Regarding the matchmaking issues of his subordinates, Lin Jun never cared much. Occasionally, he even played the matchmaker role, like connecting a tailless lizardman with a werewolf.

But not for Pink Puki, at least not now.

It took a great deal of effort to pair her with such strategic weapons as the two Elemental Lords of fire and ice. Lin Jun could hardly wish for her to stay in the Mushroom Garden daily, perpetually in high alert status.

And now she suddenly comes to say she wants to find a husband, start a family, and have children?

What a joke!

What about the combat power of those two Elemental Lords? Lin Jun couldn’t command them!

He himself is busy saving the world, so no more chaos, please!

As for marriage, it could totally wait until after the world is saved and held with full pomp!

Getting married at thirty wouldn’t be late either!

"In summary, Comrade Edin, we are entrusting this task, concerning the world’s safety, to you." Marshal Puki stood on a stone block with its tentacle resting on Edin’s shoulder, solemnly entrusting the mission.

Edin’s mouth slightly parted, showing a rare look of confusion in his usually calm eyes: "You mean... you want me to... disrupt Duke Alama’s meticulously arranged matchmaking banquet for Miss Inanna?"

"Relax," Marshal Puki waved a tentacle, "Pink Puki will cooperate with you, she herself isn’t planning on succeeding. This matchmaking banquet was never meant to work out. Your main task is to make the situation look bad enough, awkward enough for Alama to drop the idea, saving us from this precious waste of effort later when he comes up with something new."

Speaking, Marshal Puki fetched an S-Class Demon Crystal from its body and handed it to Edin.

"Don’t worry boss, I will complete the mission." In Edin’s eyes, there was a resolution to save the world!

...

The banquet was arranged to be held in Oath City.

On the main road leading to the ballroom, gilded family carriages rolled over the smooth cobblestone path, and warhorses adorned in splendid saddlery occasionally snorted, with young knights holding their backs straight, their armor shining bright.

Occasionally, there was the deep roar of beasts, the noise from noble contracts’ magic beast mounts.

Before the grandeur gate of the manor, the old butler Eric directed the servants to guide endless guest carriages to the designated parking areas, arranging grooms to care for those precious mounts, all the while greeting every noble guest holding invitations with impeccable etiquette. Under his orderly management, the bustling scene at the entrance remained lively, yet consistently orderly.

Just then, a young attendant responsible for verifying invitations and guiding guests hurried to Eric’s side, speaking in a low voice: "Housekeeper, there’s a little issue. Viscount Vira, whom you instructed special attention to, has arrived... but he hasn’t come alone; there are two companions by his side, not listed in the invitation."

"Family of the Viscount?" Eric asked.

"No, friends."

Eric’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Bringing people not on the guest list to the banquet is an affront to etiquette, especially if they aren’t even invitees’ family members, it seems somewhat rude.

Yet, considering Viscount Vira, who was recently ennobled and the holder of "sacrifice,"

it’s possible that his adjustment to high society’s unwritten codes of conduct was incomplete due to his newfound noble status.

Thinking of this, he personally headed over there.

...

Vira and his companions were stopped outside the manor, holding their horses.

They didn’t even come by carriage, instead, on separate horses, without even attendants, which hardly displayed any noble flair.

Fei Yin hung her head despondently, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her dress.

Her previous curiosity about noble banquets was precisely why Vira, ignoring the temporary steward’s warning to "better attend alone," insisted on bringing her and her sister.

Now stopped outside the gate, subjected to scrutinizing glances from guests in extravagant carriages, with occasional faint laughs audible.

She felt she was the reason Vira lost face at such an important occasion.

"Vira," she said softly, almost not daring to lift her head, "perhaps... you should go in first. My sister and I will find somewhere nearby to wait, and after the banquet is over, we can go back together..."

Vira laughed heartily at this: "What are you thinking? Really treating me like some aristocratic master?"

He looked around at the grand entrance, speaking lightly: "We’ve come already; leaving you outside wouldn’t be right! If we must, we’ll find a hotel to stay for the night, and tomorrow I’ll show you around Oath City, making this trip worthwhile!"

As he spoke, he tried to adjust his posture: "Number Five, Number Five? Relax a bit, you’re squeezing me breathless..."

Clinging to his back was Number Five Puki, its mycelium tentacles tightly wrapped around Vira’s waist, its mushroom cap pressed against his nape.

The unfamiliar environment, unknown people, and the faint magical aura kept it highly tense, only slightly loosening at Vira’s words, its tentacles still tightly coiled.

At that moment, a steady yet warm voice broke through the little stalemate at the entrance:

"Viscount Vira, sir."

The old butler Eric had somehow approached the door personally, he nodded slightly in greeting to Vira, his posture impeccable: "Please forgive the door guards’ caution, today’s guests are important figures in the Kingdom, their duties inevitably lead to some rigidity."

Vira quickly waved his hand, indicating that it was his own oversight.

Eric stepped aside, made an elegant gesture of "please," his gaze falling on the two sisters: "The two ladies and the Mushroom Race’s Number Five, please don’t be restrained, the banquet is meant for gathering and enjoyment."

With Eric personally leading the way, Vira and his companions finally stepped through the ornately carved doors of the banquet hall.

In an instant, it seemed they had entered another world.

Numerous massive crystal chandeliers descended from painted ceilings, thousands of pristinely cut crystals refracting candlelight and wall-inlaid magic crystal lamps, illuminating the hall as if in daylight, yet awash with honey-like warm and rich golden aura.

The air was suffused with a complex aroma mingling expensive spices, fresh flowers, baked treats, advanced leather, and faint magic incense.

Figures flitted in the glow, with men dressed in tailored dark suits adorned with family and merit badges, colorful sashes draped diagonally from their shoulders, their demeanor marked by composure and grace.

And the women’s skirts spread wide like blooming crowns, their waists cinched by corsets, making them appear more poised, with the jewels adorning them enhancing their allure.

Fei Ling and Fei Yin stood at the entrance, nearly overwhelmed by the extreme opulence and clamor.

Their carefully chosen outfits from before the journey, in stark contrast, appeared like faded rough cloth.

No glittering jewels adorned them, lacking intricate expensive embroidery, the skirts not wide enough, and the fabric plain before top-tier silk and velvet.

In this contrast, they couldn’t help but feel a wave of unease.

As the two sisters stared, stunned by scenes beyond their imagination, Vira already chewed on a fruit, offering two grape-sized ones before their eyes: "It’s tasty, try some!"

Not far, Earl’s son Phineas glanced over at the three people and a mushroom, without dwelling further.

These country bumpkins taking food upon entrance were clearly not competitors.

The real threats...

His gaze turned to another corner of the banquet hall.

There, Warren, Inanna’s former adjutant, was chatting and laughing with Duke Lorenzo’s second son.

Seemingly aware of Phineas’s gaze, Warren smiled back from afar.