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(Today's update is delivered ~)
GOR Chapter 387 "Loulan City"
(As usual, the two chapters will be combined into one. There will be no separate chapters, but the weight will only increase.)
Even Princess Louise had almost forgotten the etiquette that she had cultivated since she was a child. No matter what, it was very impolite to stare at a person like that.
Princess Louise even forgot to answer the other party's question. Fortunately, Miss Daisy who was behind her recovered and gently pulled the princess back.
Only then did the princess regain her senses. But when she heard the other party's words, she became even more shocked.
That fellow … servant?
What shocked Louise the most was that the "servant" that this unbelievably beautiful fellow spoke of was actually just a servant? This strange fellow appears to be so arrogant that even his outstanding temperament seems to have been born with it. This kind of naturally exuding aura is clearly a temperament that can only be cultivated by someone who is high above others … such a person is just a servant?
Most likely, the majority of the people in the world are only fit to be his servant!
However, when these words came out of the mouth of this unbelievably beautiful fellow, it seems to be a matter of course. The strange thing was that this beauty (Louise inwardly called this fellow), he (she?), he (she?), she? Every word is clear and gentle. If the servant's temperament is like a proud mountain, then this person is like the vast sky! No matter how proud the mountain is, it seems to be unable to reach higher than the sky.
"… Ah." Louise finally opened her mouth. She took a deep breath. After all, she had been educated in the palace since childhood. She was slightly flustered and calmed down. Smiling, she said: "En, you are right. We are indeed going to Loulan City. May I ask, what is your …"
The other party's eyes carried an undisguised smile. His every movement seemed to contain an indescribable elegance: "En, that is great. I have a very presumptuous request. My servant and I came from another place and wanted to travel to the Northwest to enjoy the scenery outside the Great Wall. Unfortunately, we have just been informed in this town that the Duke of the Tulip Family has issued a special decree. I heard that because Loulan City is too prosperous, there are too many merchants coming in and out of the continent every day. Therefore, the Duke of the Tulip Family has issued a restriction on entering the city. In addition to paying customs, you also need to obtain a customs clearance before you can enter the city. Moreover, this is the busy season. I heard that at this time of year, all the inns in the city will be full. If you do not have a customs clearance, you will not be able to find an inn … Beautiful lady, you see, us master and servant are just ordinary tourists, not merchants. Moreover, we came from afar and did not know about this special decree in the Northwest... Therefore, I took the liberty of blocking your way... So, I took the liberty of you and your companions........ and your companion.... and I.........
Princess Louise froze for a moment.
The customs clearance is a new decree issued by Du Wei. Since the year before last, in order to prevent the Northwest Army or the prairie's spies from entering his territory, he ordered a checkpoint to be set up in the entire Desa Province. Caravans coming and going must be enthroned and go through the customs clearance procedures before they can enter.
Princess Louise came from the Imperial Capital. Although she didn't show up as a princess, she had already asked her subordinates to go through the formalities in the name of a noble in the Imperial Capital before she came. She has the customs clearance procedures, but …. Bringing these two strange people into the city?
The curiosity in Louise's heart finally got the upper hand. Bringing these two people into the city is not a big deal for a dignified princess like her. But she was really curious about this unbelievably beautiful guy.
She has seen all kinds of noble children since she was young, but she has never seen a person with such beauty! As she stared at this guy, she was secretly guessing his background.
Judging from his appearance, he should be very young. Furthermore, his standard accent in the language of the Roland Continent was something that could only be acquired through rigorous training from an aristocratic family since young. Furthermore, his demeanor, as well as his flawless elegance, made Princess Louise even more certain that this fellow was a young man from an aristocratic family.
But she has never heard of such a young and outstanding person from any noble family in the empire. Is it one of the ancient families in the north? But this guy looks so gentle and delicate, unlike the forthright northerners. Then, is he a southerner? But looking at his white skin and crystal clear eyes, he doesn't look like one of those overly shrewd southerners. Most importantly, Princess Louise felt that all the top notch families in the continent are basically gathered in the capital. If there was such an outstanding person in the younger generation of a noble family, it would be impossible for her not to know.
"Alright." The princess and Miss Dailey looked at each other and said, "It's not difficult to bring you into the city. But, honorable sir, before you ask for help, can you explain your identity and origin?"
"Yes, my name is Luo Xue. I come from the north of the continent." This person smiled. She had to admit that when he smiled, even Princess Louise was momentarily dazed by his smile.
"… Oh … Luo Xue, what a beautiful name." The princess concealed her loss of composure. "Compared to your hometown, you must be familiar with the beautiful northern scenery of falling snow." She paused and looked at the "servant" behind her. "Yes, where's your companion?"
