New Gods of North America.

Chapter 743 Guests
The guests chatted and sipped their aperitifs, and when Wayne's glass was almost empty...
Mr. George Randolph, the owner of the manor, accompanied the last arriving guests into the gallery, surrounded by two rows of servants.

Then the host accompanied the guests directly to the "inner circle" for a brief exchange of pleasantries, while the magnificent, heavy double doors of the banquet hall next door were respectfully and slowly opened by the waiters.

Then, led by a small group of the most distinguished people, the guests began to move inside the banquet hall, accompanied by orchestral music emanating from within.

There are two main types of formal banquets commonly held in the United States.

One traditional "long table" layout, inherited from the Old World, consists of one or more long tables around which guests sit in a clear hierarchy. The tables are piled high with dishes, and in the very center, there might even be a roasted peacock or something similar. This is considered the most common type of banquet.
Another option is a more casual arrangement, with small square or round tables scattered around. Guests of higher status can either gather at the most prominent tables or freely arrange themselves at the head seats of a group of tables. This is a common layout for victory celebrations or charity dinners.

Tonight's banquet adopts the latter approach, indicating that, at least superficially, it is a banquet more inclined towards "socializing" than "business discussions."

The fact that there were no waiters specifically assigned to guide guests to their seats further supports this point, essentially implying that guests could freely form groups without any interference from the host.

Seeing this, Wayne quietly separated from the "young masters" in the crowd and rejoined Inessa and the others, intending to share a table with his own people first.

These days, formal banquets don't take much longer than dances. Usually, there's a "free socializing" session after intermission, where guests can chat freely with their glasses, or someone can stand up and do a stand-up comedy routine.

During this time, the female guests may temporarily leave their seats and return before the event officially ends, or they may stay and participate in some entertainment programs prepared by the hosts. Unlike a "ball," where men and women are clearly separated, they still have their own space for social interaction.

Wayne's thinking was simple: since he was already there, he might as well stay with familiar people; it would be more comfortable eating that way.

We can discuss further interactions when the time is right, so we don't have to stay on edge all night.

Moreover, some questions are better asked of acquaintances, otherwise it might seem "rude." Wayne was a little curious at this moment, and looked at Miss Olivia: "Who was the last guest to arrive?"

Miss Olivia was now walking on the other side of Inessa. While the little leopard, cradled in Inessa's arms, dared not bare its claws and was frantically stroking the little creature's fur, she moved slightly closer upon hearing this:
“That’s Mr. Adam Stephens, our senior Congressman from Georgia. He’s a potential political leader in the state and has considerable influence throughout the South.”

If an average Westerner heard these words, they would probably be completely baffled.
Because members of Congress serve two-year terms, their status is usually not considered particularly high. They may not even be regarded as "political figures" within a state, and their actual influence may not even be as great as that of state legislators with stable votes or mayors of big cities. Under normal circumstances, they are almost never associated with the title of "political leader".

But Wayne understood instantly—having real influence but not rushing to a higher position, or, to use a term Wayne was more familiar with, "cultivating prestige."
It might not be common in the United States, but it's not unusual at all in history books.

Wayne glanced over there a couple more times because of this; after all, such comments, coming from a Georgia native like Miss Olivia, who came from a top-tier family, carried considerable weight.
If an ordinary outsider were to live there for a few years, they probably wouldn't know these inside stories of the upper echelons.

But isn't the federal parliament currently in session?
Even Senator Walter from Virginia went to the District of Columbia, so why did this guy come to Richmond instead?
Lina was looking at him too, then turned her head from Miss Olivia's side and said, "Why do I feel like I've seen him before when I was in Atlanta last time?"

"Could we have encountered it at a steam train station or something?" Miss Olivia suggested.

“It shouldn’t be…” Lina shook her head. “I was carrying valuables at the time, and I was very cautious in crowded places. I remember the faces that approached me very clearly, and even with simple disguises, I might still recognize them now.”

“Perhaps you saw it by chance from the carriage on the road?” Sofia Randolph, who was standing next to her, also tried to offer a possibility.

“It’s possible…” Lina continued walking, seemingly lost in thought, “Let me think about it some more…”

As they were talking, the group had already entered the banquet hall.
In fact, the young people who had been watching the "cat" around Inessa were already near the "end of the line" in the crowd. By the time they came in, almost all the guests were already in place.

Once everyone was inside, they gradually took their seats.

