V2C6

The story unfolds on a vast medieval Western magic continent. In this age of expansion and aggression, money rules everything and conspiracies loom over the entire continent like dark clouds. Magic th

What Edouard said not only made the baron and his wife stunned, but also baffled all the surrounding nobles who gathered around.

Baron Ronald glanced at Edwards to make sure the teenager wasn't joking, and he asked, "Excuse me, with all due respect, I never saw what this gift from Mr. Drady Hyde was exactly?"

"It was tea, tea that came from Tor via Ilei. Uncle originally prepared a set of silverware, a set of silverware enough to entertain six guests, but a shipment arrived just as he was leaving, and the most valuable of the goods were these drinks from the Orient. To express his apology for not being able to come in person, he asked me to bring one of them as a gift, because there was no time to cut the tea bricks into small pieces and put gold leaf on them. As you know, these treasures from the East, if they are not covered with gold leaf or fire lacquer, will soon become damp, and like youth and beauty, precious things always lose their luster so easily." Edouard said.

It was only then that it dawned on the people around that that was the tea, and it was the original untouched, large tea bricks that were so precious. These large tea bricks are generally cut into small pieces of one inch cubes, the outside is tightly wrapped with gold foil, sold to those gentry. Such large pieces of tea bricks are rarely used for gifts, that is really an extremely expensive gift.

The baron and his wife obviously also did not expect that the "insignificant gift" was so valuable, the recently befriended Mr. Delardi is indeed a generous person.

It seems that he was a bankrupt nobleman from a foreign country who was once active in the diplomatic world, and at that time, he was still working as a private secretary under the former Finance Minister, Count Badumont. of the fugitive nobility.

Generally speaking, nobles who fled from other countries were merely commoners in Frans, and their noble status was not recognized. However, occasionally, some fugitive nobles were promoted to the rank of lord because of their special merits. They could only be treated as commoner nobles and were not eligible for hereditary titles. However, because they originally possessed noble blood, they were treated exceptionally and were able to enjoy hereditary status, but were required to pay a large amount of taxes to His Majesty the King.

The nobles who have such status in Frans are really rare. That's why this Lord Keviélé Egret Hyde was remembered by himself.

As for that Mr. Drady Hyde, Baron Loner knew not long, although very talkative, the impression is a graceful and knowledgeable, very to their appetite, did not expect, he is actually so generous.

The baron was a bit puzzled by this, really just to express his apologies for not being able to attend the ball in person? Then such a generous gift is really too expensive. If there are other intentions, he has nothing, the only most valuable asset is a tender and considerate wife and a beautiful and beautiful daughter. However, looking at this teenager he sent, his age is really too young, there should be no such possibility.

The heart is a little puzzled, but for Mr. Delardi Hyde's valuable gift, the baron must at least show something. He pulled Edouard and said, "Oh, your uncle is really generous, you must express my gratitude for me, your uncle is a great man. Edwards! By the way is it okay if I call you Edwards? Your uncle is the most knowledgeable man I have ever met, is he a master scholar? Oh, no doubt, he was certainly a master scholar, and only such a title could be worthy of a man of his erudition. By the way, Edouard, you must tell me how to preserve these precious beverages from the East, which are becoming scarce since the war between Yireh and Thor, and I don't want to spoil your uncle's good intentions."

"That's nothing." Edouard gave a modest cry. He knew he had managed to get everyone's attention, including this Baron Lonner, and now was a good opportunity to consolidate that impression. Although he himself was not a tea drinker, Edwards was an expert in this area of knowledge, from cutting and sealing the tea bricks, to grinding and using them, steeping and straining the tea grounds, and even mixing the proportions of honey and milk.

After all this, Edward suddenly remembered once heard Mr. Hyde talk about tea, he said as it is: "there has always been such a statement, drinking tea can slow down aging, but unfortunately can not find strong evidence, Frans V is a tea lover, but it is known that a dagger ended his young life of thirty years old, however, drinking tea can restore fatigue For a sleep-deprived person, tea can save him from the hands of the Sandman. As far as I feel, tea seems to have a natural affinity with mint, and a drop or two of mint in a pot of tea would be perfect. Tea also helps with digestion, mixing it with milk and some hard fruit, my grandfather liked juniper berries, while I prefer walnuts, is the best drink after a meal."

"I must say, Edouard, you are as learned a man as your uncle!" The Baron exclaimed.

"You flatter me." Edouard was secretly pleased that he had succeeded at least halfway.

