At the same time, a small banquet was being held in the Davinci Territory, east of Eiffta.
This territory belonged to Aferta, and the owner was Baron Panini. At this moment, he was raising his glass and toasting the two lords of the 'neighboring' territory. "Cheers to the Fuser silver mine!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Baron Panini was 36 years old this year. He was one of the younger nobles in this group. He was slightly bald, and his belly was round from years of "nourishment" from wine and meat. He looked more like a local tycoon than a hereditary noble. Sitting opposite him were the two great lords of Bogdo parish, Viscount Anru and Count Bolachi. The three of them were the main characters of today's banquet, and the rest of the lesser nobles sat beside them like stars surrounding the moon, constantly agreeing with their decisions.
"Such a small piece can be sold for more than 400 gold coins in any auction house … Tsk tsk."
Viscount Anru held a piece of silver ore in his hand. As it had not been smelted, the surface of the ore still had a layer of oxidized black spots and many impurities. However, anyone could tell that this stone was extraordinary. It was extremely light. It was only the size of a fist, but it weighed about the same as a metal ring in one's hand.
This was the rare thorium produced by the Fuser silver mine. It was the metal with the highest "magic-conducting efficiency" on the continent. It could even be said that … any set of magical armor with thorium components was qualified to be a family's "heirloom".
And now, the immeasurably valuable Fuser silver mine was their target.
"I used to think of the Cote Mountains as a burden. Who would've thought that it's such a huge treasure trove! The team that was sent out just reported back today. Apart from the three Thorium pits that were previously discovered, a new pit and sixteen accompanying ordinary silver mines have been discovered in the past few days … "
Baron Panini's face was flushed from the alcohol. He picked up his wine glass and smiled. "It's all thanks to Viscount Anru and Count Bolachi. If it weren't for you two, this mine would have been taken away by that girl a long time ago. What would be left for me?"
"Heh … Half of the mine isn't even in Efta. Why should she have the final say?" Viscount An Ru chuckled as he took a sip of red wine. His face was filled with contempt.
Count Borach stroked his goatee and asked, "Baron Panini, which mines can you confirm before the end of March?"
"My Lord, we'll find out as soon as we dig around. For thorium to be exposed on the surface of the vein, it must be an unprecedentedly rich ore. You can rest assured about this!"
"That's good, that's good."
Count Borach was a cowardly and greedy man. He finished the wine in his glass and sighed. "We're in for a penny, in for a pound. That girl may be young, but she's Duke after all. We'd better be prepared."
"Why should we, the lords, be afraid of a little girl like her? Just because of those two outdated knights? Or was it that new gigolo she found? What's his name again? Oh, Roddy, haha … What a country bumpkin's name. I heard that he used to be a border scout. He sold his life to Duke's bed. Tsk tsk, if this story were told to the bards, it would be a 'legendary epic'. "
"Hahahaha …"
The nobles beside them burst into laughter. The rumors about Sally's private life were simply unsightly. Although everyone could see that these rumors had ulterior motives, in this era that lacked entertainment, gossiping about other people's' gossip 'should be a fun pastime for everyone.
Viscount Anru, on the other hand, did not look too good. He laughed dryly a few times with a forced expression. The team that had gone to ambush Rody had been completely annihilated. More than a dozen of his private soldiers had died. He was not even sure if Rody knew that he was the one who had done it.
However, more than two months had passed, and Roddy had not said anything. Perhaps he had forgotten about me? Hmph, if that bastard comes, I'll definitely think of a way to get rid of him …
Viscount An Ru was a ruthless person. He believed in the saying, 'If you don't kill a snake, you'll be the one to suffer.' Therefore, he became a little lost in thought. However, Baron Panini's voice suddenly pulled him back to reality.
"We hope to see Viscount An Ru in action during this hunting trip. I heard that you're an excellent hunter. Please save us some face!"
"Haha … It's all a bluff. It doesn't really count." An Ru's expression finally recovered a little. She smiled and asked, "What about the hunting area? It's not going to be like before, where you just put two wild boars in a forest, right? "
"Of course not." Baron Panini was the organizer of this spring hunting event. Since the hunting area was in his territory, he was especially excited about this topic. His voice unconsciously became louder. "This time's' hunting event 'will not only be attended by the nobles of our western territory, but also many nobles from the king's city will come …"
"Really?!"