Even if she was beaten to death, Princess Louise would never believe that a person with such an outstanding temperament, who even had a faint pressure, could be a servant.
"Oh … he's just a servant. You can just call him Little Three." Luo Xue calmly replied. His tone was still very gentle, but when he mentioned this servant, his gentleness was appropriate. It was like the gentleness of a kind master to a servant. Although he was amiable, the faint sense of superiority was very real.
He … he really was a servant.
But … Little Three, this name was … so strange.
Soon, the princess decided to bring them along. She saw that these two people did not even have horses, so she asked the accompanying Knight to give up two horses for them to ride.
These accompanying Knight were the elite guards who guarded the princess and Miss Dailey. They were already very unhappy that these two strangers blocked their way. Naturally, some of them were unhappy that they had to give up their horses. But the princess gave the order, so the Knight did not dare to disobey. Anyway, these Knight had traveled a long distance, so each of them rode two horses and brought spare horses.
At this moment, in order to embarrass these two people who blocked their way, someone brought out the two fiercest horses from their spare horses.
These two tall horses were the best warhorses in the Imperial Army. However, ordinary people couldn't ride these warhorses.
Seeing these two horses brought to the two people, the other Knight sneered in their hearts, "I'll throw you off your horses later!"
But then, everyone was stunned!
When these two tall war horses came to the two people, they were originally moving their hooves anxiously. One of them even seemed to be faintly afraid and kept neighing uneasily. The servant named 'Little Three' snorted coldly. However, this' snort 'caused the horse beside him to let out a long neigh before retreating restlessly. If it weren't for the fact that these warhorses had undergone strict training, perhaps they would have already broken free from the reins in the hands of the knights and run away.
Even the surrounding Knight felt a strange fear and pressure grow in their hearts under this strange "Little Three's" gaze.
At this time, Luo Xue smiled faintly and took two steps forward. He reached out and caressed the horse's back. There seemed to be a natural gentle aura on him, and the anxious war horse immediately calmed down.
Under everyone's gaze, Luo Xue's hand gently landed on the horse's head and stroked it back and forth. The war horse actually obediently lowered its head and then knelt down with its four hooves in front of Luo Xue. It actually became extremely docile and allowed Luo Xue to sit easily on its back. Only then did the war horse stand up.
"Little Three, don't scare our companions." Luo Xue rode on the horse and glanced back at his servant. There was a trace of fear in Little Three's expression. He did not dare to disobey Luo Xue's orders. With a snort, he pulled on the reins and flipped onto the horse, no longer moving.
•
The group headed for Luolan City. At the checkpoint at the city gate, they easily went through the procedures to enter the city and arrived at Luolan City.
This season was the most prosperous time for Luolan City. Everything in the spring came back to life. After the bitter winter, all kinds of resources had been consumed. It was the best time for large numbers of merchants to swarm out of the pass and enter the grasslands to sell all kinds of daily necessities, food, and other goods.
Entering Luolan City, the streets were bustling with people. Merchants came and went, and carriages crowded the roads. Although the northwest had just experienced a war, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the merchants. Luolan City, the largest city on the border of the Empire, had become a bustling commercial city under Du Wei's two years of management.
Although the streets were busy and crowded, they were not disorderly. Groups of cavalry wearing the uniform of the Tulip Family's city guard rode back and forth on patrol. On the signboard at the city gate, the latest decree of the Duke of the Tulip Family was posted. There were even some clerks specially appointed by the Administration Bureau who stood beside the signboard and loudly read the contents.
From the moment they entered the city gate, in the eyes of Princess Louise and the others, the entire Luolan City was a scene of prosperity.
A few streets in the distance were even being expanded, and tall houses were being built one after another. What was strange was that there were even groups of two or three ordinary citizens beside the construction projects. They were holding baskets filled with food and water to reward the workers who were building the houses and roads.
The workers were all wearing a strange but uniform gray clothes with the word "Construction" embroidered on the front of the clothes in the language of the Roland Continent.
Princess Louise was a little puzzled. She had never seen such a scene before. It was as if the people who were building the projects were a unified group. In the history of the Roland Empire, whether it was building roads or houses, if it was an official project of the Empire, they would directly recruit coolies and laborers, or even transfer slaves to do the construction. Some aristocratic families would also use their own slaves and servants to build their own houses.
The princess was curious, so she sent someone to ask about it. In the end, she received a strange answer.
