As night fell, many people in the city had already gone to bed early.

The father, unable to quell his hunger after a full day’s toil, could only seek early refuge in bed. The mother, troubled by the sight of the empty rice pot and the uncertainty of where their next meal would come from, found little solace in sleep, her anxieties manifesting as soft murmurs. Even the children, lost in their own dreams, whispered of a shriveled, small apple.

And in a place far away from the slums, in the center of the city, the real nightlife was just beginning.

The banquet hall of the count’s manor was decorated with magnificent lights.

Desserts covered in cream and syrup were placed in every corner of the banquet as if they were free. There were all sorts of fresh fruit and branches with freshly picked flowers, along with perfectly seared lamb chops and oysters that the chefs were prying open.

The aroma of all kinds of wine was floating through the crowd. Three-dimensional projections that could never be seen in the slums were being projected everywhere.

The glasses clinked, the lights were dizzying.

All the guests were wearing exquisite formal dresses, and they were acting very courteously to each other. It was as if this world was naturally so abundant and prosperous like a dream. The contaminated zones that were all over the wilderness simply didn’t exist, nor did the mutated creatures that ate humans.

Before everyone raised their glasses, they would all say, “Thank you, White Tower.”

It was the White Tower that was sheltering the city, encircling this last sanctuary, this only Eden for mankind. The holy light of the White Tower forever shrouded the earth, dispelling filth and protecting the glory of the empire.

This place was not like those remote outposts, where everyone lived in danger of being swallowed up by the contaminated zones at any time. They lived precarious lives with no guarantee of what would happen next.

As long as they lived near the White Tower, the world was still safe, reliable, and it was a place where one could live in a dream-like state and indulge in pleasure.

Cao Junmin led two sentinels as he walked through the crowd. He raised his glass and greeted his colleagues and superiors, chatting and smiling.

“Her Majesty the Queen has not shown her face for quite some time. I really hope to have the opportunity to listen to her teachings.”

“There seems to be new discoveries of old ruins in the fifth contaminated zone. Countess seems to be very interested in the items there.”

They spoke to each other using these kinds of phrases that were not likely to be wrong, but they seemed close.

Cao Junmin was from a fallen noble family. He had risen all the way from being a low-level sentinel to becoming the principal of the Sentinel Academy, and then the Chief of the Public Security Bureau.

Even now, at over fifty years of age, he still maintained a good figure. He had the characteristics of a sentinel, as well as the elegance of someone who had served as a principal for many years. He was elegant, and his aura was extraordinary. As he walked, he attracted a lot of attention with two handsome and tall guards following behind him.

Many people came up to him to strike up a conversation.

The countess, holding her dress, led a group of ladies past him, with her feather fan covering her face. Her thick eyelashes brushed lightly in his direction as if it were an accident.

Cao Junmin then inconspicuously put down the wine glass he was holding, and explained with a smile to the people next to him, “Please excuse me, I should go patrol around. We can’t allow any mishaps to happen at the Count’s banquet.”

Everyone praised him for being responsible and expressed their understanding.

After all, everyone knew that the Chief of the Public Security Bureau was where he was today because of Lord James’s support along the way.

The count’s banquet hall was very large. Outside the main hall were gardens, boardwalks, ponds, and countless beautifully decorated rest rooms. After all, on a night like this, with the effects of a large amount of alcohol and intoxicating lights, something that everyone was aware of was bound to happen.

The Chief of the Public Security Bureau, as the Count’s confidant, even had his own private rest room.

Inside the rest room was an exquisite sofa, a comfortable bed, a wardrobe, and a wine rack.

Cao Junmin chose two wine glasses from the wine rack, holding them in his hands to fiddle with.

Tan Shu was very skilled as he opened a drawer, took out some secret-recipe incense, and put it into the censer to light it.

A faint, sweet scent drifted through the air in the room.

Ni Ji stood there and frowned imperceptibly.

He was a sentinel, and all three of them were. Sentinels’ five senses were sharp, with their sense of smell being the most obvious. The scent that was lit in the room traveled through his nose and into the depths of his body. It was as if it could corrode his bones and nerves, making him feel very uncomfortable.

