424.Chapter 422 421 Carpe Holiday Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 422 421.Carpe Holiday – Pride and Prejudice

The closer he got to Fort Scarlet, the more unsettled Colonel Frazier’s mind became.

The source of this mixed state of mind of anticipation, apprehension, and uneasiness was manifold; in addition to the surprise he had prepared for Miriam’s schoolmistress and the expectation of seeing her expression of relief, the Colonel had seen more than a few scenes on his way to the heart of Transylvania that had disturbed him.

First, there were the masses of jackal and dog-headed laborers building roads through the Transylvanian wilderness under the direction of local foremen and overseers.

It was a magnificent sight.

Although there was no steam equipment, the colonel could still see from the window of the wagon that the jackal laborers in prison uniforms were piling different materials onto the dug roadbed according to complicated procedures, while the human workers were mixing something the colonel had never seen before with shovels at the side.

Under the direction of the foreman, they would use wooden frames to pour the gray “slurry” onto the compacted roadbed, and after only a few minutes the road surface took on a strange dark gray color.

The colonel also sent someone to ask about it, and the reply was that it was the “secret technique” of the “Brotherhood of Stonemasons”, said to be the whims of the alchemists from among them, and that building a road with this kind of “cement” was the best way to build a road. It was said that it came from the whims of the alchemists among them, and that building roads with this kind of thing called “cement” could keep the road surface quite strong and smooth.

Aside from the fact that it requires regular maintenance and the addition of “alchemy” to it when it is made, there are very few drawbacks to it.

For some time now, they had been using this convenient way to build the paths between the farms according to the drawings, and they were now building the “Northern Straight Road” from the Scarlet Castle to the Sikor Territory.

According to the foremen who were talking enthusiastically with their boxed lunches, Mr. Chen, the master craftsman of the Brotherhood of Stonemasons, had already planned a major transportation route across the whole of Transylvania.

There were even going to be a few permanent bridges over the Cadman River.

The acquisition of this information caused Colonel Fraser to make another entry in his journal, which he never left unattended, and he knew that in the time he had been away, that Lord Murphy had not slackened in his efforts to build up the territory.

Though Transylvania was still barren, he and his administrators evidently had a complete plan in mind and had put it into practice.

This road, which has just begun to be built, is only one of the foundations of this set of plans.

It is inconceivable.

Fraser sat in the speeding carriage, he felt the smooth feeling after the carriage drove onto the “concrete road” leading to the Scarlet Fortress, which was much better than the bumpy feeling on the uneven ground.

Perhaps we should find a way to obtain the formula of the “secret cement art” in the hands of the Brotherhood of Stonemasons!
He thought that this would definitely be a good business.

If the Capet family was to run it, within five years, this kind of thing would be popularized on every road in the entire Kingdom of Canary Flower, and King Louis would be delighted by this change.

This was his first thought.

But as the carriage approached the already popular “Treasure Bay,” Colonel Fraser’s eyes were opened to what he saw and heard when he stopped to rest.

It wasn’t just that he had lost fifty gold coins in a perfectly good casino during a mere twenty-minute “break,” but also that he had seen something hidden underneath all the fancy gaming equipment and perfect service.

The Colonel even saw that merchants from the North Wind Castle had traveled thousands of miles just to experience the operation of the “Golden Grotto” that had recently become so popular in Nordstorf.

Even more awkwardly, the colonel met the heads of the three chambers of commerce under the Capet family, who had already lost everything after three consecutive days of gambling and were planning to leg it back to East Prussia.

Although the three heads of the Chamber of Commerce uniformly answered that they were only here to “inspect the project” in the face of the family’s young master’s harsh questioning, their wretched posture could not be hidden from Fraser’s eyes.

Damn!
These Transylvanians really have a way!
They actually used such a vicious way to seduce and corrupt the minds of the proud Golden Sparrow people, and from just twenty minutes of experience, the Colonel could understand how horrifying the daily turnover of the casino, which was still expanding its third phase of the project, was.

This place was definitely Governor Murphy’s “pocketbook”.

If the vampires spread this depraved “way of life”, Murphy wouldn’t be feeling the financial pinch anytime soon, and on top of that, no locals would be allowed in here.

So, the money that the governor used to build the roads and constructions was extracted from the gamblers who came here?
Tsk, what a cunning way to fit a vampire’s identity.

“You three! Forget it this time, if you dare to come next time you won’t be able to continue serving the clan.”

Outside the casino of Hidden Treasure Bay, Colonel Fraser sternly scolded the three chamber leaders in front of him who were old enough to be his father but were now being disciplined like grandchildren.

He threw out a bag of coins and said with some shame:
“Take this money and get the hell out of here, and remember to write a report on your expedition when you return and submit it to my father in my name. The report should describe in detail what you saw and heard in Hidden Treasure Bay, as well as the operation mode of the new style casino in your understanding.

I believe my father can see the business opportunities in it.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

The three leaders originally thought that being caught on this trip represented the certain end of their careers, but they didn’t realize that the peaks and valleys had actually allowed them to grab the last straw.