"Your uncle is very busy, so he sent you, it seems, precisely because of your erudition, isn't it?" The Baron asked.

"Oh, it's not like that, Uncle has no other family besides me and Grandpa." Edouard said, now according to the plan he needed to win sympathy.

"Why?" The baron was very surprised.

"You should be aware of the plague that occurred in Southport a few years ago." Edouard said.

"That was a disaster." The baron said with emotion.

"The plague took away most of my family." Edward said in a heavy tone, he is not lying, his parents left him because of this disaster.

"I'm sorry to bring back sad memories." The Baron said, ashamed for not knowing about the regrettable heartbreaking past of that good friend, Draddy.

"It's all in the past." Edouard said, feigning indifference.

"Is your uncle taking care of everything now?" The Baron asked.

"Yes, since that disaster, my grandfather collapsed at once. When he was young, he was a character who lived inside a carriage all day long, running from country to country every day. Before that catastrophe, he was proud to call himself the best navigator in the whole southern ocean."

"Yes, the reputation of Lord Keviélé Egret Hyde has been long heard by me." The Baron said sincerely. Indeed, it was quite remarkable that a lord could make him hear something.

"But now, for three whole years I have not seen him take a step out of his room, and so many things in the house are mostly taken care of by my uncle, and I help look after the two properties in Lehigh and Southport." Edwards said.

"You're involved in running the family estate at such a young age?" The baron was obviously extremely surprised by what Edouard had said.

"It's no big deal, it's just a matter of consolidating the incoming and outgoing goods, calculating the monthly profits, and at most estimating the possible expenses and business risks. Originally all the family matters were taken care of by grandfather, father and the two uncles together, now it is all on uncle alone, if I don't help him, how can uncle bear it?"

"Calculating profits, using Dragomiller's win-loss calculation? That would require a good command of arithmetic." The baron was obviously a little unconvinced, when he was doing the job of calculating the surplus of the treasury, that work caused him a daily headache.

Edwards had already guessed that the baron would say that, the information that Draddy had given himself clearly mentioned the public office that the baron had held, and accounting was the only way that the baron was good at making a living.

Fortunately, this is also Edward's own best aspects, he was full of hope to become the future accountants in the store, so for arithmetic, he originally learned to work very hard, wait until after Drady became his own teacher, from Drady, he learned almost all the profound accounting knowledge.

Therefore, Edwards very confidently and eloquently talk up: "tow Miller's win balance calculation method, we are never used, because it is not accurate enough. You know, this calculation method has a fatal weakness, it only see the clear out of the accounts into the accounts and losses, but for the expenditure delays, it is not able to accurately total out. For example, some goods need to be delivered at the end of this month, if it really goes well, then there is no problem with the mopping up method, but, as you know, there is no such thing as perfection in this world, the gods created the world, and failed countless times, so that the creation of those terrible species to it, mistakes are always there, so the mopping up book will never cleared up unevenly. No one in Southport ever uses the Dragomil calculation; some use the Mibel accounting method, or the Leut calculation, and I like to use the Doolittle calculation. As you no doubt know, Mr. Doolittle has long since been made a Master Scholar by our esteemed King's Majesty for his contributions to accounting, and he was even nearly made a commoner noble."

"Yes, the Dragomiller calculation method is already old-fashioned." The baron said without melancholy, his only thing to be thankful for is also gone: "By the way, what are your future plans? Inherit the family business?" The baron asked.

"Yes, I hope to be a mariner like my grandfather." Edouard said, which was really his inner hope.

"Haven't you ever thought about holding a public office? You're smart and would have a great future." The baron asked.

Edouard had not expected that the Baron would talk about these aspects, to which he had to choose his answers carefully. His mind raced, gathering what he had ever heard about politics. Fortunately, there was definitely a lot to hear and see, both in Southport and at Draddy's.

The ones heard in Southport were hearsay, but they were the unique opinions of people who had seen a lot of different aspects, while the political science taught by Draddy was much more systematic, and each argument came with clear evidence.

