The vast sky above Estica twinkled in delight, as the stars and moon created a sparking ambiance right out of a fairy tale. The city streets were awash with silver light, creating an atmosphere that made the nighttime seem even more desirable than the day.

While people of different racial and socio-economic backgrounds were currently engrossed in numerous twilight activities, a small moderately designed carriage made its way through the island streets, moving with pace and balance that matched the current romantic atmosphere.

Within this inconspicuous carriage sat Elias, a visibly nervous young man who paid no attention to the calming ambiance of the night.

He was currently sitting inside the dimly lit carriage, his nerves tense and his head sore, currently lamenting about how he had found himself in such an awkward situation. An amused chuckle echoed out in the space in front of him, followed by a clear crisp voice that made one think of a running spring.

"You know, you really don't have to be so tense. I'm pretty sure the night would work out fine, our plans seem to be airtight so far."

'Who says I'm tense because of the assignment?!'

Elias had on an unreadable expression on his face, before placing a hand on his temple in a bid to calm down his tense emotions. He looked towards the space in front of him, which coincided with the time when the light from an incoming street lamp flashed into the carriage.

This allowed Elias to take in the fleeting glance of a figure seated in front of him, one which added a touch of serene beauty to the otherwise calm evening.

The young lady seated in front of him looked like a figure pulled directly out of a matchless painting, vastly resembling a reference image for everything that contained beauty.

Her outfit consisted of a maya blue tea-length dress, matching perfectly with a shawl of similar material and color across her hands, granting her an extra layer of flair to her otherwise exquisite contours.

On her delicate hands were a pair of night blue shoulder-length lady gloves which were currently in the process of tucking away a few loose strands of hair behind her soft-looking ears.

Her bright and blue eyes resembled ocean sapphires in the moonlight, and her gaze communicated a soft and serene temperament, capable of shaking the hearts of anyone that beheld her.

Even Elias had to take a deep breath when he saw her, as even seeing her before they boarded the carriage wasn't enough to dull the effects of her almost unnatural beauty on his poor teenage heart.

Elias offered her no response for a few moments, ultimately sighing in resignation as he crossed one leg over the other.

"That isn't what's bothering me, Aamy."

Aamiya responded with a short 'oh', before leaning her face onto her hands with an almost mischievous and playful expression. "Then what is bothering you then? Don't tell me you are nervous because this is the first time you are taking a girl out on a date, Eli?"

As Elias and Aamiya had gotten quite close over the past 2 weeks, they had almost naturally started referring to each other informally, even going as far as using each other's short names from time to time.

None of the two had seen anything particularly wrong with it, owing to the fact that they had gotten quite close and started to see each other as valuable friends and teammates.

Elias simply leaned into his seat with closed eyes, exhaling for the one-hundredth time that evening while directing his gaze outside the steadily moving carriage in a bid to forget about Aamiya's light joke.

Looking at the bright lights outside that looked like drifting fireflies, the young man had a feeling that it was going to be a really long night.

...

Elias and Aamiya had their carriage pull up into the welcoming reception of their destination villa, with melodic notes from cellos and violins echoing out through the entirety of the grand estate.

The sounds of muffled conversations and clinking glasses soon filled the air, as the atmosphere made it quite obvious that they had arrived at their destination.

An estate chauffeur moved to open up the doors of the coach as it came to a pause, allowing Elias to step out while taking in the entirety of his surroundings.

The bright golden lights from the inner banquet hall were reflected in his eyes, followed by sounds of numerous combinations and tones filling his ears, pulling him into an unfamiliar and alien setting.

Elias quietly sidestepped and offered his right hand into the carriage, to which a glove-worn hand was grasped, gently pulling its owner out of the carriage and into the limelight.

Aamiya calmly departed from the carriage with a soft smile, turning and throwing Elias a knowing look that caused his eyelids to twitch.

The young man then heaved a sigh to calm his nerves, before offering Aamiya his arm, to which she grasped cheerfully.

The duo then departed for the banquet hall soon after, their steps unhurried and elegant, causing them to be scrutinized by onlookers with numerous wild speculations.

To them the two teenagers looked like a pair straight out of a fantasy painting, perfectly complimenting each other like a match made in heaven.

...

The sound of music and chatter created a nice and harmonious atmosphere as the banquet hall continued to receive more and more visitors over time.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Aristocratic nobles from the different racial kingdoms and high society organizations lingered around in groups, trying to take advantage of the event to forge beneficial relationships with their fellow elites.

Leading one of such conversations was the evening's organizer—Baron Cohen, a middle-aged noble on the come up from the Imperial Kingdom of Wessex.

The man was currently engrossed in a lengthy discussion with another stern-looking aristocrat, with both of them occasionally clicking their glasses while sharing ideas.

Baron Cohen took the last sip of his red wine unhurriedly, passing the empty glass to a standby waitstaff before continuing with his conversation.

"And that is the entire package, your lordship. With your help, the mass settlement plan shall be pushed a step further, needing only a tiny tug before being past the finish line.

"What we actually need from you is specific to capital investment and the purchasing power of your renowned Vigny Earldom. This is truly my reason for seeking you out today."

The cold-looking old man was actually a widely recognized noble known as Earl Vigny, a high-ranking Earl from the Lorrainian Monarchy who was well-known for his prosperous financial status due to his possession of a large-scale agricultural network.

The man was not only an Earl by rank, but also acted as the Minister of Agriculture for the Nation of Frost, being an important reason as to why the perpetually ice-cold nation was able to maintain a semblance of agricultural life on its lands.

