Chapter 117: Practical Choice

"..." Charlotte walks through the ballroom, followed by the maid assigned to her. Charlotte is quite curious about everything around her. There are plenty of important people here, and she sees a good opportunity to gain allies so that, once she joins the military, she can rise through the ranks quickly.

Unlike Zenith, who started with absolutely no foundation alongside Nadir, Charlotte has an opportunity thanks to Zenith to start with an advantage. With the right connections, she could rise through the ranks much faster than Zenith.

And since Zenith’s six students are all classmates, if they rise through the ranks, they can help one another, something Zenith made sure to teach her: they should be allies to one another in an environment where that will be extremely important.

"Would you mind telling me what this party is about?" Charlotte asks the maid who came with her.

"Of course, Lady. This is one of the many parties the Master hosts. They usually take place twice a year and bring together a large group of people from the elite, with seven hundred guests in total." The maid stops walking as she maintains a more submissive posture while answering.

"Various areas of the mansion are available to explore, with all kinds of unique entertainment, and the Master modifies the mansion for every party, so no two parties are ever the same. It is also an important networking event where influential people can interact publicly without needing any prior arrangements." The maid gives her a brief overview of what the party is about.

"...So the auction is just one of the many forms of entertainment. But what is being sold at the auction? And is there anywhere you would recommend I go that might be worth visiting?" Charlotte wants to know why Zenith wanted to come to this party. Zenith seemed immensely interested in the auction.

"I’m sorry, Lady, but I really don’t know. The auction never sells the same things, or even similar types of things, so the theme of the auction changes completely from one party to another, just like the theme of the party itself. Servants like me aren’t entitled to know what will be sold."

"Holidays that happen to fall on the day of the party also influence the theme and can change whether the party is formal, like tonight, or something more casual, with even the pool being opened."

"As for entertainment, we currently have a theater, a movie theater, a video game room, a computer room, a small competition using holograms, the ballroom, the main hall where most of the guests are, the auction, and a virtual simulation room."

"We also have a VIP room for those with platinum invitations. There, guests can use the highest level of simulation technology, from combat interactions to even exotic or historical simulations. I recommend the theater or the main hall, where we are now. There are also other forms of entertainment I could mention. There are a total of forty-five open activities, twenty-three semi-restricted ones, and ten VIP activities." Charlotte looks around, seeing small groups of people casually talking.

"Thank you for telling me. I think I’d rather stay here in the main hall."

’I see. Since everyone here is important, talking normally is difficult and requires formal situations. But at this party, since everyone is meeting casually, they can start conversations that form connections and even talk in private during certain attractions...this is incredible...’ Charlotte quickly understands the purpose of the party and why it attracts so many powerful people.

The chance to speak with people who hold high political, military, or financial power—people they normally would never be able to approach—is an opportunity no one wants to waste. Consequently, the host of the party gains fame and indirect power simply because these people gather at their event.

"Who is the host?" Charlotte shows immense interest in the host. She becomes curious about who came up with this idea and was actually capable of making it work.

"...I’m sorry to say this, Lady, but the host doesn’t usually appear. We aren’t allowed to mention them, and when they do appear, they’re always completely covered, so neither I nor the guests know who they really are."

"Oh...I see..." Charlotte stops walking and looks around, trying to see who else might be useful to help her rise through the ranks.

’Professor Zenith told me to choose a political side...the aggressive ones are a little strange, and I don’t like how much they demand from the people who help them, but the passive ones are too harsh and rigid about things that should have already changed...I think I understand the professor...I’ll choose to follow the neutrals as well...’ Under Zenith’s influence, Charlotte entered this more bureaucratic side of life.

And by making that choice for herself, she realized why Zenith had chosen the side she currently belonged to.

"Can I socialize with anyone? Or is there some unspoken rule I should know about as someone attending for the first time?"

"You can talk to anyone you want, but please respect people’s choice not to speak and don’t bother the other guests, or we’re authorized to remove anyone who causes trouble." The casual way the maid says this makes it clear that it doesn’t matter whether someone is part of the elite. If they cause trouble, they’ll be thrown out.

’Wow, the host must have a lot of power to have the nerve to threaten to kick anyone out if they cause trouble...or maybe it’s the support? Does she have so much support from so many people that no one could do much about it...?’

