Witch’s Night: Chapter 7 Miss Luo Yan is Watching You (Secretly)
Although highly regarded by an important figure like Norian, Hua Qingling was actually quite inconspicuous at this banquet.
Ordinary nobles weren’t like Norian, interested in young talents. To them, Hua Qingling was just an ordinary stranger.
As for her appearance?
Except for those with particular preferences, Hua Qingling’s appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding.
She could be considered beautiful, but to the well-traveled Lannister nobles, especially when it came to women, this kind of beauty was quite common.
Moreover, this banquet had gathered almost the entire upper class of Lannister, and there were many who were more beautiful than Hua Qingling.
For example, Miss Chris, who had just greeted Hua Qingling, was highly regarded among the new generation of nobles, both for her appearance and popularity, especially since her family was also prominent and not to be underestimated in the Free Federation.
But none of this had anything to do with Hua Qingling. She sat bored at a bar counter in the corner of the hall, while Luo Yan next to her was asking the bartender about the origins and stories of various cocktails, eager to try them.
Although bars, a phenomenon from the Old Era that had only recently re-emerged, were generally looked down upon by the self-proclaimed noble nobles as lacking class, there were still some nobles who liked them.
To cater to this small group of nobles, a corner of the banquet hall was specifically set aside for a bar counter.
Moreover, they had specially invited the chief bartender from the most famous bar—the one Luo Yan was currently questioning.
“Screwdriver… why is it called that?” Luo Yan stared at the golden liquid in the cocktail glass and looked up at the bartender curiously. “If I remember correctly, that should be the name of two tools.”
“Um… that’s a name from the Old Era… it seems to have been the original inventor’s mixing tool?”
The bartender stammered, wondering if this person was trying to make things difficult for him.
The New Era had lost most of the historical records from the Old Era. Most of what had survived was passed down through word of mouth, and there were naturally not many records about cocktail names.
Even though this bartender specialized in classic Old Era cocktails, even he didn’t know much.
But the black-haired young man in front of him had a very serious expression, as if he really just wanted to learn about these cocktails.
But… why was his heart beating faster and faster?
Whether it was due to embarrassment from being excessively questioned, or some other reason, the relatively young bartender was already blushing.
His eyes timidly avoided Luo Yan’s direct gaze, but his heart couldn’t help but pound. The gentle voice made him feel slightly intoxicated, but then he was awakened by the terrifying reality.
Could it be… that he had been bent?
Just as the bartender was lost in thought, and Luo Yan picked up the cocktail glass to try it, there was quite a commotion from the banquet in the distance.
“Hmm?”
The commotion was so loud that Luo Yan and Hua Qingling couldn’t ignore it. Several minor nobles even showed quite undignified excitement, scrambling towards the source of the commotion.
At this time, the bartender next to them also became excited. He had just been worried about being bent, but now he had completely thrown this inexplicable thought to the back of his mind.
“It’s, it’s Magistrate Norian! I didn’t expect the rumors of Magistrate Norian attending this banquet to be true!”
The bartender was elated and even wanted to drop his work and push through the crowd, but he ultimately held back.
This was the place where the Lannister nobles held their banquets, not a place where a commoner like him could mess around.
“Norian?”
Luo Yan hadn’t been paying attention at first, but hearing this name, she put down the glass in her hand and looked towards the center of the banquet hall.
With her eyesight, she naturally quickly found the thin old man surrounded by a group of nobles, especially with his signature handlebar mustache. It was undoubtedly Norian, who had picked her up from the forest outside the city and brought her back to Lannister.
“You… don’t know Magistrate Norian?” The bartender was surprised to hear Luo Yan call Norian directly by his name. “Aren’t you a Lannister noble?”
“No, I’m just a guest who was brought along to see the world.”
Luo Yan said indifferently, taking a sip of the Screwdriver in her hand.
Hmm, a bitter taste, not very pleasant.
