Chapter 186 - 181: Count Lumbar’s Shock and Summons

Chapter 186: Chapter 181: Count Lumbar’s Shock and Summons

But she kept her head bowed, secretly rolling her eyes in silent protest.

"Why did you stop eating your cake?"

Instead of having a servant do it, Vili personally placed the sour fish paste in front of Vilia.

Vilia muttered a thank you, though she was clearly forced.

"You can get tired of good things if you eat them too much."

A helpless expression appeared on Vilia’s face.

The food she had once dreamed of was now readily available everywhere, which made Vilia lose her interest in such delicacies.

Instead, the simpler foods were more palatable.

"But even so, you shouldn’t waste food."

Lake picked up the piece of cake Vilia had cast aside and popped it into his mouth.

As someone who had experienced poverty for half his life, Lake cherished every last bit of food.

In the Ferren Family, whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, they still maintained their old habits.

The family always ate their meals together.

Even the workaholic Sopps would make time to eat with his family every week.

"We need to start thinking about a marriage for Sopps."

With Sopps absent, Mrs. Shaven’s thoughts turned to his marriage.

Sopps was now in his twenties, which was considered old for an unmarried man in this world.

Lake and Mrs. Shaven, who held the traditional belief that one must continue the family line, were quite concerned about this.

"Father, Mother, is there a young lady from a certain family you have in mind? If my older brother has no objections, I will personally go to their home and propose the marriage in my capacity as Baron."

Vili took Sopps’s marriage quite seriously.

He was, after all, his older brother and his chief official. Finding a suitable wife for him would be a blessing for both White Bear Town and the Ferren Family.

"I still need to discuss this thoroughly with your father."

In the past, Mrs. Shaven would never have dared to imagine her son marrying the daughter of an official.

But now, the eligible daughters of officials in White Bear Town, as well as the daughters of some wealthy merchants, were all trying to curry favor with her in hopes of becoming a Ferren Family daughter-in-law. This, in turn, made Mrs. Shaven raise her standards for choosing Sopps’s wife.

"Oh, right. Sandoor’s sister, Lilien, is a good child. You should get to know her better when you have the chance."

Mrs. Shaven’s words were subtle, but a look of satisfaction flashed in her eyes when she mentioned Lilien’s name.

Besides Sopps, some of the younger girls were more interested in Baron Vili, and Lilien was one of them.

In the course of getting to know Lilien, Mrs. Shaven felt that the fifteen-year-old girl was a perfect match for Vili.

"Mm..."

Vili hadn’t expected the topic to shift to him, so he chose to remain silent.

Vilia, meanwhile, was stuffing her face with bread slathered in sour fish paste. She had previously mocked Vili’s taste, but now it was her turn, and she was enjoying the sour fish paste even more than he did.

"Lord Baron!"

As they were eating lunch, a Personal Guard hurried in.

"What is it?"

Vili put down his food.

In the Baron’s Manor, the family lunch was a very important affair. Generally, no one was to disturb them during their meal unless it was a major issue.

"Lord Kirk has arrived!" the Personal Guard announced to Vili.

Kirk was Count Lumbar’s trusted confidant, a Grand Knight in his own right, and also held the noble title of Viscount.

"Alright, I’ll go greet him immediately."

Vili appeared quite calm.

He had long expected this.

Moras was currently imprisoned in White Bear Town’s jail, his bones and sinews shattered. Given the crime he had committed, he was certain to be taken back to Golden Flower City and sent to the guillotine.

What Vili hadn’t expected, however, was that Kirk himself would come to take him back.

"Lord Kirk!"

Vili went to the reception hall and saw Kirk, who was fully clad in armor.

He held Kirk in high regard. After all, Kirk had deliberately given him advice in the past, and he was even the one who had personally reported Vili’s deeds, leading to his title of Baron.

"Baron Vili!"

Kirk was all smiles.

When he learned that Vili had managed to counterattack and annihilate the enemy, he was just as astonished as Count Lumbar.

’To think, the last time I saw Vili, he was only a Middle Knight. Now, he’s already been promoted to Senior Knight so quickly.’

But beyond his shock, Kirk was also gratified. After all, he had maintained a good friendship with Vili before he had truly risen to prominence, which was a wonderful thing.

"Congratulations."

Kirk clapped Vili on the shoulder.

"It was just a stroke of luck."

Vili replied with a smile.

’Of course, that was just a pleasantry. It had clearly been a complete rout.’

"Where is that cavalry Commander, Moras?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Vili, Kirk got straight to the point.

"I’ve shattered his bones and sinews and locked him in the White Bear Town prison."

If you didn’t shatter the bones and sinews of a Senior Knight to block the flow of his Fighting Spirit, he could still escape even if severely injured.

"In that case, bring him out. We will return to Golden Flower City together."

Kirk nodded and said to Vili.

"Yes, Lord Kirk..."

Vili was about to give the order when he suddenly grew puzzled. "Did you say... ’we’?"

"Yes. You performed a great service this time. By saving White Bear Town, you also saved the Lord Count’s face. The Lord Count naturally wants to see you, and there might even be a handsome reward."

Kirk said with a smile.

Vili was rather surprised. He hadn’t expected to be summoned for an audience with Count Lumbar.

’It seems Count Lumbar is taking this cavalry raid more seriously than I thought.’

"Alright, I’ll go give some instructions. We can leave right away."

Since it was a summons from the Lord Count, he naturally couldn’t delay.

Vili moved quickly. After saying goodbye to his family, he had someone send a message to Sandoor, instructing him to manage the town’s affairs while he was away from White Bear Town.

After taking care of everything, Vili and Kirk immediately set out for Golden Flower City.

The journey lasted for a day and a night.

At noon on the third day, Vili and Kirk finally arrived at the central city of Dawei Province, Golden Flower City, the core of Count Lumbar’s domain.

"So this is Golden Flower City..."

Vili, on horseback, looked up at the stone city walls that stood over twenty meters high, a look of astonishment in his eyes.

This ring of walls protected Golden Flower City, and combined with Count Lumbar’s Transcendents, it was like an iron fortress.

Even in the most critical of sieges, it would likely be incredibly difficult to breach the city.

Baron Vili, who had been quite pleased with White Bear Town’s gradual development, suddenly felt a little dispirited after seeing the scene before him.

’So, compared to these Great Nobles, my own power is still so weak.’

’The journey ahead is still long...’

Vili muttered to himself.

"It’s Lord Kirk!"

At the gates of Golden Flower City stood fully armed Guards.

Upon seeing Kirk, they hurriedly pulled open the wooden barrier, allowing Kirk and the cavalrymen behind him to pass through smoothly. ℴ

Vili rode beside Kirk, and as they entered the city, he made a point to scan the Guards.

He discovered that a third of the City Guards had the strength of a Junior Knight’s Squire.

’In a Baron’s Domain, a Junior Knight’s Squire would already be considered an elite guard or even a Personal Guard. But here, they were merely gatekeepers.’

This left Vili somewhat astonished.

’The resources of a Great Noble like a Count are truly formidable.’

"That young man next to Lord Kirk... I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before..." one of the City Guards muttered after Kirk’s party had entered the city.

"A young man who can ride abreast with Lord Kirk must have an extraordinary status. Maybe he’s the heir of some Viscount, here to report to the Lord Count..."

The Guards exchanged a few more words before dropping the subject.

They were long used to seeing all sorts of important figures coming and going in Golden Flower City.