A few minutes of music soon came to a quiet end. He cleared his throat and after the music stopped, suddenly spoke, saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, today is a wonderful moment for Mr. Zhang Sheng and Ms. Nena as they become husband and wife. To extend the most sincere best wishes to the newlyweds, I have specially prepared a little gift for them."
The butler who was in charge of the wedding logistics backstage was frightened by Li Wei's sudden remarks.
Following the prearranged process, it was time for Li Wei to bow and leave the stage to make way for the next performer. He had already arranged everything for the next musician. Who could have guessed that some tactless fool would cause such a scene?
His face flushed with anger, the butler dared not pull Li Wei off the stage. This was such an important occasion, with all the guests in the hall being so distinguished. If there was any mishap, his job as the house steward would be at stake.
All he could do now was to pray that Li Wei would handle the situation well, avoiding any displeasure from the esteemed guests. In the meantime, he made up his mind to give this guy a good scolding once this was over, deducting at least half of his salary as punishment!
No matter how angry he gets, he can't do anything about Mr. "Robson," who is speaking eloquently on stage at this moment, and can only listen to him continue, "This is a mysterious gift that can only be given at the wedding. Before the ancient disaster years, the gift given in this way would bring good fortune to the recipient."
"I will close my eyes and randomly point to a noble gentleman or lady..." With that, Li Wei closed his eyes and continued, "He will receive this mysterious little gift."
"Let's see who this lucky person will be..." His randomly shaking arm quickly came to a stop, and the person he pointed at was a fat middle-aged man.
With a slight smile in his heart, Li Wei's face, however, showed a very surprised expression: "It seems we have found this fortunate gentleman. Mr. Andrew, your impromptu speech four days ago on the street in front of Blackbird Corporation, facing the public and reporters, was truly powerful and hit the nail on the head in your evaluation of the "lesser people" from the lower districts—stupid, lazy, and restless. It was truly brilliant."
Li Wei's words were spoken politely and respectfully, in a gentlemanly manner that greatly saved face in this gathering of mostly upper-class individuals, and made the man named Andrew feel very pleased.
Smiling, he walked onto the stage, took the microphone handed to him by the waiter, and said: "No, no, we can't be too polite to those 'lesser people' in the lower districts. They want a raise but refuse to accept a sixteen-hour workday, really too demanding."
"Yes," Li Wei said with a smile, "However, let's not speak of those wretched people today. Mr. Andrew might be very interested in the little gift I hold, right? Come on, face me and hand over your hand. Remember, this gift cannot be seen by anyone, or it will lose the effect of blessing."
Andrew put down the phone and, as Li Wei said, faced him, but saw a scarlet eye.
His mind was slightly dazed, as if he heard whispers in his ear.
"…Come on, I'll place this gift in your hand…Yes, that's it. You know what this is, right? Just look at the smile on your face. You know it will bring you good fortune, don't you? Shh…Don't speak it out loud. Don't let others know. This is a secret, and you will receive the ancient blessing."
Andrew's eyes were dazed, but none could notice this exception except for Li Wei in front of him.
After Li Wei closed his Sharingan eyes, Andrew returned to normal, but the mind alteration brought by the illusion had already been imprinted in his mind.
Perhaps, after some time he could react, but for now, he completely trusted every word Li Wei said and regarded the glass bead Li Wei gave him as a rare treasure, hiding it in his arms and not showing it to anyone.
...
After getting off the stage, Li Wei ignored the butler's chatter and didn't care about the deducted salary. He quickly left the manor.
Appearing outside the manor, he no longer looked like violinist Robson at all. His plain clothes and unremarkable appearance were indistinguishable from any ordinary worker in the upper district serving the powerful and wealthy.
He found an unconscious person in a hidden shrubbery - the real Robson, and woke him up.
As soon as Robson woke up, he was hypnotized by the Sharingan eyes. Immediately after, he heard Li Wei say, "You participated in Mr. Zhang Sheng's wedding today and left home after performing a piece, right?"
"...Yes."
"The payment for this performance was generously given by you to a beggar, right?"
"...Yes."
"Well, I'm just a passerby you can find anywhere on the road. You didn't see my appearance clearly nor remember any of my features, right?"
"...Yes."
"Okay, then you should hurry home now. Your girlfriend is waiting for you to have dinner together."
"Yes, I should go home right now."
Watching Robson leave, Li Wei revealed a slight smile at the corner of his mouth: another task completed.
