"Excuse me what?" Asked one of the guards for fear that he might have heard wrong.

Hal smirked,

"Are you hard of hearing? I said I came to entertain him" he said and crossed his arms before his chest.

The guards eyed him up and down and especially spent more time staring at his face,

"You don't look like a jester" one of them eventually said.

"That's because I'm not. I'm something better. I'm a Runemaster" he said with a hint of theatrical flair.

The guards shared a look and their eyes were filled with wonder,

"Are you here with Runemaster Fenrir?" One of them asked.

Hal looked confused,

"Who the fuck is that? I'm Hal Klint and I am a solo act." He said.

The guard turned to the others who had of course not missed a bit of the conversation and asked,

"Did any of you know of a Runemaster named Hal Klint coming here to perform"

They shrugged,

"No idea. But then again, you know how the Lord's Advisor always loves to make decisions that make our lives miserable. What if we deny Master Hal's assess and it turns out he was truly invited, that could very give him an opportunity to clean house" said one of them, and the others nodded in agreement.

"We might as well let him in"

And with that, they moved out of the way with one of them volunteering to lead him inside himself while Hal shook his head at how easily they let him in.

Not that he was complaining of course because he was glad he did not have to go through too much trouble just to see the Sheik and request to participate in the auction, but he still could not help but feel those guards were a couple of dunces.

After all, how hard could it possibly be to simply have one of them go inside and request confirmation of Hal's identity and mission? It would not even take that long.

However, who knows? Maybe their hatred for the Sheik's advisor was not one-sided and they preferred to stay away from him.

Anyway, for better or for worse, Hal was making his way into the Sheik's beautiful residence that actually had so many maids and servants running around and tending to various matters.

It was quite a sight to behold.

The guard then stood before an open door but the view into what lay behind the door was hidden by a curtain, behind which Hal could hear the sound of merriment.

It meant either the Sheik was having a party which was a little unlikely since it was still quite early in the day. That said it could have been the type of party that lasts a whole day.

Or

The Sheik was entertaining a guest which would explain why Runemaster Fenrir was here.

He must have been called for that reason.

These were only speculations of course for all he knew, the sound he was hearing might have been to drown out the sound of despair and pain of torture victims.

"The Sheik is right behind this Curtain Master Hal" the guard said.

Hal nodded,

"Oh yes, I figured" he said and waited for the guard to leave so he could go in.

He had made it here already, after all, he no longer saw the need to continue the charade that he was here to entertain when he had no intentions of doing anything of the sort.

Especially since his lie would most likely fall apart in front of the infamous Advisor.

The guard seemed to have picked up on Hal not wanting him to stay but he did all the same,

"I'll introduce you" he said and pulled Hal's arm and before he could protest, he dragged him past the curtain and right into the hall where food and drinks rich in cultivation requirements flowed aplenty.

A middle-aged man with slightly grey hair stood before what looked to be a table of honored guests and looked to be in the motion of projecting Runes.

Behind the table were about five individuals with the one in the very center and on the grandest looking chair being the most extravagantly dressed of them all.

The Sheik looked so young as to be in his twenties and he was undeniably good-looking with his raven-colored hair held at the top of his head with a male hairpin.

His coal-black eyes eyed Hal skeptically but not in a manner that suggested he wished Hal to be tossed out immediately.

He looked to be a little curious.

The lady seated beside him on his left-hand side was incredibly beautiful and had Caramel colored hair and feline amber eyes that gave her an exotic look. Her Blue gown complimented her skin nicely and her breasts whose cleavage was teased by the low neckline of her gown were easily the largest he had seen to date.

He had to say they were quite attention-grabbing and took a little more effort than it should for him to look away and observe the lady's expressions.

As the Sheik spoke to her, Hal could tell she was bored and every smile she graced him with was only to be polite and humor him.

The Sheik was clearly aware but was not going to let that get him down in his aim to pursue her.

Anyway, when the amber-eyed lady looked at him, he could detect mild curiosity but that quickly made way for annoyance which stemmed from catching Hal's brief glance on her very ample bust.

That said, there was that little interest she could not get rid of in its entirety.

The one seated at the Sheik's right hand was a wise-looking middle-aged man with a thin black mustache that marched his black hair.

The other two, though Hal did not know it then were dignified men who were in Black lagoon to participate in the auction.

The Sheik turned to his black-haired advisor,

"Gavin, who is this young man?" He asked.

Gavin frowned,

"I have no idea my lord" his glare was incredibly penetrating to the guard who he blamed for this interruption.

"This young man came to the residence and claimed he was summoned here to entertain you, my lord"

The Runemaster who they had interrupted in the middle of his projection looked to Hal with furrowed brows,

"Entertain?" He said but Hal who had dislodged his hand from the guard's grip turned to eye him,

"I never said I was summoned here, I said I was here to entertain the Sheik. You drew your own conclusions." He said.

The guard frowned,

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"It means you are a dumbass who can't get his facts right even though he received them first hand."

Gavin suddenly stood to his feet and with it, he released a pressure that quelled the argument that was about to begin.

He and the Sheik had no interest in hearing it.

"Young man, who are you and where are you from? And don't you say Black lagoon because it is clear you are not a native"

Hal smiled,

"My name is Hal Klint and I am from the Silva Duchy capital. I only came here because I wished to participate in the Auction which by the way will not be a loss to you."

Gavin ignored the last part as he turned toward the Amber eyed Lady who looked thoroughly interested,

"Lady Lucile, you are also from the Silva Duchy, have you heard of this Klint family?"

Lucile eyes Hal for a short while before saying,

"No, no I have not." She said.

Gavin smiled lightly,

"Are you sure my lady?"

Lucile looked quite bored as she faced Gavin now,

"Yes, I am sure. I think I'd remember a family with such... distinctive features." She said.

Gavin nodded,

"That's good to hear. My lord, I propose we have this young man killed for daring to lie to you"

The Sheik looked at Hal for a long while with a peculiar expression on his face,

"I accept your proposal" he eventually said and Hal's eyes widened,

"Wait, what?"