The sky gradually darkened, and the old guards had also finished their training for the day. They would have dinner first, and after dinner, they would have a period of free time. They could read books, take a walk, do some physical exercises, or take a walk around the neighborhood. Generally, they just had to return to the barracks before the curfew.
The old guards were given two days off every ten days, and there were also legal holidays. Brittany and the Empire's culture were relatively similar, and both sides celebrated the same holidays. However, Brittany did not celebrate the Ascension of Charlemagne and the Feast of the Wolf God. Instead, they celebrated the Feast of the Holy Grail and the Birthday of the Lake Nymphs.
Throughout the year, there were only about ten days of holiday. Every year, the Winter Veil Festival was usually three to five days of holiday. It was up to the Lord how to give the soldiers four days of holiday.
Seeing that it was about time, Laing stood up and said to Morgiana, "Let's go. Where are we going tonight?"
Morgiana's eyes lit up when she heard Laing's words. The Lake Nymphs asked tentatively, "You're not going back to the Duke's castle tonight?"
"Suria wants me to spend more time with you." Laing coughed. "She said that we've been in the Empire for too long."
"Then … Okay." Morgiana did not hesitate. She agreed almost immediately. "Let me decide where to go?"
"Uh-huh." Laing smiled and nodded. He shrugged. "I'll listen to you."
"Then let's go to the Feast of the Holy Grail." Morgiana made the decision without hesitation.
"Okay." Laing did not say anything else.
Morgiana rode on the unicorn Hillfane, and Laing rode on the pure-blooded Elven warhorse Grape. Grape snorted at Hillfane and hooked his hooves arrogantly.
A beam of light shot out from Hillfain's shining horn. Grape was startled and hurriedly jumped away. She watched as the beam of light blasted a small hole in the ground. Grape swallowed a mouthful of saliva and no longer dared to tease the unicorn.
"Don't be like this, Hillfain." Morgiana quickly reached out and stroked Hillfain's back. The unicorn gradually calmed down, and Laing quickly pulled on Grape's reins.
Pure-blooded elven warhorses could live for one or two hundred years, and powerful ones could live even longer.
The two of them walked along the streets. Gene City was very lively at night, with people coming and going. There were still many lights on the streets, and some restaurants and taverns were still open for business. Many of the freedmen had just returned from work, and they wouldn't immediately rest after returning home. Some freedmen would go to the bar for a drink, while others would simply eat dinner before returning home.
This was how business opportunities appeared. As long as there was demand, there would be a market. Now, there were many small food vendors like the previous shop owner in Gene City, and peddlers who specialized in delivering and selling goods. At this time, as long as you were willing to work hard, you would be able to earn money.
"Eight Peaks Mountain." Morgiana took the initiative to start a conversation: "So, after you ascend the throne, you plan to go on an expedition to Eight Peaks Mountain with King Belegar and help him reclaim the territory of his ancestors?"
"King Belegar has helped us a lot in a series of wars, including the entire industrial belt along the Shinon River. It was all built by our dwarven brothers." Laing pulled on Grape's reins and said with a sigh: "Belegar has done a lot for us, so we naturally have to repay him."
"The virtue of a knight is to abide by a promise. This is the teachings of the Lady." Morgiana nodded. She wasn't surprised that Laing wanted to send troops: "How do you plan to fulfill your promise? Do you plan to personally send troops?"
"Yes, I will personally send troops. After I ascend the throne, I will start a new Holy War of Knights, and the target is Eight Peaks Mountain." Laing briefly explained his plan: "When the time comes, all the knights in the kingdom will join the expedition."
"Is it necessary to mobilize such a large number of troops?" Morgiana thought for a while, and then she put forward her own opinion: "King Belegar has contracted the construction of the entire industrial belt along the Shalong River, and most of the irrigation works and farming tools in the kingdom. He has also occupied the two mountain fortresses in the Blackstone Stronghold and Oka Mountain. Is that not enough? In fact, Duke Ford of Montfort has filed a lawsuit with me and the kingdom's court more than once. He believes that it is not a good idea to contract the construction of the irrigation works and the industrial belt to the dwarves of the Angran clan. It will cause the kingdom's own craftsmen to lose their jobs. "
"Oh, I know why Ford said that." Laing sneered and said with disdain: "Because the Duke of Montfort had the best craftsmen in the kingdom. He wanted to get a share of the profits, but he didn't get it. He knew that the craftsmen in the Duchy of Montfort were not as good as the engineers and dwarves of the Angran clan, so he kept complaining to you and Laun. Morgiana, tell me, how did you deal with it?"