"Master." A Knight who came back to report also had a strange expression. In front of outsiders, he called the princess "Master" and not "Your Highness". The Knight honestly replied: "I have asked. It turns out that the construction workers wearing gray clothes are a team of subordinates of the Desa Province's Administration who are responsible for all kinds of construction projects. Also, I heard that they are an organization of the army. This is an original creation of the Duke of the Tulip Family, called the 'Engineering Corps'. These guys' all daily work is to build all kinds of projects, open roads, build bridges, break ground and so on ….. Just like the soldiers, they are paid every month. "
"Hmm, but why are the citizens carrying food and water to reward the Engineering Corps? Is the army here so loved by the citizens? "The princess asked.
"This ….. is not so." The Knight scratched his head: "I have asked them. These people are ordinary people here. The road that you see is being built and the houses that are being expanded on both sides are theirs. These people carrying food and water are the residents of this street. In other words, they are the owners of the houses that are being built. "
The princess was moved. She looked at the houses that were being built in the distance. They are not small ….. Could it be that the Desa Province has become so rich? Even the ordinary citizens were rich enough to live in such a big house?
Fortunately, the Knight quickly gave the answer: "Master, this is also what surprised me. They told me that whether it is the houses or the roads, the Duke of the Tulip Family announced that the Desa Province's Administration Department will be paying for the construction. It is said that within this year, more than a dozen streets in Loulan City will be completely widened and rebuilt. The cost will be paid by the local government. The residents only need to promise one thing, that is that their family's children, as long as they reach the age of 18, will receive the Tulip Family's private army's reserve training in the Desa Province. "
"All of them will join the army?"
"No, not all of them will join the army, only the reserves. It is said that the Duke of the Tulip Family's decree is very simple. As long as the young people in their families reach the age of 18, they will receive a year of reserve military training. It is not really joining the army, but only training. After a year of training, they can go home. These citizens are very supportive of this decree. As long as they promise to receive half a year of military training, they will be able to live in their houses for free. However, the ownership of the houses belongs to the Desa Province's government. These citizens have the right to live there and do not have to pay rent. Military training in exchange for free housing. "
Princess Louise was stunned.
Could it be that Du Wei ….. that guy has so much money that he has nowhere to spend it?
This Loulan City has at least 300,000 permanent residents. There are at least 70,000 to 80,000 young men. All of them can participate in military training and live in the big houses provided by the government for free?
At the side, after Miss Dailey heard this, she lowered her head and pondered for a moment. Suddenly, she softly spat out a sentence: "Hiding soldiers among the people?"
"Not only Loulan City." Knight replied with a bitter smile: "I heard that this decree was issued by the Duke of the Tulip Family at the beginning of this year. It has already been implemented in the entire Desa Province. It is said that there is a new recruit training camp fifty miles outside of Loulan City. These normal citizens who receive the training are allowed to go home every seven days after the training. "
The whole province?
What is this Du Wei trying to do?
If this continues, the entire Desa Province will have over 300,000 young men! After all, as long as they receive a year of military training, they will be able to live in a big house for free. Very few people would refuse such a good thing. 300,000 young men, even if only half of them accept this condition, in less than a year, Du Wei's territory will have at least 100,000 young men with military experience! When necessary, with a conscription order, these people will be able to wear military uniforms and immediately become qualified soldiers!
In the distance, Luo Xue and his servant rode their horses, drifting far away from Princess Louise's group. Although the knight's voice wasn't loud, with Luo Xue's ability, he naturally didn't miss a single word and heard it clearly. After hearing this, Luo Xue suddenly sighed faintly.
"This Duke of the Tulip Family is so generous. 150,000 soldiers hiding among the people … "
He turned his head and glanced at his servant. Suddenly, he softly smiled and said: "It seems that you are right. Among these humans, the one most likely to cause trouble for us is this Duke of the Tulip Family ….. Third Prince, your information is very good."
A trace of fear suddenly appeared in the servant's eyes. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to let the Elf King see his expression clearly. However, he softly said: "You ….. In front of you, there is no third prince. I am now only your servant, my honorable king! "
With mixed feelings, the group continued to walk forward. As soon as they turned a corner, the road ahead was clearly the busiest part of Loulan City. The street was at least twice as wide as the previous one, and the houses on both sides were tall and bustling.
What was even more strange was that on this street, there was a huge banner every dozen meters or so. Those banners were of different colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, purple, there were all kinds of colors. On each huge banner, there were clearly words that shocked Princess Louise and her group … …
"Sicilian Fur Company, the best fur goods on the continent — — Address, Vermillion Bird Street 1!"