So they began to tongue-lash the Lotus Flower one by one, licking their young and promising young master, unfortunately, the colonel could not stay for too long.

He soon retraced his steps on the road to Scarlet Fortress, and in the carriage, his fellow traveler, Major Ron, the youngest son of General Soros, was holding a small money bag and counting the gold coins inside with a smile on his face.

“I say, you’re not that bad, are you?”

Colonel Fraser said, rubbing his brow somewhat helplessly:
“This is too undignified, put it away.”

“You don’t understand, Fraser, I’m not short of this much, but I won all this by luck!”

Major Ron said with a hearty laugh:

“Unlike you, a twenty-minute loser who lost fifty gold coins on a slot machine, I won back all you lost in just two games of bridge with the Yankees; these Transylvanian barbarians have a knack for making entertainment.

This casino of theirs can be so much fun.

I have a feeling that my life in the Transylvanian service won’t be as boring as I thought it would be.”

“You take it easy.”

The Colonel cautioned:
“Your old man is a strict disciplinarian, if he finds out that you’ve been whoring around, it might not end well for you when you get home.”

“Are you nuts?”

In private, Major Ron and Colonel Fraser’s relationship was very good, facing Fraser’s reminder, Ron squeezed his eyes and said:
“Who do you think I learned this poker skill from?
This is called family heritage, do you understand?
When my father was still a big-headed soldier, he was the famous ‘King of Gamblers’ in his army, even the money for his and my mother’s marriage was saved by him from the gambling table, this was his favorite thing to brag about when he was usually drunk, second only to his glorious resume of his military life.

Of his sons, I was the most like him in that respect.

Still, Fraser, I can probably see where your earlier caution about Transylvania stemmed from .”

The major in the carriage played with the shiny gold coin in his hand as he narrowed his brown eyes and said:

“Not only are the Transylvanians wild and daring to fight, this desperate madness is still being ruled by first-class cunning, just from the business model and perfect service of this distinctive casino, it can be seen that the intelligence of some fellows in the Transylvanians far exceeds our expectations.

They are going to rebuild a country on these ruins.

Ah, I finally understand why the marshal cares so much about this vampire governor, though I haven’t met him yet, he really is quite different from the rest of the vampires.”

“You’ll understand this better once you actually meet him. He looks like a woman on the outside, but he has much more substance on the inside than the vast majority of men on this continent.”

Fraser leaned back in his seat and looked beyond the window.

He saw the Scarlet Fortress in the distance, no longer the same as the dismal ruins he remembered, and he could see some rather decently planned buildings looming in his vision.

It was a very different style of architecture from the rest of the continent.

Square in shape, the beauty of curved lines could rarely be seen, yet they stood there, neatly organized like a disciplined, ready-to-fire army.

There was so much change here!

Even Colonel Fraser, a “new type of youth” who had experienced the civilization of the Halflings, felt a little overwhelmed.

When they passed by the “novice village” under the Knights of the Riptide, this feeling became more and more obvious when they saw the architectural style of the novice village that was planned very well and neatly, as well as those villagers who were undergoing militia training on the threshing floor and were being loudly scolded by the violent instructor.

“Why are they carrying wooden sticks in training?”

Major Ron said in surprise: “Is this practicing lancer tactics? It doesn’t look like it though, why are the formations so spread out, there’s no talk of any discipline at all.”

“That’s not lancers! Ron, for heaven’s sake, does your mind only work when you’re playing cards with the Yankees?”

Fraser said as he jotted down notes:

“That’s musketeers they just haven’t received their muskets yet, it’s the most standard foxhole line tactic, it’s unbelievable. They’ve outdone the stereotypical Yankee line shooting in that regard. Still think the Transylvanians are untouchable now?

You saw with your own eyes sixty year olds and teenagers training and they had no complaints about it, you could see it in the eyes of these men.

They crawled back to earth from disaster and have what they have now under Murphy.

They’re even better off than they were before the disaster, so there’s no need to question their confidence in defending their home, and anyone who tries to take it away from them will have to face a whole rampaging Transylvania fighting back.

The Jackals are already a brightening that they have crushed, and monsters that elsewhere would be enough to terrify weak soldiers can only labor as whipped slaves in today’s Transylvania.

So who’s next in line to try and conquer this place? And who will be the next to gain bitter defeat at the hands of these barbarians?”

The colonel in the carriage let out a long sigh.

He didn’t know the term “Spartan society”, but there was no doubt that he had gotten the answer he was looking for from what he had seen along the way.

“The best time to crush them is now!”

Major Ron, also without the joy of winning, whispered:
“Give them some more time, give them some more manpower, and Transylvania will rise faster than we can imagine; the people of this great land have nothing left to lose, so they have nothing to fear.

However, with the current Black Plague, any attack on Transylvania will incur the opposition of the entire continent, and will even trigger the direct intervention of the Blood Alliance Knights and that Venerable Lord Paying.

F*ck!
How was this vampire so lucky!
What will Transylvania develop into after the Black Plague? I can hardly imagine.”

