Viktor sat alone, casually finding a seat and sitting down.
Priscilla and Aurelian went elsewhere.
Quite a lot had happened over the past month, and the two girls needed to relax.
Viktor naturally didn't need them to stay by his side the whole time.
As for Gwen...
Whether in the past or now, she didn't like attending this kind of banquet.
So she didn't come along.
At this time, many wealthy figures looked toward Viktor.
But very few dared to come forward and greet him.
Mainly because the aura around Viktor was too strong.
There was always a clear sense of "keep strangers away."
Only a few lords who had previously gone through the auction and the Shulborn incident with Viktor came over to greet him.
Viktor simply nodded in response.
After quite a while, someone finally came to find Viktor again.
The female auctioneer from earlier stood near him.
This time, she was alone, without any guards following her.
Perhaps thinking of the earlier awkwardness, she sat down across from Viktor with some nervousness and carefully spoke,
"Um… Mr. Viktor."
Viktor looked at her and said indifferently, "Name."
'Ah!'
The pressure Viktor gave off was so strong that she had even forgotten to introduce herself.
That was rather impolite.
How had her professional ability suddenly dropped so much? That shouldn't have happened.
So she immediately stood up and replied politely, "Mr. Viktor, my name is Zora Nandena."
"I am a gold-level auctioneer of the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce."
The auctioneers of the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce were divided into three levels, bronze, silver, and the highest level, gold.
And she was precisely a top-tier auctioneer.
Viktor tapped his fingers on the table and spoke calmly, "What is it?"
"It's like this."
Zora took out a card and handed it to Viktor.
"There are 1.1 billion Geo in here. You can withdraw it from any bank across the world."
Viktor lowered his gaze and looked at the card with golden patterns.
According to the chamber's rules, if compensation for goods was required, they had to pay ten times the value.
That meant for goods worth one hundred million, they only needed to compensate one billion.
But now, there was an extra one hundred million in the card.
Viktor didn't take the card. Instead, he raised his eyes and looked at Zora indifferently.
"Your chamber wants to cooperate with me?"
Zora smiled and explained, "Mr. Viktor, because you saved me at the auction, this extra one hundred million is my personal gift of thanks."
One hundred million as a gift.
Viktor leaned back slightly, somewhat interested.
"Your chamber gets such good treatment?"
A gold-level auctioneer could casually give away assets worth one hundred million?
Zora's smile didn't fade as she added,
"Well, the president of the chamber is my father."
"Then I won't be polite."
Hearing this, Viktor lightly tapped the table.
The gold card on the table gradually became illusory, then disappeared instantly.
A gift from a rich woman, naturally, there was no reason to refuse it.
Perhaps seeing Viktor's strange method, Zora was a little surprised, her eyes widening slightly.
But she didn't forget her purpose and continued, "In addition, the two items you purchased last time, if you haven't found suitable craftsmen yet, we can help you find them and cover the crafting costs for free."
"This is also part of our token of thanks."
Viktor smiled.
"The craftsmen you find, can they compare to Ryan Kent?"
Zora blinked.
'That name… sounds somewhat familiar.'
Ryan Kent.
She suddenly realized that in the dwarven city of Midi, there was a dwarf craftsman known as the most skilled in forging in the world.
His name was Ryan Kent.
"Uh… I think naturally they can't compare to Master Ryan Kent."
After saying that, she secretly glanced at Viktor.
But she saw a faint, unreadable smile on his face.
'Wait…'
'Master Ryan Kent seemed to be a council member of the Mage Council?'
She hadn't expected to forget that detail.
Thinking of this, Zora couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Viktor saw through her awkwardness and said directly, "Go on. Your chamber is so eager to find me, what do you want me to help with?"
Hearing this, Zora felt a bit helpless.
She had been too impatient and had her intentions seen through immediately.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to get to the point.
Just as she was about to speak, the music around the palace suddenly changed.
The previously festive music became more romantic and solemn.
The luxurious band played a melodious tune, and colorful flower petals drifted down onto the red carpet.
Every noble either sat down or stopped where they were.
All of them stopped talking and looked toward the palace entrance.
There, the king and queen walked in hand in hand from the gate into the palace.
However, they remained silent, like wooden puppets, without any emotional fluctuation.
It was clearly supposed to be a joyous wedding.
Yet the heavy, oppressive atmosphere still shrouded the entire courtyard, making it hard to breathe.
Zora observed their behavior and couldn't help whispering to Viktor, "As you can see, the kingdom's strength has declined. Continuing to cooperate with them is meaningless."
Although the people of the kingdom all possessed martial strength, the current decline could no longer be hidden.
Even the commercial district had been destroyed by demi-humans.
King August had lost trust. He could no longer play his proper role in the nation.
