Right now, all Solivair wanted was to keep a low profile. He wasn’t hoping to redeem himself or restore his image in Mr. Drake’s eyes or anyone else’s—he just wanted to get through this banquet in one piece. But he never imagined that Arthur, that treacherous bastard, would be so damn underhanded! He had to be doing it on purpose! Solivair shot Arthur a vicious glare but didn’t dare show it too blatantly. He quickly let go of Arthur’s mouth. Grinning awkwardly toward the crowd, he chuckled, “Everyone, everyone, just a small misunderstanding—nothing to worry about, nothing to take seriously.” The more he spoke, the more suffocated he felt inside. He, the great Solivair! Aside from being humble in front of the big boss, when had he ever suffered this kind of humiliation? His power and status weren’t low—somewhere around the middle of the pack among everyone here. He’d always kept to himself, never picking fights, and others usually left him alone. But today, all because of Arthur, he’d suffered loss after loss! Because of Arthur, he’d taken a literal public beating! He was over fifty! And he’d just had his ass whipped in front of a crowd! Wasn’t that humiliating? Now he couldn’t even stand straight, and he still had to smile and apologize to everyone—while enduring their thinly veiled looks of scorn. Solivair was furious. But he couldn’t show it. He had to hold it in. He took several deep breaths, barely managing to suppress the surge of humiliation and rage inside. The smile on his face was fake, but it never left.Meanwhile, Arthur? He seemed completely at ease. Thanks to Arthur’s calm, confident demeanor earlier, many people had started to warm up to him. He even had a way with words—his clever humor had several of the older men laughing out loud. Before long, Arthur had become quite popular among the crowd. The suspicions surrounding him and Ashley had been cleared. Since Solivair had brought them in, that meant they had applied and been approved. If the boss had signed off on it, then the others had no reason to object. Whether or not they could actually join Heaven’s Cult remained to be seen—but at the very least, Arthur and Ashley had managed to leave a good impression on quite a few people. Of course, truly getting close to this group of old foxes was no easy feat—and certainly not something that could happen overnight. But just being recognized and liked was already a very good start. Arthur wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he kept feeling like Mr. Drake’s eyes landed on him from time to time throughout the evening. Maybe it was because, age-wise, he and Ashley stood out among the crowd. Arthur didn’t dwell on it. He focused on getting along with those around him. Aside from the awkwardness at the beginning, the banquet was going surprisingly smoothly. Everyone managed to get acquainted. And Arthur had to admit—he was genuinely impressed by Solivair’s sheer willpower. After being beaten bloody, Solivair had only taken a quick trip to a side room to get bandaged and change pants before returning to the banquet. Banquets for Heaven’s Cult were rare due to how difficult it was to travel here—there was only one welcome banquet each year. To the senior members, this wasn’t just a welcome event. It was a golden opportunity to reconnect with powerful figures and build relationships. Especially for Solivair—after unintentionally offending everyone, he was desperate to mend those ties and make amends.Otherwise, if someone decided to hold a grudge and mess with him after the banquet… it wouldn’t be so easy to recover. Taking twenty lashes was no small thing. Someone with a weak constitution wouldn’t have survived it. The executioners were all strong, well-trained men. Each blow was enough to tear open flesh. Even a healthy young man would need weeks of bed rest after a beating like that. But Solivair, at his age, was walking around the banquet hall like nothing had happened? Arthur couldn’t help but respect the man’s resilience. Midway through the banquet, the ever-admired Mr. Drake suddenly locked eyes with Arthur. He gave a subtle gesture to the person beside him. That man nodded respectfully and began walking toward Arthur. Arthur had been watching Mr. Drake’s movements carefully from the corner of his eye. When he saw someone suddenly heading his way, his entire body tensed. He instinctively reached for Ashley’s hand and gave it a light squeeze—his silent signal to be on alert. Ashley followed his line of sight and quickly spotted the guard approaching them. She didn’t dare look directly. Instead, she pretended to stay calm.