“I know him, but I didn’t expect Magis-… Magistrate Norian to be so popular.”
Even Lin Cheng, who had a very good reputation in Yan City, rarely received such a warm welcome from the commoners upon his appearance.
Judging from the bartender’s attitude, Norian’s image among the commoners wasn’t just that of Lannister’s Chief Magistrate.
“That’s because of the Norian Reform a hundred years ago,” Hua Qingling explained before the bartender could answer.
“That was a reform proposal put forward by Magistrate Norian when he first joined the Council of Elders. The general idea was to give commoners a path to upward mobility. Before that, Lannister’s upper class was completely controlled by the nobles.
“This reform was naturally met with collective resistance from the nobles, but the Council of Elders rarely unanimously supported Norian’s reform plan.
“By this time, the conflict between the nobles and the Council of Elders had become irreconcilable, until the Constantine family’s rebellion failed seventy years ago, and the nobles were completely defeated in this political struggle, gradually forming the current structure of Lannister.”
Before Luo Yan entered Lannister, Norian had proudly introduced the city to her, because it was a mega-city he had single-handedly shaped.
Although its upper-class nobles were still decadent and corrupt, it had been injected with new vitality and was no longer stagnant.
“You even understand this?” Luo Yan was a little surprised this time. “Hua Qiling… seems to know nothing about this kind of thing, she can’t even explain the concept of the Free Federation clearly.”
Luo Yan remembered that when she first arrived in Yan City, Hua Qiling had talked for a long time without explaining these concepts clearly. She did, however, know a lot about unofficial history and gossip.
“She’s not interested in these things… Although I don’t like them either, I will eventually return to Yan City. I need to learn about how to build Yan City’s future.”
Hua Qingling smiled reservedly, but from her expression, it was clear that she was quite proud of being able to surprise Luo Yan.
The bartender nodded in agreement and took a few more glances at Hua Qingling… although mostly to avoid Luo Yan’s eyes.
“It seems this young lady isn’t a noble either?”
“I am.”
Hua Qingling took the cocktail from Luo Yan’s hand and took a small sip.
She seemed to enjoy this drink, which Luo Yan didn’t like.
“…”
The bartender’s expression visibly stiffened.
“But not a Lannister noble, just a declining branch of a noble family in an insignificant small city-state.”
Hua Qingling smiled gently. “Don’t mind me, I’m just a country bumpkin in Lannister.”
Although the Hua family in Yan City was indeed one of the major families, Hua Qiling and Hua Qingling had separated from the Hua family since their parents’ generation.
Even though both sisters later demonstrated varying degrees of value, and Hua Qingling even had the potential to become a “Destruction” level ability user, a pillar of humanity, they hadn’t planned to return to the Hua family.
This was a digression, but even so, the bartender still felt a little uncomfortable after hearing Hua Qingling’s words.
He almost couldn’t help but say some bad things about nobles…
Before the Norian Reform, the nobles controlled everything in Lannister. Even though it had been a hundred years ago, they were still deeply hated by the commoners.
Just then, Norian, in the distance, was dealing with the flattering minor nobles who kept approaching him and was becoming impatient.
Although he was the one who had cut off the era of the nobles’ absolute rule, Lannister was now governed by the Council of Elders. As the Chief Magistrate, Norian was naturally the most powerful person in Lannister.
The thousand-year-old noble families naturally didn’t care about Norian, as long as he guaranteed not to purge all the nobles and maintained their extravagant lifestyle.
But these minor nobles, whose families were gradually declining, were eager to climb up Norian’s social ladder, even if it was just to show their faces and leave an impression.
Norian didn’t hate nobles, and he naturally wouldn’t reject some outstanding young nobles, such as Miss Chris, who had recently been invited.
But obviously, the minor nobles currently chattering around him weren’t.
But as Chief Magistrate, Norian had to consider his image and could only suppress his dissatisfaction, perfunctorily responding to the greetings of these minor nobles.
