Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 322 Conversation (6k)

The garden was planted with ordinary flowers and plants, but one could vaguely see the exquisite layout. A few roses were growing in the corner, and the petals were still covered with morning dew.

"Please come in." Ai Xilu pushed open the door, and the door hinges made a slight creaking sound, telling the two of its long history.

The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a light fragrance mixed with the scent of old wood and books.

The lord followed her into the house. The wooden floor under his feet made a slight creaking sound, as if reminding him to be careful with every step.

The furnishings in the room were simple and quaint, with a few yellowed oil paintings hanging on the wall. Although the figures in the paintings were blurry, it was vaguely visible that a woman was holding a little girl in her arms, and a woman in a headscarf was standing behind her.

On the old oak table stood a copper candlestick, the candle on the candlestick had burned out, leaving only a few drops of solidified wax. In the corner were several piles of books, the pages of which had turned yellow, and it was obvious that they were old books from somewhere.

The little girl, who was about 1.5 meters tall, walked to the window, tiptoed and gently pulled open the heavy curtains. The sunlight poured into the house through the small wooden window, making the dim room noticeably brighter.

She turned around, with a hint of happiness visible to the naked eye on her face: "Since my mother passed away, no outsiders have come here for a long time."

"By the way, I still don't know your name?"

"Liu Zhenhan." Li Wei spoke briefly and to the point, lying without blinking. He touched the ring on his hand which was completely unresponsive and looked around.

"What a strange name." Ai Xilu couldn't help but think so in her heart, but soon realized that it was a bit disrespectful, and quickly changed the subject: "Please sit down first, don't be too polite, I will go prepare the food."

Getting the lord to be polite is even more difficult than getting the orcs to be humble. When she finished speaking, Levi had already found a seat and sat down, pouring himself some water and drinking it.

This is exactly where the palace servants live, and there is nothing strange about this small building. However, it is certain that the places they have walked through are basically on the outskirts of the palace. If they want to know whether there is the bronze dragon that Silvia mentioned, they probably have to go deep into the palace.

But the problem is... he doesn't know the way!

This magnificent palace is simply the definition of a maze. It covers a vast area. If he were to wander around alone, it would be hard to say whether he could find where he wanted to go. The key point is that it would easily arouse suspicion.

"Aishulu, do you know if there is anything strange in the palace?" Levi said, choosing his words carefully, and then added, "As a palace guard, it is my duty to investigate every suspicious place."

In fact, his words were full of loopholes, and no one would believe it.

But whether there is a loophole or not depends on who it is targeting.

Ai Xilu found a patched apron from somewhere and put it on. She was holding a small hoe and working hard in the small field in the yard.

"A strange place?" Hearing this, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with her little hand, stopped what she was doing, tilted her head and thought about it, with a bit of innocent doubt on her face.

Her little hands were still holding the small hoe covered in mud, and her apron was covered in grass clippings and dirt. She looked nothing like a princess, but more like an ordinary maid.

"Well... if we talk about strange places, there are indeed quite a few in the palace." She blinked, as if trying to recall. "For example, the clock tower in the east. I heard that strange noises would be heard late at night, as if someone was crying inside. Many maids would be scared to death when they passed by at night. They said that there were evil spirits inside that were crying about their tragic experiences day and night, trying to attract people to murder them."

When she said this, she shrank her neck, obviously quite scared of these things.

"There is also an underground storage room on the west side. It is said that it was once used to imprison some criminals who committed serious crimes. Now few people dare to approach it."

"If you want to go, I suggest you find a few more companions. I read in a book that the more people there are, the less likely those evil spirits will dare to approach."

Levi's heart moved when he heard this. The bell tower and the underground storage room sounded like places worth exploring. Especially the underground storage room. If the bronze dragon was really hidden in this palace, this kind of secret place would undoubtedly be the most likely hiding place.

"Very good, Ai Xilu, you have helped me a lot. I will go to these places to find out what is going on." The lord snapped his fingers, with a righteous look on his face: "Then I will restore order to the palace!"

Aixilu smiled lightly, happier than if she had eaten candy beans. She felt it was such a good feeling to help others.

Although the little girl looked thin, she was very capable and quickly dug a basket of sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, they were not very big, probably because they were not fully ripe.

The other person worked hard to carry the basket into the house, and then went to the inner room to rummage through the drawers and cabinets looking for something.

"Excuse me, sir. Who are you? Where is Princess Aishilu?"

