The Du Chloe mansion was brightly lit, with intense light pouring from every window of the stately residence.
The spacious lawn in front of the mansion was illuminated as if it were daytime, casting a soft curtain of light and shadow on the ground.
One after another, carriages adorned with various noble family crests passed through the shadows of the streetlights, slowly making their way down the street, and finally came to a neat stop in front of the mansion's iron gate.
Each nobleman on the carriage would have their invitation presented to the guards of the Du Chloe family by their servant.
After the guards checked and found nothing amiss, they allowed the carriage to enter the mansion.
Deep within the mansion, several towering pillars were surrounded by flickering candles and lamps powered by magical fuel.
This made the entire mansion dazzling and radiant.
A dining table covered with a long, clean white tablecloth extends from the entrance into the depths of the hall.
The two sides were filled with luxurious wooden chairs, whose armrests were inlaid with colorful glass gems that sparkled under the light.
By this time, a large number of people had gathered in the courtyard, mostly young gentlemen or elderly nobles.
People greeted each other, clinked glasses in celebration, and talked about the extravagance and magnificence of the banquet.
Duke Reeves had been meticulously preparing for Erica's birthday party for a month.
As a duke, and especially since Erica was his only beloved daughter, he showered her with almost all his affection.
Therefore, whenever Erica's birthday was approaching, Duke Reeves would always begin making preparations in advance.
However, in the past, even for Erica's birthday, Reeves would not have made such a big deal out of it.
He invited almost all the nobles in the capital.
The nobles were generally aware that the Duke of Riviera was hosting such a grand banquet.
On the one hand, Erica just enrolled in the Royal Magic Academy this year, which signifies that she has begun to develop independently from her family and expand outwards.
Rivi took this opportunity to invite all the nobles, aiming to expand his daughter's network and make Erica's face more familiar to more nobles.
In this way, Erica would be easily recognized when she encounters nobles in public.
'That's the Duke's daughter, Erica du Chloe.'
With this connection, most people would give the duke face and make things convenient for his daughter.
Ultimately, these are all part of human relationships and social customs.
If you have connections but don't use them, what kind of connections are they?
The second point is not actually that important, but Levi wanted everyone to know it.
His daughter, Erica, has become a second-tier mage.
To achieve this at the age of seventeen is, frankly, quite remarkable.
Normally, a mage of this age who can progress from a magic apprentice to a first-tier mage is already considered very outstanding.
Erica, however, advanced to the rank of second-tier mage after only one semester of study.
Looking at all the new students at the Royal Magic Academy, Erica is the only one who is a second-tier mage.
However, many nobles still shook their heads helplessly.
Why is this point actually not that important?
The answer is obvious.
Just then, a very strange carriage slowly drove in from outside the mansion.
This carriage had no horses, yet it managed to drive in on its own.
However, people showed no surprise when they saw this 'strange' carriage.
Even the servants and guards at the gate dared not stop the carriage from entering the mansion, and did not even consider checking the invitation.
Because everyone knows who this carriage actually belongs to.
After the horseless carriage entered the manor courtyard and came to a stop,
The carriage door suddenly opened, and all the nobles' eyes were drawn to the mysterious, dark carriage.
They watched silently as a figure slowly stepped off the train carriage.
He was a man wearing a black trench coat, with a sharply defined face and a faint air of heroism between his brows.
A pair of deep, calm, obsidian-like eyes appeared mysterious and profound under the dim light.
With his hands in his pockets, the hem of his trench coat fluttered in the air, making a soft rustling sound, which made the entire mansion courtyard seem even quieter.
When he stepped down from the carriage, no one dared to speak loudly.
It was as if his very appearance had drawn everyone's attention, silencing all who dared not utter a word.
Until the man calmly walked past the crowd and into the brightly lit mansion,
Countless people breathed a sigh of relief and began to huddle together in twos and threes, whispering among themselves:
"That's Victor Clavner?"
"The most talented mage in legend became a fourth-tier mage at the age of 25."
"It's so oppressive..."
"It's a pity that he's now 29 years old, but it seems he's stagnated and unable to reach the next level..."
"What's a pity? It's more like this is normal. What's above that? That's a fifth-tier mage..."
Looking across the entire empire, has their region ever produced a single fifth-tier mage?
Even Rachel Azure, the dean of the Royal Magic Academy and a member of the Mage Council, is still only a fourth-tier mage.
If Viktor were to actually break through to the fifth rank before the age of thirty, the entire mage world would probably have to jump off a cliff.
That goes beyond just the term "genius".
Therefore, everyone seemed helpless when Viktor was mentioned.
Alas, with Viktor as such a gem, who in the world would dare to call themselves a genius?
Even Duke Reeves probably thought so, which is why he specifically invited the Clavner family and Victor to this birthday dinner.
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