Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 321: The Unscrupulous Lord of High Cliff Castle Who Tricked the Little Girl

"Levi, sit next to me." Harland took the lord and placed him on his left, then sat down on the wide chair. "I've heard that you can drink a lot. Today, I can finally have a good drink."

"Sire, the doctors say you should drink less."

A shrill voice sounded.

Levi looked in the direction of the voice and discovered that it was a middle-aged man with a white face and no beard. This was true beardlessness. Not only was his round face extremely white, but even his head was exactly the same as Mandela's - a smart head without hair.

"Good day, Lord Levi." The other party felt the gaze and smiled slightly.

"Damn Miaowari, I shouldn't have let you come to this party. I know my own body better than anyone else." Haaland cursed like a roaring lion.

"You are the king, and everything you said is right." Intelligence Minister Myowari did not argue at all and retreated tactfully.

This is just a little farce.

With the arrival of the protagonist, the whole banquet became lively.

The nobles took their seats at the tables around, and the waiters shuttled between the tables like butterflies, bringing bottles of Golden Moon Wine, which was unique to the royal court.

Only people of noble status can sit at the table where the king sits.

The old Duke of the West, the Duke of Finn of the East, and the foolish prince of the Holy Sith Kingdom.

However, the other party saw that the lord subconsciously shrank his neck, but soon realized that this seemed to weaken his momentum, so he raised his head and chest out, just like a duck holding its head high in front of a tiger.

Queen Cerise also broke away from the group of noble ladies at the right time, but she did not even look at the lord, as if they had never met before, and sat on the king's right hand side with a cold face.

"This is the Archbishop of Taylorsi. I heard that his magic skills have reached perfection and he is only one step away from becoming a legend."

At this moment, Ferro poked the lord's waist with his elbow. Thanks to someone, this guy was able to sit in the second chair away from the king.

Otherwise, no one present would be lower in status than this prince with a title but no power, and the other party's seat would have to be moved a little further back.

The archbishop was wearing a red robe and looked to be in his sixties or seventies, but his posture was still upright. He wore a bishop's crown on his head and held a scepter in his hand. Under the guidance of the waiter, he sat in his seat. He looked at the lord calmly and closed his eyes to meditate.

Levi was too lazy to say hello to these guys. No matter whether they were from the Sith Kingdom or Taylor, they came to Debe in the name of discussing the devil, but in fact, they probably came for him, the dragon knight.

"Good day, my Lords. Please have a drink together to celebrate the fact that Debe is about to have another duke." Harland filled his glass with wine, raised it deliberately, and looked at the confused lord next to him with a burning gaze. "I intend to make Lord Levi the Duke of the Wilderness. All the unowned lands in the wilderness will be his territory, and all the unowned people will be protected by him!"

His powerful voice was loud enough to carry throughout the corners, so that even the mice in the darkness could hear it clearly.

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked. After they figured out the connection, they immediately began to respond enthusiastically.

"There is no one more suitable to be the Duke of the Wilderness than Lord Levi!"

"Lord Levi may be able to become the true lord of the wilderness!"

If the land granted was a fertile one, the nobles present would inevitably feel dissatisfied.

But they knew the situation in the wilderness too well. There was no doubt that it was an unowned land, and its area was even as large as half of Debe.

But why didn't Debuy include it in his territory for so many years?

Not to mention the remote and poor countryside, the most important thing is that it is filled with a large number of people of various races, distributed in the form of tribes across the entire wilderness plain.

If the war is started directly, it will be totally unprofitable. Even if it is won, there will inevitably be heavy losses. The Holy Sith Kingdom, which is eyeing it covetously, will definitely not miss the opportunity to beat the enemy when it is down. Therefore, in recent years, Debe has implemented the policy of pioneering lords, preparing to nibble away at the wilderness bit by bit.

Therefore, even if the Lion Hunting Knight was granted the entire territory of the wilderness, it did not mean that this vast land belonged to him.

However, what is certain is that if the other party wants to truly own this land, it will inevitably need to lavishly confer titles on the nobles who pioneered it.