“You actually call ruling over the powder keg and mess that is Transylvania ‘good luck’?”

Colonel Fraser closed his notebook as he rubbed his aching brow and said:
“It seems you remain ignorant of Governor Murphy’s story, and that’s a truly outrageous conclusion on your part.”

Major Ron also realized the omission in his words, and after a few seconds of silence, he said suspiciously:

“So how the hell did he do it? Such a lousy hand in his hand actually hit an opening like a heavenly hu This is no longer just a matter of luck or skill. Could he be the legendary Chosen One?”

Faced with this question, Fraser was silent for several seconds before sighing and saying:
“I can’t answer you either because my understanding of him doesn’t seem to be as deep as I thought it was either, but if you do need an answer, I’ll tell you.

In the vernacular of the natives of Transylvania, Governor Murphy is probably turned on .”

“Opened up? What does that mean?”

“It’s their description of ‘cheating’, I don’t really know exactly what it means, I learned it from the mountain warriors who speak an incomprehensible vernacular.

Well, that said, it was a strange but interesting bunch.

You’ll meet them soon enough, but hopefully you won’t be surprised by their bizarre enthusiasm.”
—
The Colonel’s carriage arrived at the Scarlet Castle near the end of the day, and was met by Governor Murphy and Consul Miriam in person, a specification not to be outdone.

Of course, this decency, in addition to Colonel Fraser’s military background, also partly stemmed from the Capay family.

Whether Murphy is willing to accept it or not, the fact is that the Capay family has become the second largest “partner” in Transylvania, in addition to the official Yankees.

The size of the banquet was not large.

But by the chef “Star Soul Eagle” with his own “apprentice” chef Xiao Wan personally helmed the production of dishes refreshing, so that the gluttonous Major Ron eat very satisfied.

At this time it was already late, out of courtesy, Murphy did not immediately chat with the two officers who came all the way here to talk about some business, but arranged for them to stay in the “Blood Vulture Hotel” which was constructed in Scarlet Castle only a week ago, with the intention of formally exchanging information in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

However, after Ron had rested, Fraser, who had changed into civilian clothes, quietly left the room with a sense of anticipation and pleasure, and a few minutes later, accompanied by his guards, he knocked on the door of the consul’s residence in Miriam.

“It is not convenient for me to remain long in a lady’s house on such a night as this; it would trouble your reputation.”

The colonel said courteously to the weary-looking Miriam in the parlor:
“I shall leave in a few moments, and have come this evening to give you a very important piece of information which concerns you.”

“Huh?”

Miriam looked at her senior in surprise, she saw a strange joy in Fraser’s eyes that she couldn’t understand, and couldn’t help but flirt again:
“You’re a really interesting person, it’s obvious that your fiancée is nearby, yet you ran to see me first. Senior-sama, you are really undignified.”

“Haha, Biki will definitely be asleep by now.”

Fraser touched his nose somewhat awkwardly and said:
“That knight of hers has always had a very fixed routine, I would only be beaten up by her if I disturbed her, I’m ashamed to say that the three times I’ve fought with Becky all ended with me losing.

Never mind, let’s not talk about it.

Let’s take a look at this.”

He took out a delicate box from his psychic bag and placed it in front of the curious Miriam’s eyes to open it, and in Miriam’s shocked gaze, a very familiar lady’s bracelet was placed in that box.

This made the consul subconsciously hold the bracelet of the exact same style on his right hand.

“This.”

Miriam had sensed that something was wrong.

In front of her, Fraser spoke with pleasure and anticipation as he spoke softly:

“I have found your father, schoolgirl Miriam, and you are not the illegitimate daughter of a village head born in the village of Moorland, and your mother came from an unusual background as I expected.

Your true family name is ‘Beverly’.

Your father was a master jeweler in the service of the crown, he held the title of hereditary baron and a very rich fiefdom, sadly he died a few years ago due to illness.

The fief was nearly taken over by someone with ulterior motives.

But don’t worry, I’ve taken care of it all for you.

Just waiting for you to return to Nantes you can inherit all this that you are supposed to have, I have already registered you at the Heraldry Court, as long as you sign your name, you will inherit your bloodline and title.

Yes, Miriam.

My hunch when I first met you was right.
You, are one of us.”

Facing the “surprise” brought by Fraser, Miriam’s expression was very complicated.

She bowed her head so that Colonel Fraser couldn’t see her expression, but the Colonel thought it was just a daze of over-excitement, so he spoke more gently:

“There’s no need to worry or be intimidated, I’ll lead you into the circle and I’ll teach you to adapt”

“Get out!”

Miriam’s trembling voice interrupted Colonel Fraser, causing him to look at his schoolmate in surprise, and then he saw Miriam raise her head.

And the anger that filled that face that he couldn’t understand.

The anger was so real, truly like a lioness roaring at her prey:
“I said! Get out! Get out of my house, you filth. Fraser, I never realized you had such a disgusting, rotten soul underneath that shell. Get out! Take your arrogance and get out of the Scarlet Consul’s house.

You are no longer welcome here.”

(End of chapter)