After half a day's thought, Edward said: "Originally, my grandfather did hope that I could serve His Majesty the King in order to the vast family, his old man's three sons in the business world is indeed quite successful, but the reputation of Lord Kevi'ele Egret Hyde has long faded out of the political circle, which makes his grandfather his old man some regret. He originally hoped that I would inherit this aspect of his career, but the disaster made grandfather's hope more and more dim, the family industry is after all the root, glory can indeed shine for a thousand years, but the family industry affects future generations. As long as the Hyde family's children and grandchildren have strong strength and extensive contacts in the south of the Franks, and more importantly, the title of Lord, revitalizing the Hyde family's lintel is something that can be done sooner or later, and there is no hurry to finish it in one or two generations. In addition, now is not a good time to expand the family, his majesty's ministers around there are all fists, in which one of them to make a living is a dangerous and difficult thing, rather than now go in together like walking on thin ice, it is better to stand on the sidelines and wait until the right time to join one of the parties, that is more appropriate, not to mention that, throughout history, can share the suffering and hardship of the There are a lot of examples, wait until after the fruits of victory, do not suspect the meritorious people do not seem to see."

These words were not originally spoken by a young man of Edouard's age, so it was inevitable that Baron Lonner was surprised and he took a good look at the 15 or 16 year old.

In fact, Edouard's words shocked not only Baron Lonna, but also all the other nobles present.

At first, they were just staggered at the wealth that Edward had, although a number of people almost certainly thought that Edward's grandfather, this Lord Cadwell Eli Egret Hyde, was boasting of his own great wealth, which is the face of a mobster often.

These rags-to-riches nobles have always looked down on the rich and powerful. However, Edouard talked about the tea ceremony, the eloquent words and unique and exquisite insights, as well as the manners of the learned, more or less dispel the trace of contempt in the hearts of these ragged nobles.

However, they still believe that it is the nature of the merchant to make the merchant's children are also merchants, of course, they know something about the goods they sell.

By the time Edouard was excited to talk to the baron about accounting, the nobles present had already treated Edouard as a talented young merchant, perhaps it was not entirely unreasonable that these merchant families could burst forth in such a short period of time, just such a teenager was so powerful, a family that could have one or two generations of such characters, after decades of hard work, to accumulate Huge wealth, that is also conceivable.

It was only when Edwards said that he himself had a half-understood political opinion that the crowd realized that it should not be a teenager to have knowledge.

What does it mean to be able to say something like that? Is it something that the family has already taught you?

But, look at that confident look and not at all like. This is not the look of a child who reads the book. What's more, how did the Lord Kewelley Egret Hyde know that Baron Lonner would ask about this?

If all of this is the teenager's own opinion, then what kind of a genius is this? What kind of a family is it that can raise such a young man?

That Lord Keviélé Egret Hyde, most people are not impressed, only from the baron and the teenager's repartee, understand that the old man was once a highly skilled diplomat. Was this diplomat grooming a successor?

From that talk just now, this teenager does have all the qualities to be an outstanding diplomat - confidence, guts, poise and learning. In contrast, his own restrained son is no match for the diplomat's cultivated heir.

The only thing to be thankful for now is that this teenager's age is obviously two or three years younger than the baron's daughter, as the object of marriage, the girl is older than the boy, from common sense is not a good match. Otherwise, I'm afraid my son has absolutely no hope of competing with this half-grown child.

The nobles were anxious, the atmosphere apparently became tense and depressing, Baron Lonner did not want his rare grand ball to become this way.

Although, for this rich and erudite genius teenager, the baron very much appreciated, would love to find an opportunity to talk properly, perhaps from this teenager can find more amazing things, but, now, the best way is obviously a little cold to this teenager.

Thinking of this, the baron said gently, "Edouard, you must be tired from your long journey, you can always use the small living room upstairs, the ball is a long time oh."

"Thank you for your kind invitation, I do need a short break to regain my energy, that's what my grandfather always told me." Edouard said and bowed. He could fully understand the Baron's intention with these words.

Anyway, he didn't want those noble boys present to treat him somehow as a love interest, and it might be a good choice to take advantage of this appropriate time to leave the sight of the crowd.

Under the guidance of the servant, Edwards came to the small living room upstairs. The small living room was extremely chic in design. Like all the rooms in this manor, the windows of the small living room are facing south, and a row of six large floor-to-ceiling windows is enough to let the full sunlight into the small living room.

Against the door is a row of mahogany bookcases, the owner of this place was obviously a lover of poetry and drama in his youth, and the most books on the shelves are poetry books and plays. East and west along the walls of each row of sofas, although not precious fur thickly laid there, but with flannel stuffed with thick cotton sewn into the seat cushions and backrest still makes people feel warm and comfortable, which reminds Edwards of his aunt Betty made himself the exact same seat cushions and pillows.

