novelraw Chapter 199: The Banquet and the Golden Egg
Chapter 199: The Banquet and the Golden Egg
Chapter 199: The Banquet and the Golden EggBehira combined the current information to plan her next moves.
Just yesterday, Little Flora had sent her a message that they had found traces of the Lawrence Family's misdeeds and had submitted them to the royal capital.
After these pieces of evidence reached the royal capital, Little Flora's mentor, that Vice Dean Elvish of the kingdom's Saint Antonius Academy, would naturally step forward to report these to the royal family.
After all, this matter also involved students from their Saint Antonius Academy.
This would undoubtedly accelerate the progress considerably. The Saint Antonius Academy held significant importance in the Doria Kingdom, and with the academy's involvement, the trial concerning the Lawrence Family would be scheduled as quickly as possible.
However...
Wanting a swift and decisive judgment probably wouldn't be easy either.
After all, the forces behind the Lawrence Family were not to be underestimated either, possibly not inferior to the academy. This involved various power struggles among the nobles in the royal capital.
But Behira could wait no longer. The people of Lania City, who had long suffered under the Lawrence Family's tyranny, couldn't wait either.
They urgently needed a righteous judgment, to burn with heavenly fire, making the name Lawrence completely disappear!So—
Lady Behira touched the ring on her left hand and smiled slightly.
What she had given up was only glory and her surname, but not the familial bonds connected by blood.
Although she usually didn't want to trouble the other party, as long as she truly asked, the other probably wouldn't refuse.
A little external pressure would be enough to break the delicate balance in the royal city.
"The situation is roughly like this. In short, Silverstream City should be safe now. You contributed significantly to this city defense battle, you've worked hard. For the coming time, rest properly first. If there are developments later, I'll inform you."
"Alright."
Lin Mo nodded and also breathed a sigh of relief. Although the war ended somewhat abruptly, this was still good—less pressure.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lady Behira, the conversation became relatively more relaxed.
In daily life, Lady Behira appeared much more easygoing and would even joke with Lin Mo. When she asked about the progress between Lin Mo and Finnie, Lin Mo immediately froze up.
Progress?
One could only say there seemed to be some, yet also seemed not to be...
The key point was, even if there really was, could he say it in front of her mother?
That would be way too embarrassing.
So he could only speak vaguely, found an excuse, turned around, and fled in panic.
"Giggle~"
Lady Behira let out a clear, girlish laugh. Melissa nearby expressed emotion: "The young mistress hasn't been this happy in a long time."
"Yes..."
Silverstream City took a deep breath: "After all, she's no longer young. Past that age, a person's thoughts inevitably become heavy."
Especially during this period, all sorts of external pressures gave her constant headaches, and her mood hadn't been good for a long time.
But now, she could finally relax a little.
After this brief rest, much work still awaited her handling. Although the disaster was considered over, the aftermath work was very complicated. Moreover, the adventurers who participated in this city defense mission all needed rewards, and the related statistical work needed to be done urgently, working overtime. ṚàƝΟʙĚS
Including the guards on Silverstream City's own side, they all needed to be rewarded, and the unfortunate sacrificed guards and adventurers also required corresponding compensation.
"Melissa, come quickly and help share the load, I really can't handle it all."
"Alright, young mistress."
Melissa smiled and nodded, standing by her side.
On Lin Mo's side, after bidding farewell, he didn't rush to leave the City Lord's Mansion immediately but stood in the corridor, falling into brief confusion.
A grand crisis had been resolved just like that. Although it was undoubtedly very difficult, it still felt somewhat rushed, leaving him momentarily dazed.
What should he do in the next few days?
Later, he might still need to go to Lania City to help the residents there, including the reckoning with the Lawrence Family... Lin Mo had quite some grievances with this family too, so naturally, he wanted to witness it personally.
Plus, because of the goblin army's passage, the recent situation in Roland Forest probably wasn't stable either, not really suitable for taking missions.
So, it seemed he really could just rest at home?
That might be fine too...
After all, since becoming an adventurer, Lin Mo truly hadn't had much rest time. His mission frequency was far higher than other adventurers.
And it wasn't like he had nothing to do during rest. Besides sparring with Sherfilia to improve combat experience and the proficiency of some skills, he could also practice the [Primary Meditation Technique] skill more.
For the locals of this world, relying solely on attribute growth brought by skill leveling up was relatively slow. Even those geniuses often pursued other methods of improvement besides the attribute points from skill upgrades.
But these methods usually had relatively high thresholds, such as meat from Lord Level or above magical beasts, special crops, or even more precious natural treasures.
