CHAPTER 206: CHAPTER 203 INSIDE THE VENUE

With the completion of various preparations, the exhibition began as anticipated.

Invited personally by Perfikot, all the dignitaries and wealthy individuals of New Shaker City dared not be neglectful, and gathered here to attend this grand exhibition that surpassed the previous banquet hosted by the Governor for Perfikot.

Simply in terms of the number of attendees, this grand spectacle produced by Perfikot had at least twice the number of people compared to the Governor’s previous banquet.

Moreover, being invited by Perfikot and allowed entry by the guards meant that the attendees possessed sufficient status or wealth. It could be said that the elite from both the political and business circles of New Shaker City and even the entire New Continent colony were mostly gathered here.

If someone truly wished to stir trouble or do something, it wouldn’t take much—just set a fire at the venue, and the entire New Continent colony would tremble for days.

This is no exaggeration; the people present are involved in all aspects of the New Continent colony, whether it’s livelihood or politics, and have countless connections with the guests present.

Any one of them possesses significant influence, and if an incident were to occur, it would inevitably cause a huge commotion.

It can even be said that if the Governor were to pass away today, the impact wouldn’t be greater.

Thus, the Governor couldn’t afford to neglect the security of the venue, deploying a large number of guards and rigorously scrutinizing the identity of every guest present, ensuring none were impersonated or replaced.

Vigilantly preventing anyone from sneaking in or plotting wrongdoing, while also trying to find the thief in advance.

In the Governor’s view, this showdown between Perfikot and the mysterious thief was complete nonsense, not only meaningless but also introducing numerous unstable factors and hidden dangers to herself and the entire New Continent colony.

If Perfikot wanted to capture that phantom thief, it would be better even if she made a grand spectacle, or enacted another massacre like last time.

After all, such events last time only saw the deaths of some rebel elements opposing the colonial authorities and the lower classes, which had little impact on the entire New Continent.

In the Governor’s view, although the deaths of ordinary citizens do indeed cause bad effects, it’s not a huge issue for the New Continent colony overall; simply dispatch someone from the Governor’s House to apologize, then stabilize social order, enact some appeasing policy changes, and the remaining issues can be tackled.

The populace is quite forgetful; when something happens, it might leave a deep impression and stir strong emotions.

But once placated and policy changes are implemented afterward, it doesn’t take long for them to forget about it.

Just like the last massacre orchestrated by Perfikot, although Shack City was indeed in turmoil at that time, and people were frightened into silence, over half a year has passed, and apart from the docks where traces cannot be erased due to a statue erected by Perfikot, other parts of the city have already erased the traces left by last city-wide search, and the lives of ordinary people have returned to normal.

Therefore, for the Governor, even the death of one hundred civilians doesn’t match up to the death of a single magnate.

The deaths of one hundred civilians are at most a nuisance for the Governor, but if a magnate dies, it could be a disaster for him.

Precisely because of this, the Governor found it extraordinarily difficult to understand Perfikot’s action of challenging a thief this time.

What is Perfikot’s status? What qualifies that thief stealing from her? If Perfikot wanted to catch a petty thief, all the police and military of the New Continent colony could serve her, and even if she mobilized her guard division and Knight Order to New Shaker City, it would not be unacceptable to the Governor.

But accumulating all of New Shaker City’s elite like this, then staging some thief challenge, isn’t this just like using exquisite Oriental porcelain to smash a rat?

Yet the Governor evidently had no authority to interfere with Perfikot’s actions. Even though he considered her actions complete foolishness, he had no choice but to silently collaborate with Perfikot’s folly and even compliment her on her ’stylish absurdity.’

Because this is reality; this is the disparity brought by power, status, and position.

"Uncle, Count Brandelis has arrived, are you going over to greet her?" The Governor’s secretary appeared at his side, reporting the current situation to him.

"I’ve said many times, in public call me Governor!" The Governor cast a dissatisfied glance at his nephew but didn’t reprimand him further; he simply nodded and said, "I understand, I’ll head over now."

Speaking, he grabbed the champagne from a nearby waiter, drained it in one gulp, and walked toward where Perfikot was.

As the protagonist for today, Perfikot seemed to place special emphasis on today’s exhibition, dressed in a splendid gown that complemented her youthful and radiant appearance, causing even the Governor to feel a little parched.

His nephew and secretary were even more stupefied, looking utterly absent-minded, almost as if his eyes would fall on Perfikot.

"Count Brandelis, you are truly stunning today! This gala is overshadowed by your beauty; nothing can compare to your magnificence." The Governor sincerely praised her, at the same time discreetly elbowing his nephew to stop him from making a scene.