Leaning back on the couch, Edouard gently closed his eyes. He really needed a break, after all, today was the farthest he had ever traveled in his life. What's more, for those elegant works inside the bookcase, Edward was not interested.

Although he likes to read, however, he likes to learn from books about the world that he does not know, those distant lands, those rare plants and animals, those great human creations, the crystallization of wisdom, all this is what Edouard wants to know from books.

But he didn't like books that described people's hearts, and poetry that articulated the voices of those poets from the heart. And Edwards never felt the need to know these poets. As for theater, Edwards didn't like it either. He was interested in real history, but didn't like theater.

While resting, Edwards pondered whether the baronet had paid considerable attention to himself, whether his performance had gone too far, and whether he had left a bad impression on the target person. When Edwards was thinking hard inside the small living room, the ballroom downstairs was already bustling with activity.

The star of the ball was, of course, the beautiful daughter of Baron Lonner. The noble lords lined up in a long line and invited the baron's daughter to dance in order. The beautiful melody of the orchestra seemed to be played around the charming lady, and everyone else was just the accompaniment. This included the Baron and Baron de Lonna.

In fact, in addition to the beginning of the ball, those noblemen in accordance with due courtesy to come forward to talk a few words, to say a few words of greeting and congratulations, other times, the baron and his wife have been cold and quiet around.

Baron Ronald was not very sociable. As a young man, he was once obsessed with poetry and wanted to be a poet, which is often lonely and unappreciated, but later, forced by his father's order, he took a job under the former finance minister. The treasury of Frans was one of the most inexplicable and incomprehensible things in the world, and sorting out the accounts was like a puzzle, a job that took up most of the Baron's youth.

Until he met his beloved, the baroness with whom he would spend many years to come. The Baroness was a famous beauty in the south of Frans, with many suitors, and even many noblemen proposed to the daughter of a broken-down nobleman, despite the difference in status. However, it was the powerless Baron de Lonna who was able to capture the beauty in the end.

According to the Baroness, the poet-like temperament of the young Baron de Lonna was what struck her fancy.

However, the baron also paid a heavy price for this beautiful marriage, under the covert pressure of competing failed gentry noblemen, the baron lost his job, but also set up numerous love rivals.

In fact, the nobles who were invited all came in the presence of the Baroness and his beautiful and attractive daughter. Nevertheless, the baron still considered himself the happiest man in the world. Now, Baron Lonner hopes to bring the same lifelong happiness to his daughter.

For the list of nobles invited to the ball, the baron and his wife spent countless efforts to carefully select.

In fact, with his daughter's beautiful reputation, he was even able to invite the gentry in the south of France, but the baron and his wife were afraid that the gentry would be insincere and play with their feelings (this is also the reason why the baroness refused to be courted by many gentry back then).

Even Edouard can see the things, the baron and his wife will be blind to?

The Baron of Lonar knew all about what had happened in Cherbourg recently. The court was divided, and in the centuries since the country was founded, political conflicts had never been so serious as to be irreconcilable. Moreover, since the war with Derry in Bireth thirty years ago, which lasted nearly ten years, this Frans nightmare since ancient times, the feuding kingdom has never again attacked the Frans border.

But the war also emptied the coffers of both countries, and the baron knew exactly how much gold was left in the king's pockets when he took office shortly after the war ended. Fear of war made the Franks not dare to reduce the number of troops, stationed at the Franks border in the three major military towns of Bires, Tallenberg, and Porang, a total of more than 200,000 troops, which is undoubtedly a huge expenditure for the shy treasury.

As the shadow of the war dissipated, it became increasingly difficult for His Majesty to bear this burden, which seemed to him heavy and unnecessary. In his plan Bires and other three counties should be reduced by at least 100,000 troops, or even keep only 50,000 troops, which in the king's opinion was enough. However, Prince Phillips, the man of merit in the Battle of Bires and brother of His Majesty, definitely did not think so.

There was a fierce conflict between the members of the royal family over the matter of disarmament. At this time, joining either side's camp, as Edouard said, was of little benefit. Being on the edge of the power strife, Baron Lonar had a far more profound view of it all than Edouard, who was an outsider. Therefore, in the invitation list, there is absolutely no one who has anything to do with the powerful nobles.

For Baron Lonner, this is better. Because according to the usual, once the civil unrest, after the storm subsided, the powerful noblemen in the noblemen must be a large number of bad luck, but they are these broken noblemen because the rulers need to buy hearts and minds, but the days are better. This kind of interest and no risk of things, the Baron of Lonar see very accurate.

