Tokugawa Nobuyuki bowed deeply to Linto.
Most guests at the Daimyo's mansion pretended not to see, drinking and admiring flowers, wishing the world had mobile phones so they could unlock them, swipe a couple of times, lock them, and put them back in their helmets to pass the awkward time.
The news that the Tokugawa Daimyo intended to hand over Karins Castle was no longer a secret, but even so...
He was being too humble!
This was throwing the Land of Wind's dignity to the ground for anyone to trample on.
Many ministers' eyes were full of indignation, and some simply left in a huff, not wanting to attend this humiliating banquet anymore.
Pairs of eyes looked at Linto, waiting to see his reaction.
But just as he had told Kohaku in the carriage, Linto paid no attention to what Tokugawa Nobuyuki was doing. He took a cup of wine from a servant's tray, walked over, and asked with surprise:
"Are you injured? Was it an assassin?"
Tokugawa Nobuyuki straightened up, holding his waist.
"Ahaha... No, it's an occupational hazard, I guess."
He couldn't very well say he was almost stabbed to death by his own Taisho Minister.
Fortunately, Tokugawa Nobuyuki was rather stout. The blade had indeed split his belly, but there were still several centimeters of fat left before it would have been a rupture, thus saving his life.
Tokugawa Nobuyuki looked at Linto with a smile.
"Mr. Linto, I've heard so much about the Daimyo. Please, come in."
He gestured for Linto to enter the banquet hall.
As soon as he stepped inside, hundreds of eyes fell on Linto at once. The gazes came from men and women, old and young, with varying appearances and temperaments.
But they all had one thing in common—
They held power and wealth.
And, regardless of their true inner thoughts, at this moment, they all displayed the most sincere and friendly smiles they had ever managed.
Tokugawa Nobuyuki raised his wine glass high.
"Welcome to our honored guest today, Mr. Linto!"
Glasses were raised one by one, reflecting the brilliant overhead lights, like crystalline liquid gold, shimmering with intoxicating luxury.
After toasts, greetings, and introductions, everyone mingled in small groups, entering the casual chat phase of the banquet.
Kohaku stood in a corner, like a solid statue, exuding quiet authority. His sharp eyes scanned the room, guarding against any potential threats.
However, every so often, a voluptuous local lady would approach him, handing him a business card or a phone number, much to the genuine distress of the honest and dutiful Kohaku.
"The Land of Wind is always so warm and hospitable," Tokugawa Nobuyuki said.
Linto took a sip of wine: "Like you?"
"Exactly, like me."
Linto studied Tokugawa Nobuyuki closely, trying to decipher his true intentions from his narrowed eyes: "You really..."
Before he could finish, Tokugawa Nobuyuki fanned himself open, chuckling, "We have a whole day tomorrow to sit at a table and go through boring agreements.
Tonight, let's not talk business, only about the flowers and moon of Kazahana, what do you say?"
Linto gave him a long look and nodded slightly.
Melodies played, and dances were performed. Tokugawa Nobuyuki watched intently, clapping and cheering at the exciting parts.
Linto could tell he wasn't just going through the motions; he was genuinely and wholeheartedly absorbed in appreciating the performance.
Soon, it was time for the dance. Daughters from noble families came forward one after another, inviting Linto to dance.
Linto politely declined them all. It was Tokugawa Nobuyuki, however, who shamelessly took a woman's arm and led her to dance in the center of the ballroom.
Linto stood outside the dance floor, holding a glass of wine, contemplating his arrival in Warsaw City:
The rats had disappeared.
Tokugawa Nobuyuki had conceded willingly.
The internal struggle between the two factions of officials.
"But there's still one faction that hasn't shown itself—"
"The corporations."
The Daimyo belonged to the corporations, but the corporations didn't belong to the Daimyo. They complemented each other yet were relatively independent.
"What are the corporations up to?"
"Are they also conceding, and just hiding away?"
"Or... like last time, did they send someone to attempt an assassination?"
Even with the failures of Hidan and Kakuzu last time, besides, the Land of Wind and the Land of Water were different matters.
Tokugawa Nobuyuki had been in power for decades, his authority deeply entrenched. He had a large number of samurai guards, making it almost impossible to fight one's way in. The entire city of Warsaw...
"Perhaps only I could accomplish that."
Linto shook his head: "But why would I want to kill an enemy Daimyo who has already conceded to me and is about to sign an unequal treaty tomorrow?"
"Hey, beautiful."
An unfamiliar voice interrupted Linto's thoughts.
Standing before him was a tall, fair-skinned woman with striking makeup.
"You are..."
Linto remembered that Tokugawa Nobuyuki had introduced her.
"Tokugawa Yukino."
Linto recalled that she was Tokugawa Nobuyuki's youngest daughter.
Hearing her name, Linto instinctively looked down.
She lived up to her name, truly.
She leaned closer to Linto: "Want to dance?"
"No, thank you."
Linto had initially thought she was acting on her father's orders, but Yukino's eyes had been fixed on him from the moment she arrived, her gaze burning as if it could ignite him.
"Do you have someone you like?"
Linto looked at her, surprised: "Don't you know that you and your father are technically enemies?"
Tokugawa Yukino whispered in Linto's ear:
"That's what makes it interesting."
Dating is boring.
Kissing is boring.
But kissing without dating is very interesting.
And if you add the parental rivalry, or the fact that the other person has someone they like... Tokugawa Yukino's throat felt dry.
She whispered in Linto's ear: "You are truly terrifying. Just hearing your story, standing next to you, I can't stop trembling all over. That kind of intimidation is...
So alluring.
So, Lord Linto, after the dance, I'd like to hear about your upbringing. In exchange... would you like to see my 'dark forest'?"
Linto stood stunned.
So this was the warm hospitality of the people of the Land of Wind?
He finally understood why Kambara Hayato was so infatuated with the desert women of the Land of Wind.
Linto gave a light laugh and was about to shake his head and refuse.
Suddenly, the lights went out.
The Daimyo's mansion was located on a mountainside. Looking out from the window, one could see that not only the Daimyo's mansion but almost half the city's lights had gone out, plunging the vast Warsaw City into darkness.
People emerged from the sewers, clad in dark gray cloaks. They stood silently on the streets, like dead, withered trees.
Linto walked to the window: "It really is a dark forest."
Just then, shouts erupted throughout the city. Linto listened carefully for a moment and then understood what they were yelling:
"The old curtain falls, a new era rises!"
"The time is now, let the Daimyo be washed in blood!"
It wasn't just Linto; everyone in the banquet hall heard it clearly. They turned to look at Tokugawa Nobuyuki.
He raised his wine glass and smiled at everyone.