"Okay!" Charlotte begins looking for someone to socialize with appropriately, a little excited by the opportunity she’d been given as well, feeling grateful that Zenith "trusted" her enough to bring her here.

...

...

...

"I see you’ve decided to come to the party today, Host." I say with a sarcastic smile as I look at the "host" of the party. She is a woman with long black hair, wearing a white mask covered in various black heart designs. She has large breasts and a seductive figure.

She’s wearing a black dress with several white heart designs scattered across it, contrasting with the mask.

"Yes, Former Commander Zenith. Today’s party promises to be interesting, after all. I personally chose the items for the auction this time." She speaks in an amused tone.

"I know. That’s why I came here..." I have no idea who she is or what her name is, but I’ve seen her at a few other parties. She always wears masks and always hides any feature that might reveal who she is.

"Hmmm...came here to compete, Zenith? Do you even have the money for that? I don’t mean to offend. I’m always open to anyone who can negotiate, but honestly, I don’t see how you could possibly afford anything from my auction, a—" I place a flask containing a purple liquid in her lap.

"..." She picks it up and looks at the label before shaking the liquid. It turns red for a few moments before returning to its purple color.

"...What do you want for this?" she asks seriously.

"Six very specific weapons being sold at this auction. My sources told me that this auction is going to be exclusively weapons this time, but I’m interested in a few specific ones. I want those and nothing else."

"...That’s a dirty trick..." she says as she puts the flask inside her clothes.

"Come with me, but don’t get used to this. Next time, you’ll have to go through the auction like everyone else. This is an exception because I really want that." She seems offended by this.

"It’s not a dirty trick when you want it that badly." She leads me down a different corridor, away from the ornate hallways, entering areas where guests aren’t allowed.

"Former Commander Zenith, where did you find this? As far as I know, it’s illegal to possess this fuel. Production is extremely restricted." What I gave her is floatcraft fuel. It’s a sludge used in the floaters of Aurora Island, a vector fluid that interferes with gravity.

I got it a few years ago when I was on a repair mission for the floaters. I really shouldn’t have been in possession of it. I ended up keeping it by accident and only found it months later, and I was afraid I’d be punished for returning it so late and that they’d think I’d stolen it, so I ended up keeping it and storing it very carefully.

"I have my contacts." I’m not telling her the truth. She’d use it against me.

"Contacts? I didn’t know someone like you had connections capable of getting something like this. The world really is full of surprises. Fine, you’ve gone up a little in my estimation."

"If you have more than just a single flask...I’ll give you a platinum invitation to the next party. How about it?"

"I’m not interested. I only want the weapons, and I’ll leave as soon as possible." I don’t want to attend another party like this anytime soon.

"...You really don’t know how to take advantage of good opportunities..." She opens a door that leads directly into a room filled with security guards. All the auction items are carefully arranged inside display cases on carts that will be taken to the stage.

"Choose whatever you want. There are three hundred and forty weapons, except for those twenty weapons over there in the back protected by translucent golden crystal glass. Those are the most valuable ones, and what you gave me isn’t even remotely worth that much."

"Don’t worry. I don’t want those." I want weapons for my students. I can’t give them something extremely dangerous, so I’m not looking for the strongest ones, only the ones that will seem the most useful to them.

"Hey, you guys. Let her take six weapons. Catalog them in the records, and mark their base sale price as settled." The host seems dissatisfied.

"Don’t you think the trade is fair?" I ask her as she takes a phone from her cleavage.

"It is fair, but it’s the kind of situation that’s similar to a bad pickup line. Something like, ’If beauty were a sin, you’d be an angel’ sounds good until you realize it’s actually an insult."

"..." I understand what she means. I took advantage of having something she wanted to get an advantage she would normally never give anyone, which was allowing someone to choose whatever they wanted from among several valuable items.

"You should have done a better job of hiding how badly you wanted this, Host."

"Just finish already. And since I know you don’t have the money, I doubt anything else in the auction will interest you, so you’ll be leaving. That means we don’t have much else to talk about, since I’m going to attend the auction."

"I hope you enjoy the rest of the party after making your selection." She begins walking away, taking the floater fuel with her.