Chapter 1177 - 186: Lady Bayonetta’s Dilemma and Su Li’s Forceful Entrance_2

Chapter 1177: Chapter 186: Lady Bayonetta’s Dilemma and Su Li’s Forceful Entrance_2

Beneath the seemingly peaceful city, there are cunning plots brewing.

At this moment, Chairman Vigo Malcolm’s low and penetrating voice echoed. He was not looking at Bayonetta, but as if stating an accepted truth to the air:

"Efficiency is the lifeline of Marle Castle." He slowly placed the wine glass down, his gaze sweeping across the room like an eagle, carrying an innate authority. "This city has become the jewel of the Southern Empire not because of ancient emblems or outdated scepters but because of the wisdom and sweat of countless merchants, artisans, and citizens, and the collective decisions of the council that infused it with vitality and order. Redundant power structures only bring constraints and pointless resource consumption. Marle Castle’s future requires a more streamlined, more efficient core of power that better represents the will of all the citizens."

Although he did not directly advocate for the abolition of the City Lord’s Mansion, terms like "redundant power structures," "outdated scepters," and "a power core (council) that better represents the will of all citizens" have already made the intention clear. He was setting the tone for the final action as well as sending a signal to all the senators present—the siege on the City Lord’s Mansion is the council’s unshakable resolve.

Bayonetta felt a chill. Chairman Vigo’s words were akin to a declaration of war. These contradictions have existed since her husband’s time. Now, isolated and without support, the City Lord is participating in an expedition, intending to suppress the council’s ambitions with the prestige of a great victory. Now she must face a group alone—knives poised, intending to overturn tradition. It made her acutely aware that she was the sacrificial offering carefully designed and thrown into the storm’s center.

Just then, the banquet hall door was respectfully pushed open by the attendant.

"Hesse Lord, Su Li is here!"

All eyes instantly focused on the entrance. Su Li’s figure appeared there, dressed in a dark, well-tailored suit, young, tall, with a still unrestrained sharpness from just returning from the iron-blooded battlefield. His gaze swept across the room, skimming over Smith’s obsequious smile, Zoe’s playful eyes, and the senators’ insincere courtesies, finally landing on Lady Bayonetta beside the main seat.

Bayonetta also looked up at the same time.

In the brief moment their eyes met, there seemed to be an almost undetectable electric current coursing through the air. Deep in Su Li’s eyes, the unmistakable glint of desire and ambition flickered once more.

Bayonetta’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she could sense an unusual heat in that gaze—a heat not merely defined by a man’s possession of a woman. It left her feeling somewhat uneasy, yet she could only suppress the slight anomaly in her heart and maintain a facade of calmness.

Su Li’s lips curved into an arc, and he strode in.

"Apologies for keeping everyone waiting." His voice was not loud but clearly reached everyone’s ears, carrying an undeniable sense of authority.

Smith was the first to greet him, his face full of smiles: "Not at all! Lord Su Li is incredibly busy, and your attendance is an honor for the council!" He eagerly guided Su Li towards the main table.

The senators’ expressions grew more complex. There were apprehension, scrutiny, and calculation. They watched Su Li step by step towards Bayonetta’s location, as if watching a great stone cast into stagnant water, anticipating it to unleash the predicted towering wave.

Finally, Chairman Vigo slowly turned, his hawk-like eyes sharply locked onto Su Li’s, his face carrying a formal, yet entirely emotionless "welcoming" expression.

Bayonetta took a deep breath and stood up gracefully as Su Li approached, wearing that perfect, distant smile on her face again: "Welcome, Lord Su Li. Your presence makes the City Lord’s Mansion radiant."

Her voice remained clear and pleasant, but only she knew her palms were slightly damp.

The storm’s center had gathered. The chessboard meticulously set by the council was in place with the two main players.

Su Li smiled faintly, waved his hand, and then sat himself at the end of the long table, as if he were truly the master here, dignified and authoritative, saying: "Please be seated."

This scene instantly froze the hypocritical pleasantries within the banquet hall. The air seemed to solidify, and the glow of the crystal chandelier appeared glaring. The smiles on the senators’ faces stiffened, and they looked at each other, some with astonishment, others with suppressed anger. It felt like truly inviting a wolf into the room, and this wolf seemed to intend to completely ignore their anticipated script, immediately taking over and sitting at the seat symbolizing the highest power!

Senator Smith’s face froze for an instant, then became even more enthusiastic, almost running forward to attentively pull open the heavy high-backed chair, adorned with the eagle emblem of the Empire’s emblem for Su Li—that chair should have been the City Lord’s seat or that of the highest-ranking Chairman Vigo. Zoe Ramsey’s playful smile deepened as she lightly swirled the amber liquid in her glass, seemingly appreciating an unexpectedly twisted drama.

Chairman Vigo Malcolm’s hawk-like eyes were sharp as a knife, firmly fixed on Su Li. His stiff face showed no expression, but the slightly tightened jawline and the tightly clenched chair armrest, with whitened knuckles, betrayed his inner fury. Su Li’s actions were tantamount to publicly slapping the entire Marle Castle council in the face! He disregarded Vigo’s presence, further ignored the symbolic status of Lady Bayonetta, and with an almost domineering stance, declared that he was the most powerful presence here and now.