my slow journey to infinity

Chapter 90 Second chance?
Having strong social skills does not mean that you like to waste time.

Wang Shui doesn't like banquets, so let's not mention the main guests who come specifically for banquets.

But what really made him lose his spirits was that he had just rejected a real boss.

"Really, after knowing you for so many years, this is the first time I sincerely admire you.

Tsk tsk tsk, just like many people will compromise with their parents, elders, or people with higher status. This is a social pressure order and a neutral internal force in the operation of society. It exists naturally and has good and bad qualities. .

As long as a person does not want to break away from a specific social relationship, the more a person resists, the greater the pressure will be.

But I didn't expect that our Brother Shui's ability to withstand stress would be so strong. "

Sylvia was making sarcastic remarks in the thinking network, and the entire public channel was filled with unconcealable joy.

As for Wang Shui, he was maintaining a perfect social smile at the banquet while suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart.

surprise?panic?Frightened?regret?
Probably some of both.

If Wang Shui had known that it was the current Grand Duke Russell himself who wanted to invite him...then it would really not matter about getting stronger, about the future, or about personal growth.

Wang Shui doesn't know what his future will be like, but he understands that some things cannot be obtained through hard work and talent.

He seemed to have made the worst choice in his life.

Maybe, maybe if he changes his mind now and shows his favor, the Russell family will accept him with the same specifications, and he can also bring uncompromised benefits to the Russell family.

But what is irreparable is that he left a bad impression on Archduke Russell.

It was obvious that Wang Shui's performance had been watched by Grand Duke Russell, so much so that he finally expressed his presence aloud, which was also intentional by the Grand Duke.

This is a test: if Wang Shui surrenders on the spot, his upper limit will only be lower.

Wang Shui thought about it, and he held back. He did not surrender and kneel down because of the presence of the Grand Duke, so the test continued.

Yes, it's still going on.

Wang Shui believes that he will never be favored by Grand Duke Russell again, but he may become a supporter of the Russell family in the form of a non-staff member.

This result is definitely better than surrendering directly.

He was struggling in his mind not to delay Shui Wang's socializing at the banquet, but as an observer, the valet Witte did give Wang Shui a high look.

In his opinion, if Wang Shui can get out of the car normally without weak legs, he has passed the test.

Some people may think it's an exaggeration.

If, like Wang Shui's previous life, no one has experienced the world of empires, and has never seen or experienced the influence of nobles, they may not be able to imagine what kind of authority a duke would have.

Here, you can simply experience it.

For today's banquet, there are 112 young people on the invitation list. Counting those who accompanied or sneaked in by other means, there are about 160 people.

These young people, ranging in age from 15 to 40 years old, even without the help of their families, can build several more planets similar to [Triad] by themselves, and control the lives of trillions of creatures. .

This is part of the reflection of the resources and power of advanced civilizations.

For primary civilizations or even lower-level civilizations, each of these nobles is a god.

These are the nobles who are currently courting the favor of Aqua Regia. To be precise, they are courting the favor of the 31st generation member of the Russell family [Benjamin M. Russell].

Although Wang Shui's false identity is that of an illegitimate son who has just been exposed, he has the possibility of becoming a direct descendant.

In fact, for the nobles who came here, it didn't matter whether they were direct descendants or not. Even if Wang Shui now reported that he was just an outsider handling affairs for the Russell family, their enthusiasm would still be sincere.

This is the Russell family, a corner of Grand Duke Russell's influence, yes, it's just a corner of fame.

Sylvia's teasing is still teasing, but her admiration is genuine.

She has long been accustomed to Wang Shui's slickness and low limits in dealing with things. Wang Shui is a typical pragmatist who never considers dignity, scene, honor, reputation and the like.

He just wanted to win, he just wanted to make a profit, but he didn't kneel down, but instead tried to convince the other party that he would think highly of his toughness. This kind of courage is also rare.

Not everyone likes tough guys...especially nobles.

The banquet finally reached the middle stage, and all the guests began to disperse and communicate in groups.

Wang Shui finally got through the previous stage of identifying people. Usually private gatherings are not so troublesome, but today is a special case.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Benjamin. Finally, on behalf of the [Triad] City Council, I welcome you to come early.

