The lord is red again

The colt barely pulled its hoof out of the mud.

It was noon, and summer was about to begin. Walking in the tree-shaded path, one could not feel the slightest bit of coolness. Instead, the airtight dampness made people feel a little breathless.

The King of Ashes was spewing his crown in the distance, and boiling thick clouds floated in the air, and from time to time, a gust of white ash blew.

The veil covering the mouth and nose was gently lifted.

The young man Hatton, wearing cloth, was gritting his teeth and pulling the reins of the packhorse. This thing was no longer related to ordinary horses. It had horns on its head and sharp teeth. If it were not in the estrus period, its personality would be relatively docile, but unfortunately, April and May were the estrus period.

Fortunately, the time here was not long.

"What is it?"

He saw a glittering object in the mud ahead, in addition to some minced meat and traces of wild beasts digging pits.

It must be that a traveler was accidentally attacked here. He often heard of such situations.

"A black gem?" Hatton bent down and picked up the stone with a surprised look on his face.

He wiped it on his clothes and raised the gem above his head.

The beam of light that passed through the gaps in the forest leaves just hit his fingers, and the black gem exuded a magnificent and dazzling brilliance in the sun.

So beautiful!

Putting the gem in his pocket, Hatton continued on his way. He had to get to his uncle's house before dark. As early as five years ago, his family was still a wealthy businessman, and even a year ago, the family had a good life.

Until his father died, he prepared to find his uncle according to his father's will to learn business skills.

Stepping on the long shadows of dusk, Hatton finally arrived at his destination. There was a residential area in front of him, and in the distance was the Griffin Castle that hovered in the sky like a griffin overlooking the village.

After asking a few people on the roadside with the letter, Hatton, who got the confirmed location, came to the edge of the village, near the woods.

This is a three-story manor with a circular courtyard, a well-manicured lawn, and a kitchen built with stones. The kitchen door was open at this time, and Hatton saw the oven.

A woman in a long skirt and a headscarf was stuffing dough into the oven. She should be a female worker in charge of odd jobs. In the distance, he also saw a man chopping wood with an axe to make a bucket.

Generally speaking, many wealthy families would hire such a family. The woman would do odd jobs such as cooking and washing clothes, while the man would do some repairs and some hard work, and occasionally patrol and be a bodyguard.

"Are you Hatton?" A brisk voice came.

Hatton turned his head and found a girl with short chestnut hair, freckles from cheeks to nose, a little thin, with a slender neck, and slightly raised her head when she spoke, like a little deer.

"I am, you?" Hatton was puzzled.

"Nunali!" said the girl, "I heard from my father that you will come in the next few days."

Hatton's arrival was welcomed. His uncle and his family of four set a table full of dishes, meat, bread, and even milk of unknown origin.

The milk smelled very strong, but there was an earthy smell that was difficult to erase. It was said that this was a taste that was difficult to remove even after boiling. Although the taste was a bit strange, being able to drink milk every meal in this era was a life that ordinary people could not even imagine.

The fact that the Griffin region could allow some people to "have no worries about food and clothing" was also related to Miss Feng Lei.

At the dinner table, they silently thanked Miss Dorothy for her help.

Then the uncle mentioned the business, but he boasted more.

"...Compared to merchants, we should now be called bloodless nobles, the finance ministers who maintain the stability of the territory, or..."

"Or milkmen who carry milk." Aunt replied bluntly. She couldn't stand her husband's boasting.

"Hatton has just arrived. You have to teach him what to do next instead of talking nonsense here."

Nunali and her brother, Adams, who is one year older than Hatton, laughed together.

Uncle put down his wine glass, and his cheeks turned slightly red, whether he was angry or drunk.

"The work is not difficult, just take the money from one side to the other," the uncle dipped the bread in the broth, and when he opened his mouth to put it in his mouth, a lot of it stuck to his beard, "This is how merchants work, buying from low-priced places and then selling to high-priced places. Our business is much better now. We can go directly to Goliath from north to south. People in the royal city like our things here very much, such as custom-made furniture, clothes, and food."

Uncle suddenly paused and said to Hatton: "Tomorrow, Miss Dorothy will hold a banquet, and I will take you with me."

Hatton was surprised: "Can I also participate?"

He found that Adams was looking at him with envy.

In the past, this was Adams' opportunity.

However, Hatton felt that Adams did not want to eat the food at the noble banquet, but he was not sure what it was.

"We are bloodless nobles," said his uncle, pointing at himself and smiling, "We have no noble blood and no noble title, but we can still get the treatment of nobles. Merchants are now the blood that maintains the stability of the territory. People want a stable life and cannot do without us."

That night, Hatton and Adams lived in the same room.

Hatton took out the black gem and looked at it quietly in the broken moonlight until Adams's confused voice sounded: "Hatton, are you still awake?"

"I'll go to sleep now!" He quickly put away the black gem.

The next day, Hatton attended a merchant banquet hosted by Miss Dorothy.

