" Congratulations on becoming a lord Captain Ravan" Denver Sabitzer said with an obvious hint of arrogance in his voice.
Thankfully for Max only his eyes were visible to the other party which made acting much more easy as he only needed to control his eye muscles.
" Thankyou Lord Sabitzer, it's an honour for my Bloodfall clan for you to come attend this ceremony personally " Max said politely as although he could not care less about if Sabitzer came or not, he needed to pretend like it was a big deal.
" Haha, I like you, you have some tactical education. I must say, back at Vega's banquet I thought you were a brat who was too impudent, but it seems you are sensible after all " Denver said as he rubbed his nose with pride.
Back at Vega's banquet, Max ended up quarrelling with Regus Aurelius himself which gave a dark impression to many within the vampire society which was a factor behind why some of the lower ranking lords were not personally in attendance at this ceremony as they did not wish to associate with someone who was a known troublemaker.
While those at the bottom adopted such an attitude towards Max, those at the top showed the exact opposite attitude as they wished to befriend Max precisely because he was not a puppet who could be controlled.
" The young prince tells me you are a good warrior, I have a son who has just turned fourteen and lacks a proper combat instructor, teach him for me will you? " Denver said as he patted Max on the back.
Despite his annoyance Max did not respond immediately and reigned in his anger.
He was a Lord, not some combat instructor who needed money to survive.
If Denver had politely requested him to become one, Max might have decided to give him face and teach his son a few tricks, however, since he ordered him around instead of requesting as if his opinion on the matter did not even matter, Max decided to not entertain his request at all.
Just as he prepared a snarky reply in his mind, Max saw Asiva staring at him with wide eyes as she threateningly shook her head and mouthed the words ' Control '
Instantly Max closed his eyes and chuckled, the anger he felt in his heart was dissolved by the cute worry of his girlfriend as this was the third time in 7 days that she had given him this same look.
Deciding to give her face this time, Max opened his eyes and calmly told Denver " I'm sorry patriarch Denver, I've just been appointed as a lord and I'm buried under piles of work in the near future.
My territory has internal security issues and the infrastructure here is severely lacking.
As a lord my first duty comes to my people, but perhaps once my workload reduces we can work something out "
Max gave a very calm and diplomatic reply to Sabitzer which was hard to be offended by.
The shameless old god was still not convinced however and was about to pressure Max more when Lucius intervened in the matter and gave Max some face.
" He must be busy Lord Denver, as for your son Hudson, he can always train with me if he wants to " Lucius said as Denver Sabitzer chuckled.
Stroking his fine moustache he said " How can I trouble the prince over such trivial matters, I'll find a suitable instructor myself"
Max understood the character of Denver Sabitzer from this one conversation.
He was the type of god who bowed before the strong and oppressed the weak. The typical big bully.
Unfortunately for him however, Max was not someone the likes of him could bully easily.
The evening continued after this conversation as Max went on and greeted many other officials as harmonic music and tasty food courses kept flowing.
Finally, as the main course started in the form of Earth's favourite dish pizza served with a side of seasoned chilli-olive oil and seasonings, the guests were awed by the unique flavour and texture and the gala reached new heights.
It was at this moment that the most mysterious guest approached Max to greet him in the form of John Velter.
Of everyone present at the Gala, only the Velter clans presence was the most shocking as they were known to be recluse from the noble society.
Ranked the 2nd strongest clan, the Velter's were an economic powerhouse that were labelled the ' Engine ' of vampire economy.
John was the next in line to become lord after his father would step down or die, and his authority was almost at the same level as his father within the Velter clan.
" Greetings, Lord Ravan, it's a pleasure to meet a hero of our kind in person, " John Velter said with a refined mannerism that gave one the impression that he was an impeccable gentleman.
" Greetings Sir John, it's an honour for the Bloodfall clan to host you here today " Max replied amiably as he tried to read the other party's emotions.
" I must say, of all the dishes I've tasted in the universe, this pizza has a charm that is hard to forget. Even though it's not a meat dish, it has that chewy texture which is accompanied by the crunch of the toppings giving it a perfect balance.
It's ingenious design to balance the tanginess of the gravy with the saltiness of the milk derivative on top leaves me speechless.
I must say, coming to attend this gala has been a blessing, I must have my wife try this dish, she's a food enthusiast " Velter said very eloquently as Max wondered if this guy was a good connoisseur in his past life.
" Haha, I'm glad you like it, this dish is one of my personal favourites and the flavour is only enhanced once you add the correct amount of seasonings.
If your wife likes it, it will be my honour to host you both for dinner someday, or I can always arrange for these chefs to come cook at your place " Max said energetically as he played his part in Velter's facade.
" The food aside, there is one thing I wish to talk to you about lord, I wonder if now is a convenient time for business talks? " Velter said slyly as Max grinned under his mask.
' Here comes the drama ' he thought as he said " Certainly Sir, what do you wish to discuss? "