I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism! - I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 153

The pair of us waited until it was later at night. It wasn’t like the Capala family had the personnel to keep an eye on me, so I simply didn’t return and waited until it was dark before I met up with Sammuel. We were both wearing noble appropriate silk clothing. It wasn’t quite as nice as the clothing I wore to the banquet, but it was still fine enough to instantly differentiate us from most of the nobles in this world.

I’d say this clothing was rather high quality. In fact, according to Sammuel, paragon clothes were made from sage beasts and couldn’t be compared to mortal clothing. They could handle greater heat and cold as well as various other stresses. It might not be able to block a knife, but there were higher quality clothing that very well could do such things. The fanciest stuff that could be purchased in the capital could even keep a mortal warm in sub-freezing temperatures.

Of course, a parka could do the same job. For someone who grew up in a modern world where clothing was sewn by machines and composed of synthetic materials, I couldn’t be all that impressed. I still made the expected ‘ohs’ and ‘aws’ as Sammuel explained the style of the paragons with rigor. Although he usually pretended to not mind, I could see in situations like these that he did miss the lifestyle of a paragon, even if he often preferred to fraternize with mortals.

With the sky darkening outside, the pair of us headed to a seedier side of town. There were fewer guards around, but we didn’t face any trouble from criminals. Perhaps, there was some advantage to dressing better. To the standard criminal, attacking a paragon was pretty much a death sentence.

As we walked down the street, we could hear the distant sound of music. It wasn’t the kind of music I might have expected from a club. Rather, it was a harp-like music that had a gentle, ethereal feel to it. There were other men, mostly with their hoods up and their faces hidden, all heading toward the sound. A large, well-lit building sat at the end of a street. There were lights all around, making it the brightest place on the street. The brightest part was a sign that read Green Palace.

Green Palace was an apt name. It was a massive ornate building equal to any of the paragon mansions. It was decorated with a great deal of greenery. Walking up to it felt like walking into a vast magical land filled with life. The living component took the form of maidens, who stood in various windows, their brightly colored clothing spreading out like flower petals.

In front of the building stood a woman on a pedestal. The walkway sent people walking to the right or left of her. She had a fox mask on which hid her face, but she wore a kimono that was hiked up to show her long legs. She gently waved the passing men into the building, occasionally answering questions they had or providing further guidance as needed.

“Hello, hello.” She spoke in a firm, melodic voice. “Please, come into the Green Palace. You’re welcome, one and all.”

“I heard that Mistress Sci is in today.” One of the men stopped next to the woman and spoke nervously. “Is this true?”

She leaned toward him while still keeping her distance “Yes, Mistress Sci has recently come to the city from the capital. She finds the city of Stormberg to be a new and wondrous place. She will make sure to greet everyone once the crowds have arrived.”

The man nodded and continued into the Palace. As we approached, Sammuel wore a mischievous grin. When she saw him, she blinked for a moment, and then a smile formed on her lips.

“Sammuel, I didn’t expect you to ever return here.” She smirked down at us.

“I’m escorting a friend.” He declared, smiling wryly.

“Oh?” She glanced over at me with a teasing look in her eyes. “And who in Stormberg has the guts to call Sammuel a friend?”

“You don’t need to out yourself.” Sammuel grabbed my wrist before I could answer. “Come on, let’s leave something for the imagination.”

He pulled me past the woman up. I couldn’t help but shrug as I passed. She stood up, folding her arms.

“Hmph… tease.” She muttered, her lips making a pout before she turned back to the front.

We stepped through the large, gaudy doorway, into the Green Palace. A small entry hall opened up into the main lobby. It had a large chandelier, made with what looked like green crystal. The floor was white marble. The ceiling was painted with scenes from some epic battlefield. It gave a feeling of power and strength. The walls had green silk drapes hanging over them.

On the left, there was a bar. It had a pretty woman standing behind it, with several other women dressed in black dresses who were walking out among the guests to take orders. On the right, there was a balcony overlooking the entire room. A curtain covered it, but there were people already standing and watching it like there was some show being put on.

Sammuel led me to the bar and when the woman approached, he held up two fingers. “Green Spirit, please.”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He chuckled.

“It’s a paragon drink. It’s much stronger than normal alcohol. Try it.” After she poured two shots, he pushed one toward me.

I picked it up and the two of us clinked our glasses before drinking. I down the shot in one before realizing that he had only taken a light sip. His eyes widened in shock, and I felt a burning down my throat. The green spirit was unlike anything I had ever drunk before. It burned going down and even gave me a brief moment of dizziness. I had a feeling that such an item might even be poisonous if consumed by a mortal.

“Smooth,” I spoke, my voice croaking a bit.

He let out a breath. “It’s supposed to be sipped. This is not a drink for mortals. I’m glad you’re far enough down your evolutionary path to handle a full shot, but perhaps you should cool it from here on.

My level was far higher than he imagined. I could probably down a bottle of this stuff without it affecting me too much, but I didn’t mind. I had her pour a second shot. It was something else. It wasn’t the alcohol content that made the drink so enjoyable. It seemed to have some kind of magical component. It could affect someone’s emotions. It made me calm, and it cleared my mind.

I watched Sammuel take another sip, and then close his eyes like he was lost in contemplation. I repeated after him. It was like the drink freed someone’s mind. It didn’t make you hallucinate like LSD, but its effects felt strangely familiar to drugs. I had the same sense of freedom and calmness as though I was sitting on a cliffside, watching the waves roll onto the beach.

As I was standing and enjoying my drink, I suddenly got the feeling of being watched. I opened my eyes and looked around before seeing someone familiar.

“The Capala brothers…” I mumbled.

Brandon and Dennis Capala were both in a corner. They seemed to have an area to themselves like they were VIPs. A group of men strategically placed themselves to keep anyone from disturbing them. There was also a third, older man, there. He was the one staring at me with the largest frown. Sammuel’s eyes opened lazily and then he glanced in the direction I was staring.

“The one in the middle is their uncle. He had his sights set on your fiance for his sons. He’s probably quite upset at you.”

“Do you think he means me harm?”

“In here? No… he wouldn’t disturb the peace of the palace. However, if he caught you alone in a dark alley, I don’t think he’d give you a handshake.”

“I see…”

“He’s not your only rival too. Jordan Stride is over there.” He nodded.

Jordan Stride wasn’t looking our way, but when I looked at him, he seemed to tense which told me he was keeping an eye on us from the side. He was right next to Huntington Frankford, who was also avoiding looking my way.

“I can understand the others who have failed to win the lady’s favor, but isn’t Huntington courting another woman?” I asked in surprise.

“Hehe, this isn’t that kind of place,” Sammuel answered with a shrug. “Although it’s true, there can be intimacy, this is more a place of contemplation.”

“Whatever you want to call it to make it sound more noble.” I shrugged helplessly.

He laughed but didn’t say anything more. A few moments later, the lights dimmed. A few people hushed others and the crowds quieted down.

A gentle, ariose voice arose from beyond the balcony. “Thank you all for coming to the Green Palace. I hope you will all enjoy your time here. My name is Mistress Sci, and I hope you can all help me this evening.”

It appeared like the show was about to begin.