I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

When the song ended, Ji Tian released Elena's waist and took a half step back. Her palm was still on his shoulder, her fingertips slightly curled, as if she was reluctant to part.

Elena looked up at him, a fine layer of sweat glistening on her forehead. "Are you tired?"

Ji Tian glanced at the aristocratic girls at the edge of the dance floor who were eyeing them out of the corner of their eyes. "Aren't you tired? Do you still want to dance?"

Elena followed his gaze, chuckled, and said, "Forget it. If I jump again, tomorrow the whole capital will be buzzing with rumors that 'the Pompeii lady is clinging to a young man of unknown origin.' I'm not that kind of person."

She released her grip, smoothed her hair which had been ruffled by a gust of wind, and said, "I'm going to sit with Mother for a while. You...why don't you walk around by yourself?"

"it is good."

Elena turned and walked toward the sofa area where the Viscountess was, but after taking a couple of steps, she turned back and said, "Don't wander off. Come find me if you need anything."

I'm not a house cat.

Ji Tian inwardly scoffed, but still replied, "Mm."

Watching Elena take her seat with the Viscountess, Ji Tian turned around, holding a glass of juice, and slowly strolled along the edge of the banquet hall.

His consciousness remained fixed on the old man with gray hair who was improving the steam-powered spinning machine.

The old man had now slipped away from the group of merchants. Holding a glass of red wine, he stood alone by the floor-to-ceiling window on the side of the hall, gazing at the dark night outside, lost in thought.

Ji Tian walked over unhurriedly, stood beside him, and also looked out the window.

The two figures were reflected in the glass. The old man seemed to sense someone beside him, turned his head to look at Ji Tian with a scrutinizing gaze, then nodded slightly. "Young man, you look unfamiliar. Not a regular in the capital, are you?"

Ji Tian tilted his head and said casually, "I haven't been here long. I heard you improved the steam-powered spinning machine?"

A flicker of pleased satisfaction crossed the old man's eyes, but he quickly concealed it. "It's just a minor improvement, nothing to mention. The factories in the North are using it, and the efficiency is decent. I'm merely standing on the shoulders of giants."

Ji Tian focused his divine sense on the old man, observing his subtle expressions, and repeated, "On the shoulders of giants?"

The old man picked up his glass and downed the drink in one gulp. "Of course, the machines in the factory today are all improvements we made to the original machines created by the 'Great Inventor' Doron. He was the real genius! You know, creation and improvement are two completely different things..."

Could it be someone from your hometown?

No, most modern people in the past only understood the concepts of those things and did not know the specific manufacturing methods. Moreover, there was no magic in this world that could increase intelligence... We cannot underestimate the wisdom of the "locals".

Ji Tian couldn't detect any lying in the old man's words and expression, so he feigned surprise and asked, "Who is Duolun? I've never heard of him before. Logically speaking, such a great person shouldn't be unknown."

"Ah," the old man sighed upon hearing this, "Ten years ago, there was a minor nobleman in the Northern Territory who was crippled for illegally breaking through to the level of a mage, and he was used as a model for propaganda. You should have heard of him, right?"

Ji Tian thought for a moment and said, "I have indeed heard of it. Wasn't it said that the minor nobleman went mad, his title was revoked, and his territory was confiscated? Could it be that he was the later 'great inventor'?"

That's what he said, but Ji Tian had already imagined the following scenario in his mind:

The family fell into ruin overnight, and the original protagonist went mad. → The protagonist's soul transmigrated, and he discovered that his magic circuits had collapsed, making it impossible for him to learn magic. So he relied on his memories of his past life to start an industrial revolution. → In the end, he used technology to defeat magic and dominate the world!

Hmm... if the other side can secretly produce nuclear weapons in a short time, then it might actually work.

The old man looked at him approvingly upon hearing this, "Indeed, he is indeed 'Doron.' His so-called madness back then was nothing more than proposing various machines that were ahead of their time, which was simply misunderstood by the world."

"It's a pity. With his current achievements, he could easily request to regain his title, but he seems to have other ambitions. He simply made all the blueprints for his inventions public and then retired to the background."

Still using open source technology? If there's no deeper motive, then that's truly remarkable.

Seeing Ji Tian remain silent, the old man found the young man quite interesting and assumed he wasn't one of those old-fashioned, conservative nobles. He then spoke up, "To be able to attend tonight's banquet, your elders must be quite distinguished. May I ask..."

Ji Tian did not hide anything, "Guests from Viscount Pompeii's mansion."

The old man said "Oh," and nodded. "The Pompeii family, an old and prestigious noble family. You came with the Viscount?"

"Um."

The old man seemed to have lost interest in continuing the conversation. He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and turned his gaze back to the window.

Ji Tian did not continue to probe. He drank the juice in his glass in one gulp, handed the empty glass to a passing waiter, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.

He walked back to the edge of the dance floor, leaned against a pillar, and glanced at the crowd in the hall.

Cardinal Valentine and Vice-President Theodore had somehow gotten together. The two stood very close, talking in hushed tones, their expressions quite serious.

Ji Tian's divine sense caught a few words—"forbidden library," "apostle," and "heretic"—but the voice was too low and the sacred object was interfering, so he couldn't hear the whole thing clearly.

He was about to move closer when their conversation abruptly stopped. They seemed to exchange a glance, each picked up their wine glass, and parted ways as if nothing had happened.

Half an hour later, Prime Minister Augustus and his wife finished their second dance and returned to their seats.

He raised his glass and gestured to the crowd, "Please make yourselves at home, no need for formalities. The banquet tonight will last until dawn, with fine wine and delicious food, music and dance partners. I hope everyone enjoys themselves."

The crowd dispersed again; some continued dancing, while others chatted in small groups.

Elena returned to Ji Tian's side at some point, carrying a small plate of fruit. She handed him a piece of melon and asked, "Were you talking to that old inventor just now?"

Ji Tian took the melon, took a bite, and said, "Mmm."

Elena didn't press the matter. She simply placed the fruit plate on a passing waiter's tray and said softly, "If you think there's something wrong with him, is there anything I can do to help?"

Ji Tian looked in the direction of the old man and saw him speaking quietly with a middle-aged woman in a dark green dress. "No need for now, he should be fine, but just to be safe, it would be better to confirm after the banquet ends and he leaves. You should go back then."

Elena didn't try to stop him, but simply straightened his tie. "Be careful on your own. I'll explain to Father."

After saying that, she took the other person's arm again, "The banquet is still long, shall we dance one more time?"

Ji Tian glanced at the lights that had come back on in the hall and nodded.

As pastoral music began to play, Ji Tian put his arm around Elena's waist and slowly spun around to the melody.

His divine sense still covered the entire manor; the old man was still chatting there; the cardinal and the vice-dean had separated and were each talking to the nobles who had come forward to chat; the eldest prince and his advisors were still talking about the North; and the little princess had somehow slipped out of the banquet hall and was squatting in the garden feeding a stray cat.