After nightfall, the Earl of the Elk's manor was brightly lit. Perlo, holding an invitation, was greeted into the hall by a servant. The birthday banquet held for the Earl's third xiaojie, Aurelian, had just begun.
Those who could attend the banquet were nobles with considerable family background and reputation in Longsong Stronghold. The Earl attached great importance to this birthday banquet, as could be seen from the woolen carpets spread throughout the hall and the servants' uniformly tailored black and gold-trimmed clothing. After all, Aurelian was exactly sixteen years old, the age for marriage.
String music began, and servants carrying wine and glasses moved among the crowd. Several round tables in the hall were filled with steaming cooked food, while the protagonist, Aurelian, dressed like a canary, was surrounded by a group of sisters in a corner of the hall, seemingly chatting happily.
This was the most popular banquet style in the capital. The banquets in the Western Region were not like this before, Perlo thought. Everyone usually sat around a long wooden table, waiting for the chef to serve the food. What was served were large bowls of pork and whole chickens, buttered bread, double-sided fried eggs, and large bowls of lettuce leaves.
However, for Perlo, who had also spent several years in the capital, this birthday banquet only imitated the appearance.
For example, the glasses in the servants' hands were all colored glaze cups, rather than transparent and clean glass cups. After pouring in the wine, it was impossible to highlight the wine's own mellow color. The round tables should be covered with white cloth, instead of exposing the greasy table tops. As for the cooked food, it still maintained the traditional style of the Western Region - large and rough. Perlo shook his head, at least the chef should cut them into small pieces before serving them.
As usual, he had filled his stomach at home before coming to the banquet, and now he would not wield a knife to cut these large pieces of cooked meat. The invited guests attending the banquet represented the faces of their respective families, and it would be detrimental to their image to eat with greasy mouths in this place. Perlo didn't want to be treated as a laughing stock by the xiaojies of each family.
"Long time no see, buddy," someone suddenly hooked his neck from behind, "I heard you were appointed as an envoy by the lord again? How is the ore harvest in Border Town, you must have skimmed off a lot from it."
This familiar voice, you could tell it was Renn Medde, the second son of the Elk family, a fool who only wanted to become a famous knight, even neglecting his territory. Of course, also his friend, "Not bad," Perlo didn't want to talk about his experiences in Border Town, "Did you come in handy this time when you went to Coldwind Ridge, or were you trembling in the tavern in Hermes all the time?"
"Damn it," Renn pushed Perlo, "I never hear you say anything good. This time I didn't even go to New Holy City. The day before the Border Guard set off, I caught a cold and lay in bed for a whole week."
"Not bad, you've improved a little more than last time, at least you saved the guard a lot of trouble."
"This time you're wrong," Renn suddenly smiled mysteriously, "If I hadn't been lying in Coldwind Ridge for a week, I probably would have been lying on the cold walls of the Holy City forever."
"What do you mean?" Perlo raised his eyebrows.
"I heard it from others," the Elk's second son leaned closer to his ear and said in a low voice, "New Holy City almost fell, and the Evil Beasts even rushed into the inner city. If the Church hadn't sent out their strongest warriors, I'm afraid even the Holy City Cathedral wouldn't have been saved. But the armies of the Four Kingdoms suffered heavy losses, and not many people returned from Coldwind Ridge. In just one month, the city was full of widows, and those who didn't have savings at home..." He blinked and held up two fingers, gesturing, "Two silver wolves will do. Hey, don't look at me like that, I didn't do anything."
"Are you sure this news is true? What about the Border Guard there?"
"Of course, I saw it with my own eyes. The lord fell ill the day he received the news." Renn shrugged, "As for the guard... what else can you do, recruit them slowly. Now the Northern Region is in urgent need of experienced warriors, if the family hadn't called me back, I could have at least led a cavalry team."
That's not the point at all, Perlo thought to himself, the main object of defense for the Coldwind Ridge Border Guard is the Church's Inquisition Army. Now that the generals and warriors of the Four Kingdoms have all been buried in Hermes, it all smells like a conspiracy. If they have ulterior motives, Graycastle North is now like a stripped woman, "What about the Inquisition Army, how were their losses?"
"Not much better than the Four Kingdoms armies, just think about it, they are always the fanatics who rush to the front. Speaking of which, if the Inquisition Army didn't step up, the people from other countries definitely wouldn't move," he said disdainfully, "Those knights are like that, they hang honor on their lips, but when fighting Evil Beasts, they like to shrink behind."
"Like the one in front of me," Perlo smiled, maybe he was overthinking it. But even if the Church wanted to attack the North, it had nothing to do with Longsong Stronghold. Let the new king worry about this.
"Unfortunately, no one has accepted my allegiance yet, or rather, I haven't found anyone who has this qualification," Renn paused and looked towards the door, "The Wolf family is here, I'll go greet them first, and come back to find you later."
"Go ahead, no need to come back."
"Right," he turned his head again after taking two steps, "Did you notice the handkerchief in the invitation?"
"Did you put it there?"
"Heh, I would only stuff you with a sock worn for two days," he shook his finger, "That was my sister's handmade, although there's a big age gap between you, but as long as you have that intention, I will definitely support you with both hands. Don't delay any longer, friend, you are already twenty-two years old."
Perlo gave him a white eye, the latter whistled and walked away with a smile.
Taking a glass of wine from the waiter's tray, Perlo walked to the corner alone, quietly looking at the lively hall. He noticed that while Aurelian was chatting happily with her sisters, she would secretly glance at him from time to time. At the moment of eye contact just now, he could see the other party's quickly moved gaze and a hint of shyness appearing between her cheeks.
Perlo returned a polite smile. But in his opinion, the other party was still just a little girl.
Suddenly, a fierce discussion sounded on one side of the hall, attracting everyone's attention.
"What! He really dared to say that?"
"Yeah, Corliss, that coward, didn't even dare to fart, and just came back dejectedly." The loudest one said, "It's simply a disgrace to Longsong Stronghold!"
Perlo knew him, he seemed to be called Simon Eri, a branch of the Wolf family, who married a rather beautiful woman. He had also seen that woman, and she was indeed uniquely charming.
"It's like you have a way to solve it." Someone sneered.
"I may not be able to do it alone, but if I can get the duke to notice this ridiculous thing, I don't believe Roland Wimbledon will dare to be so reckless!"
Hearing this familiar name, Perlo was stunned and immediately became interested.