Chapter 3628: The Bat Night Banquet (Part 1)

The door adorned with a Christmas wreath pushed open. Footsteps hurried across the elm chairs carved with laurel branch patterns, stepped over the gift boxes piled under the Christmas tree, and then squeezed sideways through the crowd wearing academic robes. A waiter lowered his tray, placing two platters of cheese on either side of the Marie-style candelabra. Wei En nodded at him, set down the fork in his hand, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"The winds of change sound promising, Mr. Luo Si. However, considering the reactions from the three Baltic states, that region is destined not to have a peaceful Christmas holiday."

"Who could say otherwise?" Luo Si, sitting opposite Wei En, adjusted his napkin. "The night before I returned, I could hear the busy telephone lines at the Kremlin even from the airport. This Red Square military parade has touched a nerve for many. If Luonan had gone, we might have seen him on the news this morning. He might not be too pleased about that."

"He certainly wouldn't be. They would have dragged him to sit in the front row, with every camera in the country aimed at him. The coverage would be overwhelming, almost overshadowing the birth of Jesus. He might not be willing to accept that."

"He wouldn't be willing," Luo Si cut a small piece of cheese. "In his eyes, that is no honor. Luonan is not a man who knows how to enjoy victory; he always feels he hasn't done enough."

"That was in the past. Since leaving Xinaluoyazhou and never returning, he has learned to respect the fates of others and other nations. If there is any regret, perhaps it is failing to completely eliminate the Repentance Cartel. But he will fight another battle against them with Black Canary, or perhaps not."

"Young people are all like that—vigorous, never satisfied, dancing all night long on the international stage. I, however, have grown old. My biggest concern now is Ye Zi secretly putting ice cubes into her milk in the morning."

"That is hardly a good habit; you should indeed remind this young lady. Even if her stomach is different from an ordinary person's, she shouldn't have such shocking dietary habits."

Luo Si laughed. "You know I am helpless against that little devil. She stands in front of the refrigerator holding her cup, looking at you with those wet, wide eyes. Fortunately, I am not a great figure, otherwise, I might have pressed the nuclear button for her."

Wei En also laughed, taking a sip of the wine in his glass. "When did Luo Jiesi and Cat Getan depart? This morning? They should have arrived in Canada by now, right?"

"Yes. They specifically waited for me to return from Moscow and handed me their Christmas gifts before leaving. They should have reached the cabin by now. It's a pity that a three-day Christmas holiday is still a bit short; otherwise, they might have been able to visit Montreal."

"Such a hard-won holiday should indeed be put to good use. But for me, the best relaxation at the moment is this wine tasting. Before this, I never felt I loved drinking so much." Wei En took another sip of his wine.

Luo Si looked around the restaurant. "Who would have thought? No one here looks like an alcoholic, yet everyone is glowing and jubilant. Is it the alcohol stimulating the victory, or the victory bringing the alcohol?"

"That sounds like Shakespeare." Wei En also cut a small piece of cheese, took some thyme powder from the side, and looked at Luo Si. "And what about you, sir? Do you have any plans for the Christmas holiday?"

"Oh, speaking of which..." Luo Si wiped his mouth. "I have to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

"I have to go to the Realm of Lingering. I am not like those boys flying around in the sky all day, dealing with the great figures who decide the fate of the world; I only polish bottles and jars. I originally thought, what place is there for me to shine there? Now that there is truly a need for me, I am instead getting a headache over how to get there."

"Have you received an invitation from Bianfuxia? Which Bianfuxia?"

"In fact, it is from Prince Yashan and Empress. Professor, you have heard a little about the holiday activities held in the Realm of Lingering, haven't you?"

"I haven't logged on to check recently. Is the Realm of Lingering celebrating Christmas too?"

"Yes. I heard that they are celebrating the holiday according to the time of our universe, and it is currently the Christmas activity season there. Prince Yashan and Empress want to hold a unique Christmas banquet there, inviting all the Bianfuxia."

"That is quite a big move." Wei En sighed. "Holding such a banquet does indeed require a reliable butler. If you don't mind, I will deliver the invitation to Cat Getan's mansion tonight."

"Thank you so much." Luo Si smiled. "There is one more thing. After the banquet ends, Prince Yashan and Empress and some other Bianfuxia might come here to visit. I want to apply to Yinfan Wanke to have the building on the east side of Cat Getan's mansion, which is closest to the main building, allocated to us, and not to be divided up, to serve as a diplomatic banquet hall for guests from the Realm of Lingering. What do you think?"

"A very reasonable request." Wei En nodded. "You can't let the first stop for those visitors from another world be randomly distributed, can you? Heaven knows what kind of chaos they might cause. I think Cat Getan and Niuyuecheng would be fine, but the name of the Ma Luoni mansion might make certain winged mammals nervous. Cat Getan's mansion is more like their warm home. This proposal makes a lot of sense."

"That's what I thought too. Although Yinfan Wanke has determined that I can retire, even the United States has a tradition of rehiring. This way, I can still manage Cat Getan's mansion and, in the name of a butler, righteously refuse the unreasonable demands of the bad-tempered little shark..."