The Alchemy Exhibition's branch venues on other planets will jump here in six days, ending the two-year tour. We hope you can attend the official opening ceremony. "

"Of course, that's why I'm here. But why are you still 'Your Excellency'? Do you want me to call you Mr. Lal?"
This is your home, your private party, and we are friends, just call me Benjamin. "

Different from the polite smile when he first made friends with everyone, Wang Shui put on a special warm smile for the host of the banquet, Lar, and his tone and words were much more casual.

Apart from the polite words in front of them, onlookers might really think that they are old friends, but in fact they have only known each other for more than an hour.

However, Wang Shui's words still made Lal, one of the organizers of the banquet, very helpful and even flattered.

It is true that the members of the Russell family have no airs, but few of them are as easy to talk to as Shui Wang.

Going their own way and being free and undisciplined are all compliments to them, but they never do or need to care about other people's requests.

That's why Laer specifically emphasized that he hoped Wang Shui could attend the opening ceremony, because he felt that Wang Shui, as a member of Russell, would probably skip the opening ceremony and go shopping by himself.

However, this is not important anymore, the next step has already begun.

Lal and his circle brought Wang Shui to a relatively hidden place inside the banquet but where they could see the overall situation. Everyone sat down and guessed Wang Shui's hobbies in rough words.

Wang Shui was very anxious, and he couldn't just say that he would accept everyone who came, so he could only play social games with them in a dumbfounded way.

Half an hour later, Wang Shui finally confirmed one thing.

In the past, he just thought that he didn't like noble banquets because the information channels were messy.Now he was sure that he just hated this waste of time and life.

After a relatively direct exchange, Wang Shui expressed that he wanted some private space, and then he found a corner to sit down and started reading. This calmed down his increasingly manic mood.

Wang Shui did not leave the scene and refused to socialize.

He found a place barely suitable for reading at the banquet where the environment was quite poor.

However, what Wang Shui did not expect was that his actions even unified the thoughts of these young nobles:
"Yes, that's right now. This is Russell. His social patience has finally run out."

But in fact, Wang Shui was just biding his time. It was not yet the time set by Victor to leave the stage, so Wang Shui could only continue to perform.

With Wang Shui's current state and his aura of keeping away from strangers, most people would definitely not dare to come over and strike up a conversation, but there was no shortage of special people at today's banquet.

"Hello, Mr. Russell, we are friends from [Grey Mist]. Nice to meet you."

The person who came over to greet Shui Wang was a middle-aged man wearing a hunting suit.

He has a slender figure, his short hair is already graying, and his skin is quite rough, but his energy and spirit are so strong that it's a bit dazzling.

And behind him, there were eight young people with casual postures.The middle-aged man used common language and called Wang Shui [Mr. Russell].

This was the first time Wang Shui heard this kind of direct address without honorific title at this banquet.

Moreover, [Grey Mist]?The hometown of the boss of Dream System?

"What's the matter?" Wang Shui didn't show any impatience, but his tone was not polite.

When he spoke, he glanced at Werther. Those little nobles just let him go, but Werther actually acquiesced and didn't remind him.

"I just want to get acquainted with Mr. Russell. You can call me [Li Junqing]. I represent the team of [Grey Mist World] participating in the alchemy exhibition. I would like to thank [Elela Empire] and [Russell Family] for their recognition and help. A small gift is not a sign of respect."

A lot of information in just a few words.

Aqua Regia reacted quickly. He picked up the unused wine glass on the table and gestured gently, but did not stand up.

The valet Witte also took the tray from the side and gave the man named [Li Junqing] a glass of golden wine.

"I have received the friendship, and I am also grateful to the [Grey Mist] world for its generosity of knowledge, and to you."

Here, Wang Shui used honorifics, "The leader of the Demon Hunter organization, Mr. Li, thank you for your contribution to world order and stability."

"I'm just the temporary person in charge of this world." The thin middle-aged man smiled and drank the drink in one gulp.

Wang Shui only took a few symbolic sips. He really didn't like drinking.

"Thanks have been sent, no need to disturb me." After Li Jun finished drinking, he didn't say anything more and left with the young man behind him.

Wang Shui looked at the big man's leaving figure, glanced at the valet Witte, and asked directly:
"What does the family mean by letting me get in touch with this kind of person? Aren't you afraid that I will show my cowardice in front of a seventh-level transcendent?"

"In fact, there isn't much pressure, isn't it?" Werther kept smiling and talked to Shui Wang in a low voice.

"The other party discovered that my level was very low and was afraid of scaring me, so he tried his best to contain his momentum. He even put away the [Demon Hunting Seal]."