Qualified merchants will be invited, and they can bring a family member. The banquet was filled with all kinds of delicacies. The big merchants remained elegant without moving, while the small merchants had already started to stuff their mouths with food.

Some people may not have eaten since last night, and they emptied their stomachs just for this sumptuous banquet.

Hatton met Miss Dorothy. She wore glass glasses and had a small face. He felt that it must not be as big as his palm.

Her skin was white and seemed to smell milky.

The most important thing was that she was really beautiful. Hatton thought he had found the reason why Adams envied and regretted. Such a charming noble lady, no one would not be tempted.

And when Miss Dorothy talked about the recent changes in business development, Hatton couldn't help but admire her.

She was not a noble lady who only knew how to sit in the castle tower to comb her hair and listen to poetry, but a female noble with business skills.

Hatton understood the future that Dorothy said, and he himself felt very strange. His uncle didn't teach him anything.

Unfortunately, Miss Dorothy did not look at Hatton or even his uncle during the communication. She only communicated with those big businessmen who could grasp the economic trends, and more often she was the one who told what to do, formulated and improved the rules.

After a meal, Hatton found that many big businessmen were sweating profusely, but there were also many smiles on their faces. They must have received warnings and benefits at the same time.

In the following days, Hatton looked forward to meeting Miss Dorothy, but the number of banquets was not so frequent.

Every night, Hatton would take out the black gem.

Finally, Hatton and Adams got the job to go to the royal city together. Uncle would not follow, and the two young people would go.

After they had more people under their command, they would consider developing multiple lines, selling here and then buying on the other side, and making more money.

"Don't we need to bring a sword or something?" Hatton only had a dagger in his hand, which he brought when he came here.

"Or hire undead." Adams was more familiar with the operating habits here, but he didn't even have a dagger, only a necklace made of a lock.

"The money we earn in half a month is not enough to pay them half the commission." The uncle raised his hand and tried to slap Adams, but Adams dodged.

Those undead are noble transcendents, and they also have their own caravans. They will not transport worthless things such as rotten leather, pickled meat and fermented cheese, but will transport more precious potions, armor and weapons.

Only undead are allowed to sell weapons and armor in this way. If ordinary people plan to make their own, they will only die.

It is said that Her Majesty the Queen, who is far away in the royal city, has added a provision to the law that undead are also citizens, but they are obviously not ordinary citizens.

In short, they are people from different worlds, and the other party is high above them, so it is better not to contact them easily.

"Remember to pay attention to your surroundings when you are on the road. If you encounter robbers, throw money to them and run away." The uncle is still reminding them over and over again.

The two nodded in response, took the money and pulled the packhorse to set off.

Travel during the day, and find a place to rest at night, and make sure to rest in a crowded place. Although the disasters on both sides of the road are often cleared by the undead passing by, it is inevitable that some are missed, and ordinary people will die if they encounter one.

After nightfall, Hatton took out the black gem again, but this time he could not escape Adams' eyes: "What is that?"

"A stone." Hatton hid the black gem in his arms, his heart pounding.

"Is it what you look at every night? It's so beautiful."

"Can you show it to me?" Adams asked, his voice sounded like he was possessed, his eyes were fixed on the place where Hatton hid the black gem.

"No, this is my treasure!"

If someone tries to rob your treasure, then...!

...

A few days later, Hatton, with a haggard face, returned to his uncle's house.

"We encountered robbers," Hatton said with tears in his eyes. He didn't know why he suddenly became eloquent, nor why he didn't feel sad for Adams at all while crying bitterly, and even didn't feel the slightest fear when he lied.

When the uncle's family of three hugged each other and cried bitterly, they noticed that Hatton was sitting there with a sad face.

Aunt thought he was frightened, so she took the initiative to come over and hold him in her arms.

No one blamed Hatton, they prayed with gratitude, at least Hatton came back alive.

When it was dawn again, the uncle set out early in the morning hoping to find the body. He just asked Hatton where the incident happened and went alone, without even thinking of asking Hatton to lead the way. He was regarded as a perfect victim.

The body was not found, maybe it was eaten by some beast.

There was not much change in the following days. Hatton and Nanali often chatted together, as long as they didn't talk about Adams. The dinner was also very rich. After Adams disappeared, Hatton was the only one who could follow his uncle to the banquet.

In the transaction, Hatton's eloquence could also play an increasingly important role. He could often find a lot of reasons from all aspects, and then buy the goods at a very low price. Sometimes he didn't even need to pull them to another place to sell them. He just needed to find a group of people to sell them at a high price. In the process, bragging was inevitable.

He can make a lot of money in half a day, but his uncle doesn't seem to like his trading methods very much and thinks his behavior should be called fraud.

It was another banquet, and Haddon looked at the gryphon soldiers standing neatly on both sides, wearing beautiful armor and holding ceremonial swords in their hands.

And when the giant beast nestled in the courtyard raised its head, Hatton's heart beat wildly.

dragon!

"It is said that there is that adult at this banquet." The uncle was filled with excitement.