"I said that this is not something I should be in charge of. I told them to go to the regent you appointed, Lauan Leo Cornwall." Naturally, Morgiana knew exactly what Duke Montfort was thinking.
In short, Duke Ford did not really want to "protect the craftsmen".
"How did Laun deal with it?" Laing was interested.
"Laun said that since Duke Ford was confident that he could put the honor of the House of Montfort on the line, he asked his craftsmen to compare with the dwarves to see who had better craftsmanship." Morgiana said calmly: "He will ask a few Grail Knights to testify. Ever since Laun said so, Duke Ford did not dare to mention it again."
"Haha, Laun learned it too." Ryan laughed and nodded, "It seems that it's not a bad idea to let Ron be the regent of the kingdom. He has always been able to deal with these things well. After I succeed to the throne, let him continue to be the regent of the kingdom. I will also be able to free up my hands to do other things."
After a while, they arrived at the tavern in the center of town. The Salute of the Holy Grail was probably the most exclusive tavern in southern Brittany. Not only was it a few stories high, but it was also filled with Brittany knights, nobles, and merchants. Most of them were sipping wine and chatting about recent events. The first floor was the main hall, the second floor was the private rooms, and the third to fifth floor were the rooms.
Laing remembered that when he first came to Brittany, his superior, Marquis Connelly Ascot, left the winery to him and took away everything. At that time, he wanted to turn the winery into a resort, but it was not feasible. He then tried to promote the wine in his own winery, but even after marrying Suria and receiving the guidance of a professional wine master from Vanford, the wine produced in his own winery was at best second-rate.
However, the Salute of the Holy Grail also had its own core competitiveness, and that was the wine "Lady's Collection" made from grapes personally cultivated by the Lake Fairy.
In order to avoid causing a sensation and being pestered, Laing and Morgiana entered the tavern from another entrance through the VIP passage. They quickly asked the Lake Fairy in charge of the operation to arrange a room for them. Laing and Morgiana sat down in a private room on the second floor. The waiter served them two glasses of wine, a steak, and a codfish steak for dinner.
"The dwarf king's obsession with Eight Peaks Mountain is far beyond our imagination." Morgiana ate her dinner gracefully. She and Laing continued their conversation about Bellegar, "In the past few years, he has made a lot of money from all the construction contracts in the kingdom, but he rarely spends on a large scale."
"That's because Bellegar used all the money he earned to pay off his debts," Laing complained, "Morgiana, do you know how much debt Bellegar owes?"
"I'd like to hear the details." Morgiana held a silver knife and fork in her hand and cut the codfish steak.
"Among all the dwarf kingdoms in the old world, he probably only borrowed money, food, or people from Lone Dragon City, which is located in the northernmost Noska Mountains. Other than that, he has borrowed money from all the dwarven kingdoms. He also owes a lot of debts, including the ogre tribe that he once hired. He also refused to pay back the debt he owed, and he once asked for the support of the border princes. In the end, all his men were lost, and he fled alone."
"…" Morgiana's expression changed slightly. She tightened her grip on the knife and fork. "Then how can you be sure that Bellegar won't refuse to pay back your debt? I mean, how can you be sure that he won't cheat you? "
"Bellegar is a master of siege tactics, but he obviously has a problem with strategy." Laing did not directly answer Morgiana's question. He continued, "Last time, when he attacked Eight Peaks Mountain for the third time, including all the mercenaries and retainers, there were only 8,000 of them. According to his estimation, there were at least 100,000 green dwarfs in Eight Peaks Mountain, and the number of Skaven ratmen underground is inestimable."
"Even so, he still wants to fight?" Morgiana was speechless.
"Yes, Bellegar still wants to fight. That's what he said. He said that each of the dwarven warriors of the Angrande clan can fight against a hundred of them. Killing the green dwarfs and rats is not a problem at all." Laing smiled. "That's why I said that Bellegar is a true master of siege tactics, but in terms of strategy, he's just a little brother. He's always impatient and impatient. As long as he gathers a certain size of army, he will immediately set off to recover his ancestral territory. If he didn't fail three times in a row, which almost destroyed the last bit of the Angrande clan's capital, he wouldn't have learned his lesson and temporarily rest and reorganize."
