Mystery: From Celestial Venerable's Backup to Red Priest

As night fell and the city lights came on, the Earl of Hall had unexpectedly turned his dinner party into a large gathering of the Conservative Party, resulting in more guests than anticipated. Fortunately, the Earl of Hall had a good wife, otherwise things would have been chaotic.

It wasn't completely dark yet, but many people had already arrived in their own carriages to attend the banquet.

Today, this place can be described as a gathering of bigwigs, but when the carriage bearing the coat of arms of Earl Ahova—the Horn family—arrived, it still attracted everyone's attention. Even Lord Hilbert Hall, the eldest son of Earl Hall who had been greeting guests at the gate, hurriedly came out to greet him after being informed by a servant.

Others may not know all the inside details, but the lord knew that tonight's dinner had turned into a Conservative Party gathering thanks to this young MP.

"Welcome, Congressman Robert. My father has been waiting for you inside! And this gentleman is…?" Lord Hippel asked, feigning ignorance as he looked at Evan.

"This is my younger brother, Evan. He just arrived in Backlund from County Ahova. The Earl was very kind and sent him an invitation, so I brought him along to broaden his horizons," Robert introduced Evan with a smile.

Lord Hibbert greeted Evan politely and then warmly welcomed the two brothers into the banquet hall.

As Evan looked at Lord Hibbert leading the way, he thought of the description of him in the original novel, Lord of Mysteries.

This is a typical aristocratic young master who inherited the excellent genes of the Hall family in appearance, but whose heart and mind were completely off track. Even his own younger brother, the second brother of Miss Justice Audrey, couldn't stand his older brother and ran away to the Southern Continent to make his way in the world.

With the persuasive skills of a hunter and the keen observation of an assassin, Evan could sense that Lord Hibbert genuinely wanted to befriend the two brothers.

But Evan's first thought upon meeting him was that he might be a breakthrough point to restrain Earl Hall, especially after something happened that could be an excellent bargaining chip.

Thinking about this, Evan realized that he was being too calculating, always calculating everything he saw.

When Robert and Irwin appeared at the dinner party, they immediately attracted everyone's attention. Robert himself is a famous handsome man in Backlund, and his younger brother Irwin is no less so. In addition, the two brothers actually look somewhat alike, so they naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Robert is an important guest at tonight's dinner, and Count Hall, as the host, naturally has to make a personal appearance.

Evan saw a middle-aged man emerge from the crowd, wearing a dark tailcoat, sporting a neat mustache, a large belly, but still retaining a youthful and handsome appearance, and say:

"Welcome, Congressman Robert. This must be your brother; he's just as handsome as you."

"Your Excellency is too kind. This is my younger brother, Evan, who just arrived in Backlund from Tingen a few days ago," Robert introduced Evan to Earl Hall again.

Evan quickly stepped forward, looking at Earl Hall with admiration and saying excitedly:

"Greetings, Your Excellency Earl. I have often heard from my brother about your remarkable achievements in investing in industry and infrastructure when you were young. My brother has always told me to learn from you, to learn your enterprising spirit and your courage to act."

Earl Hall received countless compliments throughout his life, but most of them were related to his status and wealth. Even when his early investments were mentioned, they would basically turn to the fact that he had a good father and a good background. People like Robert and Evan, who appreciated his decisiveness in handling affairs, were extremely rare and immediately hit Earl Hall where it hurt.

"It's nothing. Since Emperor Russell started the Industrial Revolution, industrial development has been the direction of social progress. Almost everyone can see this. I'm just a little ahead of the curve."

Earl Hall stroked his little mustache and said modestly.

Evan, however, disagreed, shaking his head and saying:

"Investing in industry and technology is risky. Everyone knows that it can generate huge profits and everyone is willing to invest, but they only use their spare money to invest. Who can sell land that is generating good returns at the time to invest?"

Even now, thinking back on it, I can still feel your courage back then. I imagine many people didn't understand your actions at the time.

"Yes! Even my father didn't understand at the time, and many people said that I would squander the Hall family's wealth, and some even said that I would become the last Earl of East Chester."

Evan's words immediately stirred up the Earl's memories. Even now, when Earl Hall recalls the events of that year, his face is still full of sighs.

"The victor is not to be blamed, and truth is ultimately held by only a few. Time has proven everything. Your achievements today are all thanks to your vision and courage back then. I believe the old count in Goddess's Kingdom would be very gratified to see all this."

Earl Hall was extremely pleased with Evan's words, for this was indeed the proudest moment of his life. He had proven everyone wrong and shown that he was right.

Earl Hall's gaze softened as he looked at Evan, and then he said:

"From now on, you don't need to call me 'Earl' all the time; it's too formal. Just call me 'Uncle' from now on!"

"Okay, Uncle Hall!"

Lord Hilbert, Earl of Hall's eldest son, stared wide-eyed. He hadn't expected that Evan could flatter his father so well with just a few words. Earl of Hall had never been so kind to him before, which even made him feel a pang of jealousy.

Robert simply watched with a smile, without saying a word.

Just then, another servant came in to announce that the Duke and Duchess of Negan and his brother, Prime Minister Agushid, had arrived. Count Hall's smile faded, and he looked at Robert solemnly, saying:

"Let's go to the door and greet them together!"

Robert nodded slightly, not refusing to give Earl Hall face.

So Earl Hall and Robert went out together to greet Duke Negan, with Evan and Lord Hibbert following behind, along with some astute guests, eventually forming a large welcoming party.

Duke Negan, who had just stepped down from the carriage, felt a surge of pride upon seeing so many people welcoming him. However, his face immediately fell when he saw Robert standing next to Earl Hall. But he quickly managed to force a smile and greeted Earl Hall and Robert.

Robert then introduced Evan to the Duke of Negan and the Prime Minister once again, though it was clear that the interaction was not as warm as it had been with Earl Hall.

After the nobles came forward to greet Duke Negan, the banquet officially began.