«Hmm…» - the fat guy was a little surprised at such a fraternizing att.i.tude to Juno. Was there something he didn't know? Or was the average boy at the 7th stage a suicide? Why did his rustic rare name sound familiar? Did he ever hear of him? Anyway, what the underdeveloped person was doing there? Could grandfather really invite him?

«He is my friend. He's lost his family recently and was left completely alone... I met him at the entrance to the estate when he was selling cotton candy. One thing led to another, we made friends.» - The girl said the facts she'd learned by heart.

«А-а-аh…» - XiaoBai said understandingly and shook hands with Kyon. – «You must have got your father's fortune.» - He added when he saw the 3rd-rank token on the guy's chest.

The bait had been thrown.

«I did. And my mother's, too... She died with my father when they were on a mission. Now I live in the mansion with the servants.»

Juno frowning her little nose and turned away.

XiaoBai folded his hands. «I see. Do you like gambling, Kyon? Have you ever made money playing games?»

«Not really... I have no taste for gambling after I lost all my pocket money. But I wouldn't mind to bet. Especially, if you insist.»

The fat guy's little eyes flashed excitedly. «Let's bet for money! A nice bet is a good start to a great friends.h.i.+p! I bet I find a dance partner first.» - XiaoBai said but when he saw the expression on Kyon's face, he added. - «However, this bet is unfair. I am too handsome… How about this? If you win, you'll get three times as much.»

«Alright. I bet a thousand of spheres.» - Kyon blurted out.

«That's too little!»

«I'm afraid to lose.»

XiaoBai clicked his tongue and decided another thousand would never hurt. He held out his hand. «Okay. A thousand it is.»

Kyon shook his hand. The fat fish bit the bait...

«Juno, you're the witness.»

The girl humbly agreed, reflecting on the servant's cunning plans. In the meantime, XiaoBai rushed from the table into the centre of the room. It was outrageous. Despite his size, the patriarch's grandson moved very quickly.

Kyon was in no hurry. He looked meaningfully at Juno till she turned away. Then he went for a walk around the hall. He was not going to win. What for? The loss of a thousand spheres wouldn't hurt his fifty thousand. But the impression of a "loser" was going to bring him an interest in any case.

Besides, if XiaoBai took him for a big fish he would definitely make friends with him. In the meantime, he needed to observe and find out what the point of the bet was.

XiaoBai had no doubt he had found another duffer. He often used the trick at events like this. The thing is that one of the guests is bribed and must dance with him as soon as he comes up to her. Cheating this way, XiaoBai could win a fortune! He lost only once when he made a bet with Prince Charles.

XiaoBai found his partner and held out his hand in antic.i.p.ation of another victory… When suddenly someone unknown rudely pushed the girl away and spun with him in the dance.

The boy looked at the charming brown-haired girl of medium height. He was stunned. «I did not buy your dance! Seriously... Are you after a commision?!» - The shocked fat guy asked in fear.

The young lady (obviously his age) gave the pale young man an amazing smile. «Nothing of the kind, dear XiaoBai. Let's just dance.» - She said gently in a pleasant voice with overtones incomprehensible for XiaoBai. The girls had never spoken to him like that... It was surprising that she called him by his first name.

There was no identification token on her small bust. The girl wasn't a simple one. She was too confident. It was weird... She looked into his eyes for a moment, then snuggled up to him, purring something under her breath.

{What was going on?!} – The fat guy was difficult to confuse, but today three girls managed to perplex him! Did they have a fever or something? Dinah and Anna had taken Balim and Zhou for a dance. Now this unknown cutie was huddling close to him...

Kyon was a little confused watching the unusual scene. Had XiaoBai bribed two girls? If so, why? And if not, who's that young beauty? He decided to walk around the hall.

Kyon was astonished to see Marina dancing happily with a handsome blond Stone of the 2nd rank. At first, he wanted to intervene but he thought better of it. He let her live her life. He would always help her if need be. He owed her, after all.

While Kyon was wandering around the room, brave young men came up to Juno one after another. Each of them tried to charm the wonderful nymph, but she said no to all of them.

Suddenly, Kyon noticed a girl. She was wearing a simple white dress, her gorgeous snow-white hair fell to her feet in an avalanche of thousand-year-old mountain snow, her face completely covered with an elegant black mask hiding everything but her eyes.

Her eyes made the boy freeze in amazement. Three multicolored cosmic nebulae reflected in them, as well as a myriad of stars dazzling like the sunrise and the blinding brilliance of diamonds... He could see the whole universe in them. It was impossible to look away from such perfect beauty. As luck would have it, someone pa.s.sed and blocked his view. In a moment, the beautiful girl disappeared.

{What was that?} - Kyon blinked. Maybe, he was seeing things... But his memory and Synergy couldn't lie. Triple heterochromia! It's incredible. He could drown in the depths of those eyes. The boy plunged into pleasant memories… The abyss of her eyes kept bewitching him even in his thoughts. Her unreal beauty was hard to forget. Something beyond possible was going to happen. What should he expect? Maybe a princess?

