The Deceitful One

Friday, 27th August 1580.

Bryan opened his eyes after a round of meditation and exhaled a long breath. After advancing to Apprentice Rank 3, progress was slow but he was improving nonetheless.

"In at most a couple of days, I will have finished carving the 30th mind rune," Bryan mumbled under his breath.

He grabbed his pocket watch which was kept on top of his bedside table and checked the time, "Hmm, it's almost 6 pm. I should dress up and get going."

Today was the day Mr. William Dyke, the editor of Damascus Daily, was throwing a banquet in order to thank Bryan as well as to celebrate the safety and recovery of his daughter.

During the Kenny Adam incident, Bryan was able to rescue Fiona Dyke due to which Mr. Dyke was very grateful for him and had hence decided to throw this celebratory banquet after Fiona recovered from the injury she had sustained.

Bryan didn't really have a reason to refuse the invitation. Moreover, he thought that it would be a nice opportunity for him to get to know more people and make friends. But more importantly, he was mostly going there for the food.

He got off the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up. On his way, he extended his spiritual force inside his pocket watch and looked at the marvelous scene within.

Seeing the stacks of cash and piles of gold bars and other gems that had formed a small mound, Bryan began to chuckle foolishly.

About ten minutes later, Bryan exited the bathroom with the towel hanging around his neck. He was currently only wearing his pajamas.

In just four months, after switching to having proper three meals a day, practicing combat training, and working out, Bryan's body had become more lean and muscular.

Well-defined muscles were visible on his torso and eight-pack abs could be seen in his abdomen area. His abs weren't excessively prominent but were outlined just enough to look aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

A clear-cut jawline could also be seen on his face. Overall, he looked devilishly handsome after making a drastic change in his lifestyle.

Bryan walked to the wardrobe in his bedroom and took out a dark blue three-piece suit, a white shirt, and a black trench coat. Light colors just didn't suit his taste, hence, he mostly had black or dark-colored clothes.

After tucking in his shirt inside his pants, Bryan took out a black necktie from the wardrobe and tied it around his neck, under the shirt collar.

Whistling all the while, Bryan put on the rest of the clothes. Finally, he put on the black trench coat and then put his silver pocket watch inside his suit vest pocket with the silver chain of the pocket watch hooked to the middle button of the vest.

After dressing up completely, he looked at himself in the full-body-length mirror and praised narcissistically, "Your looks are supreme, Mr. Lombardi! I am willing to offer you my wife and daughter with open arms."

A moment later, Bryan burst into laughter as he continued to shake his head. He then turned around and exited his apartment after locking the door.

On his way to call for a public carriage, Bryan smirked as he thought, 'When did I become such a narcissist? Although, I am pretty good-looking, hehe.'

…

Outside a lavish three-storied villa on Augustus Street, rows of horse-drawn carriages were arriving one after another.

This villa belonged to Mr. William Dyke, the editor of Damascus Daily. Being the only major newspaper company in Damascus, it played a very crucial role in helping bring accurate information to the masses.

Similarly, Mr. William Dyke was also considered a person with vast connections in the upper-class society of Damascus. Although he wasn't the owner of Damascus Daily, just being the editor brought him a certain level of superiority.

With a single word from him, the image and reputation of a business, person, or family could ascend or decline. Hence, the upper-class society of Damascus treated him with great respect.

The wealthy people and nobles cared a lot about their public image, after all. Having a good reputation could go a long way and bring about many benefits.

A black-colored public carriage drawn by a brown steed soon stopped in front of the entrance to the three-storied villa.

Bryan got off the carriage and paid the driver the money after thanking him. He then looked around at the crowd dressed in lavish clothes entering through the main gate of the villa.

'Oh? This Dyke guy sure is a big shot!' He thought in his heart and then walked toward the entrance.

"May I see your invitation card, sir?" The butler wearing a black tailcoat suit, standing near the entrance to greet the guests looked at Bryan and smiled.

"Sure." Bryan smiled and took out his invitation card from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

The butler respectfully took the card from Bryan's hand and examined it. When he read the name on the invitation card, he exclaimed, "Mr. Bryan Lombardi!?"

Bryan was taken aback at the sudden enthusiasm displayed by the butler. He nodded his head and replied, "Uh, yeah. Is there a problem?"

"Not at all, sir! Please come in. You are the esteemed guest of honor at today's banquet!" The butler bowed respectfully and gestured for Bryan to come in.

'Guest of honor? Heh, well, I guess it does makes sense. I did save the Dyke's only daughter, after all.' Bryan joked inwardly and then followed behind the butler.

The butler guided Bryan through the front garden which had a fountain in the center similar to the one at Leah's villa and then finally stopped in front of the already-opened main door of the villa.

From the outside, Bryan could see that the hall was packed with people having champagne or wine, and chatting with each other. Most of the people in there were middle-aged with only a handful around Bryan's age.

The butler stood by the main door, cleared his throat, and then gave an introduction to all the people present, "Mr. Bryan Lombardi has arrived!"

The noisy crowd suddenly turned silent the moment they heard Bryan's name being called out loud as all of them turned their heads toward the direction of the voice in unison.