...
Before the sun rose, in the darkest moment before dawn, Li Wei's figure appeared in an inconspicuous bar in District 17 of the lower area of West Dum City.
A dilapidated sign reading "Wilderness Delights" hung by a rusty nail outside the bar, swaying a bit as the door opened.
"Can't you fix your sign properly?"
Eileen, the female boss seated behind the bar without even looking at the entering Levi, continued wiping the glass in her hand: "Did you send the package?"
"Aren't you going to give me a drink?"
"Answer my question first."
"Alright, alright." Levi shook his head. Eileen, a woman with red hair and an extremely hot figure, her magnificent chest almost bursting through her clothes, was a rare beauty - if only she could get rid of her bad temper.
After pouring a drink for himself, Levi said after swigging it down, "You can trust me to handle the job. The tracker has been sent."
Erin lifted her head, her face revealing a look of appreciation and a smile. She pulled Li Wei to her side and rubbed her chest against his face vigorously as she said, "Oh, you really are the little brother I took a liking to, pretty efficient, aren't you!"
Li Wei struggled hard to break free from her embrace, truly feeling a headache about this woman's nature.
Erin looked beautiful and magnanimous, with her actions intimate and ambiguous, but she was an undeniable thorny red rose. Over the one or two months since he met her, Li Wei had already seen many fools who were trapped to death by her.
He certainly doesn't want to be the next one.
Erin pouted, seemingly unhappy, but in reality, she had more admiration for Li Wei.
She still remembered a month ago, Li Wei was just the most ordinary, unremarkable little bounty hunter. She had seen plenty of people like him, and he still hadn't evolved, unlocking his potential of genetic locks.
Originally, she did not pay much attention to such individuals. As an overt owner of a lower district bar and an actual underground mission publisher, what kind of people hadn't she seen? Moreover, a month ago, she heard that this kid somehow offended a group of people he shouldn't have.
She was not optimistic about Li Wei's fate.
Soon after, the news came that Li Wei was beaten to death in the dark alley, proving her view was correct.
But not long, the kid reappeared in front of him.
What surprised him even more was that after this incident, Li Wei seemed to have become a different person.
He seemed to become more mature and indifferent.
He was kind of cool.
Of course, none of this was important. What mattered was that he successively took on several missions that Erin found thorny and estimated would not be accepted by anyone, and he completed them alive in the end.
This was somewhat impressive.
A good bounty hunter was rare, especially for Erin.
This gorgeous bar owner doesn't mind having a few more excellent hunters in her jurisdiction at all. The rise in task completion rates and quantities brings her considerable benefits.
Eileen has no intention of exploring the secrets on Levi's body. As long as he can continue to complete tasks non-stop, that is a good thing.
On this basis, she doesn't mind being a bit better to Levi. After getting along for a while, she finds that this guy is still a pretty good person.
Coming and going, Eileen can be considered the first friend Levi has made in this world.
Having stolen a glass of wine, Levi wiped his mouth and said, "Andrew is not a big shot, but the Blackbird Heavy Industry behind him is a well-known big enterprise. Who has the audacity to focus on him?"
"Don't ask what you shouldn't." Eileen took out a box from under the bar and placed it in front of Levi.
Li Wei thumbed through the bills representing energy crystals in the box, then said: "I don't care who's targeting him, nor what those targeting him intend to do, but I don't want to get into trouble because of this."
"Are you ever short of trouble?" Aileen mocked him, then said: "But don't worry this time, the person issuing the task has significant backing, they're planning to eliminate Andrew, you don't need to worry about any loose ends from this matter."
"You always say that," Li Wei complained, then pushed the box back again, "The money for this mission, plus what I've deposited with you, should be enough for a basic genetic repair agent, right? Directly exchange it for me."
Aileen paused, then said: "Why? You know it's useless."
"Still have to try," Li Wei looked indifferent.
"Up to you," Aileen didn't say anything further, however, when Li Wei was preparing to leave, she added a reminder:
"It seems that the Skeleton Gang has already found you, be careful."
This is an unnecessary reminder, Eileen usually doesn't do such a thing, but for Levi, she made an exception.
Without stopping his pace, Levi waved to Eileen when leaving the door and said, "I already know, but thank you anyway. I'll buy you a drink later."
Eileen "hum" a few times, lowered her head to wipe his wine glass again, and just mumbled: "Don't die."