Socially anxious people transmigrate to another world; living in seclusion is too difficult.

The next day, Alban followed Boon's instructions and went to Sigrid's mansion. Sigrid, still alluring as ever, received Alban in the reception room.

"What's wrong, Alban? The Qinggui Festival is almost here. Shouldn't you be busy preparing? What brings you here?" Sigrid leaned back on the sofa, crossed her legs, and looked at Alban with seductive eyes.

Upon seeing this, Alban felt a surge of disgust, but quickly suppressed it and said respectfully, "Lady Sigrid, I am here today on Lord Xiu's orders. The situation is as follows: last night, an accident occurred at the venue where Lord Xiu and I were operating. Lord Xiu already knows who the culprit is and has specifically ordered me to invite Lady Sigrid to Lord Colin's residence to discuss a solution."

Upon hearing Alban's purpose, Sigrid immediately became serious and asked, "What happened at your place last night? Do you need to discuss a solution with Lord Colin?"

"It's like this, the place was set on fire last night. Lord Xiu wants to request Lord Colin to grant him full command of the royal city's garrison so that he can take revenge."

"Who did this? And why would they mobilize the royal city's garrison for revenge?" Sigrid was also somewhat surprised.

"Since you asked me to invite Lady Sigrid along, I suppose Lady Sigrid is also involved in this matter. Judging from Lord Xiu's reaction last night, you probably know about this murderer, right?" Alban said, expressing his guess.

"I know too?" Sigrid asked doubtfully, then pondered for a moment. After that, she seemed to have thought of something. Since she said she knew too, the people she had recently been in contact with were none other than those two high-level elementals. So she tentatively asked, "Were the people who did this a man and a woman?"

"A man and a woman? I don't know, but I heard Lord Xiu mention a name yesterday, I think it was Su Yang."

Sigrid did not know Su Yang's name, so she could only agree to go see Duke Colin together. The two agreed on a time, and Alban went to report to Boan. That afternoon, after the three of them gathered, they ordered a servant to go and report first. After receiving a reply, they went to Duke Colin's mansion.

Upon arriving at Duke Colin's manor, the butler had already opened the manor gates and was standing by the roadside to greet them. The process was the same as last time. After the three of them parked the carriage, they followed the butler to the underground reception room to wait. After a short while, Colin slowly walked into the reception room, but he seemed to be in poor spirits, looking haggard and tired.

Colin sat on the sofa, rubbing his temples with his hands, and asked wearily, "What is it? Go ahead and say it."

Sigrid, with her keen eyesight, immediately asked with concern, "Sir, have you been busy with military affairs lately? Why do you look so tired?"

Colin glanced at her, closed his eyes slightly, sighed deeply, and said after a long while, "The Qinggui Festival is coming soon. This year, it is difficult to arrange duty shifts and holidays for various troops. In principle, our country is a neutral country, and there is no need for the army to continue to be stationed during the Qinggui Festival. However, after the Ming official took over, he demanded that troops be stationed during the Qinggui Festival this year, which has caused great distress to the entire military.

Sigrid was also surprised to hear this. She was in charge of the Duchy's foreign affairs and had never heard of any other country having plans to start a war. The island war had only ended a few months ago, and in theory, it was impossible for any country to continue to start an unnecessary war. However, since the Ming official had already made this decision, no one could overturn it. Since the matter involved the Ming official, she could not express her opinion on the matter.

Bo'an, being involved in both government and civilian affairs, was naturally very sensitive to such political and military information. He refrained from commenting on such sensitive matters and instead waited quietly for Colin to speak. Alban, knowing his low rank, was already reserved in such situations, and now even less likely to speak, resulting in a moment of silence.

Colin sighed a few times before continuing, "Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. What is it?"

Sigrid turned her gaze to Bo'an, who then recounted the events of the previous night in detail. Sigrid then understood that it was indeed the two high-level elementals she had encountered earlier who had burned down Bo'an and Olben's joint territory. She also learned Su Yang's name and thought to herself, "So his name is Su Yang. I'll find some time to go to the Adventurers' Guild and find out what his elemental rank is."

