Chapter 270 - 269: Hongmen Banquet

Although Kai Preston had called tonight’s dinner a simple family meal, all of Apeiron’s most influential elders were in attendance.

It was undoubtedly a staged welcome for the two "new sons-in-law"—a power play designed to support Yvonne Lowell and Nina Jennings and underscore how much Apeiron valued them.

It also gave Leo Grant and the others a more direct sense of just how many powerful individuals resided in the legendary Apeiron—a place teeming with titans of the underworld.

Their knowledge of the Continent Lord, Kai Preston, was limited to the fact that he was a Spiritual Ability User.

But the kind of person who could become the Continent Lord of Apeiron couldn’t possibly be so simple.

His aura was something no ordinary person could ever hope to match.

Even someone like Leo Grant had to admit that all he could do was remain outwardly unfazed in his presence; he was nowhere near Preston’s level.

To put it more bluntly, the only people in Aurelia with an aura that could rival his were likely the few patriarchs of their own families, and a handful of top figures from the highest echelons of another circle.

Moreover, Kai Preston was only in his early fifties, about the same age as their fathers.

All the fathers: ...What’s that supposed to mean? Is that open mockery and subtle sarcasm? Fifty is the prime age for hard work and ambition, isn’t it? Maybe you kids should just go and find new dads, huh?

To say nothing of Auntie Dahlia, who was once the top female assassin, Rakshasa, a name that made people pale in fear. And then there was Madam Bloom, the world’s foremost Poison Master, "often imitated, never duplicated."

Madam Bloom: ’Though I’ve long since left the game, the game still tells tales of my legend~’

Then there were the assassins, master thieves, hackers, mercenaries, sharpshooters, and top-tier agents who were once legendary figures on various international lists...

All these individuals shared one common trait—they each had multiple arrest warrants to their name, along with hefty bounties on the dark web.

In addition, they met Nina Jennings’s master, a man approaching his sixties.

He was none other than The Ghost Doctor, who had vanished from the international stage nearly twenty years ago and was supposed to have "died in an accident."

If Michael White was the miracle-working doctor who had risen to fame in recent years, then back in his day, The Ghost Doctor was a god-like existence.

It was said he could bring the dead back to life and grow flesh on bare bone. There was simply no incurable illness in the world he couldn’t treat.

To this day, a saying still circulates internationally: "The King of Hell may want you dead at the third watch, but The Ghost Doctor says: I forbid it."

When the news of The Ghost Doctor’s sudden demise was first revealed, it caused a massive uproar. Many of the powerful and influential patients he had once saved immediately used their connections to verify the truth of the matter.

After all, no one can guarantee a lifetime free of illness and pain. The Ghost Doctor’s existence was, without a doubt, their ultimate insurance policy.

As long as their families didn’t go bankrupt and they showed up with the right amount of money and respect, they never had to worry that all their wealth and power couldn’t buy them a long life.

Later, their investigations revealed that The Ghost Doctor had apparently "died in an accident" because he had refused to treat the patriarch of a major, powerful clan.

As a result, they all simultaneously began to move against that clan. Of course, they weren’t doing it specifically to avenge The Ghost Doctor; it was merely a way to vent their own frustrations while conveniently expanding their family enterprises.

And because of this, before the patriarch of that clan could even draw his last breath, his family was already utterly destroyed.

Of course, they had no way of knowing the real truth of the matter.

After all, they were just children when these events took place—some hadn’t even been born yet. So, this was all just hearsay they had picked up from international circles.

But regardless, the fact that The Ghost Doctor—a man who should have been nothing but a skeleton by now—had been "resurrected," had been living in Apeiron all these years, and was now dining at the same table with them, was something none of them had ever imagined.

Every single person seated at this long table was a titan in their own right—the kind of influential figure that countless factions would be desperate to recruit or form an alliance with.

It would be no exaggeration to say that if Apeiron wished it, establishing an entirely new government or even a country would be as easy as turning over a hand.

...

The family dinner lasted until a little after nine o’clock.

Once the crowd of old-timers had departed, Yvonne Lowell pulled Leo Grant across the courtyard and up to the rooftop of her residence.

Aside from the back mountain, this was the highest point on the grounds. Standing here, one could overlook the entirety of Apeiron.

Yvonne Lowell plopped right down on a giant, unmissable tire swing nearby, patting the spot next to her,

"Gigi, come over and sit. This backrest isn’t very comfortable."

A flicker of indulgence crossed Leo Grant’s eyes as he obediently sat beside her, serving as her personal human backrest.

Ever since he’d acquired the nickname "Gigi Grant," Yvonne Lowell had taken to calling him that in private. "President Grant" and "Hey, handsome" were now reserved for when other people were around.

’What could he do? He just had to take it. After all, he was the one who had agreed to it in the first place.’

Yvonne Lowell settled into a comfortable position, snuggling into his embrace as she gazed at the distant scenery.

"So? The view from here is pretty great, huh?"

"It is," Leo Grant agreed. "The view is wide-open, and the scenery is beautiful."

On one side was a classical Chinese garden, its ancient charm appearing especially soft and serene under the interplay of lamplight and moonlight, like a tranquil, classic painting.

On the other side were training grounds and office complexes, brimming with a modern, high-tech feel. At this hour, everyone except the on-duty staff had gone home to rest, yet that entire area remained as bright as day.

The two starkly different vistas, appearing simultaneously within one’s field of vision, didn’t feel contradictory at all. In fact, they possessed a strange, inexplicable harmony.

Moreover, Leo Grant had noticed ever since he’d gotten off the plane that the climate in Apeiron was exceptionally pleasant.

Perhaps due to some kind of protective formation, the temperature here was always perfectly temperate, never too hot or too cold, preventing any discomfort from climatic shifts.

"Of course. I had my eye on this plot of land from the very beginning. I had to complete several A-rank missions in a row just to pry the ownership rights from that old man. I even drew up the blueprints for this house myself."

Yvonne Lowell pouted, pointing toward another building.

"The old man originally assigned me that courtyard over there. It’s nice enough, I guess, but I just didn’t really like it. So I only stayed there for a little while when this place was being built; it’s been sitting empty ever since. But as it turns out, my taste is just better."

"The Young Master’s taste is certainly excellent," Leo Grant teased, resting a large hand on her waist. "Your taste in men, for example."

Yvonne Lowell rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Are you a reincarnated matchmaker? Singing your own praises like that. What are you now, Granny Grant?"