How Level Zero Devil Destroys Player Experience

Chapter 22 Ocean Stone Mansion

He turned his eyes away from the temporary commotion in the pub across the street.

Glancing at the extra twenty points in my message box, I felt very happy. I called Ahri back and gave the little guy a rainbow crystal. "Well done, Ahri."

"Your Highness, what did you gain?"

Hill appeared from the side and helped control Ahri's magic fluctuations within the compartment. Otherwise, with Ahri's current damage, it would definitely hurt other people in the Baroque family.

I don't want to be put on a wanted warrant by the garrison.

I nodded and patted Ahri's head. "These people should be adventurers hired by the prince. According to them, there will be a banquet in a mansion tomorrow. Since adventurers from the Levis camp will attend, the person invited to this mansion must be extraordinary. Hill, can you get some information?"

"Ocean Stone Mansion."

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Hill said it without thinking.

I was a little surprised, "Hill, do you know?"

"Mr. Bayard said before he left that there will be a banquet for the diplomatic corps at the Ocean Stone Mansion tomorrow. He also reminded Louis and Mr. Hall to be careful about the prince's arrangements. It is estimated that the delegation will receive an invitation letter from the prince after returning to their residence."

I was a little embarrassed. I had been thinking about resolving the issue, and I didn't even notice that Bayard mentioned this.

Moreover, there seemed to be no mention of this banquet in the previous life, which led to my limited understanding of it, but I could infer some of it.

"They were able to infiltrate on a large scale. One way they did this should be by using the invitations privately distributed by the prince. However, it would be awkward if we had a plan without a target, so the prince should have sent a lot of invitations to the delegation, which the delegation could distribute to the members of the guard group."

I thought.

This idea was soon confirmed. Sister Qiu Ru and the others sent a message saying that the delegation invited members of the guard corps and asked me whether I would like to allow guild members to attend the banquet at the Ocean Stone Mansion tomorrow.

"I don't know what Yuwenhao is up to. We'd better send someone to follow up so that we can protect the delegation. But don't let all of them enter the banquet. Let Sister Ye Yuan and the others guard around the mansion and check the surrounding situation. Sister Qiu Ru, ask Sister Qiu Li to pay attention as well."

I told them my thoughts and reminded Sister Qiuru and the others about the camp mission. I asked them to go find the members of the guard to take over. Kai and the others had already given instructions to Olwen, and Constantina was Isabella's subordinate, so I also asked Claire to take care of it.

Because Yuwen Hao has enormous influence in the two empires, if possible, I will ask Sister Qiu Ru and the others to try to win over the people from Starry Sky Mythology. I believe that Starry Sky Mythology will understand the pros and cons after seeing the faction mission.

"Hill, the situation has changed. Tell Satasia to have Yuka and Sevilla go to the surrounding towns to make arrangements first. Tomorrow, you, Sherlock Satasia, Garcinia and the others will go to the mansion with the members of the Thieves' Department and wait for orders. I will see if we can find a time to leave the royal city."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Originally, I was thinking about how to sneak into the mansion, but I didn't expect Prince Austin to take the initiative to give me a suitable reason.

"Noah, there will be a diplomatic banquet at the Ocean Stone Mansion tonight. Some noble generals from the kingdom will be attending. You can get to know these people. It will be of great help to you in managing the kingdom in the future."

"Yes, uncle."

When Prince Austin disappeared at the door, I couldn't help but twitch my lips.

That sounds nice, but managing the kingdom without being assassinated by you is already pretty good.

However, having said that, it is impossible for Prince Austin to do anything bad to him at this point in time. After all, the subsequent turmoil is too huge, not to mention that his previous performance has already made him very satisfied.

"Your Highness, do I need to stay here?"

"No, you come with me."

I instructed Edith, who was being escorted into the royal city, to change her identity after Enros revised it. In the eyes of other guards and maids, she had become a maid serving me.

"besides……"

Edith gave him a questioning look.

"Next time, learn how to make tea from Hill, Edith."

I silently put down the cup of tea in my hand.

Seeing this, Ahri, who had turned into a human form after the prince left, curiously took the cup I put down and took a sip. She immediately stuck out her tongue, as if she had eaten expired food.