Morgiana frowned. Hearing this, she actually didn't want Laing to go on an expedition to Eight Peaks Mountain, but considering the virtues of a knight and his promise, she wouldn't say anything to stop him. The Lake Goddess carefully cut a small piece of cod fish with her fork and knife and said to Laing, "Try this, Laing. Although it's not as good as mine, you shouldn't just eat meat. Ah ~ ~"
"Ah ~ ~" Laing stuck his head out and accepted Morgiana's feeding. "It's not as good as yours, Morgiana."
"Here, this broccoli tastes good too." Morgiana was very happy, and the Lake Goddess felt very sweet. She stuck out her fork again and put another piece of broccoli into Laing's mouth. "Ah ~ ~"
"Oh." Laing had no choice but to accept her feeding again. He was a little embarrassed, thinking that he was already in his thirties, and he still had to do this.
Dinner ended quickly. After dinner, Morgianna cast a spell at the door of the private room. She moved to Clayon's side and snuggled into the man's arms. The two of them enjoyed the warmth of each other's embrace.
"Recently, the price of food in the market has been fluctuating strangely. The price has been rising slowly." Morgiana leaned on Laing's shoulder. She felt that her whole body was soft and had no strength at all. "And pork. The price of pork has been rising rapidly recently. Many people are complaining that they can't afford to eat pork anymore."
"Hahaha ~" Laing hugged Morgiana in his arms and said helplessly, "It's normal for the price of food to rise. Because of the previous trade agreement, the Empire's Weissen territory is importing food from us. Tarim Khan's invasion caused Weissen territory to lose an entire season of winter wheat. Other than transferring food from Rick and Ivy territory, Emilia is also importing food from us on a large scale.
As for why the price of pork has skyrocketed, it has something to do with Belegar. " Laing continued, "The dwarves have a famous festival in the twelfth month of every year called the Festival of the Sealed Barrels. On this day, all the barrels of wine must be drunk. This means that bad luck is gone. Belegar is also planning a huge ancestral ceremony. He seems to want to use this ceremony to summon the spirits of his ancestors and let them return to the real world to fight. The most important part of this ceremony is to gather enough dwarves to eat and drink during the ceremony. The more lively and noisy the ceremony, the easier it is to awaken the ancestors. For this reason, the Angran clan has already bought thousands of pigs and hundreds of goats from the market. The supply of pork has become tight, and the price has naturally increased."
"I see." Morgiana closed her eyes and enjoyed this moment.
"In fact, at this time, everyone is coveting the wealth buried in the depths of Eight Peaks Mountain. Before the Angran clan retreated from Eight Peaks Mountain, they buried and sealed dozens of mines with amazing treasures. In the Angran ancestral hall in the deepest part of Eight Peaks Mountain, there are thousands of rune armors. The wealth that the Angran clan couldn't take away was buried deep underground and sealed with a special method. Only Belegar knows how to open it." Laing continued, "Now, even if Belegar doesn't want to reclaim Eight Peaks Mountain, he has no choice but to do so."
Morgiana nodded. The Lake Goddess witch understood that the situation now was that the creditors had become shareholders. Belegar didn't want to send troops? Even the knights and nobles of Brittany wouldn't agree! The wealth in Eight Peaks Mountain that was enough to shock the world was waiting for everyone. Many knights were rubbing their palms, waiting for Belegar and Laing to send troops!
The knights also wanted to make a fortune, especially in this kind of situation where they could gain both fame and fortune. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
"Moreover, there are more treasures in Eight Peaks Mountain." Laing looked at the first floor of the Hall of Praise for the Holy Grail.
The hero of the wood elves, the Lord of the Tarsyn Forest, Araloth the Brave walked in through the door with two Lost Travelers. They sat down and ordered a few glasses of brandy and grilled bear paws.
"In the depths of the ancestral hall of the dwarves in Eight Peaks Mountain, there is a gem that the elves are deeply fascinated by. Perhaps we can use this to hire an army of wood elves."
"This platinum diamond is called the 'Elven Diamond'. It is the love of the elves' life."
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