This is an opportunity, which is actually a good thing for them, as it means that the difficulty of obtaining the identity of a pioneering noble will be much lower.

"Levi, welcome to become the Duke of Derby." Harland drank the wine in the glass, and his beard was covered with wine. "Afterwards, the appointment document approved by the Noble Court will be handed over to you."

"It's my honor, Your Majesty." Levi smiled.

Although he was wondering why the king suddenly conferred the title of duke on him, and the ceremony was so simple, without even any conferment ceremony.

But there is no doubt that this is a great thing!

Originally he was embarrassed to collect tolls from the caravans entering the wilderness, but now he can do so with a clear conscience!
In the past, it could be said that only the areas he occupied belonged to his territory, but now the entire wilderness belonged to him with the king's endorsement.

Those pioneering lords could no longer continue to develop additional territories without his permission, because they all belonged to him, the Lord of High Cliff Castle!
When he thought of this, the smile on his face became even brighter.

For some reason, I found this king much more pleasing to the eye.

After this event came to an end, a grand banquet began. Beautiful dancers performed dances from the East in the open space, bards plucked the strings of harps and sang beautiful poems together, and some magic apprentices mixed in, using low-level magic like tricks to create a magnificent background.

The country bumpkin Lord of Highcliff Castle feasted his eyes and immediately gave thunderous applause after the show ended, causing 99% of the dancers to blush and keep throwing flirtatious glances, which meant that if someone was willing, today would definitely be an unforgettable night.

Unfortunately, although the performance was good, the dinner table was full of hypocritical flattery and some meaningless clichés, coupled with frequent toasts for various reasons, which made the lord extremely bored. Thanks to Ferro's advance introduction, the lord already knew that these nobles were basically two-faced and sleazy guys, so he was too lazy to pay attention to them. Occasionally, when he met some nobles who tried to talk to him, a rising star in the world of fame and fortune, he just casually brushed them off.

However, when he meets some admirers who simply adore him, he will be extremely patient and give them some encouragement.

The only thing he found interesting was this guy Ferro. Although he was obviously disgusted with certain nobles in his heart, he still treated them patiently with an impeccable smile on his face.

The nobles who were provoked really thought that this prince was easy to get along with, and one by one they used him as a springboard to try to have a chat with the lord.

However, during the endless toasts, Levi noticed that Queen Ceris and King Harland were like two enemies. Their disgust for each other was almost visible to the naked eye, and even a blind person could see it.

Unfortunately, the nobles around seemed to have already gotten used to it and did not look surprised.

Levi glanced around out of boredom, and his eyes soon focused on a round table about ten feet away from them. The marble table was covered with a red tablecloth, and a group of young people were sitting around it.

And Prince Bedoyer was among them, sitting in the first seat in the same direction as the king. It was obvious that these were all the children of His Majesty Harland, a total of three boys and seven girls, ranging in age from over twenties to ten years old.

But what really caught the lord's attention was a little girl.
She sat at the last seat, her thin body covered in a black dress that was extremely cheap compared to the other princes and princesses. She was like a rabbit that had sneaked into a pack of wolves, nervously poking a potato with a fork and nibbling it bit by bit, without even adding honey. Her eyes were clearly fixed on the steak and deer leg in the center of the table, but she didn't dare to move her chopsticks at all.

If that were all, then there would be nothing strange about it. After all, not every prince and princess lived a good life. There would always be those who were not favored and would be excluded. It had nothing to do with the lord.

What really concerned the lord was that the other person had waist-length black hair and a pair of brown pupils that were exactly the same as his.

Suddenly, among a group of blond-haired and blue-eyed people, he saw someone who looked so similar to him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity as if he had met a fellow countryman.

Not long after, she finished the boiled potatoes in her hand, said something, and at the indifferent nod of Prince Bedoyer, she climbed down the chair which was slightly high for her, and walked out of the dark passage alone. No one noticed her departure, as if she was a shadow that no one cared about.