Soon after that, XiaoBai returned to Juno. He was out of breath. The girl he'd been dancing with was sitting nearby staring at him with a loving gaze. The fat guy learned that her name was Cornelia but the family name said nothing to him. Apparently, the beauty was a foreigner.

XiaoBai was in a perfect mood. He banged on the table with his fist and demanded his prize.

«Cheer up, Kyon! I will let you get even with me whenever you get a chance. Hehe…» - He counted the spheres again and chuckled, grunting like an idiot. Then he eagerly hid his "treasure" in the ring. His piggy eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

It was a great opportunity for a conversation. No one could bother them, the maids were away, and there was still time before the evening fights began. Kyon said boldly:

«For the sake of curiosity, I once paid a visit to the Stone mines and noticed a couple of details.» - XiaoBai did not even look up. – «I am talking about labor efficiency. More precisely, the benefits. In my opinion, stone mining can be increased many times at the same cost!» - Kyon added.

The fat guy's eyes glared at him at once. He said in a strained voice. «Go on…»

Kyon grinned, the fish rose to the bait. He could keep talking for years with a man obsessed with money.

The boy started a fascinating conversation about the economy of the mine and how to improve it, then he smoothly changed the topic to the plantation, then to the economic sector of the family, and the banking sector... He was not going to stop.

XiaoBai plunged into their conversation with his head, body and soul.

Kyon's financial proficiency shocked the fat guy. It seemed strange that he had lost the bet...

It turned out during the conversation that XiaoBai was the successor of the elder responsible for the mines. He was taking over the experience and learning to run the mine. However, the fact that the mines would most likely be taken away from the family had greatly diminished his motivation.

XiaoBai turned was extremely tightfisted. His attempts to marry his business partners to Juno and his numerous successful scams said it all. Each of his words and actions revealed his greed. Even the deaf could hear that and blind could see that.

They talked about the patriarch. No wonder Bai gave all his love to Juno. He tactfully left the part about his relations with grandfather.

Juno drank up the juice with a bored look and headed for the restroom. She was sick and tired of the tedious conversation the two morons were having about money. She wished Marina wasn't dancing.

Dozens of guys, mesmerized by her beauty, watched the girl leave.

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«Hong, look over there.» - The young man from the Grand family shoved his friend with his elbow and pointed to Juno. - «The p.u.s.s.y cat has left the table. And she is alone... What do you say?»

Hong licked his lips keeping his eyes on the girl. «We can't miss a chance like this. Let's go for it.» - He whispered conspiratorially.

«Do you really want to deflower her? Don't you think that Patriarch Stone will ruin our lives?» - The guy asked skeptically.

«We are the Grands. The rest of the families are like rats next to a lion compared to us. Moreover, my barrel-bellied father holds a high-level position in the ministry. He is an executioner! He'll take care of it.»

«Okay… Then let's go. I've never seen p.u.s.s.ies like that.» - Hong's friend stood up with a filthy grin.

«Speaking of p.u.s.s.ies… I am the first.»

«Okay, okay…»

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyon saw the two sc.u.mbags from the Grand family get up from their seats and very casually follow the girl. He also saw the leader of the Stones, Lee. He was carefully watching the lady but turned a blind eye to what was happening and continued to chat with his friends. Some other observers also modestly lowered their eyes, fully aware of the danger the little angel was in.

{And he was the guy who had promised to beat to death anyone who dared to offend her?!} - Kyon could understand Lee's att.i.tude but he wanted to strangle the best Stone fighter with his own hands.

Kyon was about to get out of the chair and follow Juno (the girl's virginity belonged to him only) when he saw Anna resolutely follow the trio. He didn't have to worry about the d.a.m.n thing. The killer maid knew her job well.

As expected, Juno returned safe and sound before long.

Those two individuals never appeared at the party again. No one would ever find out that they were ruthlessly buried in the cesspool, worms eating their cut-off heads. As soon as the n.o.ble young people were caught plotting an a.s.sault on the lady, they disappeared from the face of the earth.

After the interesting talk, XiaoBai rubbed his hands and gently looked at his sister. - «Well, it's high time we proceeded to the fun part!» - He exclaimed and went on stage.

The orchestra died down, the guests fell silent, everyone was looking at the big man.

«Ladies and gentlemen, the first part of the party is coming to an end! In an hour we begin everyone's favorite battles!»

The guests from around the hall applauded.

«The winner will be the king of the party and get a prize! He will also dance with my dear and beloved Juno!»

The guests, the young men especially, looked with interest at the beautiful angel.

Someone cried out:

«What is the prize?!»… «Don't keep us waiting! We all want to know!» … «The dance with the lady is already a prize! Hehe.»

XiaoBai smiled mysteriously. - «Has anyone here heard of the Rising Hawk medicine?»

There was a moment of silence.

One of the guests was shocked to the core:

«Sir, do you mean the…»

«The medicine of transformation the Rising Hawk?! Did patriarch Bai get medicine at such an enormous price as a reward?!»