He owned numerous fields, farms and pens, as well as was responsible for directly overseeing the development of the agricultural sector of his nation, creating a situation where food was never in shortage, even in the cold winter.

The man was popularly known as an 'Agricultural Guru', a reputation which naturally came with a large amount of financial power and assets. Even if he was just an Earl his purchasing power could currently even rival most Marquees in his monarchy, with rumors flying around that he had even been offered the official position but turned it down due to undisclosed, personal reasons.

This was all the more reason why Baron Cohen was so desperate to get him on his side, feeling like not getting such a well-known treasure chest would be such a waste.

He spared no efforts in lobbying him, efforts which he didn't see as a waste at all.

The addition of Earl Vigny would not only solve the lack of finances for the project, but it would also invite a lot of other potential investors to lay down their guard and pitch in, perfectly utilizing the man's reputation and standing in their hearts.

The final step was to successfully convince the enigmatic Earl of the project's guaranteed success, as well as further appealing to his morals, which seemed to be working quite well as the Earl was now deep in thought.

It took a few moments for him to finally speak up, calming the already tense nerves of the Baron in front of him. "It's a good cause and well worthy of praise, as even I have grown sad of seeing the numb faces of refugees who have had no choice but to live on in such dire straits. This is why the farms I own outside of the commercial areas were specifically told to only employ such vagrants, granting them a stable source of income and the ability to maintain a roof over their heads."

His words then turned abruptly sharp, as he made no attempt to hide the icy and direct tone of his voice, "But I do have to ask Cohen, what's in it for me?"

'Bingo!'

Baron Cohen's eyes lit up, as the Earl's response meant that his previous persuasions seemed to have borne fruit.

He spared no effort in explaining the short and long-term benefits of the deal to the Earl, hoping to use it as the final bait to rake in this big fish.

The benefits included the paying back of the invested capital—plus an additional yearly interest stipend and profit bonuses—over a particular period of time, as well as granting him priority in the agriculture market of the new region.

He was also given the benefit of purchasing power, making it so that it would be a lot easier for him to acquire land and develop it in the future region compared to other people.

These were long-term benefits but they were juicy, causing Earl Vigny to think long and hard about it. He then eventually asked another question he was curious about while reaching for a passing tray of sparkling water, seemingly done with the wine in his glass.

"I know you said you have gotten the tacit permission of our three human kingdoms, as is more than obvious from this extravagant ball but was about the other external organizations? What stances have they taken in this?”

Baron Cohen smiled slightly.

"The responses have been quite positive, as is to be expected from such a large-scale project. Most of the other racial kingdoms and independent organizations have already promised us their help, which made the entire process a tad bit easier.

"It is with that certainty that I beseech you for your assistance as well, your lordship."

"I see..."

Earl Vigny was more or less convinced. The moral and financial implications of the project jointly convinced him to invest, as this was the type of project to leave a long mark in history if finalized successfully.

He calmly beckoned to his Butler at the side for his checkbook, solidifying his decision.

...

Elias was currently standing in a quiet section of the hall, observing the gleeful merriments with a fresh glass of apple cider in hand.

Aamiya had departed for her father soon after they got into the banquet hall, leaving Elias who was now without his date to feel quite awkward in the large gathering of elites.

He then logically decided to kickstart his surveillance assignment, drifting around the hall occasionally to pay attention to any suspicious details.

The first 10-20 minutes had been uneventful so far, giving him the time to get a drink while enjoying the evening's festivities.

Just because he was on an assignment didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy himself.

Elias sighed. It was at times like this that he missed Lars. At least with him around, it would feel a bit more livelier than it currently was.

Lars opted not to stick around prior to their departure to the villa, wary of the eyes that might have been on the event in secret. Elias also didn't want their peculiar situation to be revealed so he also went along with it, even if he was now wishing he didn't.

He took a sip of the spice-tinged apple cider, relishing the taste of the freshly squeezed apples in his mouth.

He was just about to take another sip when someone bumped into him from behind, almost causing him to fall over.

Elias turned around to see Damien—who was now dressed as a waitstaff, flash a mischievous grin, the latter winking at the former's attire before disappearing deeper into the hall to deliver another round of drinks.

Elias had almost lost his composure, shooting Damien a concealed glare before relocating to another portion of the hall.

He sat down with a sigh, inspecting himself and thinking that he looked quite weird.

Aamiya had dressed him in a Maya blue tux to match her tea dress, further complimented by a bow tie and trousers to match the color of her gloves. She had even tidied up his usually tussled black hair into a smooth and arranged bun.

This made Elias come off as the son of a high-standing noble at first glance, which was why when it came to appearance, he didn't seem out of touch with his immediate surroundings.

Shaking his head in thought, Elias decided to do another visual sweep of the hall, as he couldn't afford to miss anything crucial due to his unimportant inner musings.

He took in the image of the brightly lit hall, fraternizing nobles, hardworking evening staff and enthusiastic musicians, noticing not a single abnormality in the behaviors exhibited by anyone before him.

He then decided to get a little daring and try it with his Innate Blessing of True sight, as he had relatively gotten used to the pain and could maintain it for a few seconds.

Clenching his fists to endure the pain, Elias's eyes took on a much deeper hue, as if it contained a fleeting mass of black light.

The etheric forms of reality within the hall were now reflected in his eyes, which left him a brief window to scan for any well-concealed abnormalities.

This happened until Elias's gaze abruptly paused on a particular figure, as he couldn't shake the constant feeling of familiarity within him.

'How come that lady feels so familiar?’