As for Li Junqing's name, Wang Shui still knew it.

"Don't worry, there will be no problem. Just deal with the situation and leave the rest to me."

Werther's voice was flat and arrogant.

Wang Shui glanced at him one more time and did not continue to ask.

Afterwards, the banquet ended successfully, and the two temporary masters and servants returned to the castle complex without any shouting or crowding.

As an extraordinary person, Wang Shui rarely felt deeply tired in this normal routine, but he still got into the study to study the knowledge (previously it was just memorized).

For him, reading is relaxation.

But not long after, Werther came in. He put a tray on the corner of the desk and left without saying anything.

Wang Shui was a little surprised at first, and then looked at the things in the tray.

It was a booklet made of unknown black leather, only the size of a palm, and about three centimeters thick.

Wang Shui knows this thing. It is a card book used to hold [secret cards], and it is also an extraordinary item.

What's the meaning?Ask him to learn to play cards?
I had heard Sylvia say before that people here like to play cards for fun, and I saw them at the banquet, but Wang Shui had no idea of ​​having fun.

Just when Aqua Regia was hesitating whether to open it and take a look, an inconspicuous "beep" quickly passed through the study room, which seemed to be the sound of some kind of buzzer.

Wang Shui heard it, but with his limited physical fitness as an ordinary person, he couldn't distinguish the location of the sound.

In the air, slight energy gathered in the open space in the center of the study. Wang Shui felt his skin numb, but he did not panic.

This is not an invasion. There is already an alchemy array where the energy is gathered.

Faint cyan energy converged into starlight, and the light above the clearing was distorted and made a slight banging sound before a stable cyan light door lit up.

Wang Shui had already stood up and stood next to the desk. He could basically guess what would happen next. Sure enough-

An old man walked out of the blue light door.

The two people's eyes met, and a slight spiritual power penetrated Wang Shui's mind along Wang Shui's line of sight.

But Wang Shui didn't hesitate at all, he immediately bowed and saluted.

Wang Shui was not a noble, nor was he a servant or slave, so he just put his right hand on his heart and leaned forward gently.

As for the mental shock just now, regardless of whether the other party was intentional or not, Wang Shui could only say that Lao Deng was overthinking.He, Wang Shui, was a dazed young man who had merged with the consciousness of the world. This level of impact was not as strong as 1.8J.

"Hello." The old man spoke first.

This time, Wang Shui was really shocked.

He originally thought that the old man in ordinary pajamas would be a high-status member of the Russell family.

In fact, he was indeed right.

"Good evening, Your Highness."

Although he was shocked, Wang Shui still spoke the correct title at a normal speed, but he bowed again.

Yes, Your Highness, this old man is Grand Duke Russell.

Wang Shui shut up and stood quietly. He could not think of the reason why the Grand Duke came to see him.

Grand Duke Russell silently walked towards the chair where Wang Shui had been sitting. Wang Shui consciously gave up his seat and came to the opposite side of the huge desk.

Just now, he passed by a legendary figure, less than one meter away - so exciting!
"Do you regret rejecting me?"

"Of course." Wang Shui said without the slightest hesitation, "I have thought about relying on the Russell family to obtain wealth and status, but due to my own growth needs, I chose to refuse. If I knew in advance that His Highness valued me, I would definitely do it. Make the right choice."

"You come from a world where there are no nobles in the conventional sense." The Grand Duke's tone was quite certain and confident, but he chose to use euphemisms.

"I've always envied the Dream System. It can recruit talents like you from all over the world. This is so unfair to us competitors.

Therefore, we often recruit people from the dream system, just like you, people with low price and high potential.
The previous test seems a bit naive in retrospect. Now, I ask you seriously again, are you willing to join the Russell family? "

Then, there is only one answer!

Wang Shui looked into the Grand Duke's eyes and said seriously: "I refuse."

　This kind of communicative content was quite enjoyable when I was writing it, but it was quite painful when I was revising it... I spent two hours revising it for the sake of reading fluency.

　　I don’t want to fill up the plot with social content, so the following story will be more compact and interesting.

　　There is still a long way to go before the next fantasy world, but I have basically decided on it and have started designing the plot.

　　I think it is not a spoiler to say it now, because the plot will definitely be quite different from the original work. Telling it in advance is also a way for me to research the market in advance.

　　The next world is - Harry Potter!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)