However, he definitely did not expect that Edouard Hyde, the unexpected teenager, would speak out his opinion about the situation in public. As a matter of fact, that Lord Keviere Egret Hyde did not originally appear in the invitation list. The right family is, after all, a matter of noble decency.

If you marry your daughter to a common nobleman's son, to others as if they are selling their daughters in exchange for money, this is undoubtedly the most fatal damage to the reputation of the nobility. In the centuries-old history of the Franks, such things have happened before.

But those families who were short-sighted and greedy for immediate benefits were spurned by all other nobles. The descendants of these families were unable to find intermarriage in the noble circles, so their bloodlines were increasingly populated by commoners. Soon these families disappeared from the aristocratic circle.

Baron Ronald did not want to do anything wrong to his ancestors. Therefore, the noblemen were not invited. However, that Mr. Delardi Hyde is indeed elegant, knowledgeable, and most importantly, has a unique perspective on poetry.

Soon, this descendant of a bankrupt nobleman from Ile was drawn to the baron as a confidant. For the commoner nobles, Baron Loner is not welcome, but foreign bankrupt nobles are another story. Because their lineage is, after all, noble noble lineage. Many bankrupt noble families were originally even prestigious gentry.

Although he did not know much about Lord Kevi'ele Egret Hyde, Baron Lonna was able to determine the nobility and purity of Lord Hyde's family lineage by virtue of the mermaid mark on his family crest. The mermaid mark is the symbol of the royal family of Yirei, indicating that this family has had at least one queen in her long history, and possibly even a ruling queen.

The validation of the coat of arms is definitely a matter of carelessness. Although the nobles of Frans were not happy with the fact that His Majesty had given too many commoners a coat of arms, at least they were not given a family coat of arms, which represented honor. As for the foreign bankrupt nobles who had the coat of arms, the Council of Elders would double-check them before recognizing them.

Those elders are harsh, the nobles know quite well, so by them to determine the authenticity of the coat of arms, that is more than appropriate. The mermaid's mark is undoubtedly genuine, if it passes the eyes of the elders. A descendant of the Yirei royal family, no matter how you say it is a prominent noble, invite such a person to attend their own ball should be able to justify.

After sending the invitation, Baron Lonar did not expect that Mr. Drady Hyde himself did not come, and that it would be his nephew who came. Likewise, he by no means expected that this young Mr. Hyde would be such a character. Baron Ronald had to admit that Edouard was quite capable of attracting attention, just like his uncle Draddy.

The same erudition, the same composure, the same elegant temperament, the same gentle temperament, more elegant than the ordinary common noble, that is clearly an indelible characteristic handed down by a long lineage. Compared with ordinary nobles, they do not have the kind of unapproachable pride. Baron Ronald himself would have been a stern-faced, serious nobleman if he hadn't intended to be a poet in his youth. But Baron Ronald felt in his gut that Edouard and his uncle were two very different people.

In the eyes of the Baron, Mr. Delardi was a scholar, a true scholar, and one might even say a poet. In retrospect, he and this Mr. Delardi were so in tune with each other, perhaps precisely because this Mr. Delardi was the same person as himself, drunk on poetry in his early years, but gave up his dream because of family pressure.

In essence, the Baron still considers himself a poet, and now he considers Mr. Etke Hyde to be equally so.

But that was not the case with Edouard. Perhaps the diplomat grandfather's education was too good, and the baron felt that Edwards possessed a depth and sophistication that did not belong to his age.

And Edward's gaze is also much deeper and sharper than Mr. Drady Hyde, such a look the Baron has seen before, that is the long-standing, highly skilled Holy Knight has. If Mr. Delardi Hyde gives people a poet-like harmony and tranquility, then Edward Hyde gives people a sense of composure. He has a unique sense of mystery.

While Baron Lonner was carefully distinguishing between the uncle and the nephew, his wife's voice came softly to his ears: "My dear, which young man do you think our daughter cares more about?"

"Oh, my lady, I think it's all about the same, there are no more outstanding characters like the old me." The baron said snidely.

"You're so self-absorbed," the baroness said, giving her husband a sidelong glance.

"Well no kidding, honestly, I really feel sorry for those young people, their luck is too bad, in front of them there exists a role model that in no way they can surpass, there is the one inside the lounge upstairs than, one of those people can not show up." Baron said.

