Chapter 10

Luo Xing, Starzhou Hotel, Executive Suite, Balcony.

Lan Jue quietly leaned against the edge of the balcony, gazing into the distance. He was a platinum member of this hotel, and at any executive star's Starzhou Hotel, he could enjoy the executive suite at the price of a regular room.

Between his right thumb, index finger, and middle finger, he held a cigar that was 6.5 inches long and 52 ring gauge, produced by the ancient Salvadoran factory in the Shangyuan era. This cigar was named 1966, a rare and precious limited edition. Unlike red wine, which requires space technology for preservation, this cigar had been aged in a cigar cellar for hundreds of years, with a rich flavor akin to kyara. In fact, its production date was not 1966 but Shangyuan 2012. As for why it was called 1966, no one knew.

This perfectly preserved limited edition 1966 was almost as valuable as a third of a bottle of the world's most prestigious wine, Romanée-Conti.

Lan Jue was never short of money, but he rarely brought out such a rare cigar, as each one was irreplaceable. However, today, the tip of the 1966 was glowing red, burning steadily.

He took a deep puff, but the smoke did not go down his throat. Instead, it rolled and swirled from the tip of his tongue to the back, then was slowly exhaled.

The deep coffee bean flavor and the exquisite taste when burned were irresistible, with the entire cigar containing notes of cream and leather, and a delightful sweetness of milk chocolate at the right moments. The intense satisfaction instantly filled his heart.

Although tasting a premium cigar would prevent him from enjoying red wine for at least a week, Lan Jue was still unable to pull himself away from the 1966.

"Such a good aroma, but why enjoy it alone? Lao San, don't you plan to share?" A lazy voice sounded. Suddenly, another person appeared beside Lan Jue, leaning on the balcony railing, looking into the distance with him.

It was a young man who appeared to be about the same age as Lan Jue. He had medium-length red hair casually draped over his shoulders, pink eyes that seemed somewhat eerie, and a slight smile on his lips, looking a bit mischievous. His appearance was not as handsome as Lan Jue's, but it was very appealing. He wore a black shirt, black trousers, and black shoes, all black, as if blending into the night, except for his red hair, which resembled a flickering flame in the darkness.

"If you want me to call you Lao San, you can continue to call me that," Lan Jue said without even looking at him.

The red-haired young man's smile suddenly vanished. "Why am I a few months older than you! Why am I ranked second. Alright, Jue, I won't call you Lao San."

Lan Jue finally turned around, facing the red-haired young man who was almost the same height as him. "Cheng, I'm sorry."

The red-haired young man waved his hand. "You deliberately revealed your identity to that person and deliberately stayed on Luo Xing to wait for me, and you still say sorry? If you wanted to hide your identity, who could have guessed it was you? I'm just curious, what kind of price could make you, the legendary mercenary, come out of retirement after three years?"

Lan Jue took a puff of the cigar, gently exhaling the smoke, and said the four words on the paper that made him leave Tianhuo Xing: "Hera is not dead!"

The red-haired young man's body visibly trembled, and he instinctively straightened up. "Really?"

Lan Jue nodded. "The price for this mission is her whereabouts."

The red-haired young man took a deep breath, raised his hand, and patted Lan Jue's shoulder. "Alright. I'll help you!"

Lan Jue looked at him and smiled, his eyes warm. "Is the loss significant?"

The red-haired young man said calmly, "Tianyu Auction House, my family only has a 30% stake." As he spoke, he took the 1966 from Lan Jue's hand and put it in his mouth. "It's mine now. You have to pay the price for your actions!"

Lan Jue's facial muscles twitched. "I only brought one."

"Of course, I know!" The red-haired young man took a deep, satisfying puff.

Lan Jue raised his hand and patted his forehead. "Chu Cheng, you're a real bandit!"

Chu Cheng widened his eyes. "You just robbed my family's stuff and still call me a bandit? Don't you always claim to be a noble? Why are you using such a term?"

Lan Jue did a chest-expanding exercise. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Chu Cheng said, "Do you need my help with Hera?"

Lan Jue shook his head.

Chu Cheng laughed, laughing wildly. "That's right. If you can't handle it, neither can I."

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Lan Jue glanced at him.

"Sure." Chu Cheng took another deep puff of the 1966 and nodded forcefully.

Lan Jue walked back into the room, and Chu Cheng leaned back on the balcony, his smile still on his face.

A moment later, Lan Jue returned to Chu Cheng's side, holding two brandy glasses in one hand and a bottle of brandy in the other. He placed the glasses on the balcony railing and opened the bottle. Instantly, a rich and intense aroma of brandy wafted out.

Chu Cheng's eyes lit up. "Jue, I'm glad you remembered. I like strong liquor, especially brandy. This bottle of Hennessy XO may not be the best, but it's still good."

Lan Jue smiled faintly. "Don't you always feel that being a few months older puts you at a disadvantage in ranking? Why do you keep calling me 'brother'? Do you think it's still the Shangyuan era? Finding XO-level brandy is already quite difficult. X stands for 'extra,' and O stands for 'old.' This extra-old brandy is already quite rare."

As he spoke, he poured about 30 milliliters of the liquor into each of the two brandy glasses.

"Add some ice!" Chu Cheng said, lifting his glass.

Lan Jue gave him a disdainful glance. "We nobles drink brandy slightly warmed."

Chu Cheng was surprised. "You can warm brandy?"

Lan Jue pointed to the glass in front of him without speaking.

Chu Cheng flicked his left hand, and two small flames appeared under the two brandy glasses. After a moment, Lan Jue waved his hand, and the flames went out.

Lan Jue picked up the stem of the brandy glass, took a light sniff, and the alcohol mixed with the rich grape aroma hit him. He took a sip, and the grape aroma turned into a warm stream that flowed down his throat. After tasting a cigar, one cannot drink red wine, but brandy is a perfect match.

"Indeed, it's quite good!" Chu Cheng also took a sip and praised it.

Chu Cheng said, "Jue, do you know? When I heard that a man named Zeus had robbed the Tianyu Auction House, my first reaction was joy. When I really saw you here, I was even happier. Because, my brother is back."

Lan Jue drank the brandy in one gulp. "I'm sorry for making everyone worry."

Chu Cheng said casually, "I'm fine, but have you been in touch with the leader? Are you still blaming him? You should know that he couldn't have been unaware of your actions."

Lan Jue trembled, shook his head, and said, "Drink."

"Alright, drink! I'll stay with you tonight, until we're both drunk!"

Morning.

Chu Cheng left, leaving behind a note.

"I know you have the skills to open that password lock, but why bother? Find Hera and bring me good news. Bring her along to drink with me." Below this, there were three lines of code.

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