While the bigwigs in the "inner circle" were still greeting each other and deferring to each other, Wayne turned around and found himself a seat at the "last seat"—a table in a corner of the banquet hall, which would not attract attention, would be convenient for observing the surroundings, and would be close to the entrance of the banquet hall, just a few steps away.

Wayne went over, and then Inessa, who was standing next to him, went over too.
Inessa came over, and Miss Olivia, who was standing next to her, followed suit.
Miss Olivia sat down, and Lina, who was still daydreaming and whose arm was linked with hers, also sat down.

Then Sofia Randolph picked a seat for herself, and Richard Norton, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, chose to sit next to her. The small round table was only so big, and the cutlery, cups, and saucers took up a lot of space, so almost in the blink of an eye, this table in the corner became the first one in the banquet hall to be occupied by everyone.

There was another woman, whom I didn't recognize, who seemed to be looking to sit next to Richard Norton, but now that she'd arrived a little late, she could only turn away with a sullen expression and find another seat.
Anne Auster, on the other hand, only slowly walked back from her spot, which was originally closer to the Secretary of State, after the table was full. She glanced around the seating arrangement expressionlessly, then raised her arm slightly to beckon a waiter: "Add a seat to this table."

His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.

So, in the banquet hall, a time when only the host and guests should be interacting and the waiters should temporarily step aside to give way, Wayne's table suddenly became out of place.

Adding a seat isn't as simple as just adding a chair; all the things that were already laid out on the table also need to be "distributed" accordingly.
The more formal the banquet, the more particular they are about this. After confirming the request, the waiters practically pounce on the waiters in a small team. Their movements are swift, their teamwork efficient, and they barely make a sound. This kind of display is quite eye-catching in social situations.

After Anne Auster gracefully settled down opposite Wayne, Wayne's gaze swept over her shoulder and landed on the elderly Basque gentleman seated at the head table.
The old man was chatting and laughing with Mr. Adam Stephens, and it was unclear what they were joking about. Both of them were glancing at Wayne as they spoke.

Wayne felt completely innocent, and shrugged and spread his hands towards the other side of the screen.
Anne Auster glanced back, then turned to Wayne and commented, "The position you chose is not good; it doesn't suit our family's status."

This remark seemed to slightly displease the members of the prominent families present. Miss Olivia was the first to speak up: "This is just a regular social dinner between families; there's no need to be so formal." Sophia Randolph and Richard Norton, who were standing next to her, nodded in agreement.

Anne Auster's expression remained unchanged: "What I mean is, in terms of status, everyone here deserves to sit closer to the head table than some unimportant people. We are indeed sitting too far to the side now, otherwise I wouldn't have suddenly realized that I couldn't find anyone."

If we were to rank them by "family," these individuals' surnames would probably be so numerous they wouldn't even appear on the second page of a list. Individually, they would certainly be among the top-ranking young people without public office or family business inheritance.

Therefore, these people from prominent families had no words to refute it, since that was the truth, and there was no need to be polite to outsiders at the small table.

Instead, Lina suddenly let out a soft "Ah," instantly drawing the attention of most of the people present, who were all curious about what insightful opinion she had to share.
Lina, who had just come to her senses, shrank back at the stares of everyone, but she didn't seem to care much about their gazes. She then turned to look at Wayne and Inessa:

“I remember now, I saw him before when I was looking for a place, the place where Damon stayed for a while.”

Perhaps because there were outsiders present, Lina spoke vaguely about the matter.
The "Damon" she was referring to was, of course, Damon McCready, the fiddler crab who was currently at the detective agency in George Berg, taking care of the little girl and staying behind. Her pronunciation was slightly off, sounding a bit like she was saying the word "diamond." People who didn't know her might have thought she was talking about a bank vault or something for storing jewelry.

Wayne's train of thought was slightly circumvented, and he then tried to control his expression so as not to change.

hiss……

Lena knew about it, and Damon McCready had spent some time in Atlanta...

Isn't that the so-called "MI7" secret outpost?!
Wayne remembered that Damon had gone back for revenge but ended up getting himself killed. If he hadn't been lucky enough to be rescued by Lina, he might already be calling Emma "sister".

A potential political leader in the state has ties to MI7 in the Kingdom of Windsor...

Ah this...

Before Wayne could answer, Lina, who had successfully come to her senses, sat up straight again and immediately corrected herself, saying in a serious tone, "I remembered wrong."

Sofia Randolph, resting her chin on her hand, continued curiously, "How big is the diamond?"

Lina held up a "pigeon egg" sign for her: "It's this big."

The girl was definitely showing her support, followed by a soft exclamation: "Wow~"

(End of this chapter)