Moreover, the effect of Low-tier Lord Level magical beast meat wasn't actually very strong. Based on Lin Mo's understanding during this time, eating Low-tier Lord Level magical creature meat continuously for about a week could roughly increase one corresponding attribute point.
That sounded pretty good, but if you continued eating it, the effect wouldn't be as good. It would take at least two weeks to increase another point, then a month or even two months later.
Eating too much of one type of Lord Level magical creature's meat would eventually lose effect completely, requiring a switch to a different creature.
Middle-tier Lord Level meat would have better effects than Low-tier Lord Level, and High-tier would be considerably stronger than Middle-tier.
As for Epic Level magical creature meat, generally speaking, it wasn't within normal consideration. Even the kingdom's nobles or relatively ordinary aristocrats of the empire could hardly afford it.
But correspondingly, the effects were quite exaggerated...
Gaining one attribute point from one meal wasn't an exaggeration at all.
If one person ate an entire Epic Level magical creature, increasing seven or eight attribute points was possible!
Of course, because Epic Level magical creature flesh contained extremely high energy, if the consumer's level wasn't high, then the amount of Epic Level magical creature meat they could eat at one time was quite limited.
For example, Lin Mo's current level simply couldn't withstand the energy of an Epic Level magical creature. Even eating a little carried the risk of injury or even death from being unable to bear this energy.
Even Elite Level Professionals couldn't eat too much at once. And Epic Level magical creatures were often quite large, so completely finishing one would take quite some time.
So far, Lin Mo hadn't encountered many Lord Level magical creatures. Besides the Gale Wolf he met in the previous Secret Realm maze, the only other one was the Silver Level Goblin from the recent battlefield.
But goblins were quite special compared to ordinary magical creatures. Their meat was both unpalatable and ineffective, possibly even harmful, so they couldn't be considered normal Lord Level magical creature meat. They were only a desperate choice for those who truly couldn't afford Lord Level magical creature meat.
Anyway, Lin Mo certainly wanted nothing to do with it.
As for that Gale Wolf, besides collecting materials from it, Lin Mo had also brought out some meat. These next few days would be a good time to research how to cook it.
However, for Lord Level magical creature meat like the Gale Wolf's, he, Ellie, Finnie, and Sherfilia could handle it fine, but non-Professionals like Lena probably couldn't digest it well.
He'd figure it out when the time came...
Shaking his head, Lin Mo was about to leave the City Lord's Mansion when he suddenly saw an adventurer approaching head-on.
This was a golden-haired man around thirty or forty years old with very long, thick hair flowing down his back like a lion's mane.
"Hey there, young man, could you tell me where the restroom is around here?"
Seeing Lin Mo, he immediately came over to greet him, walking unsteadily, looking like he'd had quite a bit to drink.
"Go straight ahead for a bit, turn the corner, and you're there."
Naturally, Lin Mo was very familiar with the City Lord's Mansion's layout by now. He curiously observed this adventurer. Although he looked like a drunkard, his body was very robust, and his aura wasn't ordinary—you could tell at a glance he was an expert.
Coupled with his thick, lion-like golden hair, Lin Mo easily associated him with one of the two adventuring companies Lady Behira had invited, one named the "Lion" Adventuring Company.
This one was probably the leader of the "Lion" Adventuring Company, right?
Adventuring companies were essentially better-developed, larger-scale adventuring teams, fundamentally evolved from adventuring squads.
Apart from the difference in numbers, there was no essential distinction. However, adventuring companies were looser than adventuring squads. Except for some large, difficult missions, adventuring companies rarely went out together as a full team for one mission.
Therefore, within adventuring companies, they were often subdivided into more relatively independent squads. So from this perspective, you could consider an adventuring company as a group composed of many adventuring squads.
Small cities like Silverstream City didn't have many adventurers. The largest adventuring squads only had twenty or thirty people, far from forming an adventuring company.
But the two adventuring companies Lady Behira invited both had nearly two hundred members each. Being able to lead such a large-scale adventuring company, that golden-haired man's strength definitely wasn't weak—probably at the Elite Level.
"Fargard City, huh?"
Because he had been reading books recently, besides those related to adventurers, Lin Mo also read books about this world's history and geography, especially the Doria Kingdom where he currently was, which was naturally the top priority for understanding and learning.
So he knew a bit about Fargard City too.
In the Doria Kingdom, there were many small cities like Silverstream City, and some medium-sized cities slightly larger than Silverstream City, but the gap between small and medium cities wasn't actually very big.