"Old Mama Hot Pot Restaurant, a chain in Desa Province, come and taste the delicious food! Address, Green Dragon Street 2! "
"Quickly come and see, there are the best jewelry here! Wealthy Jewelry Company, the gold brand of the continent! Address, just turn around the corner! "
"Snow Wolf Mercenary Group Headquarters! The bravest and most loyal warriors will solve all your troubles! Address, Black Tortoise Street 1! (Illegal commissions are declined) "
If one were to say that these strange banners of all shapes and sizes were only enough to make one's jaw drop, then one would immediately notice that on both sides of this street, every 20 metres, there would be a large wooden trash can that was half the height of a person. Even the walls of these trash cans were painted with glossy paint, with words such as "Traveller's Home, Desa Province's best chain hotel!", "Wear Hawke's Boots, Walk Ten Thousand Miles!", "Mjolnir Weapon Shop, Dwarven Craftsmanship, The Continent's Finest Weapon!", etc …
These various things made the group of outsiders dumbfounded. Then, Princess Louise's curiosity was aroused again. She immediately sent Knight to ask the passersby. The result made everyone even more surprised.
"These signboards were set up by the order of the Duke of the Tulip Family. Those banners and the words on the trash can are what the Duke called 'advertisements'. However, if a business wants to write their own words on the trash can, they have to pay a fee. It's said that every month, they have to go to the Governor's Office to participate in the bidding. Now, it's said that a banner on this street has been raised to a thousand gold coins a month, and a trash can has been raised to five hundred gold coins a month. "
Hearing this, Princess Louise quickly calculated in her mind. She couldn't help but take a deep breath. Looking at the wide and bustling street, looking at the banners and trash cans in the distance, she calculated the amount and sighed, "Heavens, doesn't this mean that just this street alone can make the Duke of the Tulip Family earn more than ten thousand gold coins a month? Just by hanging a few pieces of cloth here, he can earn at least ten thousand gold coins a month! "
"Ten thousand gold coins is enough to support a standard infantry battalion of the Empire." As expected of the general's sister, Miss Dailey immediately came to this conclusion, "This Duke of the Tulip Family is truly a master at accumulating wealth."
Luoxue, who had been following behind, couldn't help but sigh at this moment. He whispered to the servant beside him, "Do you see? Many of the young men walking on this street have steady steps, strong arms, and spirited eyes. Although they are commoners, it's obvious that they have undergone military training. These are much stronger than the other places on the continent that we've come from. I'm afraid … once a war breaks out in the future, this Duke of the Tulip Family will be able to raise a qualified army of hundreds of thousands at any time. Moreover, this fellow seems to be very good at making money. This money must be used to support his army. "
That servant was naturally the Third Prince of the Dragons who had surrendered. A trace of ruthlessness flashed through his eyes as he whispered, "Master, I've dealt with this fellow before. He is a very shrewd and powerful person. Back then, he was even able to escape from my father's pursuit. Along the way, this Duke of the Tulip Family is probably the most outstanding human talent. Perhaps … we can now … "As he spoke, he raised his finger and lightly drew a line across his neck.
Seeing the fierce expression on the Golden Dragon's face, Luoxue smiled gently. He raised his head and looked at the sky. The sunlight was already somewhat dazzling. Luoxue stretched out his delicate hand and covered his eyes. Under the golden light, the ring of silver wire on his wrist faintly glowed.
Finally, the Elf King smiled. His smile was as warm as the spring breeze, but his voice, word by word, was like a knife cutting into the Golden Dragon's heart.
"Don't think that I don't know what you're thinking … You'd better remember carefully that your current identity is only my servant. No matter what happens, no matter what decision I make, I don't need you to 'contribute your wisdom' to me." The Elf King looked at the Golden Dragon. Although his smile was gentle, his eyes seemed to hide needles. "Assassinating a Duke in the human world, and he himself is a powerhouse of the continent, surrounded by masters … You must really want me to die on the Roland Continent."
The Golden Dragon's expression changed. He was about to defend himself when Luoxue smiled faintly. "Don't deny it. We both know each other's thoughts. You've submitted to me, but I'm not so naive as to think that you're loyal to me. However, I need to remind you … Even if you want to play some tricks, you'd better do it cleverly. Next time, don't use such a stupid trick, because it will make me look down on your intelligence. "
As he spoke, Luoxue had already lightly kicked the belly of his horse and walked to the front.
A complicated expression flashed through the Golden Dragon's eyes as he stayed behind.
•
Princess Louise and her party went directly to the southern Chamber of Commerce's residence in the city. Miss Dailey's family was a wealthy family in the southern part of the continent and was inextricably linked to this southern Chamber of Commerce. Knowing early on that the most distinguished young lady of the family was coming, the people of the Chamber of Commerce had already cleared out a clean, comfortable, and spacious courtyard in the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce.
