If there was any place in Tanzania Town that did not disappoint Gwen, and allowed him to experience a little bit of the classical and elegant beauty of a foreign world, it would be the wealthy district located in the northern part of the town. A few roads and a wall separated this place from the slums outside, and the respectable people lived in this relatively clean and tidy place.
There were beautiful two-story buildings here. Each building was built with light gray stones and cedar wood. Dried fish and bacon were drying on the balconies that extended from the second floor of the building. These were all symbols of a wealthy family.
Although Tanzania was generally just a town, and far from the scale of a city, the people who lived in the wealthy district would call themselves glorious and proud citizens.
They were great men who were free, could pay taxes, and had respectable jobs in the towns--that is, farmers and foremen in the collieries.
Today, these respectable people were standing on the balcony where they hung their dried fish and cured meat to dry. They were discussing the recent happenings with their neighbors. Anything that was slightly interesting was worth talking about, and the most interesting thing to talk about was, without a doubt, the major event that happened in Cecil's territory.
Tanzania Town and the surrounding area were Viscount Andrew's fief, and Cecil's territory and Viscount Andrew's territory were neighbors. Although there were large areas of desolation between the prosperous areas of the two territories, there were still official roads. Therefore, even in this era where information exchange was not smooth, what happened in Cecil's territory had long spread throughout Tanzania Town.
First, a group of people who looked like refugees, led by a Knight and a dozen soldiers, fled to this place. Then, the news spread that Cecil's territory was completely submerged and destroyed by a large number of monsters and the Elemental Tide.
This sensational bad news was just like a story made up by bards. The citizens who had lived for many years in the peaceful era did not believe this at first, but the refugees and battered soldiers did enter the town. Then, Viscount Andrew issued an order to not only enforce a stricter curfew, but also increase the patrols around the town. Thus, the absurd horror story became a reality.
The citizens raised the bad news that happened in Cecil's territory from a topic of conversation after a meal to a topic of serious conversation.
At first, they only chatted occasionally when they met in the tavern, but now, they needed to stand on the balcony and talk seriously with the dried fish and bacon as the background.
And just as these respectable people were talking about how the declining Cecil family was finally finished, the person in charge of the Cecil family had already passed through the wealthy district and the church district, and entered Viscount Andrew's castle.
No matter how poor the lives of the poor people in Tanzania Town were, Viscount Andrew's house was magnificent. In fact, due to the wealth of the territory and the family's ability to amass wealth, the castle built by the Viscount was far more beautiful than the small, run-down fort Rebecca lived in when she was young.
After announcing the visitor's identity to the castle, Viscount Andrew's butler invited Gwen and the others into the castle. They were led to a spacious and bright reception hall, and sat behind a long mahogany table, waiting for the viscount to receive them.
Sitting in the wide and comfortable velvet chair, Gawain looked at the exquisite tea set made of silver in front of him. He couldn't help but think of the poor and haggard people outside, as well as the houses that looked like shacks. He had to admit that he was somewhat disillusioned with this fantasy world of swords and magic.
"Ancestor," Rebecca, who was sitting next to Gwen, quietly poked her ancestor's elbow. "How do we introduce you later?"
"Let's do as we've discussed. Just say it directly," Gawain said calmly. "Here, we'll keep a high profile."
"Ancestor," Heti also spoke, and at the same time, she pouted in the direction of Amber. "Do you really think … it's suitable for her to appear here?"
Amber was sitting opposite Gwen. The half-elf lady was carefully studying the silver tea set in front of her. Her main method of study was to pour away the tea and then put the cup into her arms. When Gwen looked up, she also put a spoon in it.
Gwen stared at her and said, "Amber!"
"Wow!" The thief lady exclaimed a little exaggeratedly. Then, she embarrassedly took out the things in her arms and put them on the table, including two teacups, three spoons, a silver plate, a pocket watch, a handful of nuts, two wine glasses, and the monocle that the butler had hung on his chest.
Gwen: "?!"
What the f * ck, Miss Dora A, how did you do it?!
At this moment, Gwen could not help but touch the Pioneer's Sword beside him. He sincerely thanked the thief for not stealing when she dug up the grave.
"She's an important witness to my resurrection," Gwen said seriously, trying to suppress the twitching of his face. "And don't you think it's easier to ruin things if we put her in a place where we can't keep an eye on her?"
Heidi immediately nodded her head in agreement.
At this moment, Viscount Andrew finally walked into the parlor.