At this time, the two being married slowly walked onto the platform ahead.
The one witnessing their vows was Michaela, a bishop from the Church of the Goddess of Abundance.
Blindfolded, holding a thick prayer book in her hands, facing the king and queen, she softly recited the ancient vow, "Are you willing to accompany each other for a lifetime?"
"Whether in poverty or wealth, in health or illness…"
At this moment, Viktor saw Grand Duke Barlow.
He stood below the side of the platform, watching everything with those cloudy eyes.
The Cant Kingdom had a severe gap in strength.
The only top-tier guardian left was Grand Duke Barlow.
He could only bear everything alone. The burden on his shoulders was far too heavy.
His figure had grown more hunched, his back filled with the weight of years, lacking the vitality it once had.
Zora turned her head and looked at Viktor with hopeful eyes, speaking slowly, "We want to shift the part of our cooperation with the kingdom toward Shulborn."
Although she said this, the chamber had not completely abandoned the kingdom's market.
They simply wanted to shift their business focus to the more secure Shulborn.
Even if profits were reduced, a safe trading environment was more important for the chamber.
After all, no one wanted to relive the shock of what happened at the auction.
Therefore...
"We also hope Mr. Viktor will consider it."
Although Shulborn was territory of the kingdom, it was under Viktor's control, and his influence there far exceeded that of August.
The Cassidra Chamber of Commerce was essentially offering money to Viktor as a form of protection fee, in exchange for Shulborn's protection.
Viktor withdrew his gaze from Grand Duke Barlow and turned back.
As if thinking of something, he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, "You think this kingdom is no longer safe, so it's no longer worth cooperating with your chamber?"
Zora didn't deny it. She quietly nodded.
After all, the entire Cant Kingdom now only had Grand Duke Barlow as its high-level combat force.
No matter how strong he was, he was only one person.
Viktor stood up, his voice calm yet deep, "Then there's no need to make it so troublesome."
Hearing this, Zora looked up in confusion at Viktor, who had suddenly stood.
"Mr. Viktor, you…"
Her voice didn't stop him.
Because at that moment, he was already walking toward the platform where the wedding ceremony was being held.
The ceremony had reached the stage of exchanging rings. Crisp footsteps echoed through the venue.
Viktor's figure immediately became the center of attention.
Even Aurelian and Priscilla, seated elsewhere, looked toward him.
But the two of them seemed to have already understood something and didn't find it strange at all.
Only the wealthy and noble lords present were filled with confusion.
'Viktor?'
'What is he trying to do?'
Michaela couldn't help but pause her blessing and turned to look at Viktor approaching.
But she only heard him casually say, "Just continue your work."
She was momentarily stunned, then nodded and continued the blessing.
At the same time, as Viktor stepped onto the platform, a strange nebula began to swirl around his body.
The nebula wrapped around him, as if he stood within a dream, deep and mysterious.
Above the night sky, countless silver fragments shimmering with cold light appeared, falling like meteors, leaving long trails behind.
It was just like the scene when Viktor had appeared earlier.
Countless people watched him in silence.
The silver fragments in the sky, like pieces of steel armor, floated one by one along the nebula.
Connected to Viktor by strands of blue light.
In the end, a suit of armor flowing with nebula completely enveloped him.
Cold light flickered, the nebula surged.
The coat behind him was brushed by starlight, flowing down like a galaxy pouring to the ground, dreamlike.
Seeing Viktor like this, the Grand Duke standing to the side narrowed his eyes, as if recognizing something familiar.
As if passing through the stars, Viktor's face was covered by a silver-white mask.
He steadily walked forward step by step and calmly sat on the throne at the front.
Seeing this, the nobles in the hall were stunned, their minds going blank.
At that moment, a hollow voice came from beneath the armor, deep and imposing, carrying a sense of lofty mystery, "On a day like today, I will give you a gift as well."
The next moment, before the nobles could react, the massive Soul of Saint Gali, accompanied by heavy nebula, emerged from above the palace.
The enormous steel body filled with flowing starlight rose behind Viktor, towering as if it touched the ceiling of the palace.
Three pairs of gigantic starlit hands floated in the air, each holding a different weapon.
In an instant, the nebula surged like waves, like a vast river flowing across the ground, soaking the knees of the nobles present.
A terrifying aura swept through like a raging tide, making the solemn steel palace tremble.
The nobles stared at the dark, powerful figure, fear and shock fully revealed in their eyes.
They gazed at the legs covered by the sea of stars, frozen in place, their spirits shaken.
Before that meteor general, they were as small as ants, as if even the wind could tear them apart.
Terrifying. Majestic. Supreme.
At this moment, these words flooded their minds.
At the same time, beneath Viktor's heavy nebula helmet, a voice that did not belong to him sounded, "Samuel."
"Your king has returned."