"What?"
An appropriate pause elicited just the right amount of exclamations. The nobles of the kingdom were actually very happy to have a chance to meet each other. It was more convenient for their children to get married in the future, or for their entire family to "hug" or be "hugged" by others. Generally speaking, the west was poor, the east was rich, so this meant that the nobles attending this trip were probably a group of relatively wealthy lords.
"… Due to the large number of participants, the hunting area was chosen to be in the Da Vinci Forest. This isn't a game where you can hunt wild boars or rabbits. Although the area will be cordoned off, no magical beasts or ferocious beasts will be chased away. Whether you can hunt or not will depend on your own abilities …"
"That must be a very large area, right? Baron Panini, do you have enough men? "
Panini had been waiting for this. He smiled and said loudly, "Count Milnor of Bergen is also interested in this hunting trip, so he is willing to cooperate with me. We will arrange everything together. His only son, Viscount Sienna, will also be here!"
This news immediately caused an uproar and pushed the atmosphere of the banquet to a climax. The participation of a "rich son-in-law" was enough for these nobles to think about how they should behave.
*****
While the nobles of Eiferta were cheering, Roddy looked at Natha in confusion. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
These days, Roddy had been busy with all sorts of things. In contrast, Natha's life was very simple: practicing archery, practicing archery, and practicing archery. She only did this one thing every day, so much so that she almost became an archery machine.
Since Roddy was her "mentor", of course, he did not want her to take any detours. So, every few days, he would give her some guidance. It was not only about archery skills, but also how to find a suitable shooting position on the battlefield, how to hide in different terrains, and so on …
Later, in order to let Natha combine theory with practice, Roddy arranged a series of missions to the forest outside the city to hunt magical beasts. Today, when Natha successfully returned with the Magic Crystal, Roddy found that there was an additional line of information on her title:
"Ranger Level 1"
This was something that Roddy did not expect, but it really happened in front of him. His former mentor had now entered the ranks of "Ranger" because of his guidance!
"What happened?"
After being stared at by Roddy for a long time, Natha finally could not help but ask.
"Uh? No, nothing. You have enough training. Rest for a few days, adjust your body, and the day after tomorrow … prepare to set off. "
Roddy was still immersed in an inexplicable emotion. He was not satisfied, nor was he excited. He just felt that the feeling of history being "reversed" was strange.
"That … Teacher."
"Yes?"
"I, I want to learn your archery … Can I?"
Natha stuttered a little, and her request also surprised Roddy. Her original archery was different from the "Mediterranean" and "Mongolian" style. It was unique to the Wood Elves and had balanced strengths and weaknesses. In fact, it was the most suitable archery style for "Survival" Rangers. Sometimes, Roddy was a little envious.
So he shook his head and said, "My archery style is only suitable for close-range combat, mainly to complement magic. Your archery style is actually just right. You have a much more solid foundation than I did in the past. In the future, you will be stronger than me sooner or later."
Rody was not exaggerating. Nata's innate talent was not particularly outstanding. However, when it came to the amount of effort most people put in, there were many things that did not depend on innate talent. Sometimes, with five or ten times the effort, a quantitative change could produce a qualitative change.
At that time, he had never crossed the barrier of Level 59. But what about Natha?
Looking at the confused Wood Elf in front of him, Roddy vaguely understood her thoughts and smiled, "Don't think about being the next. You have to think about being the first. Remember this, don't lose your way in the future."
"Okay, okay."
Natha rarely took the initiative to express her feelings. In fact, when she returned today, she felt that she had broken through some kind of barrier. For an elf who walked out of the Silent Forest, at this moment, her heart was filled with indescribable gratitude. Because in Erza Village, all the Wood Elves who could "break through" eventually became the strongest hunters and "guardians" of the village.
In other words, she was now qualified to be on equal footing with Village Head Brudy.
All this was because of his teaching. At this moment, Natha really wanted to say "thank you" to Roddy, but she opened her mouth several times and could not say it no matter how hard she tried.
Perhaps it was because his shadow had deeply rooted in her heart that she was afraid that saying "thank you" would put distance between them.
Then I will continue to follow him like this …
Looking at Roddy's back as he left, Natha thought.
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