«The breakthrough medicine guarantees about a hundred percent chance to raise to the third phase!» … «It cannot be!!» … «Oh my G.o.d, is it really true ?!!» … «It costs an arm and a leg!»

The audience exploded. The tension for the valuable prize had increased. Not every family could afford to buy something like the Rising Hawk medicine.

Kyon stroked his chin with a great deal of interest. He had read that high-quality breakthrough (transformation) medicine in some rare cases can immediately raise you to the second phase. - {Yes. I want to get it.}

Xiao Bai chuckled quietly and held up his hands to calm the audience down. - «That's right, dear guests. The winner will get the medicine of incomparable value. If you take it you are very likely to break into the next phase. And now for the details! The rules of the battle are very simple. It's forbidden to use attacking and defensive formations, as well as weapons and poisons. There will be no ma.s.sacre today, right? The battle is over if you give up. Try not to kill your opponent! Have the honor and brains not to spoil relations.h.i.+ps with other families. Now come to me and sign up.» - XiaoBai finished his tirade.

Kyon was frustrated. It seemed his beautiful sword from the treasury would be of no use today, as well as the paralyzing poison that he'd made himself...

Hundreds of young men were already approaching XiaoBai when they heard a loud voice:

«Did you invite us to the party to make fun of us?!» - Tsayan asked indignantly. He was the younger brother of famous Kiyan, the only descendant of pure blood who didn't belong to the Stones. A group of the Browns was standing next to him with serious faces. The guy was their leader, or rather, a representative. He spoke on behalf their family at this event.

The patriarch's grandson frowned. «You're Tsayan if I am not mistaken. What do you mean?»

Tsayan spread his arms and cried out:

«I mean that the most powerful young people in the Stone family have gathered here today. King of fights Lee, furious warrior Eric, mighty Stephanie! And who came from the Browns, from the Romanovs or the Milonovs?! I can't name a single powerful name! How should we defend the honor of our families? It makes no sense to know the value of the prize if the king is one of your family. Are you messing with us? Or do you suggest that we accept the inevitable defeat and leave with our heads bowed?!»

His meaningful speech resonated with the hearts of many young people in the hall. Everyone wanted to stand at least a minimal chance to get the valuable prize.

«That's right! He has a point!» … «There's no powerful representatives from my family here! What should we do? Are we destined to lose?!» … «It's not fair! The Stones are going to hit the big time and what about us?» … « Either change the rules or we will refuse to take part in the battle! Fight each other» … «I agree!» - They yelled.

The rumble of the discontented crowd created an atmosphere contrary to a good party. It couldn't go on like that and Xiao Bai knew it very well.

The Stones looked with scorn at the screaming guests.

«Who kept the leaders in your families from coming? The invitations were sent to everyone!» - Lee said arrogantly and raised his chin.

Before the guests got outraged, XiaoBai raised his hand. «Gentlemen! My sister, Patriarch Bai and I want everyone to be happy after the party. Tsayan, do you have a counteroffer?»

When he achieved what he desired, the cunning boy said:

«We want you to add a new rule: it is forbidden to fight if you are at a higher stage of development.»

He had no doubt that his plan would work. Without Lee and other Stones with high development, he was destined to win. Besides, Tsayan was sure he could defeat anyone at his 10th stage of the second phase. He would defend the honor of the Browns, thereby fulfilling his father's demand... His father, the elder, had promised him to take the medicine of transformation from the patriarch after he had completed the task. If he won, he would ask his father for something else. It all fit together! The boy was delighted.

He could hear the guests exclaim in amazement, they nodded their agreement and came up to him to express their support.

Lee, Eric, and Stephanie were disheartened. If XiaoBai agreed to the terms, the Stones would be dishonored. What a treacherous jerk! Who had invited him there?

The fat man thoughtfully stroked his second chin thinking of a solution.

Lee had a brilliant idea: «Mr. Xiao Bai! Tsayan has a point but you can't deprive certain people with the high development of the opportunity to prove themselves and compete for the prize. How about correcting the rule? The pract.i.tioners above the 10th stage of the second phase should lower their development?»

Tsayan squinted for a second, then nodded approvingly. «I agree. It's fair enough. Any objections?» - He asked the other guests. Everyone nodded their agreement.

XiaoBai clapped his hands. «It is decided then! The new rule has been adopted. Anyone above the advanced phase must get it lowered. If the rule is violated during the battle, the partic.i.p.ant gets disqualified. And if he dares to harm the opponent, he will be punished according to the laws of the family!»

The hall exploded into deafening applause. Now every family had an equal chance of winning. Their honor was safe. Anyone at the finis.h.i.+ng or peak stage of the second phase could get the prize.

Tsayan, the insidious fox, chuckled to himself. His special unique body wouldn't let him lose to an equal opponent. He was sure to win. Being the king would bring him so many benefits!

Meanwhile, Kyon's eyes were s.h.i.+ning. If there was no Tsayan, he would have to come up with a plan something like that. And now it was time to act!