Just as he was becoming increasingly impatient, he caught sight of Hua Qingling in the corner, sitting gracefully at the bar counter.
…Don’t doubt Hua Qingling’s public image. She was a perfectly well-mannered and knowledgeable older sister in every aspect except for her height, even though she was a hopelessly sloppy homebody in private.
“Finally found an opportunity.”
Norian breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile,
“Everyone, everyone… please stop for a moment. Although I know you still have many things to discuss with me, I apologize, I have to excuse myself for a while. A very outstanding young lady is waiting for me.”
After saying that, Norian’s gaze fell on Hua Qingling and he nodded slightly.
Hua Qingling looked blankly at Norian, who suddenly looked up and nodded at her. She then politely raised her right hand to her left shoulder and slightly bent down, elegantly returning a noble’s greeting.
This caused quite a stir. Almost all the minor nobles turned their attention to Hua Qingling, and even the bartender next to her was shocked.
My goodness… unimaginable, what kind of person was this young woman, to actually have an appointment with Magistrate Norian!
For a moment, the gazes towards Hua Qingling were filled with doubt and envy.
Almost every young person personally received by Magistrate Norian could rise rapidly within Lannister’s upper echelon.
Even if they weren’t from the city, gaining Magistrate Norian’s favor meant gaining Lannister’s friendship.
And this friendship wasn’t to be taken lightly…
For example, if Yan City had been on good terms with Lannister before, Dawn might not have launched this war.
Because Lannister could have, without hesitation, used a large-scale Teleportation Array to send a large number of troops, and even Granny Zoya might have helped. The presence of a “Destruction” level ability user was beyond what Dawn could handle.
Of course, this was just wishful thinking. For Lannister to go to such lengths, the relationship would have to be incredibly close.
And at this time, Luo Yan opportunely used “Envy” to greatly reduce her presence, letting Hua Qingling enjoy this attention alone.
Hua Qingling: “…”
Although she didn’t know why, she felt a strange chill next to her, quite creepy.
She could only force a smile and nod to the people around her.
Seeing this, Norian immediately walked through the crowd towards Hua Qingling.
The minor nobles next to him didn’t continue to crowd around. They were here to make friends with Norian, not to pester him.
To still stick to him at this time would be foolish.
But the attention was still there. All kinds of indistinct gazes were cast towards Hua Qingling, sizing up this unfamiliar woman, wondering what aspect of her had attracted Norian’s attention.
“Sorry, young lady,” Norian said to Hua Qingling with a slight apology as he approached, casually picking up a cocktail glass from the bar counter and mixing himself a drink. “I had to use this method to escape… I’ve caused you some trouble.”
“It’s alright, Magistrate Norian, I understand.”
Hua Qingling said with a gentle smile. “On the contrary, I should be grateful for the opportunity to talk to you in this way. I’ve admired you for a long time. It was a pity I didn’t have the chance to talk to you in detail last time we met.”
“Hahaha… I’ll take that as you not just being polite,” Norian laughed heartily, then looked at the bartender beside the bar counter. “Young man, can you leave for a while? It’s… not convenient for others to be present during our conversation.”
The bartender next to them was already completely stunned.
The Chief Magistrate, whom the commoners admired the most, was standing right in front of him, talking and laughing…
This shock caused the young man’s brain to short-circuit, and he couldn’t recover for a long time.
It wasn’t until Norian looked at him and spoke that the bartender slightly recovered from this dreamlike unreality, stammering,
“N-, No problem! I’ll leave right away!”
Before he finished speaking, the bartender fled from the bar counter as if escaping, afraid of delaying Norian’s matters.
“There’s no need for that,” Norian was a little speechless and shook his head. “I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you, Miss Hua Qingling from Yan City. I hope you’re comfortable in Lannister.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern, Magistrate. The scenery in Lannister is quite unique,” Hua Qingling replied appropriately. “I like it very much.”
“Where is… Luo Yan?”
Norian’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
Leave a Reply