The Knight's Journey to the Empire

On the day before December 4876, 12 in the Knight Continent Gregorian calendar, Soran received a notice from the guards of the City Lord's Mansion, asking him to rush to the Saladin family's residence, Lonely Mountain Castle, before eight o'clock in the morning to prepare to accept the summons of His Royal Highness the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Midburg.

In the early morning, Soran took a bath and changed his clothes with the help of Javier, and then he took Javier, Ramos and Wolfe out of the city.

The Lonely Mountain Castle is not located in the city of Saladin, but on a vast plain near the city of Saladin.

Outside the city of Saladin is a vast plain, boundless and boundless. After generations of continuous development, large tracts of fertile farmland and a good water irrigation system have been developed, on which various food crops, cash crops, etc. are planted.

Of course, since it was winter and the crops had been harvested, there was nothing on the plains except grass roots.

A cold wind blew by, giving people a feeling of desolation and sadness.

The plain here is a well-known granary in the western part of the Kingdom of Midburg. It accounts for more than 50% of the grain supply in the grain market of the three western counties.

In this era dominated by agriculture, this is the source of wealth and family heritage of the Marquis Saladin family.

Looking across the vast plain, you can see a solitary mountain standing in the middle of it.

This solitary mountain is about 300 meters high and covers a large area with many huge rocks distributed on it.

The top of Lonely Mountain has been leveled and a majestic and solid fortress has been built on it.

This fortress is the Lonely Mountain Fort, known as the unfallen pearl in the western part of the Kingdom of Midberg.

It is said that the huge stones used to build the Lonely Mountain Castle were mined and transported piece by piece from the Parisnas Mountains.

It is said that when Lonely Mountain Castle was built, it employed 100,000 slaves, 30,000 of whom died. It is a castle built of flesh and blood.

It is said that the Lonely Mountain Castle has a long history and the wealth collected inside is inexhaustible. The total wealth of the Saladin family is enough to rival a country.

It is said that the Lonely Mountain Castle is filled with a gloomy and eerie atmosphere, and that servants can always hear all kinds of strange noises in the dead of night.

It is said that...

There are countless legends about the Lonely Mountain Fort, but none of them can be verified.

Because its history is so long that we don't even know when it was built.

Since ancient times, dynasties have come and gone, but aristocrats have remained unchanged.

The history of the Saladin family is even longer than that of the Kingdom of Midland, and can even be traced back to the founding of the Essex Empire. It is a true thousand-year-old family and a wealthy and prestigious family.

The Lonely Mountain Castle built on the top of the mountain is like a giant beast. It lies there, looking down at the earth and the common people. It is as majestic as a mountain and as deep as an abyss, with a magnificent momentum.

Just by standing in front of it, Sauron could feel the long history and vicissitudes of the Lonely Mountain.

From the towering walls and the mottled traces, it can be seen that the number of times that Lonely Mountain Castle was captured is definitely very small.

In fact, it has never been conquered since its establishment.

……

Aristocratic families with a long heritage and profound cultural background often pay more attention to education and decency.

This can be seen from the reception attitude of the servants in Lonely Mountain Castle towards guests.

The servants of the Lonely Mountain Castle were very proactive, enthusiastic, and considerate when receiving Sauron and his party.

That smiling expression always made people feel at home, but it didn't seem fawning, and he didn't look down on others or bully them just because of the low status of Sauron and his companions.

It is absolutely impossible for evil servants to bully guests or for bullies to take advantage of their masters' power.

The servants' words and actions were natural, appropriate, reasonable, graceful, and dedicated.

The interior decoration of the entire Lonely Mountain Castle is dominated by black and gray, which looks solemn and dignified, and the style is low-key and luxurious.

There is no splendor, no pearls and jade, no jade trees, and no red carpets or flowers paving the road. There is only the utmost low-key and low-key luxury.

Just from the ornaments placed around it, the paintings hanging on the wall, the daily utensils, etc., it can be seen that these are all valuable items, and some of them have the sedimentation of specific historical factors.

In the curriculum of the Donbass Knight Academy, "Tasting and Appreciation of Treasures" is also a compulsory course for students.

Take the guest reception room where Sauron and his companions were resting as an example.

Here are just tables and chairs for guests to sit temporarily. They are all made of the finest mahogany, with excellent workmanship, ingenious carvings, and hollow patterns, which are vivid.

This kind of furniture, made of the finest mahogany, is a specialty of the two northern counties of the Kingdom of Midburg. Soran couldn't estimate the exact price, but he only knew that with all his current wealth, he could probably only buy two chairs.

And these are just tables and chairs used to receive ordinary guests.

It comes standard!

This made Sauron jealous. While secretly cursing the wealthy and local tycoons in his heart, he could only sigh again and again: rich people are awesome and extravagant.