"Do you think it's very inappropriate?" The Baroness asked.

The baron was extremely surprised, he said, "Isn't it obvious? That teenager is at least two or three years younger than our daughter."

"Oh? I thought you were concerned about the disparity in noble status." The Baroness said with a soft smile.

"That's one of the reasons, I haven't given that aspect much thought, but the difference in age is obvious and I didn't think it should be possible." The Baron said.

"That is you think there is no possibility, in my opinion, the possibility is high. If I'm not wrong, I'm afraid our daughter would have already run inside the small living room if she hadn't appeared to be rude and would have offended a lot of people for us by retiring without permission." Baroness said.

"How do you know?" The Baron asked.

"A woman's intuition, I, as a mother, care more about our daughter than you do, and you were so preoccupied with small talk that you didn't pay any attention to her look. Our daughter, though she pretended to be natural and unconcerned, had long ago given her attention to Mr. Edouard Hyde in a tight grip."

"I didn't pay attention to that, but she should know herself that such an emotion is completely impossible, right?" The Baron asked.

"Impossible? Why is it impossible, just because that teenager is two years younger than our daughter? If our daughter really liked that teenager, she wouldn't care about that." The Baroness said.

"But Mr. Edwardian Hyde is not here on a blind date; he is only coming to the ball in place of his uncle, Mr. Draddy Hyde. You see, if he really meant anything, he would have come downstairs to dance with our daughter." The Baron said.

"What do you know about that Lord Keviélé Egret Hyde?" The Baroness asked.

"I don't know much, but I have heard the name of Lord Keviere Egret Hyde, he is a rather brilliant diplomat, he has made outstanding contributions in the negotiations after the Battle of Bireth, and he has close relations with the Church, the nominee for his knighthood is now the Lord High Priest, he is also close to the Lord Pope who lives in Yere ......" the baron reported everything he knew to the lady in detail.

"That's very nice." The Baroness said, "Such a family is quite a match for us."

The baron was stunned to hear this, and he whispered close to his lady's ear, "My dear, don't be ridiculous, are you really going to let our daughter marry someone who is two or three years younger than her?"

"What's wrong with two or three years? The difference is not much. Frans III married his cousin, who was five years older than him, and Frans XI's second marriage was to a woman who was also older than him. What is more, I did not want to suffer the same regrets as I did then, and in order to marry you, a powerless man, I went against my father's wishes, and until the time of his death, I thought that he had not forgiven me, and therefore did not go back to see him. Little did I know that although he did not understand me when I made my decision, the long lonely years had long since faded away, and he was always guilty of not being present at my wedding, and he was always waiting for me to step back into the house." At this point, the Baroness's voice was a little strained.

The baron listened dumbly to all this, and only after a long time did he say soothingly, "There, my dear, there, don't think about that any more, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you all, if our daughter likes it, I won't object, and I want our daughter to be happy, at least as happy as I am. If she likes someone two or three years younger, then let her like it, women are originally longer than men, so that her husband will not die before her and save her loneliness and sorrow."

"So, how about we invite him to the party in three days? Today, it's not really appropriate, our daughter is pestered by those people, and in three days, there will be much fewer guests coming and they will have more opportunities for private contact." The Baroness asked.

"I don't need you to remind me, I also decided long ago to invite him to the banquet in three days, even if not as a perfect match for our daughter, that Mr. Edouard Hyde is a very capable guest to talk to." The Baron said.

"Then it's a deal." The Baroness said happily.

In the living room, Edward did not know much about all this, and when he was bored, he opened the window to look into the distance.

Piton is a rather poor place, although the population living there is several times more than the combined population of Leh and Southport, but most of them are mainly agricultural, usually raising a sheep or two, and during the holidays, selling them or slaughtering them for their own consumption, which for most people is the only way to improve their lives.

There are no busy commercial streets and no outstanding scenery in Piton, but there are thick forests outside the city to the south, and I heard that this forest is the largest one in the south of Frans, which extends to Cherbourg.

It was this forest that made the original southern Franks a barren land, to which the inhabitants of Piton had been forcibly relocated by Frans V hundreds of years ago. The ambitious monarch wanted to turn the vast fertile lands of the south of Frans into a constant supply of food warehouses, so he established the counties of Cherbourg, Piton and Barth.