The merchants are more informed, as if they know that it was the Lion Duke who used strong methods to demand that the Griffin Territory open the trade route to the north. Now everyone can live a good life thanks to each other.

As for those things in the war, I have never seen them with my own eyes, but from the legends heard from people's mouths, they are no different from fairy tales, so many people secretly call the Duke a living god.

Hatton nodded. No one in the Kingdom of Rand can escape the stories related to Lind. Children like to play characters and make gestures. Men respect him and women admire him. In short, he is like a legend that keeps appearing in various parts of the country. Only Hatton feels slightly uncomfortable when he hears Lind's name.

They walked into the banquet and found that the old Duke of Griffin Castle, Igor Griffin, was also present.

Beside the long table in the main seat, a handsome blond man wearing a combination of gold, black and dark red and an exquisite lion badge was smiling and chatting with the old Duke.

"So high!"

Hatton sighed.

The old Duke was one and a half heads shorter in front of him. He did not exceed the limit of human beings, but he was still a height that could not be seen in normal life.

Miss Dorothy was even shorter.

However, she seemed to be very energetic. She was arguing with Linde with her hands on her hips, but Linde simply ignored her.

As if he felt Hatton's gaze, the Lion Duke turned his head and glanced over, nodded slightly and smiled at him. Hatton's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bowed his head in a respectful manner, and then he never dared to turn his eyes away again.

"Impossible. Don't even think about building your magic defense tower in Griffin Castle. You can build it outside. I can give you an open space."

Dorothy was very dissatisfied with Lynd. He had taken William to the Great Rift battlefield before. Even if William died there, no one would say anything. But after the war, he actually wanted to kidnap William and go to an unheard of world.

Not only that, Linde also wanted to set up magic coordinates here to open the portal.

Being able to open the portal at any time, in Dorothy's opinion, is more like a passage that Lind can let the army attack at will.

"What do you think, Igor?" Linde looked at the old Duke.

He didn't have many interactions with the old man in front of him. The age gap between them was really too big, and he suspected that the old man in front of him might have suffered from Alzheimer's. When he was chatting with Dorothy, the old Duke always said In an unconscious daze.

The old Duke's attitude towards Linde has always been very good, but he mistook Linde for a baron, as if he and Dorothy had looked at each other at a ball.

"When will your wedding be held, Li De?"

"Father, his name is Lind!" Dorothy had to correct her.

"Of course, our wedding will definitely be held." Linde did not give Dorothy a chance to refuse. He was a man who respected the elderly and loved the young.

"I'm a little sleepy." Old Duke Igor narrowed his eyes and yawned.

The male servant came and helped him back to rest.

Lind watched Igor leave, turned his head and found Dorothy wearing glasses glaring at him: "You shouldn't deceive a confused old man."

"My education tells me that the old man should be coaxed. He is too old to recognize you, but he is still thinking about your fiancé... er, dance partner? So, I don't mind sacrificing myself to make him happy. Help you act."

Anyone could tell that Igor didn't have long to live.

He is really just responding to the confused old man. In a situation like Igor's, even if he really breaks up with him and makes it clear that he is not Li De but Linde, what's the point? Or Igor will turn around and Forget, or he will continue to worry about Dorothy's marriage.

After hearing Lind's explanation, Dorothy suddenly sighed.

"Li Qi is a very..." Dorothy suddenly looked into the distance, her lenses reflecting the sunlight, and her tone became long and deep.

"stop!"

Linde quickly stopped him.

Looking at the dazed Dorothy, he felt relieved in his heart, so bad that he almost increased his favorability.

He was very familiar with this sequence of events. Next, Dorothy would definitely tell the story of her fiancé, then um, then um, then bang, and finally pull up her pants.

"We'd better not exchange feelings."

Linde prefers to communicate with men.

William, the Red Knight, Lance, Baron Red Mushroom, Marcus, etc., as long as men have feelings and establish a trusting relationship, they will rarely betray, and they will even devote their lives.

But the female characters are different. Their mood swings are a bit big. Their favorability increases quickly but also drops quickly. There is no need to brush up.

Of course, another reason cannot be ruled out. Although Dorothy looks very beautiful, when she takes off her glasses and turns into Nobi Nobita (3_3), Lind will still feel a little awkward mentally. It was because of these eyes that he Scared away.

Dorothy was still confused and didn't understand what Linde meant. She just wanted to sigh about the cruelty of war. The man who seemed pretty good, Li De, died in the first year of the broken magic ring, but Linde interrupted without giving her face.

"Okay, if you really want to talk." Linde had no choice but to act like he had to listen.

The two of them were arguing here, and the merchants in the distance lowered their heads, wishing they were deaf at this time, and it would be best not to hear anything.

"No more!" Dorothy was sure that she and Linde would never get along.

It was not until the end of the banquet that Dorothy, who returned to the room, finally realized what Linde meant at the time.

She was so angry that she could only grit her teeth and vent her anger on the kitten, and the cat was full of doubts.

Then she turned over.

You want to stroke the cat? Come on, scratch it below too.