"Okay, Your Highness."

This caused Edith next to her to cough, feeling quite embarrassed.

Nothing else happened in between. As the sunset rose in the sky and the sun set, the clock tower in the royal city struck six o'clock, and Prince Austin promptly sent someone to pick up Edith, Ali and me to our destination.

The Ocean Stone Mansion is located on the east side of Kanalan, close to the commercial district and built in a garden alongside a lake, covering an area of ​​more than 10,000 hectares. The entire building is modeled after the Byzantine style, with blue and white alternating to look elegant and full of ocean tension.

When we arrived, many people were already there, including merchants, nobles, and military officers, all of whom came with their relatives. The mansion and the entrance were surrounded by patrolling soldiers, making this originally quiet area particularly lively.

"Your Majesty."

A middle-aged man with a wealthy appearance came to greet me, accompanied by other officials and guards. When he saw me getting off the carriage, he was slightly startled, and immediately reacted, "I guess this is Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"Noah, this is Mr. Farosi, the chief administrative officer."

Prince Austin nodded slightly and introduced me.

"Hello, Uncle Farosi."

I bowed slightly and lifted the hem of my skirt. Under Hill's instruction, I could say that I had learned the same etiquette as these nobles. After all, I had experience in disguising myself as a saint or the daughter of a demon clan.

"I don't deserve it. Your Highness can just call me Farosi. The banquet is about to begin. Your Highness, please follow me."

Under the guidance of Farosi, we quickly entered the mansion.

Although the banquet had not yet begun, the crowd inside was no less than that outside. They were dressed elegantly and elegantly, which was in stark contrast to the magnificent decoration. The glazed ceiling, which looked like a work of art, shone with golden light, making the banquet inside the mansion grand and gorgeous.

Among these people, I was able to identify a few familiar figures by sense.

It was Qiu Ru and the others who sneaked into the banquet according to my instructions. The others were probably also disguised and hiding in various corners inside and outside the mansion. I guess the people from Bao Feng were the same.

"Lord Austin, good evening."

"Your Majesty."

As the guests of the banquet, the main figures of the delegation, Louis and Hall, were naturally present, as well as some other members of the delegation, who came up to greet Prince Austin.

It turns out that the person who can serve as a diplomatic representative is not an ordinary person. Even though he just learned of Austin's intention yesterday, he can still communicate with me as usual. He also acted very well, pretending that he had just met me, and behaved very naturally.

……

……

I will take a day off tomorrow because of the exam.

Chapter 23: Strike First

"Haha, I hope there won't be any inadequacies in the banquet tonight."

"You are welcome, Prince Austin."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Austin. We are very grateful."

After knowing the other party's intentions and plans, Louis, Hall and others would naturally not be deceived by Austin's friendly attitude at the moment. They responded with a smile, made a few simple polite remarks and then found an opportunity to leave.

I signaled to Claire, Kai and others with my eyes, asking them to protect the members of the delegation.

Of course, Austin was unaware of their thoughts and took me to meet the so-called important people at the banquet one by one.

This also includes Bayard.

"Good evening, Your Highness. It is an honor to meet you here."

"Good evening, Mr. Bayard, I hope you have a wonderful experience at the banquet."

"Thank you for your blessing, Your Highness. I wish you happiness as well."

The contact between the two was brief and did not arouse any suspicion from Prince Austin.

As the time approached, accompanied by the soft music of the royal orchestra, the banquet finally began.

Teams of waiters and maids shuttled among the crowd, filling the tables in the hall with sumptuous food. A special dance floor was also reserved in the venue for visitors to have the opportunity to invite dance partners.

The invited guests clinked glasses and chatted with each other, taking advantage of the banquet to get to know or have in-depth exchanges with people they want to make friends with, so as to better develop their careers and official careers.

"So you still know how to avoid suspicion?"

I propped my cheek up and took a look, and found that the mansion was mainly divided into two venues, one for the delegation of Orwen, and the other for Constantina. As for the players of the two empires, it was not certain.

Some may be secretly protecting the safety of their own delegation, while others may be secretly coveting the points of neighboring delegations.