For example, not counting towns and villages, Silverstream City's resident population was about three to four hundred thousand, while medium cities had populations of five to six hundred thousand, up to seven to eight hundred thousand at most.
But the Doria Kingdom also had four large cities. Among these four large cities, the smallest had nearly two million people!
Fargard City was one of them.
After the goblin crisis was resolved, Lin Mo's strength had improved greatly. After some time, the magical creatures and missions in Roland Forest might no longer meet his needs. By then, he'd have to consider moving on, and Fargard City was a good choice.
This city was also the large city closest to the royal capital, which was also one of the four major cities.
The distance between the two large cities was less than five hundred kilometers. On one hand, because the living environment was suitable;
on the other hand, because near these two large cities, there were several adventure sites larger than Roland Forest.
The formation of adventure sites was often closely related to mana. So in such adventure grounds, besides many powerful magical creatures, it also meant very rich resources.
Profitability could attract more people, so the rise and fall of cities were often tied to adventure sites. Many cities with millions or even tens of millions of people developed and prospered precisely because they were established near adventure sites.
Moreover, compared to the complex power distribution in the royal capital, Fargard City was relatively more "pure," more suitable for adventurers.
Therefore, when that drunk middle-aged man returned to the corridor, Lin Mo proactively greeted him: "Hello, are you the leader of the Lion Adventuring Company?"
The other was slightly stunned, then burst into laughter, patting Lin Mo's shoulder: "Sure enough, you also think my hair and beard resemble it, right!"
"That's exactly how our adventuring company got its name."
He looked at Lin Mo with appreciation: "Are you a local adventurer?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"Quite strong for someone so young..."
Although he couldn't see Lin Mo's exact strength, distinguishing between the strong and weak was easy. The aura and confidence of the strong were hard to fake without some real capability.
Not to mention, Lin Mo, thinking the war wasn't over yet when he came, was fully equipped, armed to the teeth.
Just looking at his expensive gear, one could tell he was no ordinary person.
"Then why are you standing here daydreaming? Come on, come with me to drink!"
Saying this, he put his arm around Lin Mo's shoulders and pulled him towards the banquet hall.
This leader was quite familiar, huh... That was fine. Lin Mo himself wasn't very good at socializing. His enthusiasm saved Lin Mo the trouble of racking his brains to make conversation.
Arriving at the banquet hall, the banquet seemed to have been going on for a while. The originally neat and clean hall was now in complete chaos.
The tables were laden with various delicacies and fine wine, with busy servants, butlers, and maids running back and forth.
Most of the adventurers held barrel-like mugs, boasting loudly while drinking,
no different from usual taverns or the Adventurers' Association.
This is what adventurers are like...
The familiar lively atmosphere gradually stirred Lin Mo's emotions too. He asked a maid for a similar "barrel" mug, filled it with wine, and continued chatting with the Lion Adventuring Company's leader from earlier.
The topics were actually quite simple, just some basic information about the adventuring company and Fargard City, asking about the several adventure sites over there.
"Brother Lin Mo, you're asking about these things, are you planning to go to Fargard City soon?"
Although he'd drunk quite a bit, this leader named Leonard still maintained relatively clear thinking.
"I do have that intention."
Lin Mo nodded, saying in a joking tone: "But I'm not very familiar with the place. When the time comes, I'll have to rely on you, brother, to look out for me."
"Small matter!"
Leonard patted his chest: "Don't worry, when you come, just come find me at the Lion Adventuring Company. I'll arrange everything properly for you!"
This wasn't just because of this banquet;
more so because of Lin Mo's own considerable strength and talent. Simply put, he had value in befriending.
He seemed careless, but those who reached this position weren't truly foolish, were they?
While the two were chatting, a slender middle-aged man suddenly approached from the side.
"I say, Old Gold, when you make new friends, why not introduce me?"
Compared to Leonard, this middle-aged man of similar age had a much slimmer build, carrying a sharp aura around him, with narrow, long eyes as keen as an eagle's.
Plus, based on how he addressed Leonard just now, he was probably the leader of the other adventuring company that came to support—the Falcon Adventuring Company.
"Young man, hello, I'm Grim, leader of the Falcon Adventuring Company."
Sure enough, he soon introduced himself.
"Lin Mo, an ordinary adventurer."
Lin Mo nodded and shook his hand.
"Oh? Doesn't look very ordinary to me..."
Grim smiled: "I just heard you're planning to come to Fargard City?"
"I do have that idea..."
What followed was a series of slightly formal pleasantries.
