Chapter 10: The Heart of the Lake Town

Chapter 10: A Taste of Lake Town

Hansel sat in the carriage in a depressed mood, a state that had lasted for two weeks.

More than half a month ago, he was full of joy to receive the royal warrant, but when he opened it, he was dumbfounded that he was sent to a place he had never even heard of as a permanent representative, the Northwest Bay’s Gleiman Earl’s Domain, God knows what kind of shithole place it is.

Later in the barracks and met by chance the old man he met on the way to escape, he had already finished things ready to return, then remembered that the count of Gleiman is not the old man came to the place? Now there was company on the road.

Hansel’s mind again surfaced the old classmate Matthew’s appearance, this guy had the luck of the draw, even stayed under the command of the Princess, but also said something like “although the position is different, are the same as the King’s loyalty! This kind of sarcasm.

Blah, blah, blah. Her Royal Highness needs your advice, to give you notes to keep score even if the best use of the money, but also do not take a piss to look at their own virtues, a thought of Matthew’s villainous appearance Hansel wanted to vomit.

Together with a carriage of the Ford governor is full of joy, things go smoothly, Her Royal Highness quickly recognized Paul Gleeman’s title succession, after hearing that the old count died fighting pirates, not only expressed condolences, but also in view of the current territory is facing the pressure of pirate invasions licensed to send troops to the king, and finally took the initiative to provide 50 pairs of leather armour and 50 spears.

Along the way, Hansel through the chat with the Ford governor, to find out the situation of the territory.

Gleiman family can be seriously traced back to the ancient Bella empire period of a big family relations, the collapse of the empire, this line of ancestors to set up their own, several generations later the family followed the founding king of the Aldo dynasty around the war, is also considered to be for the establishment of the kingdom of the blood and sweat of the meritorious family.

Only later in a political struggle for the succession of the throne bet on the wrong treasure, that time the royal family on the control of the local lords is not like the present so weak, the unlucky children of the wrong team is inevitable to be liquidated a bit.

Although the earldom in the secret political operation was retained, but the original relatively affluent territory was recovered by the new king, the entire family was kicked to the barren northwest bay, since then successive generations of the head of the family are very low-key, and other family contact is increasingly reduced, slowly faded out of the center of the kingdom’s political arena.

No wonder I haven’t heard much about it usually, Hansel thought in his heart.

Ah …… my life is so gray, obscure countryside nobles, unknown poor countryside, this all the way over not even a decent town, full of blood, a talent, is it going to be so buried?
Hansel thought more and more suffocated, then hated his own origin, if he is not a concubine, if his mother’s origin is a little better, if …… forget it, which has so many if.

Some things can not be changed in the end, first complete the task at hand, and try to return to His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness is the focus, his own efforts will one day be recognized, he quickly adjusted his mind.

The Chief Steward Ford beside him looked out the window and said excitedly, “Look, Sir Abbott, in front of us is the Lake of Ar, in fact, the official name of this land is called the Territory of Arda, the name comes from this lake, and we are about to arrive at the Lake Town.”

As the trees along the roadside gradually became less and less, a large lake appeared in front of them, and they could barely see the other side of the lake, near the waters on their side there was a huge island, with many buildings spread out on it, except for the castle standing in the center of the island, looking at the scale it was just a relatively large town.

Hansel belabored, “This ‘town’ is the capital of an earl’s domain? It’s not as good as the countryside near the royal capital.”

In fact, this can only be blamed on Hansel’s “knowledge” is too little, this era there are a lot of lords are this way to build their own castles, either built on the cliffs, or built in the surrounding water on the island, in short, are some easily defensible and difficult to attack place, to prevent banditry, to prevent the people of the Lords of the revolt, but also to prevent the next door to the Lords of the covetousness.

Only like Hansel such as the young nobles of the royal capital, in their age generally not much out of the circle near the Jingyao Castle, even if you go out is to take the prosperous commercial road along the way, naturally have never seen this kind of scene.

Walked into the lake, found a huge pontoon bridge on the water, the pontoon bridge is a special boat as a node spliced together, looks like if the enemy to attack, can immediately set up the boat will pontoon bridge dismantle, so that the enemy can not pass.

“Shouldn’t we get off and walk to the island?” Hansel was worried about whether this pontoon bridge could hold up to the passage of a carriage, the Chief Ford beside him heard his concern and laughed and then patted his chest and said, “Your Excellency Abbott, please rest assured that this pontoon bridge is very sturdy, and a carriage is not a problem.”

Seeing the locals so assured, Hansel a little bit of peace of mind, but still pinch the sweat sitting on the carriage through the pontoon bridge, to the island, he completely put down his heart.

“Then, Lord Abbott, I’m going to go to the Lord of Lords to report the relevant matters first, please follow my servant to the castle guest room to rest first, and I’ll arrange for you to meet with the Lord of Lords right away.”

“Yes, Chief Steward Ford.”

The carriage slowly drove into the gate of the castle enclosure, and he saw Steward Philip’s whole walking this way.

“Chief Steward Ford, you have finally returned.”

“Steward Philip, just in time, quickly take me to see the Count.”

“Aigoo, I was about to mention Lord Earl to you.”

“Did something happen?” Chief Steward Ford’s heart clenched, it couldn’t be that Greiman’s old injury had returned.