After listening to Bo'an's account, Colin asked the crucial question: "Did you provoke those two? If there was no grudge, why would they burn down your territory? And just because of this, you're being given command of the royal city's garrison? Do you really think military affairs are a joke?!" By the end, Colin was already quite angry.

Whatever those four did in private, which one didn't harm the duchy's economic revenue? It couldn't be brought up in public at all. Now that he was under the jurisdiction of the Ming official, who was the guardian and only concerned about the duchy, he couldn't be as lax as before. Moreover, King Pact trusted the Ming official unconditionally. If he didn't handle some small matter well, not only would his title be in danger, but his life would also be in danger.

His political rival, Duke Little, was constantly watching him, and with powerful officials above him exerting pressure, Colin had to proceed with extreme caution. Bo'an's request was enough to infuriate him. Undeterred by his rejection, Bo'an continued to argue, "My lord, how could I possibly provoke a commoner? That would be beneath my dignity! They first caused trouble in my casino, then burned it down. This is a provocation against us, Lord Colin! How can this be tolerated?"

Colin waved his hand, signaling Bo'an to stop talking. Bo'an wanted to say something to try and persuade him, but Sigrid grabbed his arm, also signaling him to stop talking. If Colin got angry, none of the three of them would have a good outcome.

Colin was silent for a moment before making his conclusion: "We'll talk about this after the festival. I'm warning you three, don't do anything before the Qinggui Festival, don't cause me any trouble, just stay put. If anything serious happens or anything goes wrong during this time, you can expect to have your titles revoked and be expelled from the city! Alright, is there anything else?"

Colin had already made his decision. Upon hearing this, Bo'an said somewhat unwillingly, "My lord..." but was intimidated by a look from Colin. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and could only whisper, "I understand, my lord."

Sigrid and Alban echoed their agreement, all three understanding that any further objections at this point would surely unleash Colin's wrath. Reluctantly leaving Duke Colin's mansion, the three returned to Bo'an's residence. As soon as they sat down, Bo'an slammed his fist on the table, angrily exclaiming, "I don't know what Your Highness is afraid of! They're just two commoners; why are you so biased towards them?!"

“The Duke isn’t afraid of those two commoners.” After arriving at the Boan Mansion, Sigrid was noticeably more relaxed, and her posture became more casual.

"What do you mean?" Boan asked Sigrid with a hint of anger.

“Lord Xiu, didn’t you realize? Lord Colin must have known about what happened last night. Given his way of doing things, he would never reveal military affairs to us. Even if there were some tricky military matters, he would never show that worried and troubled expression in front of us. Why did he say it so bluntly today?” Sigrid picked up her teacup, blowing on the tea to cool it down as she expressed her opinion.

"Hmm, what you said makes sense. So why do you think the adults disagree?"

“Is that even a question? The Duke must have received a difficult task from the officials. I feel that at the moment, military affairs take precedence over domestic affairs in terms of political matters, and it is military affairs that cannot afford to fail. Your request involves the mobilization of troops, which should be a very sensitive issue. If I give you the authority to command and mobilize troops, it will be fine if nothing goes wrong, but if something does go wrong, not only you, but the Duke may also be punished by the officials. So it is naturally better not to give it to you.” Sigrid said her guess intermittently. Alban listened attentively and felt that what she said made a lot of sense.

“Even if military affairs are urgent, the royal city garrison is only responsible for protecting the royal city. What military affairs can they be responsible for? It’s not like we’re transferring them to other cities. I still think the lord is making a mountain out of a molehill.” Bo’an was still indignant and turned to Olben to vent his anger: “Your place was also burned down. Why didn’t you say a word to the lord just now? You just left me to plead alone.”

When Alban saw that Boan's anger was directed at him, he did not argue, but instead apologized, saying, "Lord Xiu, please calm down. It's not that I don't want to help, but my rank is too low to ask for help."

Before Bo'an could say anything more, Sigrid advised, "Alright, Lord Xiu, taking your anger out on Alban isn't a solution. Listen to the Duke; focus on preparing for your own festival before Qinggui Festival, avoid worries, and enjoy the holiday. We can figure something out afterward."

"Sigh!" Bo'an sighed deeply and said, "That's all we can do." Seeing that things had progressed sufficiently, Sigrid stood up and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. I'll take my leave. Alban, are you leaving?"

