Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

Three days later, the first Shengxia Industry Conference duly took place at the Golden Wheat Sheaf Hotel.

Due to the attendance of both the Ninth Princess of the Laurel Family and Duke Longjiu, the security checks were much stricter than usual. From the moment Farrelan arrived at the hotel garden to enter the lobby, he went through three identity verifications and was searched twice to ensure he was not carrying any dangerous items before being allowed to enter. In addition, he noticed that guards were stationed around the garden, at the staircase entrances, and along the corridors, ready to lock down the entire hotel at a moment’s notice in the event of an emergency.

Honestly, Farrelan had no desire to attend the conference.

But the Royal Guard seemed to know he was planning to slip away at any time, so they had been at his side for the past three days, hoping he would attend the conference with them and witness the royal family’s revenge.

What about after the revenge?

Would they really allow that princess from the Laurel Family who knew nothing to ascend the throne?

Clearly, that was impossible...

Farrelan had vaguely heard rumors that the defeated Kingdom Army had fled to the mountains in the northeast. As new contenders for power, how could they possibly give up the hard-won spoils so easily?

Of course, Farrelan didn’t care about that, just as he didn’t see a problem with the Longjiu Family replacing the Laurel Family... All he hoped was that the Royal City wouldn’t fall into warfare and that his family would be safe.

If those Royal Guards really stirred up some big trouble, it would only be a matter of time before the matter of him providing the entry slots was investigated. All Farrelan could do now... was pray that his old friend would pick up on the covert signal he had sent.

"The Head of the Laurel Family, Her Highness Bifey Thaiser, is entering!"

Following the guard’s loud announcement, the guests in the lobby abruptly stopped talking, consciously moved aside, and cleared the middle pathway.

Ninth Princess Bifey stepped into the venue slowly with the accompaniment of several maids. Considering she was now the sole heir of the Laurel Family, people knelt on one knee, bowed their heads and touched their chests, showing her the highest form of respect. However, how many of them truly wished to do this was highly questionable. At least Farrelan could hear not so quiet "whispers" coming from behind him.

"She seems to be getting quite close to Duke these days..."

"Not only with Wilson Longjiu, but she also has quite a good relationship with several noblemen of the Longjiu Family. I really don’t understand this woman; aren’t those her father’s murderers? Could it be that she’s been... subdued?"

"I think so too, that young lady is getting more and more flavorful."

"She can’t possibly think she’s really going to be queen, right? I think she’s just a forbidden delicacy kept by the Longjiu Family."

Farrelan sighed softly.

Having served the Crown Prince and frequented the palace, he had interacted with several royal brothers and sisters. In any aspect, Bifey was quite outstanding — she was full of childlike energy and very eager to learn, often asking him about things outside the Royal Capital. Now as the sole survivor of the Laurel Family, he was not sure if this was fortune or misfortune, but as long as the Longjiu Family ruled over Shengxia, such slander would never disappear.

At that moment, the whispers suddenly died down.

Without a doubt, a real VIP must have arrived.

Indeed, the guard shouted again, "Controller of the Western Borderlands, Master of Gao Feng, Blessed by the God of All Machines, Lord Wilson Longjiu enters!"

Even his titles were longer than the princess’s.

Wilson appeared at the door of the great hall dressed in a golden-trimmed red robe. He was just over fifty, with slightly graying temples and a chiseled face that commanded respect. Compared to when he was unifying the western continent, Duke Longjiu now truly possessed the bearing of a king. Not a single person rose; they continued to offer their half-kneeling salute until he spoke out and interrupted, "Enough, stand up."

Farrelan noticed that Wilson’s children were also present, but unlike their father, their expressions were much more arrogant, and there was a hint of disdain in their gaze towards the nobility bowing before them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I will not bore you with pleasantries," the Duke stepped onto the platform in the center of the hall and turned to address the audience, "The purpose of the Longjiu Family in hosting this convention is not to monopolize the market. On the contrary, we warmly welcome those competitive products to take the stage, because without competition, even the most capable companies will lose their vitality. Therefore, I am pleased to announce some good news, which is that Gao Feng Industrial Company will allocate a sum of money to reward those product makers who win the favor of many guests at the exhibition. This is the first year, so the prize is not set very high, only five thousand gold coins, but this amount will continue to increase in the future!"

Not set very high...

Five thousand gold coins...

This number immediately provoked a surge of discussion!

It’s gold coins, not silver coins, what does that mean? It even exceeds the annual tax revenue of some towns and is enough to build a factory!

"Duke, I’m a reporter from the Gemini Newspaper, may I ask a question?" someone raised their hand and said.

Wilson nodded.

"Gao Feng Industry is powerful, and its competitiveness far surpasses its peers, so the products it exhibits must also be cutting-edge masterpieces. Could this fund end up entirely in your company’s pocket, turning it into a gimmick?"

"Good question," the Duke said approvingly. "I’ll release the rules for the product nomination and voting later for everyone to see in detail — but I can answer your question now. To prevent that situation, the products of Gao Feng Industry will not take part in the voting. Also, in addition to mature products, the industrial convention also accepts samples, conceptual designs, and new materials for competition. Even if it’s just a sketch, as long as it’s ingenious enough, it has the chance to win a share of the prize!"

Farrelan raised an eyebrow, seriously? Manufacturing a machine is quite difficult, but creating a design is much easier... Not only those big factories, but also scholars from Kingdom University could take part, which was very appealing.

However, from another angle, this move is equivalent to nurturing one’s own competitors, and it could be described as aiding the enemy. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Duke Longjiu, who started in business, could not have achieved his current status by being simple. What exactly did he want to gain from this?

"Now, let’s showcase the latest achievement of Gao Feng Industry."

Duke Longjiu clapped his hands, and a member of the guard troop slowly stepped forward and came to the front of the stage. Only then did everyone realize from its somewhat stiff movements that it was an anthropomorphic butler robot.

This highest-grade butler was rarely encountered by commoners, but the distinguished guests present had already experienced its miraculous abilities.

But in the next second, everyone’s jaws dropped!

Because the robot began to speak!

"Hello... my name is Weiden, happy to meet everyone... I am very happy."

Even if the tone sounded strange, even if the grammar was all over the place, the fact that a machine was speaking was happening right before their eyes!

A machine was actually speaking!?

It was as if an elephant had trampled over everyone’s mind; the hall fell completely silent for a moment.

Farrelan was equally astonished; he had never dreamed that something assembled from gears, steel, and rods could converse with them like a living being made of flesh and blood!

Was this not another form of person?

"Actually, the previous humanoid butlers already had the ability to converse... but it was presented in textual form," Duke Longjiu said with a smile. "However, the great scholar Duli made an interesting discovery, that mechanical vibrations can replicate most human sounds. After eight years of research, he designed a system capable of reproducing human voice with vibrations, and we have incorporated it into the latest generation of Gao Feng butlers."

"So, for the first exhibition’s sponsorship prize, I will cast my vote for this scholar. As for the votes of our distinguished guests, that is for you to decide—adjacent to this hall, there are four exhibition rooms, and the exhibited works are ready. Everyone, please enjoy them."