Just then a voice came from the door.

It was a gray-haired woman wearing an old maid's outfit. She was looking at Levi out of the corner of her eye, thinking she was covertly doing so. After decades of hanging around in the palace, which was like a den of wolves, she had already developed an extraordinary vision.

The gorgeous dress, handsome face, and extraordinary temperament exuded by him could obviously only belong to a noble of high status. Considering that the other party was too young, he was most likely the son of a great noble.

The king held a grand banquet today and Princess Aishilu also went. Maybe she was the nobleman that the other party met at the banquet.

However, Princess Aishilu's mind is so innocent that it is hard to say whether she has been deceived by the other party.

"Aunt Norma, his name is Liu Zhenhan. I met him at the banquet. He came to my place for a meal because he didn't have breakfast." Ai Xilu came out of the room and explained immediately. She was dragging a heavy stone stove with difficulty.

This stove is a must-have for every civilian family in Debe. It is made of clay inside and covered with a thin layer of iron outside.

It was not too heavy for an adult, but it was too heavy for a malnourished little girl.

"Yes, that's it." Levi smiled slightly, and with a push of his foot, he put the stove in the right position.

Ashlu thanked her.

The woman sighed inwardly. She was just an ordinary laundry worker. The only thing she could do was to pray to the Goddess of Holy Light, hoping that she would consider that Ashlu was more or less a princess and leave after eating, but not do anything wrong.

The woman also joined in, and with her help, the stove was lit. When only charcoal was left, all the sweet potatoes were thrown in and the lid was closed.

Soon, a fragrance wafted out from it.

The baked sweet potatoes were put into a basket and prepared to be cooled before eating. Li Wei sat on a small stool, but no matter whether they were hot or not, he just took them in his hands and peeled off the skin. The rich and sweet aroma rose along with the heat, and the golden roasted potato flesh was shiny, making people unable to resist their appetite.

The sweet potatoes, which were only the size of a little girl's palm, were very delicious to the lord, who was 1.9 meters tall. It was very easy for him to eat one in one bite. Half a basket of roasted sweet potatoes disappeared at an astonishing speed.

Aixilu opened her mouth wide, looked at the empty basket, touched her rumbling stomach, and couldn't help but well up in tears.

She had clearly said before that she would be full after eating just a little bit, so she had to hold back her tears.

Seeing that the other party was really concentrating on eating, the woman breathed a sigh of relief.

The baked sweet potatoes are as delicious as ever, but eating too much can cause flatulence and constipation. Levi thinks it would be better if he had a cup of honey water to moisten his intestines.

"Your Excellency is quite free."

The voice came from behind. Ferro sat down on the stool next to him with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, I thought you were lost. I didn't expect you to be here fighting for food with Princess Aishilu."

"I didn't steal the food, but Her Royal Highness the Princess invited me to eat."

The lord would not take the blame for this and immediately refuted it with righteous words.

"That's right, Your Majesty, I was the one who invited Mr. Liu Zhenhan." Ai Xilu nodded honestly, but soon realized that something was wrong, "Hey... Hey... Hey..."

She pointed at Levi with trembling slender fingers, then looked at Ferro, her eyes switching between the two, her face stunned.

She knew Ferro. She had occasionally met the prince when he came to the palace before. They had met each other several times.

But even this prince has to be addressed as "Your Excellency", so...

"Your Highness, this is the Lion Hunting Knight, Duke Levi, who has just been canonized by His Majesty." Ferro knew very well that this unscrupulous Lord of High Cliff Castle must be trying to deceive the pure-hearted girl again, so he immediately introduced him seriously.

Unexpectedly, the Lion Hunter Knight whom she had been longing to see was right in front of her. While regretting that she had not recognized him just now, Ai Xilu also felt that she was extremely lucky today, and some of the grievances in her heart disappeared at once.

He raised his head excitedly and wanted to say a few words, but found that the two people were no longer in front of him. There were only two gold coins falling in the same place, and the voices of the two people became increasingly unclear.

"Your Majesty just came to see you, we should go back as soon as possible."

"How to say?"

Looking at the stunned little girl, the woman sighed. The other party was a big man who was famous throughout Derby recently, while Aishilu was just an unpopular princess and her mother was a maid. The two were destined to be on different levels from the beginning.

……

"It's nothing. You are the protagonist of this banquet. If you leave, it will inevitably be imperfect." Ferro said as he walked.