When Princess Louise and her party arrived, the head of the Chamber of Commerce immediately went out to greet them and invited them into the courtyard. Dailey didn't reveal Princess Louise's identity and only said that she was a good friend. In any case, a young lady of a noble family like this would always have a few close friends. The head of the Chamber of Commerce only treated her as a noble young lady from a certain family and warmly welcomed her.
Dailey ordered the guards to guard Knight's courtyard while she and Louise brought their maids into the Chamber of Commerce.
The courtyard was clean and comfortable, but it was slightly small. The head of the Chamber of Commerce's explanation was that Loulan City was developing very quickly and the price of land here was too high. Every inch of land was worth gold, so their Chamber of Commerce couldn't occupy too much land. The southern Chamber of Commerce's strength was quite good. It was rare to see such a place in Loulan City.
Princess Louise didn't care about the living environment and immediately sent her trusted maid to go to the Chamber of Commerce of the Lister Family in Loulan City to contact Madam Lister.
As for Luoxue …
The curious Princess Louise urged the Elf King to stay. The Elf King, who had originally planned to temporarily stay here, didn't refuse and temporarily stayed as a guest. Out of respect for this mysterious "beauty," Princess Louise ordered that Mr. Snowfall and his servant should be given a separate courtyard.
Luoxue happily accepted the princess's kindness and then made a request. He saw that the Chamber of Commerce also had a study and hoped to borrow some books from the study.
"What kind of books do you need?"
"Any books will do. It would be best if there is a comprehensive history of the continent. I've already read the sixth volume. You should have the full set, right?" The Elf King's gentle demeanor made the head of the Chamber of Commerce secretly guess — was he a prominent noble from the capital?
"Oh, although we don't have it, I'll immediately have someone buy a set." The head of the Chamber of Commerce quickly retreated.
For some reason, facing this beautiful man with a gentle smile (in fact, even he couldn't tell the other's gender, but when Miss Dailey introduced him, she called Luoxue "Sir" and Luoxue didn't express any objection), the head of the Chamber of Commerce felt an inexplicable reverence in his heart.
At lunchtime, Princess Louise sent someone to invite Luoxue to eat together. The King of Elves happily accepted the invitation, but in order not to ruin the atmosphere, Luoxue considerately did not bring his "servant" to attend. Instead, he left the Golden Dragon in the courtyard.
During lunch, Miss Dailey and Princess Louise used all kinds of words to try to find out Luoxue's identity. However, the Elf King's speech was excellent. Astronomy, geography, humanities, arts, music, and painting, it seemed as if this multi-talented man was extremely proficient in everything. In many fields, although he didn't really do anything, some of his views, in the eyes of Princess Louise and Miss Dailey, were almost comparable to the famous masters of the capital they had met. The Elf King's elegant demeanor made this lunch very enjoyable.
Princess Louise paid special attention to Mr. Luo Xue's posture when he ate. When he used the knife and fork, even Princess Louise, who had been taught palace etiquette since she was young, felt inferior. Looking at Mr. Luoxue's posture, it was like looking at an extremely beautiful painting. Even the slightest movement of his fingers seemed to be extremely beautiful!
While the two women were intoxicated, they couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
How could there be such a beautiful person in the world? If he were a woman, then no woman in the world would be able to compare to him!
After lunch, the head of the Chamber of Commerce hurriedly came to disturb them, interrupting the atmosphere of the three people's conversation.
This head brought a message: The most trusted assistant of the Duke of the Tulip Family, the Chief Political Officer of the Desa Province, and the second-in-command of the Desa Province, Sir Philip, had come to visit!
The purpose of Sir Philip's visit was very simple. He claimed to have learned of the arrival of Miss Dailey, who was about to become the Princess of the Empire, so he came to greet her on behalf of the Duke of the Tulip Family. At the same time, he warmly invited Miss Dailey to attend a noble banquet held in the Duke's mansion tonight.
Miss Dailey and Princess Louise glanced at each other. Under Princess Louise's gaze, Miss Dailey asked, "Where is Sir Philip?"
"He's outside."
"That's too negligent." Miss Dailey frowned, "The Chief Political Officer of the Desa Province is equivalent to the Governor of the Empire. How can we let Sir Philip wait outside? Quickly invite him in! "
Miss Dailey glanced at Luoxue. She originally wanted to ask Luoxue to leave first, but her heart suddenly moved. She didn't know what mischievous thoughts were causing her to speak, but when the words reached her mouth, she swallowed them back down.
When the Elf King heard that it was "the most trusted assistant of the Duke of the Tulip Family", her beautiful eyes immediately flashed with a trace of excitement …
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