……

After arriving early in the morning and waiting until almost noon, Soran was finally summoned by Prince Leo.

He went to the audience alone with his butler. The others were not summoned and could not go with him, so they could only stay in the guest reception room and wait.

The place where Prince Leo summoned Soran was in a side hall of the Lonely Mountain Castle.

After all, Soran was not an important figure, so he did not need to be summoned to a more formal place like the main hall or study.

This is not to disrespect Soran, but because it is the rule of aristocratic etiquette.

Soran did not pay much attention to the decoration and furnishings of the side hall, because as soon as he entered the room, he was stared at by the man in fancy clothes sitting at the top seat. He felt the pressure of being in a higher position, which made him feel a little uneasy.

After all, this man is the prince of the kingdom, someone who can control his life and death with a single word, and he is also the most noble person he has ever met in his life.

(Except for the eldest son of the Principality of Naglia, Soran looked at him like a naughty child, without any of the aura that a young prince of a kingdom should have)

This made Soran, who was born in a remote place like Connat City and had relatively limited experience, feel a little inferior.

Even though Soran was well-read and knowledgeable when he was in the Donbass Knight Academy, that was all book knowledge and had not been tested in practice.

As for his current identity, he is indeed just a country bumpkin who is so lowly that he lives in the dirt.

"Your Highness, Knight Soren Lipton sends his greetings. May the glory and blessings of the God of Earth and Harvest always be with you." Soren respectfully performed a noble salute to Prince Leo.

Yana, the goddess of earth and harvest, is a widely worshipped god in the Kingdom of Midburg.

Soran placed his right hand across his chest and bent at a standard 45-degree angle. His voice was loud and his tone was flattering, without a trace of arrogance or pride.

Compared with precious life, the superiority of time travelers has long been discarded. It is impossible for Sauron to be like the protagonists of those cool novels who confront everyone they meet.

What pretense? What bullshit? It's impossible. Sauron is just a small figure now. It's easier for others to crush him to death than to step on a cockroach.

After all, cockroaches can fly and run, and you don’t even know where they are running to.

If things got serious, they would just send out a few high-level assassins. In the underworld, Soran could hear his relatives and friends in heaven singing in great chorus: "Listen to me, thank you, because of you, the four seasons are warm..."

"Hello, Knight Soran, thank you for your blessing." Prince Leo returned the greeting politely with a smile on his face, making people feel like spring breeze.

Then, a middle-aged man sitting next to Prince Leo said, "Hello, Knight Soran, I am Marquis Saladin."

Soran hurriedly performed a standard knight's salute and said in a flattering tone: "Dear Marquis, Knight Soran Lipton also greets you, and I wish you good health and happiness."

Marquis Saladin's enthusiasm was obvious, and he praised Soran directly, "Knight Soran, you are truly a young man to be feared. You have made such great contributions to the kingdom at such a young age, saving the kingdom from danger. Your future prospects will surely be limitless."

“My Lord Marquis, you are too kind. It was not my intention to make any contribution. I was just doing what a citizen of the kingdom should do. Every citizen has a share of responsibility for the rise and fall of a country,” Soran said humbly.

Although I know that I have made great contributions, I still need recognition from others.

So when Soran received the praise from Marquis Saladin, he was neither arrogant nor complacent, nor did he belittle himself, but accepted it humbly.

After all, humility is one of the recognized virtues of chivalry, and it is in line with his knighthood.

"Knight Soran, what does 'Every citizen has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country' mean?" Prince Leo asked at the right moment.

“Your Highness, when the kingdom is facing danger due to invasion by foreign enemies, every citizen of the kingdom has the responsibility and obligation to protect the safety of the kingdom.” Soran explained to Prince Leo based on his limited knowledge of Chinese.

"Good! Good! Good! What a responsibility and obligation of the kingdom's citizens, what a good saying 'Every citizen has his share of responsibility for the rise and fall of a country'. If the citizens of our kingdom all had the same awareness as Knight Sauron, then there would be no need to worry about our kingdom prospering." When Prince Leo heard Sauron's explanation, he shouted "good" three times.

Marquis Saladin also smiled and said, "Knight Soran, humility is certainly one of the virtues of a knight, but cherishing honor is also one of the virtues of a knight. Excessive humility is a manifestation of inferiority complex."

“Thank you for your advice, Lord Marquis. Sauron will definitely keep it in mind.” Sauron immediately straightened his slightly bent back.

Moreover, from this sentence, Sauron could vaguely guess that these two had no intention of killing him and taking the credit.

Upon seeing this, Marquis Saladin nodded slightly, a hint of approval appeared in his eyes, and his impression of Soran also improved a bit.

"Someone, come! Let Knight Soran take a seat."