Once the guests had left, Furen planned to leave as well. But Quevedo stopped him with an enigmatic smile: "Hehe, my friend, don't leave yet. I want to show you something... different."
Although Furen had no idea what he meant, he remained where he was. He turned to Erich, who, as expected, seemed to be anticipating this, sitting calmly and serenely. Noticing Furen's gaze, he simply nodded without saying a word.
Furen was somewhat perplexed, but he also thought that nothing unexpected would happen in a philosophy salon. So he stayed, curious to see what these philosophy enthusiasts planned to do.
Shortly after, Karl dismissed the last guest and returned. As expected, he approached the table where the other three were still drinking freshly poured coffee.
Karl was surprised to see three people still sitting there, but he made no comment. He simply asked a waiter to bring him a cup of coffee and began to drink it in silence.
An eerie silence fell over the four of them. Furen felt even more perplexed: the other three knew what was happening, while he alone remained in the dark… and none of them seemed willing to speak. They just sat there, as if performing a mime. Suddenly, an idea flashed through Furen's mind:
Are we playing some kind of "freeze" game? Does the first one to speak lose?
He therefore controlled the rhythm of his sips and waited for one of the other three to break.
Furen, sitting with his cup of coffee, observed the others. To his left was Quevedo, to his right Karl, and Erich sat opposite him. Each of the four had distinct character traits: Quevedo was a warm and hospitable man, though he remained silent at this moment, wearing a mischievous smile as he watched them between sips of coffee.
Erich and Karl were alike: both were cold. Erich's coldness was rational; Karl's was simply his nature. And Furen? He was more neutral, neither warm nor cold, but genuinely curious about the behavior of others; he, too, remained silent.
Furen found it strange. Were they really playing this game of silence? But he said nothing. Deep down, his detachment stemmed in part from the fact that he was a stranger in a strange world.
Finally, it was the energetic Quevedo who gave in. He placed his empty coffee cup on the table with a thud, surprising the waiters who were clearing it. But when he looked at the three men seated at the table three cold and impassive faces he felt a little disappointed.
With a look of disappointment tinged with humor, Quevedo said, "Hey, Furen, I thought that since I hadn't told you anything about what was going to happen next, you'd be the first to ask the question. And Karl, after seeing you so agitated earlier, I thought you'd ask it too. But no, total failure."
Furen didn't say much. He emptied his now lukewarm cup of coffee, then said with a slight smile, "I thought you were challenging us: who would speak first? Haha, it turns out that's not it."
Quevedo laughed. "It's the silent game that children play in the Ruen countryside! Hehe, legend says it's a game inspired by the teachings of the Goddess of the Night, passed down through the ages until it spread everywhere. Too bad we're not here to play it with you."
After a moment's thought, he added, "Well... I think it could be fun." He chuckled. Seeing that only Furen laughed politely, while Erich and Karl remained impassive, he ended the discussion.
Seeing that Quevedo was about to ruin everything, Erich said, "Karl, Furen doesn't need to deal with this guy. He really has a knack for turning the simplest things into disasters, even if he's always reliable for serious matters. Anyway, Karl, take us to the room you've prepared. It's time to talk about serious things."
Karl nodded without saying a word. He stood up, waved to them, and said, "Then please follow me."
He led the three men to the room he had prepared beforehand.
This room, where Quevedo, Erich, and Karl planned to discuss important matters, was small. It contained only a table, but was adorned with numerous refined decorative objects, making it just as luxurious as the room where the salon had been held.
Once the four people had entered, Karl dismissed the cafe waiters, carefully locked the door, and inspected every corner of the room. Only when he was certain he was alone did he say, "Very well. Please, have a seat."
Furen sat down as instructed. Turning around, he saw that Quevedo had already been seated for some time. Erich, like Furen, waited for Karl's signal before sitting down.
After Karl had taken his seat, a silence fell. Then, as the atmosphere grew more mysterious, Quevedo suddenly began to act. Like a conductor holding a baton, he made grand, sweeping gestures, humming dramatic sound effects. Slowly, he rose and, in an exaggerated and mystical tone, began:
"Gentlemen, esteemed gentlemen... you are about to enter the hidden face of this world, a realm inaccessible to ordinary people. Come, follow me into this world..."
Upon hearing this attempt at dramatic mystery, which only created unease, Furen was at a loss for words. He forced a smile. Karl remained impassive, while Erich's face betrayed barely concealed disdain.
Undaunted, Quevedo continued, absorbed in his own performance:
"Yes! The other side of this world is not ordinary, it is extraordinary! And I was lucky enough to enter it. Come, let me tell you… about this extraordinary world."
When his operatic speech finally ended, the exaggerated tone faded from the room. Quevedo returned to reality, only to find that the three men still showed virtually no reaction.
But that didn't bother him. He glanced around, then said with a teasing smile:
"First of all, Furen, you too are part of this extraordinary world, aren't you? No... you yourself are an extraordinary person. Why don't you introduce yourself?"
(End of chapter)