The oak door was pushed open by the attendant, and a thin and tall man walked into the room. He was wearing a close-fitting long black suit. His short dark brown hair was stuck to his scalp after applying balm, and his meticulous mustache extended to both sides under his nose. His face was pale with an abnormal blush. This kind of sickly face was actually very common among the nobles, especially those who were not very talented in magic or martial arts.
In order to experience supernatural powers beyond their talent and indulge in more indulgence, they would overdose on expensive magic potions to "strengthen their perception", and the side effect of this magic potion would be reflected on their face.
They even took pride in it and regarded the pale face as one of the signs of nobility.
In this regard, the descendants of Cecil, who still followed the ancestral teachings and relied on their own efforts to practice martial arts (or magic), had become an anomaly in the noble circle. But there was no other way. After all, the Cecil family had declined. Not to mention the magic potions, which were often priceless, Rebecca did not even have the money to repair the hole in the family castle. Of course, she did not need to repair the hole now.
"Ah, beautiful Madam Heti, and equally beautiful Miss Rebecca, I'm really sorry for being late," Viscount Andrew said loudly as soon as he entered the room. His tone was rhythmic, and his face seemed to be sincerely apologetic. "But I'm too busy. The bad news that happened in Cecil's territory has spread throughout my territory. The people are panicking, and I have to spend most of my time every day arranging the defense of the territory and listening to the reports of the patrols."
Gwen suddenly had goosebumps and whispered, "Do you have to use this kind of aria to talk to the nobles these days?"
Rebecca lowered her voice and said, "Ancestor, weren't your nobles like this in the past?"
"Back in the day, we would usually hide in the tavern and drink a lot of alcohol while boasting to each other. Then, we would talk about things in passing."
"… Then the customs are indeed different now. Of course, Viscount Andrew's way of speaking is … a little special. "
"We understand. You should be busy now." Heti saw that Rebecca, the legitimate successor of Cecil, was busy chatting with the ancestor and did not realize that she should stand up to respond. She immediately felt embarrassed and resentful. She then stood up and said, "But I still want to remind you that you should call Rebecca Viscount, not Miss. She has inherited the family title as early as last year. On such an occasion, you should call her Viscount Rebecca or Viscount Cecil."
The rules of the nobles in this world did not seem to be so strict when it came to addressing nobles in general situations. The nobles could either use their given names or their surnames before their titles.
After being glared at by Heti, Rebecca stood up and bowed to Viscount Andrew. Her action was still considered standard. "Viscount Andrew, thank you very much for your hospitality."
"It's my pleasure, Viscount Cecil." Reminded by Heti, Andrew recalled the lady's reputation in the noble circle. So he restrained himself a little and chose to use her surname instead of her given name when addressing Rebecca. This was a relatively serious way of addressing her. "I deeply regret what happened to Cecil Hill. It was really a disaster. But I'm glad that you're safe and sound. It seems that the inheritance of the Cecil family will not be cut off. "
What followed was almost meaningless pleasantries and congratulatory words. One side expressed their concern strictly in accordance with the rules, while the other side tried to show their gratitude and touched after receiving warmth. Obviously, Miss Rebecca, whose brain seemed to have been caught by a door, was not very good at this kind of communication. So she stiffly pulled the topic back to the right track. "Before the castle fell, Knight Philip led a team to cover the civilians' escape. They should have retreated here. According to the law made by the founding emperor, they should be under your protection at this moment. How are they doing now? "
"Of course, the law made by the founding emperor is sacred. Although my territory is small, it's more than enough to help my neighbors in distress." Andrew nodded. "The brave Knight was covered with injuries and has not recovered yet. I arranged for him to rest in the church of the Church of Holy Light. It can provide him with the best treatment. As for the loyal soldiers and poor civilians, I arranged for them to stay in the East City District and the South City District. Until now, no one has died of cold or starvation. "
Not a single one of the Cecil citizens who had fled to this place had died from the cold or starvation. This was already a show of care and concern. Of course, Viscount Andrew was willing to take in the refugees for a reason. After all, every Cecil people he took in would be converted into a debt to Rebecca. If Rebecca wanted to revive the family, she had to pay Viscount Andrew a "reward" based on the number of people.
Just as "one should do his best to help his neighbors in distress, a noble should take in and shelter the people of a noble in distress" was written in the Ansu law, "the recipient should pay the benefactor the necessary reward" was also clearly written in the code. Gwen was very clear about this.
After all, these two laws had been decided by Gawain Cecil and Charles the First back in those days …
Rebecca wasn't mature enough as a noble, but she still understood the rules. She couldn't help but frown when she heard Andrew's words. She doubted if she had the ability to repay this debt that had suddenly come upon her.
She could not help but look at Gwen, and some bold and annoying ideas came into her mind.
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