Cherbourg was the center of control over the three southern counties, while Piton was responsible for growing food. Originally, the county of Butte was not planned, but this wide forest between Piton and Cherbourg made a natural shelter for the farmers and thieves hiding in it. Therefore, Frans V carved out another three quarters of this forest into a separate county, Barth.

Butte is the poorest county in Frans, and there is only one city in the whole county - Butte, built right in the middle of the forest.

Bart's population is also the smallest, with just over 7,000 people, but the people there consider themselves to live extremely well and happily, and have moved several times to escape the hustle and bustle of the world, moving their city deeper into the forest, far away from the through county road between Pittston and Thurthburgh.

However, the Barthians were still doing their duty which they had in the time of Frans V - guarding the forest, keeping the roads open, and catching the thieves who escaped into the forest. Originally, Lae and Southport were not given much attention, they were barren lands in the time of Frans V.

Of the three counties, Piton was truly the most prosperous city, once having the largest population, vast farmland and dozens of manors. The abundance of food, cattle, sheep and horses once made Frans V extremely worried about the independence of this remote county or its occupation by neighboring countries, so he did not allow Piton to build defensive walls, while building a strong fortress further south, that is, Leirai.

Leh was originally a military fortress that could house 20,000 soldiers and last a full year without any help. However, with the ambitious monarch was assassinated by an assassin from nowhere, several plans he made during his lifetime, such as a huge legion of 500,000 men, 100,000 cavalry regiments, 100,000 people of the huge navy and so on plans were put on hold forever. And Piton, the original plan of the granary, also seems less important.

In the following centuries, Piton became a forgotten place for the majority of the Franks. As for the abandoned military fortress of Leyland, it became a place where some bankrupt free people lived, and for two hundred years this barren place was out of reach of the kingdom's power. Eventually, Lae expanded to become a city.

But the city was not easily connected to the rest of Frans, and they were only able to trade with Piton. In these unequal trade, the people of Leh suffered enough, but in order to maintain their livelihood, there is no other way but to accept this unequal trade.

The arrogant Pitonians finally angered the people living in Leh and further south. Countless people used their courage and lives to finally get a route to Sebai and Ere. The rise of the sea trade route was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and the construction of the southern port alone took more than a hundred years. But in any case, South Port and Leh finally flourished because of this sea trade route. The wealthy people of Southport and Lae did not forget the "generosity" of the Piton people.

Southport and Lehigh people are willing to bring wealth to Cherbourg and any other city in Franshi, or even Bart, which is hidden in the mountains, but Picton definitely does not enjoy such treatment. And Piton, the most prosperous and largest county in the south, gradually decayed into decay. Rich people have moved to Leh or Southport. Trade caravans also do not stop in Piton.

The best wool produced in Piton was apparently not as attractive as the silk shipped from Southport, and merchants preferred to travel an extra hundred miles, where higher profits awaited them. With the loss of the wool and cotton trade, the woven cotton could not be sold, and hordes of skilled artisans left this hopeless place to make a living elsewhere. The Piton sheep, which had produced the finest wool in the whole of Franconia, had to become a delicacy on people's plates. The farmland used for growing cotton was already full of weeds, and everything became so depressed.

Seeing this scene, Edwards was overwhelmed with emotion. All this does not seem from the book, no book will pay attention to this insignificant history of the South. The centuries-long struggle of a group of Southern wanderers is far less meaningful to historians than a political declaration or an armistice. But for Edwards, it was a history he had seen with his own eyes, a history that saw the rise of two cities, and the fall of one.

Edwards looked out the window and wondered, he did not notice that the sky was already getting dark. Suddenly, Edward heard footsteps outside the door, he habitually dodged to a corner of the room.

The door creaked open and the bright candlelight shone inside Edward's eyes all at once. Edward squinted his eyes and used what Kellar had taught him to do to adjust to the suddenly brighter room. Kellar had told him that closing his eyes was the worst option in this situation, because, at this point, a dagger would be able to end everything.

Squint your eyes although you can not see clearly but at least know where the danger comes from. Surprisingly, the one who brought the candlestick was the beautiful baron's daughter.

"Mr. Edouard Hyde, I brought you the candlesticks. May I sit down? It doesn't interfere with your rest, does it?" The lady of the thousand said.

"No, no, no, this is your home, and I should be the one to disturb it." Edouard said.

"Well, Edwardian ...... am I able to call you Edwardian?" The pretty lady of the millennium paid attention to the look of Edwardian.

"With pleasure."