Alban, naturally unwilling to stay, rose and left the Marquis of Boan's mansion with Sigrid. As they headed to where the carriage was parked, Sigrid said, "Alburn, I just got you out of that situation. Otherwise, knowing Xiu's personality, I don't know how long you would have been scolded!"

"Thank you, Lady Sigrid!" Olben bowed in gratitude, but Sigrid wasn't buying it and said bluntly, "If you want to express your thanks, show some action, don't just talk the talk~"

“Well, when I get back, I’ll prepare some strong and generous gifts for you, sir.” Olben understood the unspoken meaning in Sigrid’s words, but he really didn’t dare to and didn’t want to have that kind of contact with Sigrid, so he immediately gave another answer.

Sigrid replied with displeasure, "Do you think I haven't seen enough? If you're truly grateful, come to my manor tonight!"

"You flatter me, sir. You are a radiant jewel, while I am but a foolish viscount. How could I be worthy of you? If you are interested, how about I send my younger brother to your residence tonight to personally express my gratitude? It would be a way to welcome you back before the Qinggui Festival. What do you say?" This was the first time Alban had heard Sigrid speak so bluntly. He knew that if he didn't take some action this time, this woman might really get angry and would be ready to sell out his cousin without hesitation.

Upon hearing that Alban was sending his younger brother, Sigrid became interested and asked a series of questions: "Your brother? How old is he? What does he do? What does he look like?"

"My younger brother is exactly twenty years old this year. He is currently a fledgling adventurer, serving as a pioneer in a Qingyun-level adventurer team. Unlike me, he is not short. He is strong and handsome, and is quite well-known in the Qingyun-level teams in the royal city. I wonder if you are satisfied, sir?" Alban introduced his cousin's situation in detail, hoping to arouse Sigrid's interest.

"Hmm...the conditions aren't bad~ I haven't met many young men in their mid-twenties. Okay, let's settle on this. I'll be waiting for your brother at home at nine o'clock tonight~" After saying that, Sigrid boarded the carriage and drove away. Alban followed suit and got into the carriage to go find his cousin who had been traded away as an object.

A few days later, on a sunny morning, Lin Anlan and Su Yang were lying on a wooden platform by the stream at Luoyin Farm, basking in the sun. Jiuli, Die'er, and Linglong were also sitting on their respective platforms. Lin Anlan counted on her fingers and said to Su Yang, "There's only about a week left until the Qinggui Festival. Time flies."

"Wow, so fast! What are some of the customs associated with your Qinggui Festival?"

"As for the customs, a few days before the Qinggui Festival each year, we have to sweep the snow and clean the house. Three days in advance, we have to put a plant called 'Welcoming Green Grass' inside the house. This plant only appears three days before the Qinggui Festival each year. In addition, we have to pay respects to our ancestors. This is a very important matter. Wealthy people will invite people from the Temple of Saints to preside over the ceremony. If you don't have money, you just clean the ancestral graves and portraits. After that, you fast for a day. That's about it." Lin Anlan told Su Yang about the most important customs.

"Fasting for a day? What's the significance?" Su Yang asked, puzzled.

"The meaning is to let our ancestors feel our sincerity and to let them feel the arrival of spring," Lin Anlan said after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, then we can start preparing in a few days. How about we combine the Qinggui Festival with our Spring Festival this year?"

"Sure, then should we start preparing tomorrow?"

"Preparing food should be done a few days in advance, since there's quite a lot to do. So, it seems we can start today." Su Yang suddenly realized that he now had all the ingredients and seasonings he needed for cooking, and he could try making some pickled vegetables.

"So what are we going to prepare today?" Not only Lin Anlan was interested, but Die'er, Linglong and Jiuli also turned their attention to Su Yang, curious about his plan.

"Let's make kimchi today." Speaking of kimchi, Su Yang found it a bit funny. It was mainly because the neighboring countries in his original world always claimed that they were the first to invent things in their country. They were just taking advantage of his country's poverty and weakness in the past, which prevented him from engaging in large-scale cultural exports. Now that he had come to this world, he had to be the first to invent something and bring some cultural exports to this world.