But before I could take a good look at the situation in the mansion and guess the specific methods of the prince and Lewis's camp, Prince Austin suddenly took me to a room on the fourth floor of the mansion.

"Noah, there are some urgent matters in the royal city. You should stay in this room and don't walk around. I will be back soon after I finish dealing with the matter."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, uncle."

Prince Austin was very satisfied with my answer. He asked a group of guards to guard the door and then turned and left.

Only himself, Ali and Edith were left in the room.

But soon a different figure appeared.

"Your Highness."

"Hill, how's the arrangement going?"

I asked Edith to keep an eye on the situation outside and not let the guards in, and asked Hill.

"Miss Satasia and Miss Garcinia have already mixed in with the guests. The members of the Thieves' Division are on standby around the mansion. Miss Sherlock is in charge of the arrangements. Some members have sneaked into the mansion to collect intelligence."

"Miss Sherlock and the others just found out that His Royal Highness is here as well."

"Come to think of it, I hadn't thought of it before." I shrugged and thought about it, "But now I can probably guess why Austin brought me here."

After interacting with the people Prince Austin mentioned, I came to understand his thoughts.

Normally, Enros would have attended such a banquet, but he was not there. Most of those present were members of Prince Austin's faction, or some who were neutral.

The prince wanted to convey a message through this action.

The princess is already under his control.

"I guess he is worried that the coronation ceremony will cause some people to have other ideas, so he wants to use it to stabilize their positions or win them over, which will help him develop his own power."

I explained, and at the same time said to Hill who had realized something, "Hill, get ready, we are leaving here."

"Now, Your Highness?"

I nodded. "Well, Auston's sudden departure now shows that their plan is about to begin. No matter how chaotic the situation here is, it will not involve him. Or, the more chaotic it is, the more it fits his idea."

After all, the more chaotic the situation is, the greater the casualties among the delegation and the escort corps will be.

"But I, the princess, am still very useful to him. I have observed that this room is very special and it is safe as long as the corridor is well guarded. It must have been planned by Auston in advance, and he probably also arranged for people not to approach this place. Even if something unexpected happens, the guards can handle it."

"In that case, why doesn't the prince just take His Highness away?"

"I guess he wanted to make the princess more 'obedient'. She would be afraid if she felt the turmoil up close." I smiled slightly, "But unfortunately he miscalculated."

I asked Edith to stay in the room and fake the scene with illusion, and at the same time hold back the guards outside when something happened outside. Using her illusion and Hill's ability, I successfully left the room.

He changed into a thief and went all the way to the second floor of the mansion, lurking in the middle corridor. There was basically no one coming and going here, and he could also see the specific situation in the venue below.

"Hill, tell Sherlock and Satasia to pay attention to the situation inside and outside the mansion. My intuition tells me that something is going to happen."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Hill's abilities were put to good use at this time. He was able to coordinate his communications with Sherlock and the others, and take into account both inside and outside the mansion. After instructing Hill, I also contacted Sister Qiu Ru and the others in the channel and told them to pay attention to the situation as well.

"There~"

Just as Hill went to contact Sherlock and the others, Ahri, who was hiding on my shoulder using the Moon Hiding Technique, seemed to have discovered something. She pointed her white and tender finger at a certain place in the venue and called to me in a baby voice.

Under my teaching out of boredom during this period, Ali has already learned some simple words.

But this is not the key now.

Looking in the direction Ahri pointed, I immediately noticed the situation -

There was a group of people in the corner of the venue on the first floor near him. To outsiders, they were dressed just like the other guests and were talking and chatting.

However, from my high perspective, I could see two or three hidden lights in the crowd.

I'm sure this is not the reflection of light from the ceiling.

If you look closely, you can find that three people inside have secretly torn up the magic scroll, and with the help of the people around them, they took out exquisite magic wands. Those lights are the precursors of magic gathering.

The direction they were aiming at was Louis and others from the Orwein delegation who were talking to other guests.

These people must be from Lewis's camp.

Those scrolls should be used to conceal the magical aura, and at the same time use long-term casting to cover up the fluctuations of the magic chanting, otherwise the defense array arranged in the mansion will immediately issue a warning.

Although I don't know what's going on with the Constantina delegation, I think it must be a similar situation.