October 20th, the day of Han Qiu and Yishan’s wedding.
The ceremony was set for six in the evening, but by three in the afternoon people had already started streaming it live, the combined viewers reaching into the millions.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly why people did this. Were they there just to gawk at human brains, or to share a sliver of happiness that had become so scarce in this age?
Some called this wedding the "wedding of the century," not merely because of its lavish scale and grand spectacle, but because it seemed unlikely any future wedding could ever eclipse its influence.
That claim wasn’t without reason. It was difficult to imagine whose wedding could cause a bigger stir than this one.
Some Xisiya people objected, saying that if their Administrator Yelanka ever held a wedding, that would be the true wedding of the century.
But that "if someday" looked very distant.
Meanwhile, the controversies surrounding the groom from earlier days had quieted as the wedding day arrived.
If no action was taken, controversy remained only controversy. With Beixing’s officials not stepping in to intervene, Suroma’s demands to hand over Han Qiu were reduced to mere requests.
In reality, by now many Beixing citizens, rather than insisting Suroma hand Han Qiu over, preferred to see the wedding proceed smoothly. That indistinct, hard-to-articulate public sentiment was, in turn, influencing decisions at higher levels.
Wensilisa Castle was buzzing with activity. Men and women in elegant attire held stemmed glasses, nibbled afternoon tea, and gathered in the gardens or front halls to chat and relax while waiting for the evening ceremony.
These guests were wealthy or influential, and some were already famous even in peacetime.
There were also many newly risen Ascendant elites, people who had climbed up in this era by their own strength and thus obtained invitations to this wedding.
Servers carrying trays moved through the crowds, smiles perfectly measured on men’s and women’s faces alike, making it hard to tell who was human and who was a robot.
When their eyes glanced your way, it was difficult to tell whether they were looking at you or using their cameras to match your facial data.
"Shadow, I'm in the priest's room."
Adam’s voice sounded in Guan Tong’s mind over the Mind Network, the communication method least likely to be intercepted or disturbed.
"Hmm." Guan Tong gazed at the lively castle not far away. "I'm planning to go in too."
Once the three of them began moving, each followed his own mode of operation.
Adam had already infiltrated the castle first, hiding out in the priest’s room. Before the priest arrived to start the wedding, that room would be undisturbed and very safe.
Uenoshi was currently concealed in the center of New Covenant City with Coal Ball. She would only create a diversion to draw Suroma’s attention after receiving Guan Tong’s signal.
Guan Tong didn’t enter the castle at once. He took a perimeter observation first.
Through shadow line he detected some plainclothes operatives, some disguised as guests, some posing as servers. Normal guests and servers would never scan the surroundings with such scrutinizing gazes.
But to him, those operatives were staged and obvious, practically wearing signs that read "I’m an operative" on their foreheads.
The real veterans were surely hidden among those laughing, chatting men and women. More extremely, anyone there could potentially be an observer.
Guan Tong withdrew his gaze and looked down at the single-breasted coat he wore.
That Camouflage Coat item — I’ve been wearing it since before I obtained it, though I’ve never used its function until now.
Today was precisely when it would come in handy.
I activated the ability seven minutes ago. A guest outside Wensilisa Castle disappeared.
Many people had seen that guest, but nobody’s eyes lingered on him for more than three seconds, as if they automatically ignored him.
That was the coat’s power: after use, it blends the wearer with the environment and conceals them, continuously consuming mind power. As long as the user has sufficient mind power, doesn’t use other abilities, and isn’t attacked, the concealment won’t be broken.
Because of that, Guan Tong now felt like an invisible man who drew no attention. Others could see him, but their brains, influenced by the Dao Zhen item’s effect, would automatically disregard his presence, retaining no impression of his shape or appearance.
He moved through the castle. Having memorized the architectural blueprints Adam had obtained, he was clear about the layout.
After circling from outside in, he sensed many powerful Ascendants present, yet those people could not sense him.
Not only them — even Adam and Uenoshi had told him that, unless he actively used his ability, people hardly perceived him as an Ascendant.
They said this situation hadn’t existed before and had only appeared recently.
Guan Tong had considered the matter himself. His only major recent change was acquiring an Authority from the Life-Hunting Demon, and his personal information evaluation on the Terminal Panel had changed to "Awakened."
He had already thought that the jump from "Perfect" to "Awakened" didn’t seem to depend on the amount of mind power in the way past rating increases did, but rather on having an Authority.
That starry giant tree laden with Authority fruits — perhaps only when an Ascendant plucks a fruit from it and obtains a certain Authority will the Terminal Panel’s evaluation rise to "Awakened."
Even Guan Tong had obtained an Authority only by chance, using the Fire Thief’s help to kill a demon; the difficulty for others to replicate that was obvious.
Whether there was a way to obtain an Authority by one’s own efforts was something Guan Tong had no idea about. All he knew was that Authorities likely weren’t born from nothing or naturally occurring, but were "manufactured" by Civilization.
Whoosh —
While he moved about the castle, a commotion came from the main gate.
He was on the second floor and went to the corridor railing to look toward the entrance. A black stretch limousine was parked at the gate, and a dazzling figure stepped out.
The woman was none other than the bride, Yishan.
Even before she had fully alighted, people surged forward to cheer and clap.
It was clear Yishan loved being the center of attention. She stepped down from the car, grinning and waving, as if she would become the happiest person today.
It only seemed that way.
From the second floor, Guan Tong watched the smile on Yishan’s face and felt a slight exhale in his chest.
He harbored no affection for Yishan. During the assassination mission targeting Your Holiness, the bishop Peter had been able to act as an inside man in the operation, and she bore part of the "credit" for that.
If he hadn’t turned the tide at that moment, the entire team might have been annihilated in the trap array. From that perspective, she was unquestionably an enemy.
But one thing was one thing. Seeing her as an enemy didn’t stop him from feeling she might be a pitiable person today.
He had difficulty imagining how she would react if this immensely important wedding for her turned out to be a lie. Would the double betrayal by her father and new husband shatter her illusions or drive her completely insane?