Tan Shu pulled him and led him out of that bedroom, and as they stood guard outside the door, he even winked at him.

He was implying that he would get used to it eventually.

Not long after, the honorable Countess arrived by herself, gracefully walking while covering her face with a feather fan.

Tan Shu hurriedly bowed low and pulled open the door for her.

The countess didn’t say anything. She didn’t even look at him, as she walked straight inside.

Tan Shu closed the door and stood quietly outside, maintaining his bowing posture for a long while. Only after he confirmed that the people inside had no new instructions did he straighten up and exhale a sigh. He pulled Ni Ji to the tea room next to the door to rest.

“You don’t have to be so tense all the time, Ni Ji, relax a little.” Tan Shu plopped down in the only sofa chair in the tea room and propped his legs up on the table. “Look at you, why are you always standing so straight. The military rules don’t apply here.”

If you wanted to do well in a place like this, the most important thing was to be able to bend over like he could, and take care of all of his superior’s private matters at any time.

“Now you have to listen to me. I will slowly teach you, after all, we had such a good relationship before.”

He thought Ni Ji was very laughable. This man still acted like a border guard, always standing straight, with his gloved hands clasped in front of him. He looked like a taut string.

“It’s no big deal. It’s very common among them. The Count also has his own lovers. Rather than relying on the Count’s support, the Teacher is actually relying on the Countess’s skirt.”

“Now, we can make some tea, rest for a while, or even sleep.” Tan Shu laughed and pointed with his chin at the tightly closed bedroom door with its excellent soundproofing, showing Ni Ji that he was the one who understood everything about Cao Junmin.

“They will stay there for a long time, one to two hours. Do you know how many layers there are in the Countess’s skirt? And they’ll also taste the incense. Oh, yes, that incense is top-notch. You definitely haven’t experienced it before. The scent will intoxicate you and make you forget all your worries. Time goes by incredibly fast there. You should also take the chance to experience it properly.”

He sat in the chair, with his legs propped up, and when he said these words, he looked at Ni Ji.

As expected, after hearing his words, Ni Ji moved. He walked to the tea table, and with those black-gloved hands, he took out a gold-rimmed porcelain teacup. He carefully made a cup of black tea, added milk and sugar, and brought it to Tan Shu.

Ah, once a person’s backbone was broken, they would give up and crawl so quickly, Tan Shu thought.

In the past, it was always him who fawned over Ni Ji, carrying tea and water for him.

Having Ni Ji obediently make tea for him and lower his head to bring it to him was something he had never dared to dream of.

Tan Shu sat there, looking at the cup of black tea in front of him.

The slender fingers with black gloves were steadily holding the exquisite and fragile porcelain cup, humbly waiting for him to reach out and take it.

He happily took the cup and took a slow sip.

The tea was rich and mellow, and it was slightly astringent with sweetness.

On the surface of the tea, a thin layer of white milk mist was floating, reflecting the faces of both Ni Ji and himself.

In that illusory mist that was emitting from the black tea, Tan Shu vaguely recalled his student days.

The young Ni Ji’s black-gloved fingers had gripped the wall, and with a twist of his waist, he had climbed up to the towering wall of the Sentinel Academy in a few movements.

He was a rebellious king of soldiers. He squatted on the wall and looked down at him, smiling. “Come on, Tan Shu, are you coming or not?”

The Ni Ji from that time was the unattainable moon in the sky.

As long as he wanted to, he dared to do anything. He dared to beat up a scum bag who had tried to make unwanted advances toward a female classmate. He dared to disobey the teacher and go onto the battlefield to save an injured comrade. He wasn’t even afraid of the principal.

That kind of personality was the stuff of legends in the hearts of all the students.

Perhaps it was the warmth of the black tea, or perhaps it was Ni Ji’s obedience, that made Tan Shu feel somewhat relaxed.

For some reason, he gradually dozed off. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he couldn’t keep them open no matter what he did.

In the haze, he saw a pair of black gloves reach out and take the cup from his hand.

They gently took that exquisite and fragile teacup and placed it in the sink to wash.

This guy, he couldn’t be plotting something again, just like in the old days?

Before he fell into a complete sleep, Tan Shu had that thought in his heart.