The melodious music played once again, this time with a more cheerful and bright rhythm.
The guests resumed their conversations, but the topics revolved almost entirely around that dramatic scene from just now.
"Recalling the way Lord King frowned just now, he was definitely locking onto the scent of evil!"
"More than that! Didn't you see?"
"After Lord King stepped into the hall, the first area his gaze swept across was near the dessert section!"
"That was exactly where that Inazuma Merchant was hiding! Everything was already within his grasp!"
"Incredible! This is no longer mortal insight; this is 'Divine Perception'!"
"No wonder Lady Furina values him so highly. With Lord King here, why worry that justice will not prevail?"
King listened to the increasingly absurd discussions in his ears and felt the worshipful gazes coming from all directions that almost burned through him; his heart was already speechless to the extreme.
Furina stepped down gracefully from the high platform, her steps incredibly elegant, like a true queen of the ball, as she came before King.
She tilted her face up slightly, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling with starlight, and her cheeks flushed with a charming blush of excitement and pride.
"Mr. King, you have shown me, and all of Fontaine, what true 'justice' really is."
Furina extended her slender hand with an elegant posture, her eyes full of expectation:
"I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting the Guardian of Fontaine to a dance?"
This was a signal, a clear signal that officially pushed King to the very top of Fontaine's power.
Countless gazes focused on the two of them, filled with curiosity.
King looked at Furina's extended hand and the undisguised expectation in her eyes, falling silent for two seconds.
Then, he slowly reached out and took that small hand wearing a delicate black lace glove.
It felt slightly cool to the touch, yet soft.
"The honor is mine."
The moment King's voice fell, the conductor's baton rose gracefully, and a soothing and classic court waltz flowed out.
The lights in the Starry Hall also tactfully dimmed a bit, then converged on the two of them.
King led Furina into the center of the dance floor; his movements were slightly stiff, but due to his powerful physical fitness, they carried a strange sense of stability.
Furina's skirt fluttered slightly, like a black rose blooming at dawn, as she lightly followed his steps.
Neither of them spoke.
The sound of the emperor engine had quietly stopped at some point, leaving only the melodious music and countless gazes holding their breath.
In the eyes of the guests, it was not a simple dance.
It was two kinds of "strength" in harmonious resonate, the "god of water" and her chosen "God of Men" dancing together under the starlight.
The black formal wear intertwined under the lights; on Furina's slightly upturned face, that blush and the starlight in her eyes surpassed the brilliance of any jewelry.
And the lines of King's cold profile actually showed a near-tender focus at this moment—
Of course, this was mostly thanks to the lighting and everyone's imagination.
"What a harmonious scene..."
A noble lady dabbed the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, her voice moved:
"Lady Furina and Lord King are like twin stars reflecting each other in the night; this is how our Fontaine should be."
Beside her, her husband agreed:
"You're right, my dear. The deity and the deity's Guardian will lead our nation forward together!"
Neuvillette stood quietly to the side.
The wine glass in his hand reflected the flickering lights in the hall.
In the deep blue of his eyes, the two spinning in the dance floor were reflected, his face full of gratification.
Clorinde stood not far away, her cheeks slightly flushed, her gaze closely following King's every step, as if it were not a dance but some kind of martial arts demonstration containing supreme martial principles.
Lynette stood quietly in the corner, her cat eyes darting slightly, observing everything.
Subsequently, she saw Lyney casting a worried look at her and helplessly shook her head slightly at Lyney.
Lyney squeezed at the edge of the crowd, his expression complex.
Lumine gently pulled Paimon, who was still drooling over a plate of pudding, signaling her to look at the center of the dance floor.
Paimon blinked, muttering in a slightly envious voice:
"Furina and King... they dance so beautifully."
The song ended.
Applause rang out again like a tide, more enthusiastic than before, filled with sincere blessings.
Furina panted slightly, her cheeks crimson, her heterochromatic eyes shining intensely.
She released King's hand, performed an elegant curtsy, then looked up at King, her lips curling into an incredibly bright smile that shed all pretenses.
That smile seemed to brighten the entire Starry Hall.
[Ding! Detected Super Happiness emotion from Furina, Emotion Points +10,000.]
[Detected strong Yearning emotion from Clorinde, Emotion Points +5,000.]
[Detected sighs of admiration emotion from Lynette, Emotion Points +5,000.]
[Detected gratification emotion from Neuvillette, Emotion Points +5,000.]
[Detected inexplicable melancholy emotion from Lumine, Emotion Points +5,000.]
[Detected slight jealousy emotion from Paimon, Emotion Points +50,000.]
[Detected from Lyney...]
...The next morning.
Sunlight shone brightly on King's face through the arched window of the top-floor suite in the Opera Epiclese.
He frowned, struggling to wake up from a bizarre dream.
In the dream, countless blurred faces swirled around him, applauding, and the buzzing discussions were like persistent flies.
Furina, wearing a black dress, was stepping all over his face.
Clorinde's dress buttons were flying everywhere.
Lynette was laughing wildly while stuffing her tail into his nostrils.
Finally, Paimon was holding a giant macaron, blushing while stuffing it into his mouth... King lay paralyzed on the soft, large bed, feeling as if his soul had been drained.
Exhaustion.
Of course, this wasn't physical fatigue—
The Superalloy Blacklight Body made him so energetic he could punch through a mountain range.
But rather psychological, a kind of weariness after being deeply mired in social quicksand and performing for an entire night.
Last night's banquet was even more tiring than clearing ten copies of "Black Myth: Wukong" in a row.
Dancing was only the beginning.
After that, he was like a precious museum exhibit, "admired" by wave after wave of people.
Nobles racked their brains to come up and strike up a conversation.
Even if he only replied with a single "Mm," the other party could imagine a long-winded deep meaning and leave satisfied.
Merchants tried to subtly probe his preferences, seemingly intending to cater to them.
He remained expressionless, and those people automatically interpreted it as "disliking luxury, having high integrity," and stepped back in admiration.
Foreign envoys were even more cautious, their greetings carrying twelve parts of care, as if a slightly louder voice would be taken as a provocation.
Furina was like a happy little bird throughout, hovering around him, fending off some overly enthusiastic entanglements while enjoying the various compliments everyone gave the two of them.
Clorinde and Lynette were on his left and right, like the most loyal guards; although they didn't speak, their presence was immense.
As for Neuvillette... Neuvillette seemed to have left midway; he went to handle the aftermath—
That fainted Inazuma Merchant, as well as a series of diplomatic issues with Inazuma.
It wasn't until late at night that the banquet finally broke up.
King returned to his room, feeling as if his facial muscles had stiffened from smiling, even though he hadn't smiled at all.
Of course, the harvest from a hard night's work was also not small—
King called up the system panel.
[Host: King]
[Current Template: KING (Compatibility 99.9%)]
[Current Emotion Points: 120,000]
[Owned Skills/Talents: emperor engine (Level???), Explosive Heart Release Fist (S-rank), Superalloy Blacklight Body (S-rank)...]