[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-evolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world":3,"chapter-evolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world-evolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world-chapter-679":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Evolving My Undead Legion In A Game-Like World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},41773,69,"Chapter 679 Banquet [2]","evolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world-chapter-679",679,"\u003Cp>A short while later, a carriage rolled to a smooth stop before the grand palace hall. Lanterns shaped like floating stars drifted in the air, illuminating the marble steps leading to the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael stepped out first, offering his hand to Arianne. She accepted with practiced grace, and together they walked toward the towering golden doors as attendants bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the doors opened, a wave of warm light, soft music, and refined perfume washed over them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the instant Michael stepped inside, his expression barely shifted- but internally, he felt suffocated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything looked elegant. The chandeliers, the polished floors, the expensive gowns, the noble families gathered in circles of influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath the beauty, he sensed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Superficiality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Layers and layers of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched nobles greet each other with wide smiles that never touched their eyes. Laughter that sounded rehearsed. Compliments that were empty air. Conversations filled only with posturing and politics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It all felt so fake that even the polite smiles looked distorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael slowed slightly, unable to hide the faint crease in his brows. Arianne noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is something wrong?\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael shook his head lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing. Just... taking in the atmosphere.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept his voice calm, but inwardly, he was already growing tired of\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the charade around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the raw, brutal honesty of Hell-even with demons trying to tear each other apart-this hall felt far more suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least demons did not pretend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A passing noblewoman gave Arianne a practiced smile before turning to Michael with a far too interested gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael returned a polite nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arianne leaned closer, whispering, \"Welcome to the royal capital's high society.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael exhaled quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unfortunately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together, they stepped deeper into the banquet hall, all eyes slowly turning their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked, Arianne's eyes flicked around the hall, recognizing faces Michael did not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, she leaned slightly toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir Mic,\" she said softly, \"I need to go greet a few people. Some are my father's old friends, and it would be rude not to say hello.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael nodded. \"Do what you need to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arianne smiled, relieved he understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won't take long,\" she promised. Then, with a subtle tug on his arm, she guided him toward a quieter corner of the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, an elegant refreshment table stretched out-crystal glasses neatly arranged beside trays of sparkling drinks, silver plates stacked next to dishes of roasted meats, fruits, and delicacies only nobles could afford.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can stay here for a bit,\" Arianne said, gesturing gently to the table. \"Serve yourself whatever you like. No one will bother you here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael glanced at the setup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food, drinks, a bit of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll be back soon,\" Arianne said. \"Don't disappear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll stay here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arianne nodded once more and then drifted away gracefully, her presence quickly swallowed by the shifting clusters of nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left alone, Michael reached for a plate and added a mix of food inside and without bothering about his surroundings, started to enjoy the food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Michael quietly enjoyed the moment of silence he'd been gifted, savoring the rare peace of a hall filled with noise, a soft voice drifted\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>from his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Sir Mic?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand paused mid-reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That voice was familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head, scanning the space beside him-and his eyes\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>widened ever so slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing only a few steps away, looking just as surprised as he felt,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was a face he had not seen in a very long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first noble lady he had ever met in the Land of Origin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seria Golden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youngest daughter of the Golden Family-the family whose residence he had stayed in for a short while when waiting to meet\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mage Lian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hair was styled in soft curls tonight, her dress a pale cream embroidered with delicate gold threads that caught the light beautifully. She looked older in a subtle way-not in age, but in poise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More refined, more composed than the bright, curious girl he\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet her eyes...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those still held the same spark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir Mic... it really is you,\" Seria said, a slow smile forming on her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael blinked once, the memory of the Golden estate flickering\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lady Seria,\" he said calmly. \"It has been a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile widened, a mix of surprise and genuine warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't expect to see you here,\" she said softly. Then her gaze swept\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>over him again, slower this time. \"And... you look very different from before. The suit suits you incredibly well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael gave a polite nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you. You look fine yourself!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seria raised an eyebrow, lips tugging upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's good to see you again,\" Michael said simply. \"I didn't know I'd\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>meet you here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes sharpened instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh?\" she said, a spark of mock offense lighting up her face. \"Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did you think someone like me doesn't belong in a place like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, slowly, he gave her a look that was half-exasperated, half-amused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never said that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you thought it,\" Seria shot back, chin lifting in the same spirited\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>way he remembered from their first meeting. \"You hesitated before\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>answering.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's because you're putting words in my mouth,\" Michael replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seria clicked her tongue softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her expression brightened again almost immediately. She lifted her chin with exaggerated elegance, placing a hand on her hip in a way that was clearly meant to look dignified but ended up looking more like a puffed-up cat trying to act regal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well,\" she declared, \"I might not be as popular as some of the noble\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ladies here tonight... but I do have a standing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael stared at her for a heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seria held the pose, head lifted proudly, chest forward, trying so hard\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to look imposing that even the golden embroidery on her dress seemed to stand straighter with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was-despite her best efforts-unmistakably adorable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quiet laugh escaped Michael before he could stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seria's eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? What is that look? Why are you smiling like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1009,"2026-05-28T17:47:54.083Z","2026-06-01T04:28:28.562Z",1,"novelbin.me","6a4f0913630608a28b054b391e66d58550a921b2f775f81963c530e7610c8783","evolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world-chapter-680","evolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world-chapter-678",970,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fevolving-my-undead-legion-in-a-game-like-world-cover.jpg"]