Wei En and Luo Si laughed together. They consumed some cheese, dried fruit, and some air-dried sausage. Luo Si drank more than half a bottle of ice wine, while Wei En preferred dry red. By the end of the wine tasting, everyone was a bit tipsy.

When Luo Si arrived home, Ye Zi, wrapped up like a ball, was the first to pounce on him. Luo Si quickly pushed her away from his side and smiled. "Young lady, I've been drinking; don't let it choke you. Go back now."

"There's a letter in the mailbox!" Ye Zi shouted loudly. "I didn't see a postman, just a 'bang' sound. I think it might be a magic letter. I want to know what it is, but I didn't peek!"

"Good girl. But it's not a magic letter; it's an invitation to enter the Realm of Lingering." Luo Si led Ye Zi to the mailbox, took out the beautifully packaged invitation.

"Are you going to the Realm of Lingering?" Ye Zi asked, looking up.

"Yes. Your grandparents are going to hold a grand Christmas banquet. No, you can't go; it's full of Bianfuxia there. Do you want to be watched by them?"

Ye Zi immediately looked disappointed and muttered a few words in French. Luo Si patted her head. "I will send you to Mr. Rong's house to spend the rest of the Christmas holiday with his little daughter. You must behave politely, okay?"

"You mean I can play with Betty? Great! I also want to call Ma Te; although he is a bit clumsy, he is very strong. We want to go skiing at the ski resort in the suburbs together!"

"I will tell Mr. Rong." Luo Si pushed open the gate of the mansion. "If you want to ski, you must wear protective gear... No, I'm not worried about you breaking a bone; I'm more worried about the safety of others at the ski resort when you zip out like a little rocket..."

After finishing the bedtime story for Ye Zi, Luo Si tucked her in, went over to unplug the Christmas tree lights, turned off the desk lamp by the window, and went downstairs to make a call to Mr. Rong.

"Yes, sir, I will send her over tomorrow morning. Is that so? You happen to be passing by here? That couldn't be better. Ye Zi said she also wants to pick up Ma Te, and they want to go skiing at the ski resort in the suburbs together. I will prepare protective gear for them; perhaps you can bring them something to eat. You must keep a close eye on them. Yes, not just for their safety, mainly for the safety of others at the ski resort; no one is afraid of a full-speed little rocket..."

Hanging up the phone, Luo Si went to pack, stuffing everything needed into Ye Zi's pink suitcase, and then placed the two gift boxes prepared in advance for the Christmas gift exchange into a handbag.

It was another snowy night, but it was a clear day when he woke up, and the temperature had risen. When Mr. Rong walked into Cat Getan's mansion, Ye Zi darted out like a rocket again, bumping her head into his chest.

"Heaven, you must be careful, young lady! The snow hasn't completely melted yet." Although Mr. Rong was admonishing her, he was beaming with joy, rubbing Ye Zi's head vigorously. "Betty heard last night that you were coming and was so excited she went to bed two hours late. But she has never skied before; you must teach her well."

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Ye Zi patted her chest with a thud, then said with feigned sorrow, "And there's Ma Te; he definitely won't know how either. I really have a difficult task ahead of me."

"Good morning, Mr. Rong. How is the neighborhood patrol going?"

"There's really nothing to patrol." Mr. Rong walked up and hugged Luo Si. "It's been over two months since I heard news of a crime. The most dangerous situation I encountered was someone stealing a Christmas tree, and two ordinary police officers took those people down."

"That's a good thing for the children, right?"

"A great thing. At first, I didn't like Yinfan Wanke, but ever since he taught a lesson to those little boys who played pranks on Betty, I've become his loyal fan."

A soft sound came from the iron gate in the front yard, and a very tall figure walked in, followed by several other young men.

"Good morning, Luo Si."

"Good morning, Jie Sen. Did you go to help shovel snow again?"

"Yes. Things are busy over at the little slider's side." Jie Sen was steaming, pulled off his scarf in two or three tugs, and said, "Community work is really hard to do. An ambulance was buried in the snow, and we dug for a whole morning to get it out. The person who parked this car should really be arrested!"

Luo Si and Mr. Rong exchanged a few more pleasantries, sent Ye Zi and her suitcase into Mr. Rong's police car, and then entered the mansion with Jie Sen.

"I'm going to the Realm of Lingering to help Prince Yashan and Empress manage the banquet. Do you have any Christmas holiday plans?"

"I don't plan to apply for graduate school this year. Yinfan Wanke arranged a job for me at the Gotham Library, and I plan to take advantage of the few people during Christmas to get familiar with the work first."

"Won't it be too hard?"

Jie Sen sat down on the sofa. "It would have been, but seeing Dike and Tim so busy, I feel quite relaxed instead, haha."

"Did Dike lead the theater troupe to Finland and hasn't returned yet?"

"No. He will probably spend this Christmas in the hometown of Santa Claus. The sewage pipes of the De Lei Ke family's chemical plant all need to be rearranged, and Tim spent his entire Christmas Eve on the street. I have nothing to complain about."

"Alright. I'm going to set off. Look at me, do I look like the most professional butler?"

"Stop joking, Luo Si. Even if you were wearing Tim's ridiculous dinosaur pajamas, you would still be the most professional butler in the world!"

(End of chapter)