"I am very interested in tea, are you able to tell something about it?" The lady obviously couldn't find a topic for a while.

Edouard was not much interested in the pretty lady, he did not want to get himself into unnecessary trouble, Draddy's orders were only to get an invitation for three days later, not to abduct a baron's daughter as a bride. So he used the blandest possible tone and climbed into conversation with the lady.

In his opinion, this is no different from his usual face to face with a customer in the store, describing the characteristics of the goods in detail for the customer. The only difference was that the lady around him was obviously not paying attention to the product itself, but to the person selling it. This made Edouard extremely worried.

"You know so much." The lady said with emotion.

"Ah, nothing, it's remembered with more exposure." Edwards said.

"Is that happy?" Miss asked.

For a moment, Edwards did not know how to answer this inexplicable question.

"You must have a lot of favorite things to play with yourself? At least when I was your age two years ago, I still enjoyed playing." Miss explained.

"No. Gaming and playing are just two things that are too much of a luxury for me." Edwards said honestly.

Hearing this answer from Edouard, that lady's eyes suddenly lit up and said with a sigh, "Although I am older than you, you are obviously much more mature than I. You already know how to take on your own life, but I still have to make my parents worry."

"You have a loving pair of parents and a warm family, while I, my parents have long since passed away." Edouard said with an equally long sigh.

"Yes, I am much happier than you, I would love to get to know you better, are you free for the next few days? Three days later, my family is going to hold a dinner party, it's inside the villa in the forest, I hope you can come to it." The pretty lady extended an invitation.

Hearing this Edouard could not mention how happy he was, he managed to pass, he was so excited that he showed an expression of joy.

"My pleasure." Edouard said as calmly as he could.

Edward's joyful look obviously made the baron's daughter misunderstood, she blushed and hurriedly excused herself, walking along and thinking about whether the invitation just now was too abrupt, how to mention it to her parents later, and whether her father would sternly oppose it. In fact, this beautiful young lady is most worried about this point, because like a young man two or three years younger than herself, this is originally even she can not imagine things.

Edouard stayed inside the small parlor as he waited patiently for the ball to end. If the ball was over, the sound of the carriages as the ragtag nobles left was enough to let him know when it was time to bid farewell to his host.

The moon was up and the night was getting darker. Finally the first carriage left. Edvard figured it was time to say goodbye. He walked down the stairs. The Baron and his wife were still one of the most attractive targets for attention.

Walking up to the baron, Edouard bowed gently and said, "It has been a great honor to attend Your Excellency's ball, and it is getting late, so I should take my leave."

In this regard, Baron Lonner was indeed a bit surprised, in his opinion, the time is still very early, the ball is still equal to just started, except for a guest with urgent business to leave in a hurry, most people have no intention to say goodbye.

Is not too slack this teenager, people came a long way to be driven to their own small living room inside for so long, the heart is inevitably some discomfort. Thinking of this, Baron Loner said with a smile: "It's still very early, you have not yet danced with my daughter. Do you want me to use my privilege as a father?"

"Yes, it's very rare to come all the way here, it's too early to go now." Baroness also persuaded at the side.

"It is because I live far away that I had to say goodbye, there are still things to do tomorrow, Uncle Draddy there is sure to still need my help, as for the dance, I really do not want to damage your fair reputation, those who have worked so hard to line up is really too poor, or wait until there is an opportunity later, by me to invite your daughter to dance together." Edouard said.

Seeing that Edouard was unmoved and determined to leave, Baron and Mrs. Lonner were obviously a little disappointed. The baron said, "In a few days, I'm going to hold a dinner party inside my cottage, will you be able to come to it?"

"With pleasure! In fact I have long since agreed to your daughter's invitation." Edouard said.

This girl is so fast, the baron and his wife thought to themselves.

"You must be there, don't be like your uncle and send a representative." The baron said.

"Again, I apologize for my uncle." Edwards said.

"Forget it, forget it, just kidding, but three days later, you must come, or I will have to cut off your uncle, never, never." The baron repeatedly admonished.

The couple walked Edwards straight to the door. Edwards got into the carriage, a glance will see Draddy holding a book in his hand under the oil lamp to read intently.

"You made it, didn't you?" Draddy asked without raising his eyes.

"Yeah, how do you know?" Edwards asked.

"For a crook to leave his hunting territory prematurely can only mean two things, one is that he was found out, or he has already got it, you are not in a hurry, so it definitely can't be the first reason, then there is only the second possibility."