"By the way, what's the situation with Princess Aishilu?" The lord nodded, and then chatted casually on the way to avoid boredom.

"As you know, your majesty and the queen have always had a bad relationship." Ferro first laid the foundation, and then calmly recounted the royal scandals: "As long as you are a man, you will inevitably need to vent. On a gloomy night, your majesty got drunk, and the maid who happened to serve the king, although of low status, was definitely carefully selected for her appearance. Under the combined effects of alcohol and nature, your majesty made a mistake."

"Unfortunately, Princess Aishilu is the illegitimate child of His Majesty and that maid."

"Even if she was an illegitimate child, Your Majesty would have thought of that maid and Princess Aishilu would not have had a bad life. But unfortunately, when Princess Aishilu was two years old, her mother died of an incurable disease." "And so, without the emotional bond, everyone gradually forgot about this princess. Your Majesty may have even forgotten Princess Aishilu's name."

"She was driven from her own palace to the place where her mother once lived, and has lived with her mother's maid since she was a child."

At this point, Ferro looked at the lord with a teasing look on his face: "Does the lord have a crush on Princess Aishilu? If you need me to tell His Majesty, he will definitely be happy to marry the princess to you."

"That's not the case." Levi waved his hand, "I'm just curious how such a simple princess could grow up safely in the palace."

It can be said that the extravagant life in the palace is just superficial, and there is murderous intention hidden inside. The death of a prince or princess is nothing surprising.

"Perhaps this is why the princess has grown up despite not having a good life." Ferro said meaningfully, "Just like when a vicious dog appears near your home, everyone will try to get rid of the threat. But if it's a little white rabbit, who would care?"

……

Back at the banquet, there was inevitably another round of pretense and hypocrisy, and when the banquet was about to end, Levi did not expect that Ai Xilu was called back by two guards.

Seeing that everyone was present, Harland knocked on the stone table. His strong fingers collided with the marble table, making a crisp and loud sound.

"My three daughters have reached marriageable age, and I intend to choose suitable husbands for them."

As soon as these words came out, they received a warm response from all the nobles. They raised their glasses towards the two blonde girls sitting on a stone table in the distance to show their affection.

Unfortunately, all their seductive glances were cast to the blind man. The two princesses were like peacocks spreading their tails, trying their best to stick out their chests and show off to the lord.

Dragon Knight, the new Duke, someone whose looks can even surpass the elves famous for their looks, anyone who is not a fool knows what to choose.

As for the wilderness being a poor and remote place? I heard that the wealth obtained by this Lion Hunter Knight in the south was enough to fill the entire hall. Wouldn't it be easy to build a luxurious castle?

Moreover, the other party has a giant dragon, so if they are really tired of the wilderness, they can fly back to Gunda at any time without having to endure the hardship of the journey.

Ai Xilu was like an ugly duckling among white swans. Her timidity formed a sharp contrast with her two sisters who were trying their best to show themselves off.

But her eyes naturally fell on the Lion Hunter Knight who was the focus of everyone's attention.

What she didn't expect was that the other party actually smiled back at her. She was so panicked that she quickly straightened her chest.

The other two princesses thought that the Lord of High Cliff Castle was signaling to them, so they worked even harder.

No wonder they are so excited.

Since Derby has three princes, they are destined to have no chance of becoming king. Therefore, it is particularly important to choose a powerful husband at this time, which will determine the extent of their power in the second half of their lives.

There are four dukes in Derby, two of whom are women. The other two are old guys with half their bodies buried in the ground and the other is the queen's father, so they don't need to be considered.

At this time, a new duke suddenly appeared. He was a dragon knight who rode a giant dragon and flew through the sky. He had equally sharp power and minions. The other party was extraordinary in strength and power, and even the king's father had to be treated with courtesy. Moreover, he was extremely young and handsome.

There is no doubt that there is no other husband as outstanding as this in the whole of Derby, no, in the whole of the Seven Kingdoms.

If they can marry each other, their good days are almost visible to the naked eye, and the other party's kindness is extremely important.

"We can take our time with choosing a husband. Let's have a drink together first." Haaland raised his glass and drank it all.

……

The banquet soon ended with most people satisfied. The two princesses looked at each other with hostility, raised their heads and left in different directions.

Only Ai Xilu, who was sandwiched in the middle, looked around, then looked at Levi who didn't notice this place at all, and left dejectedly, holding up her skirt.

After a short rest, His Majesty Haaland began to meet with his vassals one by one. Obviously, this was the real purpose of this banquet.

