Chương 406: Chapter : 406

"Stop whining, Ken," Naomi teased gently. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement.

"We are at a fancy party. Try to look like you belong here. Do not ruin our cover."

"I always belong everywhere," Ken replied lazily. He offered her a goofy grin.

"I am very adaptable. I can slouch in any environment. It is a special talent." Princess Iris stopped walking. She gathered her team in a quiet corner of the room. She kept her voice very low.

"Listen closely, everyone," Princess Iris instructed softly. Her violet eyes scanned the crowds of corrupt nobles.

"This is a flawless, sophisticated spy operation. We must be very careful. The local lords are incredibly suspicious. They are hiding a massive economic secret. We need to find out why the fish prices are skyrocketing." Sayma opened a tiny, hidden notebook. She clicked a small pen.

"We will use covert intelligence tactics. We will spread out across the room. We will stand near the wealthy merchants. We will quietly listen to their conversations. We must gather clues about their syndicates."

"Do not draw attention to yourselves," Princess Iris added.

"Smile politely. Drink the juice. Act like you are just enjoying the music. We cannot let them know we are investigating them." Laxmi cracked her knuckles quietly.

"Got it. Smile, listen, and do not punch anyone. I can do that. Probably."

"Let us move out," Naomi commanded smoothly.

"Gather the intel." The elite girls split up. They walked seamlessly into the massive crowd. They executed their sophisticated spy operation perfectly. Sayma stood near a large crystal pillar. She held a small glass of juice. She stood very close to three wealthy merchants. The merchants wore expensive gold rings. They talked about shipping lanes and supply chains. Sayma pushed her glasses up. She listened to every single word. She mentally recorded their conversation. Zinia leaned against a marble wall.

She pretended to admire a large, expensive painting of a sailboat. She tilted her head slightly. She listened to a group of local lords arguing about port taxes. She gathered very useful data. Naomi gracefully walked through the center of the room. She offered polite, charming smiles to the passing nobles. She kept her ears completely open. She analyzed the tense political atmosphere. She looked for any signs of hidden panic among the corporate leaders. The girls worked incredibly hard.

They overcomplicated the situation entirely. They tried to decode hidden meanings in the boring, mundane conversations. They searched for massive, complex economic conspiracies. Ken Eliot completely ignored the tense political atmosphere. He did not care about the local lords. He did not care about the shipping taxes. He did not care about the economic syndicates. He only cared about one specific thing. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Ken spotted the food. A massive, open-bar seafood buffet stretched across the entire back wall of the grand ballroom. It was absolutely gigantic. It had three large ice sculptures shaped like jumping dolphins. Long wooden tables held massive silver bowls filled with expensive food. There were huge piles of premium shrimp. There were gigantic, bright red crab legs. There were fresh oysters sitting on beds of crushed ice. There were tiny bowls of melted garlic butter and spicy cocktail sauce.

Ken's sleepy dark eyes widened. A massive, goofy smile spread across his face.

"Oh my goodness," Ken whispered to himself happily.

"This is the greatest party in the history of the world. They have free crab legs. This is an absolute masterpiece." He completely abandoned the covert spy operation. He walked directly toward the buffet tables. He did not sneak. He just strolled casually past the snooty nobles. He grabbed a very large, clean white plate. He walked up to the shrimp bowl. He used a silver pair of tongs. He grabbed a huge handful of premium shrimp. He dumped them onto his plate. He walked to the crab station.

He grabbed four massive crab legs. He stacked them on top of the shrimp. Ken did not stop there. He wanted to maximize his single trip to the buffet. He hated walking back and forth. He decided to build a massive tower of seafood. He used the large crab legs like sturdy support beams. He placed them in a neat square. He filled the empty spaces with more shrimp. He added a handful of fried fish pieces to the second level. He grabbed two small cups of melted butter.

He balanced the cups perfectly on the very top of his food tower. The plate was absolutely stacked. The seafood tower was almost five feet high. It defied the laws of gravity. It was a structural marvel. Ken picked up the incredibly full plate. He balanced it carefully in his hands. He turned around. He started walking back toward his team. He walked right through the middle of the elegant ballroom. The tall tower of shrimp and crab legs wobbled slightly with every step. The snooty nobles stopped talking.

They turned their heads. They stared at the messy boy holding the giant mountain of food. They looked completely appalled by his terrible manners. Naomi was standing near a crystal chandelier. She turned her head. She saw Ken walking toward her. Her green eyes went completely wide. Her jaw dropped open. Naomi quickly dashed over to him. She grabbed his arm gently but firmly. She pulled him behind a large decorative plant to hide him from the staring nobles. She fiercely hissed at him.

"Ken! What are you doing?!" Naomi scolded in a harsh, panicked whisper. She pointed at the massive plate.

"You are completely embarrassing us! Look at that plate! It is taller than Risa! You look absolutely ridiculous!" Ken slouched his shoulders. He held the plate perfectly steady. He gave her a lazy, relaxed grin.

"I am securing the target," Ken replied casually. He picked up a premium shrimp. He popped it into his mouth. He chewed happily.

"This shrimp is amazing. You should try one. It has a very nice lemon flavor."

"We are not here to eat!" Naomi hissed. She rubbed her temples.

"We are here on a flawless, sophisticated spy operation! We are supposed to blend in! You are drawing massive attention to us! You need to stop embarrassing us and act like a covert agent!" Ken swallowed his food. He shrugged his shoulders lazily.

"I am acting like a covert agent," Ken argued smoothly. He dipped a crab leg into the melted butter.

"Think about it, Naomi. Nobody suspects the guy eating a giant pile of shrimp. They think I am just a hungry idiot. It is the perfect disguise. My stomach is providing a flawless tactical advantage." Naomi let out a long, exhausted sigh. She shook her head. She could not argue with his ridiculous slacker logic.

"Just stand here and eat quietly," Naomi instructed gently.

"Sayma and I are trying to listen to the corrupt lords. We need to focus on the mission." Naomi turned around. She walked back into the crowd. She resumed her spy work. Ken leaned against the wall. He ate another shrimp. He watched the elite girls try to solve the mystery. He found their intense dedication very amusing. They were working so hard. They were analyzing every single word the nobles said.