As soon as Ethan entered the venue, he saw a familiar face.

El.

As the dean of the Art Institute at Winster University and an artist himself, it was normal for him to attend this banquet.

However, he seemed somewhat worried this time.

"Good evening, Dean El."

Ethan greeted him.

El nodded, forced a smile, and responded.

"What's wrong, Dean? You look troubled, did something happen?"

Hearing this, El sighed slightly, hesitating to speak.

In the end, he whispered to Ethan, "I suspect the headmaster has disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"The headmaster was also invited to this charity banquet, but I couldn't find him anywhere, and it seems as if his sickroom hasn't been occupied for days..."

"Maybe... the headmaster just had something come up last minute," Ethan said, though his mind was working.

Disappeared, was he taken by Solomon?

If Loren was one of the masked men that day, then it's no surprise he was taken by Solomon.

However, as they didn't know anything, there was no need to worry about bringing trouble back on himself.

"Let's hope so." El sighed again.

He had reasons to be worried.

He had clearly aligned himself with Loren's camp, disregarding his own beliefs. Everything seemed favorable as he managed to oust his archrival, Ramon.

Now, at such a critical moment, Loren vanished.

What would become of his future?

After a few words of consolation, Ethan saw Sofia walking toward him.

The two exchanged greetings, leaving El no choice but to suppress his sighs and excuse himself after a few words.

Ethan then inquired about Ned.

Sofia mentioned that Ned was currently hosting the Sun Church representatives with the city governor.

The Sun Church had sent a Black-robed Bishop from the Grand Cathedral specifically for the Saint Kuanti affair.

The position of a Black-robed Bishop was quite high. In the Sun God Sect, aside from the Pope, there were the twelve Yellow-robed Bishops, followed by the twenty-four Black-robed Bishops.

Black-robed Bishops typically held significant authority, and those serving at the Grand Cathedral were key figures in the core proceedings of the Sanctuary meetings.

This indicated the Sun Church's emphasis on Saint Kuanti.

While they were speaking, a slight commotion arose in the venue, followed by people parting as a poised middle-aged man led a group of three into the venue almost simultaneously.

The leading figure was none other than the current Governor of Winster, Oswaldo Nier.

He wasn't a native of Winster, hailing from the central region, known for his efficiency. Under his governance, Winster had been flourishing for the past two years.

Rumor had it, he was likely to step into the Royal Capital in the next promotion.

Beside him, of course, was Ned.

And the Black-robed Bishop from the old continent, Casar Claverin.

He was a middle-aged man with a sinister visage, and with his black robe, he looked nothing like a follower of the Sun, rather more like a vulture.

As they entered together, Ethan spotted another familiar face.

His former adversary from the painting contest at Winster University, the previous dean of the Winster Law School, Ramon.

He was following behind Casar.

Given that he was a devout follower of the Sun God Sect, this wasn't surprising.

They mingled with the crowd, greeting people while gradually approaching Ethan and the others.

"Let me introduce, this is my daughter Sofia, and this is her good friend, and recently a very famous artist, Ethan."

Ned initiated the introductions.

At this moment, a discordant voice rang out, "Mr. Ethan is not only a renowned artist but has an even more famous identity, doesn't he?"

The voice was loud enough for many around him to hear, attracting curious and gossiping looks.

Winster wasn't small, yet not too big either, and especially in high society, incidents from the underworld weren't much in focus, so those aware of Ethan's Mafia identity weren't actually many.

But the speaker clearly intended to expose this.

Ramon.

Ramon looked at Ethan provocatively with hatred.

Ethan had caused him to lose a crucial position.

"Oh? What might that be?" Oswaldo seemed intrigued.

"Certainly, the leader of the Bolita Clan."

With words like Clan and leader, those nearby immediately understood Ethan's true identity.

For a moment, various emotions flickered in their eyes—some avoided him like the plague, others showed disdain and disgust.

After all, they were high standing people, and to be associated with such underworld matters was indeed degrading.

Fortunately, they hadn't stepped forward to greet him earlier.

"Dean Ramon, why do you keep targeting Ethan? Ethan is an honest and good person. Please apologize to him; you owe him an apology," Sofia spoke up at this point.

Black-robed Bishop Casar glanced at Ramon, saying, "Do not speak rashly, or the gods will punish you, Ramon."

"Lord Bishop, I am not speaking rashly, lest I be struck by divine fire." Ramon declared righteously.

Seeing the tension rising, Ned promptly changed the subject, "The charity auction is about to commence, let's go."

The three of them once again walked away, chatting and laughing.

Ramon, however, shot Ethan a smug look.

"Ethan, don't take it to heart. Ramon was too much, I know what kind of person you are."

Sofia consoled Ethan.

Ethan nodded, also avoiding Sofia's attempt to hold his hand.

The auction officially began, with one item after another appearing and disappearing under the auctioneer's guidance.

The elites of Winster donated quite a number of valuable items.

The atmosphere was very lively.

Finally, it came to the last auction item.

"Now, let's look at the final highlight of the auction, an artwork from Ethan Polleta, 'The Orphans of Saint Kuanti'..."

Initially, everyone was full of anticipation for Ethan, as he was lauded as a genius artist by Pupol himself.

His works were highly sought after, believed to appreciate in value over time.

Yet, following Ramon's remark, attitudes shifted, and even some mild jeers were heard among the crowd.

At this moment, someone quickly approached the stage and whispered a few words to the auctioneer.

"Oh, everyone, I have just received the latest news. On behalf of the Church, Mr. Casar Claverin from the Sun God Sect has donated a painting by the famous artist, Constant, 'The Gaze of the Virgin'..."

No sooner had he spoken than someone in the audience began clamoring that they should auction this painting first, and gradually, more such voices joined in.

The auctioneer looked in one direction, where Governor Oswaldo was seated.

He gave a slight nod.

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