Dudian was slightly angry in his heart. He thought that it was this man who had cut in front of him, yet he was actually accusing Dudian of not looking where he was going. However, remembering what Pete had told him, he held back the urge to retort and said, "Mr. Pete brought me here."
"Who is Pete?" The middle-aged nobleman frowned. "How could he bring a scavenger here? Is there no sense of rules?"
"Mr. Mace?" At this moment, a voice came from behind. Dudian and the middle-aged nobleman both turned to look and saw the sturdy old man that Dudian had met in the office today. He had changed into a black gentleman's suit, and a middle-aged noblewoman was on his arm. They were affectionate with each other, seemingly a married couple.
At this time, the old man saw Dudian and asked in surprise, "Little fellow, what are you doing at the door? Didn't Pete come with you?"
Dudian replied honestly, "Mr. Pete just went in."
At this moment, the middle-aged nobleman named Mace frowned and said, "Old Luo, do you know him?"
The old man smiled and said, "I just got to know him. This little fellow is a key cultivation target among this batch of scavengers. In the future, I hope Mr. Mace will take good care of him."
"I see." Mace seemed to understand and glanced at Dudian. "Little fellow, you have good judgment in choosing our Mellon Consortium. Be more careful when you walk in the future. Don't be in such a hurry and have no sense of rules at all."
Dudian's face turned ugly, and his fists were tightly clenched in his sleeves.
The old man quickly said, "Little fellow, apologize to Mr. Mace and go in. Just be more careful in the future. The banquet is about to start. Let's not delay here at the door." As he spoke, he winked at Dudian, indicating that he should admit his mistake and the matter would be over.
Dudian saw the hint of anxiety on his face and knew that he was trying to get him out of the situation. He also knew that as long as he apologized, this little episode would pass. However, he didn't feel the slightest bit of happiness in his heart. Instead, he felt his limbs gradually turning cold. At that moment, he suddenly realized that the right and wrong of a matter had nothing to do with the matter itself. What determined right and wrong was only the identities and statuses of the two parties!
And these two things represented the power gap between the two sides!
He suddenly understood that the truth was only in the hands of those with power!
"Sorry..." He lowered his head and said the words of apology. Behind him were the brilliant golden lights in the hall and the melodious music. His face was hidden in the shadow, and all he could see was the other person's exquisite boots.
Then, he saw these boots move as the person turned around and entered the hall.
The old man seemed to glance at him but didn't say anything and followed him in.
"These commoners, no matter how well they are trained, will never learn the rules..." Mace's voice came from far behind, followed by the old man's echoing laughter. Dudian still kept his head down, clenching his fists. After a long while, he slightly raised his head and looked at the spacious manor in front of him and the lanterns ahead. He suddenly felt that it seemed much freer to stay in the darkness that the lanterns couldn't reach.
At this time, another noble carriage came speeding over.
Dudian silently retracted his gaze, didn't stay at the door any longer, and turned to enter the hall.
The spacious and huge hall was illuminated by oil lamps as brightly as day. A large number of servants were carrying wine and cut fruits, shuttling back and forth in the hall. The melodious piano music came from the front of the hall. Exquisitely dressed and well-groomed nobles were standing everywhere in the hall, chatting in groups of three or five.
After what had just happened, Dudian had no mood to enjoy this rare luxurious gathering. He went to a windowsill where there were the fewest people, leaned against the window, and looked at the people coming and going in the hall. It was like a flowing picture scroll unfolding in front of his eyes. His heart was calm, and he even felt a slight sense of weariness. It was not until two figures in black uniforms suddenly appeared in his sight that his trance was interrupted.
"Hunters?" Dudian immediately recognized that the medals on the shoulders of this man and woman were not the outline of the Great Wall like the scavengers' but a black falcon.
These two Hunters were extremely young, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old. After entering the banquet, as they passed by many nobles, these nobles took the initiative to greet them, clearly having known them for a long time.
Soon, these two Hunters came to the center of the banquet, where several middle-aged nobles were standing. The Mace whom Dudian had apologized to earlier was also there. Beside him was a plump noblewoman and a thin, middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache.
After the two Hunters went over, the middle-aged nobles chatted with them with smiles. It was too far away for Dudian to hear what they were saying, but it was obvious that these two Hunters had a high status in front of the nobles.
"Hunters..." Dudian's eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly thought of that alchemist's notebook of Rosyard. There was an entry that recorded something that impressed him deeply, which was the **dissection of a Hunter!
The course of the event was that a young Hunter received a mission to come and hunt him down. As a result, he was subdued by the poison made by a magic pharmacist and became his experimental subject. Without using anesthetic, Rosyard dissected the Hunter alive into countless pieces of meat with a knife.
From the body of this Hunter, Rosyard found the components of alien flesh and blood, which inspired him a lot and was also one of the factors that contributed to his successful certification as a three-star alchemist later.
"Hey, scavenger?" Just as Dudian was deep in thought, a voice suddenly sounded.
Dudian turned his head to look. It was a white-haired old man with a kind face. He was leaning on an old walking stick with a thumb-sized jade embedded at the top. His clothes were relatively simple.
"To be able to attend this gathering, are you a key cultivation target of the consortium?" The white-haired old man smiled.
Dudian nodded slightly and asked, "Who are you?"
The white-haired old man smiled and said, "I'm Fulin Ryan. Nice to meet you."
"Ryan?" Dudian's eyes moved. The place where the desert exam was held three years ago seemed to be the territory of a noble named Ryan.
Noticing the slight change in Dudian's face, the white-haired old man smiled and said, "I'm sure you've heard some things about our Ryan family, but those are old stories and not worth mentioning. As for you, are you interested in becoming a knight of our Ryan family?"
"Knight?" Dudian was taken aback. He was no longer the person who knew nothing three years ago. Over the past three years, he had studied desperately in the library, and his understanding of this world had become clearer. The so-called knight was not just a simple title but required professional training and strict assessment in the Knight's Hall to obtain the knight's certificate.
"I didn't make it clear," the white-haired old man said. "It's just a nominal position in our establishment. Our family will give you the salary of an official knight, and all you need to do is help our Ryan family explore the wilderness once a year."
Dudian immediately understood his intention and asked in surprise, "Isn't this against the contract? Can I go scavenging outside for your family alone?"
"Of course you can," the white-haired old man smiled. "But this is a private act, and you need to bear the cost of passing through the Great Wall yourself. In fact, many nobles have privately trained some scavengers. Although they can't compare with you regular scavengers, they can still make some profits outside the Great Wall. Don't worry, our family will cover the cost of passing through the Great Wall."