The other heirs of the royal family at the round table all watched coldly, some even with disgust on their faces, as if they were glad that the other party had the tact to leave on their own initiative.

The already bored lord took the opportunity to leave the table on the pretext of going to the bathroom, and walked towards the passage where the other party had left at a leisurely pace with his hands in his pockets.

……

Ashlu Crathion walked alone in the empty palace, holding up her skirt. Halfway through the walk, she covered her rumbling stomach and muttered to herself, "The sweet potatoes I planted should have grown up. Let's roast them and eat them later. By the way, call Aunt Norma to come over to eat with us."

Thinking of this, a smile finally appeared on her face.

"It's a pity that there were too many people just now, and I couldn't see what the Lion Hunting Knight looked like. But I heard that he was very heroic and extraordinary. Sister Lina even said that she wanted to marry him." Ai Xilu had a look of regret on her face, but after talking to herself, she covered her mouth and laughed.

"My dear lady, may I ask what you are talking about?"

A voice suddenly came from behind, which scared Ai Xilu. When she turned around, she found that it was a tall and heroic young man who had walked behind her at some point.

The other person was wearing a gorgeous dress and had an upright posture. He was obviously an unknown important figure.

"Sir, I didn't say anything just now." Aixilu lowered her head, pinching the hem of her skirt that had turned white from washing, and said timidly.

"I'm not a big shot. I'm just an ordinary guard." Unexpectedly, the other party didn't recognize him. Levi rolled his eyes and lied. "I'm a guard of the Royal Palace's Dragon Squadron. I'm hidden among the nobles. If I encounter an assassin, I'm responsible for seizing air superiority. My number is 9527."

"Yes, I know this team." Unexpectedly, the little girl in front of him actually nodded pretentiously, and then asked in confusion: "But shouldn't the guards be on duty in the Griffin Rotunda of St. Peter now?" Ai Xilu is definitely not a fool, but she is certainly not very smart. She soon believed 90% of what the lord said.

"Can't the guards leave temporarily? Just like you, with so many people in the round hall leaving quietly, no one will know." The lord bent down slightly to avoid causing psychological pressure to the other person by standing upright and looking down at her.

"I just heard that you have some roasted sweet potatoes. Can you treat me to a meal? I haven't eaten all morning." The lord pretended to touch his stomach with a pleading look on his face.

It was obvious that baked sweet potatoes were very important to the little girl. She considered it for ten seconds before making a difficult decision: "But I don't have a lot of sweet potatoes. If you have a big appetite, it will definitely not be enough."

"Don't worry, I'll be full after just two bites." The lord patted his chest, and the sincerity on his face was enough to make even the devil who was good at calculating believe it.

"Okay." Ai Xilu nodded. She knew how uncomfortable it was to be hungry, so she didn't want the guard to work on an empty stomach.

At worst...at worst she can just eat less.

"You don't have to call me Miss, just call me Ai Xilu." Ai Xilu said as she led the way.

"Okay, your honorable Aishilu." The lord said seriously.

"You're so honorable." It seemed that she had never been respected like this before. Although her expression could not be seen, the little girl's steps became visibly lighter.

The two of them kept walking around in the corridors of the palace. The other seemed to be very familiar with the route and was very adept at walking in these winding passages.

The lord touched the Ring of Dawn on his middle finger and looked around. He had not forgotten what he promised Silvia. However, whether it was the last time he entered the palace or this time, the ring that could sense the bronze dragon had never lit up. He didn't know if it was because the distance was still too far.

Now, following this somewhat silly and down-and-out princess, I can take the opportunity to investigate.

No one knew how long he had been walking around. The lord only knew that he was almost dizzy. The magnificent Gothic spires around him turned into slightly low houses.

If he hadn't been able to see the inner walls of the palace in the distance, he would have almost thought that both of them had left the palace.

But soon they stopped in front of a three-story building surrounded by a breastwork. The building also had its own courtyard. Although it was much better than the other stone houses around it, it did not look like the place where a king's daughter lived.

(End of this chapter)