Chapter 36 – Eating Like It’s a Cafeteria!

"Emily?" It only took a glance for Wang Zhong to notice the person bathed in moonlight, standing by her lonesome self under a tree. She looked like a beautiful crane amongst a flock of chickens. "So adorable!"

"Truly?" Emily's initial vicious expression instantly turned into happiness as she replied, "Do you like it?"

Wang Zhong gave a laugh and rubbed Emily's head as he replied, "I like anything you wear."

Emily felt really helpless. She was about the remove Wang Zhong's hand and tell him that she had already grown up, but she loved the warmth emanating from his large hands. It was so comfortable and warm, and furthermore… Wang Zhong wearing a black suit was so handsome. So very handsome indeed!

Breathing a little heavily as he jogged over, Ma Dong shouted, "Wang Zhong! Wang Zhong, that was done on purpose, wasn't it? Running so fast, why didn't you wait for me!. Huhuhuhu!"

"If you wanted to chase after girls, then do it yourself. Don't count on me, thank you very much," replied Wang Zhong.

Upon seeing a beautiful lady, Ma Dong instantly treated Wang Zhong as though he was invisible. Being outside the mansion under the shade of trees and with Wang Zhong blocking his view, Ma Dong did not immediately recognize Emily. Most importantly, her current visage vastly differed from his impression of her, so he was unable to make the connection.

Seeing her, Ma Dong became a little excited. "Beautiful lady, my name is Ma Dong, this guy's president. May I know your name? Let's get to know one another!"

"Ma Dong Dong, you finally revealed your true colors!"

When Emily's voice suddenly rang out, Ma Dong was thoroughly frightened. His excited expression immediately withered.

"Hey hey, my precious little cousin, I'm just joking with you. Let's not stand outside, it's almost time. Come, brother will bring you in," Ma Dong hastily replied as he extended out his left hand. He thought That was really foolish. Trying to chase after a girl without my own wingman, that was a big failure. Little cousin is the best; not only can she increase my points, she also won't be obstructing me from chasing girls.

Emily completely ignored Ma Dong as she gently tugged at Wang Zhong's arm, softly saying, "Brother Wang Zhong, the dinner banquet is about to start. We can't be late."

The awkward Ma Dong stared at Emily with wide eyes as he said, "Little brat, hey hey hey, did you make a mistake? I'm your elder cousin, yet you're actually hugging my man…"

"Scram!" Wang Zhong and Emily both simultaneously sent a middle finger in his direction.

☀

The dinner banquet proceeded on with a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere.

Within the grand hall, the ceiling was decorated with ribbons and balloons, while gentle and relaxing music played in the background. The fragrance of various delicacies permeated the air.

Everyone casually mingled, chatting with one another. Many were discussing the Federation's competition. In actual fact, this dinner banquet was organized to tackle issues relating to the Federation's competition, though this wasn't explicitly stated. All those who came to the banquet, however, suspected this was the case.

"I'm afraid the focus this year would still be on Black Rose or Saint Judgement. The Ability Society in our academy is a bit underwhelming. ."

"Mn. I feel that selecting Timber Wolf wouldn't be a bad choice. There are a few outstanding candidates to choose from there. This time, Teacher Grace should be able to propel our academy to the next level. "

"The Ability Society isn't as bad as you guys think. Furthermore, each squad has to have a special ability user to balance it out."

"This year, don't we have the new recruit, Emily? As a flame ability user of the Assassin clan, she seems very promising."

"She's just a freshman, and being famous doesn't equate to being skillful."

Black Rose, Saint Judgement, and Super Energy Society. These three made up the core strength of the soul academy. As for the rune societies, they focused mainly on backline support and research. Although they did have some fame, it would be of no use in the competition.

This year's Federation competition would be filled with elites. Relying purely on an individual's strength wouldn't get them far, meaning that each squad needed to have the best coordination and strategic planning for them to excel. This was the reason why Grace had announced the quota and had instructed them to come up with a recommendation list with five main players and five reserves.

Everyone discussed their opinions with fervor. As the chorus of voices debating and questioning merged with the relaxing music playing in the grand hall, it gave everyone a relaxed and enticing feeling. Some people chose to indulge in higher-level business, while others chose to just enjoy the unique atmosphere.

Many old members of the Tianjing Heroic Soul Academy could be seen in all four corners of the banquet hall, easily recognizable by their typical tall and burly stature. Each and every one of them was in formal wear, and strode in a heroic fashion while speaking softly and elegantly. It looked as though everyone was mimicking each other, exuding the aura of an upper-class socialite.

This made Wang Zhong, Ma Dong, and Emily feel incompatible with the atmosphere of this dinner banquet. Although they had dressed right, there was still an immense gap between their character and social circles. Other than Ma Dong, the sole purpose Wang Zhong and Emily had come for was to eat.

One point Wang Zhong had guessed right was that the dinner banquet would have a whole lot of delicious food. Every single dish could be deemed as 'high-class'.

The energy upkeep of a heroic soul soldier was far above that of an average man. Most of them had large stomachs and huge appetites. Normal food was unable to meet their requirements as eating more didn't equate to being full, so they required different types of 'higher grade' food to satisfy their immense appetite.

"Overlord Shrimp!" Wang Zhong carried over a plate filled with large shrimps, his eyes sparkling. These shrimps were a mutant species and although difficult to capture, their taste was beyond description. The shrimp contained abundant amounts of succulent flesh, and even provided some beneficial nourishment to the soul sea of New Mankind. These were absolutely considered luxury items, and he'd only seen them on television. He'd never expected that he'd one day try them.

Emily stood beside him, eating to her heart's content. She even occasionally helped Wang Zhong choose some dishes. Eating with Wang Zhong was bliss to her. As for the food, it felt adequate for the little lady of the Assassin clan as Emily wasn't a girl that put much emphasis on quality.

Ma Dong, on the other hand, stared left and right, vigorously trying to find an opportune target. When he spotted what Emily and Wang Dong were doing, he was very disappointed. These two were so shameless. This was a place for the upper class to mingle and form relationships, yet they treated it like a dining hall.

"I say… are you two reincarnations of hungry ghosts? You're scaring away all of the beautiful ladies!" Ma Dong couldn't help but complain. He was about to say hello to a lady with long legs, but she'd turned around and left immediately.

"Ma Dong Dong, that senior sister was definitely scared away by you. Look at you, wearing all white. How did you expect ladies to like you?" Emily didn't give her elder cousin any face as she ate her ice cream.

"Ma Dong, this smoked leg isn't that bad. What meat is this?" Wang Zhong's mouth was stuffed, making it difficult for him to talk. "What a wholesome and fragrant taste!"

"That's Four-Horned Wind Cow." Compared to Wang Zhong, Emily was an expert on the subject of food. She threw a small piece into her mouth before continuing, "Coincidentally, Brother Wang Zhong, you mentioned that you wanted to go to St. Mongul City. I'll take you out to eat beef ribs that are of A5 grade meat!"

"… You two are really beyond help!" said Ma Dong. He sighed. "Can we talk about stuff unrelated to food? If the two of you continue to act like this, I'll just leave you guys and find my own happiness elsewhere!"

As he said this, the lights in the area began to dim and the relaxing music stopped playing.

Wearing a lace dinner gown that was as white as snow, the beautiful lady host Scarlet appeared. Under the myriad of lights, she looked incredibly sacred and charming.