The first to go in was Duke Finn from the East, followed by Old Gray from the West. The two of them went in and came out quickly. They all nodded and smiled at the lord at the same time, and then it was his turn.

Following the guidance of the king's attendant, Levi walked through the long and complex corridors, and finally stopped in a study when he turned around the ninth corridor.

"Sir, His Majesty is waiting for you inside." The young servant who looked like Duke Finn said respectfully.

"Would you like a drink?"

Walking into the study, Haaland was sitting in front of the desk and sipping a glass of wine. It seemed that his majesty was really as addicted to alcohol as the rumors said.

Levi didn't refuse and nodded.

"Then pour it yourself. Don't expect me to pour you a drink unless my body is as agile as yours." The other person looked like a mountain of flesh sitting on the chair, not caring at all about making a joke of his body shape.

"Levi, have you ever planned to get married?"

"You are now of marriageable age. How about Princess Lina? She is a famous beauty in Gonda. Or how about Princess Vera? Her dancing and voice are enough to put mermaids to shame."

"As long as you ask, I will make the decision and agree to it directly."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I'm not interested in this for the time being." The lord had already expected King Derby to give his wife away.

However, it's not that he doesn't want a wife, but he doesn't want to marry these two princesses. I heard from Ferro privately that Princess Lina is Prince Bedoyer's sister, and the two of them have an unpleasant scandal.

Princess Vera, on the other hand, led an immoral private life, often inviting dance teachers or bards to stay overnight in the palace in the name of teaching.

He did not want to marry two stagecoaches.

"Then Ai..."

"Princess Ashlu."

The other party then wanted to talk about the third princess, but after thinking for a long time he couldn't remember her, so Levi had to remind her.

"Yes, how about Princess Aishilu? This is my daughter who has perfectly inherited the beautiful looks of my youth. Although her birth was a little poor, I think you, Levi, will definitely not marry only one partner." Harland stared at the young man in front of him.

As a tyrant who established the Garden of Ten Thousand Flowers, he could see some of the same traits in the other party.

"Hahaha, let's talk about this later." Levi laughed and refused politely.

He didn't expect that His Majesty was so concerned about his marriage.

"Okay." Haaland also knew that this kind of thing couldn't be forced, so he changed the subject: "What do you think of the meeting between the Sith Nation and Taylors?"

"I think this tripartite meeting will definitely be able to resolve the issue of the devil and dig deeper into the reasons behind it..." Levi cleared his throat and began to recite the official document of Derby that Leiden had prepared last night, which was as formal as it could be.

All of these were prepared by the staff officer of Gaoya Fort in case the lord said something wrong. After a night of recitation, he had memorized them by heart.

"Stop, stop, stop! How come you are the same as those guys?" Haaland said helplessly, "Let me ask it another way. Do you think they will threaten you or even Debe in parliament, or even pose a threat?"

"Both are possible, but we need to talk about it to know the exact situation." Levi touched his chin and pretended to be thoughtful, but in fact he thought to himself, if you don't know, how can I know.

"We have to talk about it to know if it's okay." Harland drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, took a long breath of relief and continued: "But you don't know what it means for a dragon knight to be a powerful person comparable to a legend."

"If they disliked each other before because our territories were adjacent to each other, then now it is very likely that they will unite against us because of you."

"I know you are very strong, but Levi, I have to remind you, never underestimate anyone."

"That's the truth." Levi nodded.

He thought of the Twelve Saints of the Holy Light Church. He was afraid that even his majesty did not know that there was still a saint alive in the world.

The Holy Light Church has this kind of trump card, not to mention other forces. Who dares to say that the forces that have survived from that holy war to the present do not have some skills?

Although he was confident that he had few rivals as a Templar, he still had to advance completely to become a legend.

"To be honest, in recent years, the Sith Nation has made great progress in alchemy. You saw the Zhaidai Iron Man that day. He was just a low-level iron man. There is also Taylor. Although this is a country ruled by the church, it is precisely because of this that there are more magicians in this country than ever before."

So if this parliamentary meeting fails, Derby will face a very difficult battle.”

To be honest, Levi was indeed shocked at first, but he quickly figured it out.

If the situation was as serious as King Derby said, the other party would not be able to sit here and drink peacefully.

"But you don't have to worry too much. No one would choose to go to war unless it is absolutely necessary, because the consequences of offending a legendary strongman are unimaginable."

(End of this chapter)