Grim was more reserved compared to Leonard, not as blunt in speech. But after all, he was an adventurer, not some decadent noble bound by rules, so after the initial formalities, they gradually became more familiar.
"Leader, what are you talking about? Come drink..."
Other members from the two adventuring companies also came over to greet them one after another. This banquet lasted a very, very long time.
Unlike the joyful celebratory atmosphere in Silverstream City's City Lord's Mansion at this moment, over in Lania City, Lania City's City Lord Caroline Lawrence was in a very foul mood.
"Crash—!"
The sound of a shattering cup rang out. Caroline looked furiously at the soldier delivering the message before her: "Those filthy green-skinned shorties, how dare they?!"
"Those goblins, they're really coming our way? Lady Caroline, this... what should we do?"
"Yes, that's tens of thousands of goblins. If they attack all at once, I'm afraid..."
"What are you all afraid of? We have Lady Caroline here. Even if those goblins really dare to come, so what?"
"Exactly, just some goblins, they don't pose any threat..."
Caroline slammed the table hard: "All of you, shut up!"
Although filled with immense anger, she wasn't a brainless person, so she forcibly suppressed those emotions and calmly considered the situation.
Logically speaking, those goblins definitely wouldn't dare to turn against her easily.
After all, she still held the most important thing in her hands. Unless...
"Where is Cress?"
"This..."
After a long silence, someone finally stepped forward to answer: "Since the Bloodsea Gang was attacked two days ago, Lord Cress... hasn't been seen since."
"Bam—!"
The table in front of Caroline split directly in half.
Without a word, she turned and left the place, leaving Lania City's officials looking at each other.
Caroline hurried back to her room, moved the bed in front of her aside, then channeled mana into the floor before her.
The next moment, a magic circle slowly emerged on the ground. After the light faded, a hidden tunnel appeared before her eyes.
Caroline rushed straight into the tunnel, passed through the long passageway, and arrived at the room at the end.
Here, the previously intact seal was somehow already broken. Caroline pushed open the heavy door and entered the secret chamber.
Sure enough, the "item" that was originally inside was now gone.
"Damn it! Damn necromancer!"
Caroline cast a spell with her hand, blasting the secret chamber in front of her to pieces.
When exactly did he break the seal and steal the "Golden Egg"?!
After anger came fear.
If the higher-ups found out that the "Golden Egg," which took so much trouble and such a long time to finally nurture, was actually lost...
The usually domineering Caroline actually shivered all over.
No, she had to retrieve that thing. Otherwise, even death would probably be a luxury for her!
......
Time goes back to last night.
After successive failures in the siege operation, even losing a Silver Level companion, that Silver Goblin Spellcaster had already considered retreat.
While grappling with that human, it pondered.
Silverstream City's strength was greater than expected. Even that mysterious City Lord hadn't personally intervened yet...
Capturing this city seemed somewhat unrealistic now.
But it couldn't retreat easily either, because this was also part of the "deal."
Just as it was caught in a dilemma, the sudden withdrawal of the undead creatures completely made up its mind not to continue the attack.
No matter what, at least tonight, they couldn't keep fighting.
Otherwise, once those two adventuring companies joined the frontal battle, it itself could be in great danger!
So ultimately, it chose to retreat for now but didn't plan to give up attacking Silverstream City entirely. Instead, it would rest and regroup to fight again tomorrow.
Until that necromancer suddenly appeared before it...
"Even with my help now, capturing Silverstream City is almost impossible. Since that's the case, why not try switching targets?"
"What do you mean?"
"Lania City also has what you want... supplies, territory, women. With these, your tribe can continue to grow, even potentially establish a goblin kingdom."
"My cooperation with Lawrence has ended. So now... perhaps we can reach some agreement."
"How can I trust you?"
"Sometimes cooperation doesn't necessarily require trust, just like you helped me move corpses, and I helped you attack the city. As long as it satisfies each other's interests. For specifics, I think you should go ask the one still hiding in the shadows..."
The Silver Goblin Spellcaster's pupils suddenly contracted: "You... how do you know?!"
"Hahaha—"
Cress didn't explain, just laughed loudly and turned to leave.
The Silver Goblin watched his retreating back, its expression shifting uncertainly.
"Oh, right..."
Finally, he turned his head to look at the other: "Although it might not be as important as Lawrence thought, the thing you were previously 'robbed' of is also in my hands now."
These words struck the Silver Goblin's heart like a heavy hammer once again.
"I understand. I will convey it."
"Hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."
Cress waved his hand, his figure gradually disappearing from sight.