Feng Ye thought for a moment. His mind raced. He should attend this regardless. This opportunity presented high risk and high rewards. He felt that this might be the endgame of his trial. Something inside seemed to keep urging him. He also felt that this was his best opportunity despite the danger. But that wasn't all, his increased attributes gave him an incredible amount of confidence. His spatial inventory ability should also easily smuggle anything.
"I'll go as well."
The rest of the party member's expressions softened just a bit. A contrast from the environment just moments ago.
Garen grinned. "I knew you would be a good choice." He patted Feng Ye's shoulder.
Anne also grinned. "I feel more relieved to have you with us."
Then she turned and glanced at the rest of the party. "Looks like we are going. We will prepare thoroughly. New equipment, clean outfits, and concealed gear where possible. We'll each go armed even if they don't realize it."
Fay raised a brow. "We're smuggling weapons into a royal banquet now?"
Anne chuckled. "Not smuggling. Just… clever outfitting. No one said you couldn't wear enchanted jewelry or bracelets with defense runes. A ring that acts as a storage space is still just jewelry, right? Everyone else will probably do the same. This is not a happy banquet, but one that will be bloody."
Fay nodded. "That makes sense. You've done this before right?"
"Once or twice," Anne's grin widened. "It's not my first time getting invited somewhere under pretense. Nobles love putting us 'commoners' on display. It's easier to look down on us when we're dancing in their courts. Not only that, but this is a political power play. There will be tons of armed influences there. They will smuggle them in for sure. The security checks in place would pretty much only be for show."
In a quieter voice, Anne's expression became serious. "This won't be like Redwood Town. We're swimming in deeper waters now. Don't expect a fair fight if things go sideways. Even if we burn bridges, safety is a priority."
She turned to Feng Ye. "We'll need your instincts more than ever. Try not to kill anyone unless you're cornered."
"I'll try," Feng Ye said, expression unreadable.
Anne narrowed her eyes with suspicion. "That wasn't as reassuring as I hoped."
A few chuckles escaped the party.
The room fell into a moment of silence.
She looked at Feng Ye briefly before continuing. "For now, we play along. We go to this banquet. Smile, drink wine, nod at nobles, and keep our eyes and ears open."
Then Anne added with a tight voice, "And if something goes wrong, we survive. We escape. And we burn whoever lit the fire."
The room fell into silence again as everyone in the room nodded slowly.
Remus broke the silence. "New equipment? Would this be sponsored by the party?"
Anne who had a serious expression now had a smile stretch across her face. "I thought you would never ask."
She dropped a bag of beast cores on the table. "It's sponsored by the party of course." She winked at Feng Ye.
"Let's say we got paid handsomely the past few days. We also ran into some free loot coming in here. This will fund anything we need for this occasion. We will go resupply and purchase all that's needed tomorrow."
Garen laughed. "Great, I was worried about finances too."
The rest of the group laughed.
"Originally, I wanted to use some of this for a feast to celebrate our reunion. A giant beast roast pig would have been great… but looks like we need to allocate these funds for the banquet." Anne comments.
She turned to Fay, "At the banquet, try to use poison detection magic as a prevention measure."
Fay nodded, "Sounds good."
"As for all of you, at the banquet, try to get our money's worth. Just don't get poisoned! Check in with Fay first! Even if this is for show, the food can't be bad."
The rest of the party laughed.
"Let's meet here tomorrow and plan it out. For now, the meeting is complete. You have the rest of the day for yourselves."
--
The next morning came quickly. The capital's skies were clear, however, the mood in the air had a subtle tension in it. The previous evening, Feng Ye and the party members parted ways. He and Anne went back to the guild reception desk to meet up briefly with Flora.
They split up respectively after that and Feng Ye stayed at the same tavern that Anne's party had lodging at.
Anne gathered the party in the guild lounge early. She rolled out a rough map of the capital and marked a few locations with chalk.
"Alright," she began, "we've got two days. That's not a lot of time when you're trying to regear, enchant, blend in, and plan for a banquet that could spiral into a bloodbath."
She drew a few lines. "I'm splitting us into three pairs. We'll cover more ground that way and won't attract as much attention. Of course, after purchasing essentials, buy whatever you deem reasonably necessary for equipment and gear."
She turned towards the party members.
"Garen and Leo, you head to the equipment district. Look for any formal wear compatible gear that can go under formal robes. Focus on protective enchantments and don't look obvious."
"Sounds good boss." Garen gave a salute.
Leo gave her a thumbs up. "With these funds, I'll find us the best equipment which also looks nice."
"Remus and Fay, you both head to the apothecary district. Get detection items, anti poison charms, and mild elixirs to keep in our robes."
Fay sighed. "You want me to go with Remus? Besides swords and daggers, he doesn't know what a lucky clover looks like."
"I'll make sure you don't get scammed or ripped off." Remus muttered.
Anne smirked. "He'll be useful to ensure you don't get taken advantage of. You know how things are in the capital. Could be messy."
"Okay. Keep close." Fay nodded.
Anne then turned to Feng Ye. "You are with me."
"Where would we head to? Sewing district?"
Anne grinned. "You are getting better at jokes. No, we are going to the underground market."
The rest of the party froze briefly.
Fay whispered. "The underground market? You are taking him there already?"
"Yep, we need a few items that we could probably only get there. It's also the hotspot for news. We are in deep and Ye Feng's skills should be a good fit. Fast, quiet, and sharp instincts."
Feng Ye nodded. "Understood." He thought to himself. This was a black market. He already had a feeling what they meant. An entire market that operated with lawlessness but with no oversight. Here, he should be able to purchase goods that usually wouldn't ever see the sunlight as well as come across a variety of illegal trade. Life or lifeless goods alike. It was also the best place to see what undercurrents and news were circulating down there.
They split up soon after. The party moved into the streets and split ways.