Era of Mist

Chapter 228 -227: In an Age of Chaos, Power Reigns Supreme (Middle)

Beyond the red carpet and through the main doors was a spacious venue. The crowd was a mix of all races—black, white, and yellow—and a medley of Mandarin, Japanese, and English filled the air. The clamor of voices and clinking of glasses created a lively atmosphere, belying the turbulent times. Looking only at these dapper, well-dressed people, it was hard to imagine that Japan was on the brink of collapse. Instead, it looked like a cosmopolitan picture of prosperity, a gathering of nations.

Shi Tiexin followed Wang Dafu inside, and it wasn’t long before their presence was noticed. Some people came forward to converse with Wang Dafu. Others shied away as if avoiding the plague. Most, however, observed from a safe distance—thinking, choosing, and weighing their options.

But regardless of their reaction, no one seemed surprised by Wang Dafu’s appearance. It was as if his right to be here was a foregone conclusion.

Wang Dafu moved through the crowd with a suave air, engaging everyone in conversation. His looks and charisma made him stand out among the guests. Shi Tiexin could tell that there was no peace between the guests, either; their words were frequently laced with veiled barbs and snide insinuations. But while many were trading verbal jabs, Wang Dafu’s skill was on a completely different level.

If the others were like novice chickens pecking at each other, then Wang Dafu was a white crane spreading its wings, practicing Tai Chi Fist. He was truly worthy of being the Wang Jijiu of another timeline; he simply had a gift for rhetoric.

He scanned the room. ‘So, this is what they call high society?’

Shi Tiexin wasn’t sure. He had never witnessed such a scene before, so he simply followed behind Wang Dafu, quietly observing everything.

Before long, Wang Dafu had effortlessly handled everyone, successfully closing two shady deals and solidifying his position within his circle. He then led Shi Tiexin to a seat in the front row. Music drifted through the grand hall as an emcee walked onto the stage. The spotlight came on, and the night’s main course was finally served.

A group of young women, the beauty pageant contestants, began to present themselves one by one, following a set routine.

Wang Dafu looked at Shi Tiexin beside him. “Well? What do you think?”

“I’m not used to it.”

Shi Tiexin watched the stage as a scantily clad young woman happened to walk past nearby, her figure swaying gracefully under the lights.

“But I suppose I could get used to it.”

“To be honest, I’m not used to it either.” Wang Dafu’s gaze also fell upon the beautiful bodies parading past, but his eyes held only a look of reminiscence. “You know, Stone, we’re the same. We both came from nothing. Just a few years ago, I was just a poor old scholar, barely scraping by selling calligraphy copybooks.”

“A poor old scholar?” Shi Tiexin smiled faintly. “Even if you were a poor old scholar, you were a handsome one.”

“Haha, I’ll admit I was a little confident about that! But unfortunately, it was useless. Back then, no pretty girls paid me any mind. But now?” Wang Dafu gestured to a long-legged woman who had just walked by. “Any woman on this stage… if I want her, I can have her in my bed.”

Shi Tiexin remained silent.

“Before, I never understood what it truly felt like to have power and influence. Before, I thought I had to work hard to earn the right to enjoy things. I thought I had to put in the effort to get a corresponding reward.”

“Don’t laugh, but a dozen years ago, when I was still young, I used to fantasize about what I’d do when I finally had money and power. I’d wonder where I could go to meet beautiful women and imagine how I’d have to throw money around—buying luxury cars, showering them with gifts—just to win their favor.”

“But now I know. When you truly have power and influence, you don’t need to do anything. You don’t have to rack your brain trying to find beautiful women, and you don’t have to exhaust yourself trying to please anyone.”

“See this competition? There are plenty of people who would be more than happy to arrange everything for you.” As Wang Dafu spoke, he gave a slight beckoning gesture with his finger and a small smile to one of the beauties on stage. The woman immediately understood, flashing a dazzling smile in return. She thrust out her chest, twisted her hips, and put even more effort into showing off her body and flaunting her charms.

A staff member nearby immediately noted down the beauty’s number, just like a farmer at a market claiming a prized sow.

“See? It’s that simple.” Wang Dafu gestured toward the onlookers at other tables. “Those people over there, they’re all the same. Everyone is.”

Shi Tiexin understood instantly.

He had actually seen scenes like this before, every time people came to the Orphanage to select candidates for trial work.

A meat market. It was still a meat market, just a more high-class one. The goods were more beautiful, the process more refined, and the packaging more glamorous.

But in essence, there was no difference at all.

‘So this is the true face of a beauty pageant?’ Shi Tiexin suddenly found the whole competition tasteless. A competition like this had no fairness to speak of. It was utterly meaningless. It was impossible for the Celestial Golden Light to descend here. And a competition without the Celestial Golden Light was a competition without a soul.

“I can’t speak for other places, but here in Tokyo, right now, this is the reality of these competitions.” Wang Dafu said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “These days in Tokyo, it’s one beauty pageant after another. Why? It’s all for the enjoyment of the powerful.”

“The organizers, looking to curry favor, will come up with all sorts of ways to please the powerful. The people at the bottom, desperate for a way out—a chance to live better and more safely in these turbulent times—will claw their way in. And the powerful, who get to enjoy themselves and easily choose from the most beautiful flesh in all of Tokyo, certainly aren’t going to refuse.”

“So when you have a competition that’s welcomed by everyone from top to bottom, what reason is there not to hold it? There will only be more and more of them.”

Shi Tiexin felt a little discouraged. This was the climate of this timeline. In such turbulent and uncertain times, no one cared about fair competition anymore.

When all was said and done, it turned out that street racing was what best met Shi Tiexin’s standards.

“Stone, it all comes down to power. Power means money. It means status. More importantly, it means security. That’s why in this unstable country, the powerful are more sought after than anywhere else—and that’s not even getting into the national character of this island nation.”

Wang Dafu clapped Shi Tiexin on the shoulder. “I’m telling you all this because I want you to understand—don’t let your guard down. We took down the Hongshun Society, but that was just the first step. The Hongshun Society still has stragglers and remnants who will try to strike back. We haven’t won completely, so we can’t afford to relax. Besides, I, Wang Xingshun, didn’t throw my reputation to the wind just to swallow up a single Hongshun Society.”

“Stone, this is the best country for an ambitious man. Nowhere else would a man from the streets like me get the chance to become a big shot who can pick and choose from supermodels and beauties within three years. But here, you can. I did it, and you can too. This is a golden opportunity that history has given us.”

“Look at the bigger picture. Aim high.”

“Follow my lead, and make yourself into someone with more and more power.”

“One day, you will become the true, Dark Night Black Venerable.”