Free Web NovelChapter 179: Chapter 124: Black Eat Black
Baron knew that despite his recent crash course in dancing from Stella, the best he could hope for was to avoid any major blunders. He was certainly nowhere near good enough to dazzle the crowd.
And yet, the last two dances had both earned him cheers and applause from the crowd.
Ultimately, the credit didn’t belong to him, but to the fact that he’d had a perfect partner both times.
One was Carmen, who went by the alias K.
The other was the Pure-blooded Fierce Tiger before him now: Yalilan.
Baron felt that unlike Carmen’s queenly grace and bearing, Yalilan’s form wasn’t necessarily any better than Miss Triss’s, but it possessed a unique, deadly intensity.
Every movement was like a warrior drawing their sword or a champion waving their banner.
She wasn’t wearing a typical long dress but a more unisex-style robe. It actually concealed certain flaws in her form while magnifying the cool, dismissive contempt in her gaze.
She was like a general inspecting her troops before battle. Wherever her gaze landed, even Miss Triss, who was in a dance-off against Baron, couldn’t help but stiffen.
As she led him, only one phrase surfaced in Baron’s mind: the might of a tiger.
The only ones unaffected were Brother Sorrowful, Zhan Jiale, who kept his eyes closed, and the several high-ranking figures present.
Stephen took a sip of wine. "I never thought even Lady Yalilan’s dancing would be so formidable."
Lewis chuckled. "Besides being the greatest beauty on the Continent, Lady Rose is also its greatest dancer. It’s only natural that the Viscount, as the leader of the Rose Commerce Association’s Hunting Group, would dance this way."
Victor just smiled.
Ferdinand, however, watched Baron on the floor with a dark, unreadable expression.
The dance-off was a landslide victory with no suspense whatsoever. Or, as Maguire put it later, the moment everyone saw Yalilan take the stage, the competition’s outcome had been sealed.
Zhan Jiale and Miss Triss lost. They were defeated not only by Yalilan’s dance style, but also by the strange, rhythmic steps Baron suddenly unveiled in the latter half of the performance.
"It’s called the Tango. It’s a special dance from a small region in Feinan."
This was Baron’s explanation when Miss Triss suddenly approached to ask, right under Zhan Jiale’s furious glare.
Miss Triss nodded. "Mr. L, I’d like to learn this dance. Could you teach me?"
Baron glanced in the direction of Yalilan, who had left without the slightest hesitation right after the dance. All she had said to him were three short sentences:
"This is the Lady’s song."
"I’m leaving the next lead dance to you."
"L, you danced very well."
He smiled faintly. "You want to learn? Sure, I’ll teach you."
Amid the heartbroken glares from Miss Triss’s many suitors, the astonished looks of Lewis and Victor, a slight nod from Yalilan, a cold, sharp expression from Ferdinand, and the gasps of the assembled onlookers, the two of them disappeared into one of the mansion’s rooms.
Thirty minutes later, Miss Triss was fast asleep in the bedroom, slumped over a table with a half-empty cup of black tea before her.
Once Baron confirmed the potion would last long enough, he gave a signal to Zod, who had been lying in wait by the door with a drink. It was time for the operation to begin.
Zod took the cue and coughed once.
Downstairs, Maguire nodded, then strode out to the courtyard and whispered a few words in Yalilan’s ear. frёeωebɳovel.com
Yalilan immediately excused herself to the lords, citing urgent business. Victor watched her departing figure, lost in thought.
Just as he was about to speak, Lewis shoved something in his mouth, silencing him.
As soon as Yalilan stepped outside, a horse was ready for her. freewebnøvel.com
"The men and horses are assembled," a subordinate reported. "They are all night-steeds, silent and with their hooves already wrapped. We can depart at any time."
Yalilan nodded and glanced at the full moon hanging high in the sky. "Send a few men to the Guard Post to notify the captain. Tell him our destination. Let’s move!"
With that, she vaulted onto her horse, pulled the long reins, and led several dark figures as they slipped away into the silent night.
Fifteen minutes after Yalilan’s departure, Baron arrived at the warehouse where he and Faraday had planned to ambush Ferdinand on the Foggy Day.
The warehouse main gate was guarded. Baron didn’t make a reckless move, as that could easily give him away.
He simply used the powerful Night Vision of a Blood Demon Hunter, combined with the extreme long-range sight of a Dragon Knight, to survey his surroundings.
After confirming there were no other ambushes and no one was passing by, he calmly vaulted down from the roof. In mid-air, he drew the Spear Sword from his waist. The Long Saber shot out, instantly piercing both guards’ skulls.
Utterly silent.
He then pulled on his trench coat, the [Mask], and slipped into the warehouse through a gap in the partially open door.
The warehouse was guarded by numerous members of the Iron Thorn Gang. They were all Black Iron Tier Demon Hunters, or novices on the cusp of the Entry Tier. Some had tattoos on their faces like Tate’s, marking them as ex-convicts.
They were all drinking and eating meat, loud and slovenly, lounging about like a bunch of street thugs.
They bragged about which girl from the Dongcheng District they’d taken to bed, or how some poor working stiff was unknowingly raising their child after being cuckolded.
When they got worked up, they even started acting out their exploits of bullying men and forcing themselves on women.
Their companions, in turn, would erupt in timely waves of uproarious laughter.
It made Baron feel his caution had been excessive. In their current state, these men probably wouldn’t notice their two dead lookouts until sunrise.
Baron moved silently among them for a moment and discovered that the warehouse was filled with metals used specifically for Alchemy.
This invigorated him. He didn’t care what kinds of metals they were; with a flash of his Gentiana Pattern Ring, anything he saw was as good as his.