“Lord Earl led the newly recruited soldiers out to engage in some kind of training, it is estimated that it will take a few more days before he can return to Lakeheart Town.”

“What, you guys just let him lead a bunch of new recruits out? Don’t you know how arrogant the pirates are outside right now?”

“Everything was said, but it still didn’t persuade. Everyone had to let Lord Claude lead the castle’s own soldiers to accompany them for protection.”

Steward Ford was then at ease, and he immediately said, “Quickly send someone to find Lord Earl back, and say that the royal commissioner is here and is waiting for his reception.”

“Yes, I will immediately send someone to find it.”

Steward Philip saluted Hansel and then hurried away, and Chief Steward Ford turned to Hansel and said, “I’m very sorry, Lord Abbott, it looks as if we’ll have to keep you waiting for a while.” “It does not matter. Since the Lord Earl won’t be able to return for a while, if you don’t mind, would it be possible for me to take a look around the neighborhood?”

“Naturally I can, you are an honored guest who came from afar, please treat this place like your own home. But I also need to go home, so I won’t accompany you around.” Then Chief Steward Ford sent his own servant to be Hansel’s guide, and took his own leave to go home.

Hansel intended to have a drink, so he instructed his guide to take himself and Tommen to the town’s tavern.

In the tavern is quite a lot of people, the guests were in the high talk, suddenly there is a well-dressed son of the boy came in, some people have seen a lot of knowledge from the clothing on the judgment of the person must be nobles undoubtedly, he was followed by the Ford governor’s servant is not it, that bowed down the appearance is to confirm that the identity of this person is not simple, the sound of the conversation in the tavern all of a sudden small up.

“Boss, give me three cups of beer, cups I hope no one has used.”

“Yes, yes, this lord please wait a moment, I’ll go prepare it right away.”

The forty-something year old tavern owner hadn’t been in such close contact with an aristocrat from out of town in his long life, and went to prepare the beer in a panic and on his hands and knees.

“People from small places just have less insight!” Hansel laughed in his heart for a moment. He found a seat by the window and had Toman spread a cloth on each of the seat and table before sitting down.

The tavern was a good place for prying information, since he had come here, he didn’t intend to just sit and drink, just how should he ask?

At that moment the owner brought over three mugs of ale, he took one for himself and then let Tommen and the favored guide split the remaining two.

He surveyed the patrons around him, only to see that most of them were avoiding his gaze for fear of upsetting the noble lord with any rude gesture, with the exception of one furtive man who surreptitiously turned his head to look at him from time to time.

“You, come here! Yes, it’s you, the one with the leather hat.”

“Me?” The lad who was pointed to by Hansel quickly turned from shock to fear, had he made the noble lord angry with his peeping behavior? What to do, would he be beheaded?
The people sitting around the young man have pulled away from him, fearing that it will affect them.

He came to Hansel’s side with fear and trembling, as soon as he stopped, he knelt down, while snotting and tearing desperately kowtowed, “Master ah, I am just a moment of curiosity, really nothing malicious ah, please see you in my on there ……”

“Okay, okay, look at you scared, and I don’t want to do anything to you! Just asking a few words and inquiring about something. Get up!”

The young man then stood up as if he had been pardoned.

“Sit there!” Hansel pointed to the empty seat next to him.

“How dare this ……?”

“Sit if the Baroness tells you to!” Servant Toman duly filled the role of a lapdog.

The lad had to sit down with a thousand thanks.

“Let me ask you, is the situation regarding pirates really serious right now?”

“Yeah, even though there haven’t been any around here yet, the more people spread the word, the more they’re scared, and now you have to have a big group of people to even walk around with each other between villages and towns.”

“And your lords just let them?”

“That’s not true, I guess you’ve heard that the old lord was the one who died while conquering the pirates. As soon as the new lord took over the seat, he announced the recruitment of soldiers, and it’s a matter of public and private interest to settle the score with them.”

“I heard that your new lord is still just a child who hasn’t grown up?”

“Yes, I don’t know if I can pick up the heavy burden, honestly speaking, Paul young master …… ah, is our current young earl, when he was a child, he could be spoiled by the old earl, naughty and mischievous things …… “, the young man suddenly closed his mouth, in front of him is also a nobleman ah, in front of his face so say another nobleman, or his own lord lord, is not to find trouble for themselves?

Hansel laughed, he asked the boss to serve a cup of beer to the young man, pacified the young man, and after continuing to inquire for a while, he suddenly felt that the young lord here was still a rather interesting person.

For example, at the beginning of his succession, he ordered that no public urination or defecation was allowed, and in addition to encouraging households to build their own toilets, he also paid for the construction of several public toilets in the town himself.

For example, he prohibited people from dumping dirt and garbage into the lake; instead, he placed a big box called “garbage can” on the street at intervals, and pedestrians and residents were required to dump garbage into the garbage can, and the lord’s house would organize manpower to clean up the garbage every day.

Hansel on this small lord high regard a few points: “This is good, I can’t imagine that a countryside lord actually than the king’s capital nobles are also polite. I hope he doesn’t have all the problems of those country bumpkin nobles.”

He stood up, rewarded the young man with a few coins, and greeted Toman and the guide as they continued to wander around the rest of the place.

(End of chapter)