Le Chateau de Paris was already located near Hudson University, and given Lucien’s level of interest in Alice, the moment he sensed her presence nearby, he searched around like a hungry wolf catching the scent of meat.
Finally, he stopped at the entrance of Le Chateau de Paris.
He was sure Alice was inside.
“Tristan, I’ll treat you to French cuisine!” Lucien entered the restaurant without looking sideways, as if he had no idea Alice was inside.
“Then I thank you,” Tristan, now also a fan of Alice, had finally realized something: as long as he was too close to Alice, his energy simply could not materialize, not even a trace of internal energy could be gathered.
As soon as he entered the restaurant, Tristan sensed something was off. He subconsciously tried to mobilize his internal energy, a simple test, but found it couldn’t coalesce at all.
Tristan looked around the restaurant and immediately spotted Alice: “Lucien, Alice is over there.”
He didn’t dare harbor any improper thoughts about Alice, but he hoped she could give him some guidance. After saying this, he walked towards Alice’s table.
William, of course, noticed these two people entering. After the food was served, he started eating without a word.
“Demigods?”
After Lucien and Tristan approached Alice’s table, they finally realized that Sofia was also there. ．
The last time at Ravenwood, Seraphina had logged in to fight for Sofia, and her strength was there for all to see.
Moreover, the average Soulmancer steers clear of demigods, as those fellows simply don’t regard them as equals.
“Just demigod strength,” Lucien wasn’t afraid of Seraphina. Confident in his ability to match her, he walked straight over.
Tristan was really conflicted. He was eager to learn from Alice, but as soon as he approached her, he was as good as powerless. In such a situation, if someone were to attack him, he would be at a disadvantage.
Lucien intended to sit at the same table as Alice and also chose to ignore William completely. Approaching Alice with a slight smile, he said, “Alice, what a coincidence that you’re dining here too. I wonder if it would be convenient for us to…”
William put down his knife and glanced at Lucien. Without waiting for him to finish, he smiled and said, “It’s inconvenient! Find yourself another table to dine at.”
Whatever that guy wanted to say, William didn’t need to think twice to know.
“Did I ask you?” Lucien’s eyebrows rose, his attitude showing that he had never taken William seriously. Just a rookie Soulmancer, after all. Even if Alice seems to like him now, once she comes to her senses, she will realize he’s not worthy of her.
Since William had already spoken, Alice would not hesitate to back him up, saying, “Lucien, our table really isn’t accommodating for more, you should find your own table to dine at.”
Lucien felt that William was only being so arrogant because of Alice’s protection.
A man who hides behind a woman, a useless fellow who lacks ambition, daring to be so bold in front of him—shouldn’t he be taught a lesson today, or what would the future hold?
“Alice, you can’t always protect him,” Lucien did not back down this time, but addressed William directly, “William, if you’re a man, then face me in a proper challenge. I won’t bully you—I’ll match my strength to your level, and we’ll fight without any secret techniques, just hand-to-hand.”
When William heard the term ‘hand-to-hand’, it made him think of the “fencing” he had been writing about on his phone these past days.
Hiss—
Was his thinking contaminated by modern people, or was he already adapting to modern life?
If this was adaptation, it was a bit terrifying.
Alice, knowing her master’s strength, didn’t try to dissuade further and said, “Suit yourself, as long as he agrees.”
A fight with William?
Lucien really had no idea what he was getting into.
William cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, saying, “Even if you lower your strength to my level, I still won’t be able to beat you.”
“Then what will you compete in? I’ll accompany you in anything!” Lucien couldn’t swallow his pride today. Whatever the challenge, he was determined to give William a thorough lesson.
“No contest! Eat your meal,” William felt the taste of the French steak in front of him was quite good. Why would he bother competing with this brash kid? Had he lost his mind?
“If you won’t compete…” Lucien really couldn’t think of how to threaten William. After pondering for a while, he simply plopped down next to William and declared, “If you don’t compete, then I’ll just follow you around!”
Being unreasonable?
“Suit yourself,” William was indifferent.
There were plenty of unreasonable people out there,even if he didn’t take action, he had ways to deal with this fellow.
Lucien actually called the waiter over, got himself cutlery, and started eating right next to William.
The once refined young man had surprisingly also turned on the shameless mode.
Tristan stood there looking dazed, pondering for a moment, before taking a seat at the next table.
There was no helping it; the spot William chose was a small table by the window that could only fit four people. With stairs on the aisle side, he couldn’t possibly be as shameless as Lucien, could he?
Lucien, in a huff, sat down next to William, picked up his knife and fork, and began eating.
Alice stole glances at William’s expression. Seeing that he wasn’t angry, she decided not to mention the extra person and extra cutlery issue.
William ate quickly, and soon the food on the table was nearly gone. He waved at Matthew and said, “Matthew, how much? Time to settle up!”
“It’s $480 in total. I’ll give you a 20% discount, so that’s $384. Just give me $380,” Matthew replied with a smile, pulling out his phone. “Mr. Johnson, how about we add each other on WhatsApp? You can transfer the money to me.”
“Sure!” William found his WhatsApp QR code and let Matthew scan it to add him.
He actually liked having people add him on WhatsApp unless they were someone he particularly disliked.
“This person, I don’t know him; he came to join our table uninvited. We’ll pay separately. I’ll cover for the two of us; Sofia didn’t eat, so we won’t count her. The rest, you’ll have to get from him,” William said. “I’ll take a loss and give you $260, the remaining $120, you get from him.”
“No problem!” Matthew had overheard some of the conversation from not too far away, understanding that this person insisted on joining the table probably because he saw Sofia or one of Mr. Johnson’s companions was pretty, and wanted to hit on the girls.
When the others didn’t agree, he still forced his way onto the table. He had to pay up, of course.
William turned his head and glanced at Lucien, asking, “You have no objections, right? You don’t happen to be short on money, do you?”
In front of a goddess, appearing too stingy would definitely be a huge turn-off!
Lucien replied, “What do you mean I have no money? This meal, I’ll treat Alice, you pay the $120 for yourself. I am not covering your meal.”
After saying this, Lucien pulled out his wallet, looked inside, and his entire demeanor turned to one of shock.