87. Political and economic advisers
Chapter 87 Political and Economic Advisor
Once again, Lardy was in the classrooms of the Vess Academy, which she had recently taken a liking to.
A few days ago, she and her fellow adventurers had followed Paul and Quiller back to Lakewood from Port Fullan, and had stumbled upon the fact that an academy had opened here.
Although it was named “Vis Academy”, it was actually a two-story building with a courtyard surrounded by a brick wall, and all aspects of the building seemed very simple.
During the day, it was filled with children of all sizes from Lakeville and neighboring villages, and the teachers were responsible for teaching them how to read and write, and at 5:00 p.m., the children went back to their homes.
After dinner, however, the place would come alive again, and the adult townspeople would gather here one after another to be taught writing by the teachers on night duty.
According to the teachers, this is called “literacy night school.”
The teachers included young monks from the nearby monasteries, and also people who came from the royal capital to the northwest to make a living, and the lord’s requirement for them was only to know how to read and write.
She was surprised that the local lords had built such a school for commoners and even serfs.
Even in the south, only commoners in the big cities had access to education, and it was a great test of the family’s financial resources.
Knowledge had a price, and Lardy’s ability to become a scholar was inextricably linked to her solid family background.
She loved spending time with the children, innocent little angels who made her forget the worries of life for a while.
During class, she sat with the little angels and listened attentively, and after class, she and the little angels had fun playing games in the yard.
After a few days, the children got to know this beautiful big sister with a tall hat and long green hair.
LaDee felt that she had smiled more in the past few days than in the previous month combined.
The item of hat she wore made her easily recognizable as a scholar, and several of the teachers at the academy, upon learning that she was a scholar from the south, enthusiastically invited her to speak to their students in class about the south.
She readily agreed, and after a few classes, even Dean Morrison knew of the existence of a scholar among his cadets, and made a point of running over to listen a few times.
The curiosity that bubbled up in the children’s wide eyes and the satisfaction of hearing new knowledge gave Lardy great spiritual pleasure.
A suggestion from Morrison struck a chord in her heart:
“Would it be possible for Miss Lardy to stay with us as a teacher? A scholar of your caliber, I’m sure Lord Greymane would make you a generous offer.”
It wasn’t the “generous offer” that struck a chord in her heart, but the fact that she remembered the conversation she had had with the lord the last time she had been in Lakewood.
Especially when the Southern Church was getting crazier and crazier, if she went back again, if she was suspected, it would not only bring trouble to herself, but also to her family and friends.
Staying here might be a good choice?
……
A few days later.
“Lardy, why? Are we treating you badly?” Meru asked aloud.
Just a few moments ago, this partner had approached her as the head of the group and proposed an idea that shocked her greatly: quitting the Lichtman Adventure Group.
The partner lowered his head and said with an apologetic face, “I think the environment of the Northwest Bay suits me perfectly, and I want to live here for a while.”
Of course, this sounded like a figure of speech, and the real reason was obvious once she thought about it: because of that identity she had been hiding.
One knew this partner too well, too kind, too considerate of others.
Meru hugged the girl tightly and whispered in her ear, “I told you we’d protect you well whenever we could.”
With tears in her eyes, her partner said with a sobbing voice, “Thank you for always taking care of me, and thank you for not abandoning me after learning my secret.”
“I am happy around you all. But …… but ……”
Meru shook her head, “No buts, we will never abandon you, we will always take care of you, we are happy to do so.”
“No! Meru ……” Lardy stared at the chief, “It can’t go on any longer, promise me Meru, it’s better for both of us this way.”
Having known each other for so many years, Meru could instantly see the firm determination in his companion’s eyes. “But won’t your situation get worse by leaving you here alone? How do you reassure us?”
Lardy reassured her, “The lord here is an enlightened man, I ‘tested’ him, you know I have ‘ways’.”
“Besides, I’ve talked to teachers who are of monastic origin, and the general outlook of the churchmen here tends to favor the Congregation, not as crazy as their southern counterparts.”
“All in all, it’s safer for me to stay here.”
Knowing that he could no longer persuade this companion, Meru nodded.
She hugged Lardy again and said, “Take care of yourself, you’ll always be family to us.”
Lardy said with great gratitude, “Thank you.”
She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her delicate face any longer.
Meru touched her face and wiped away the tears of this constant companion, saying compassionately, “What are you saying thank you for! What a silly girl.”
……
Lardy sat nervously in the parlor of the lord’s mansion, wondering what she would be asked at the so-called “interview”.
A moment later, two men walked in, one of whom she recognized as Master Ford, and the other, who looked like a gentleman, seemed to be on the Lord’s side as well.
She stood up first and greeted the old Ford, “Hello, Chief Ford.”
Old Ford smiled and gestured for her to sit down.
The two sat down across from her and the other man smiled and introduced himself, “Hello Miss Laddie, I am Bernard Francis, Earl Gladman’s secretary. We met when we greeted the Foster Chamber.”
She responded, “Hello, Mr. Francis.”
Chief Ford got right to the point, “Miss Laddie, we read your self-introduction, a scholar from the Independent Territory of the Southern Messiah, but aren’t you a member of the Leachman’s Adventure Corps?”
Lardy nodded, “Yes, I joined the Adventure Corps as a scholar, to travel around the world to further my knowledge. “
Chief Steward Ford nodded, the adventuring group traveled all over the world, and the people inside were all very skilled, so one could indeed obtain a high level of security in it.
“Then what are the main areas in which your knowledge is centered?”
“The knowledge I have learned is mainly focused on two areas, history and museum.”
“Can we ask you a few questions about these two areas?”
“Of course, Mr. Chief Steward.”
The tests were run by Bernard, who had accumulated a lot of knowledge during his time copying books in the library.
After half an hour had passed, he indicated to Chief Steward Ford that the green-haired girl in front of him was, at least as far as he was concerned, a genuine scholar of history and museums.
Chief Steward Ford considered for a moment and said, “Since you came with the Foster Chamber of Commerce, you must already know that we will be establishing trade ties with the Horned Bay Alliance in the near future, and that exchanges with them will become more and more frequent in the future.”
“It’s not just one country, the Horned Bay Alliance, but in the future the exchanges will extend to the entire South. Therefore, the Lord’s Office and the Council of State urgently needs an advisor who is familiar with the politics and economy of the southern countries, I wonder if you are willing to take up this position?”
Lardy hesitated for a moment and said, “But my intention is to teach at the Vis Academy, I wrote that on my introduction.”
Old Ford shook his head and said, “Have you been to our academy? At the current stage it merely teaches word recognition, place a history and museum scholar in there and the Lord of Light will send down lightning to punish us. Good steel, use it on the blade.”
He looked at Lardy and said, “Of course, if you do like it there, you can volunteer to teach the children in your free time, it’s all within a town anyway.”
“Alright, I accept your arrangement.” Lardy agreed, let’s settle in first.
“Welcome, Miss Lardy. You can come to work in the Lords’ House tomorrow.”
Old Ford was happy, he was still struggling to understand the economic situation in the south when he negotiated with Head Christopher of the Foster Chamber of Commerce in the past few days, the arrival of this scholarly lady was so timely.
(End of chapter)