Human beings have a long-standing preference for things that emit light.
Long before the establishment of city-states, people did not have the concepts of "country" and "nation". In the era when a group of acquaintances lived together in a certain area, people had a special liking for metal products.
It is the nature of animals to like to show off their own uniqueness. In a world full of stones, soil and trees, if you can hang something carefully polished and shiny on your body, it will indeed be very eye-catching.
The preference for gems is also an extension of it. Long years have passed by in the world, and the minerals and luxury goods discovered by people have long exceeded the imagination of their ancestors. Many treasures that were once popular have become affordable to ordinary people many years later. A popular commodity - but only gold has firmly occupied the position of the king of precious metals for such a long time.
Nothing else, it’s just the characteristics.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Laman Empire, imperial scholars, who were famous for their tyrannical legions, were obsessed with the indestructible properties of gold - ironware would decay; copperware would oxidize, but only gold was buried. It came out again two thousand years later, still as dazzling as the day it was first cast.
This fascinating characteristic would lead to the profession of "alchemists" many years later, and with the rise of the White Church, the "theory of perfection" they advocated became widely known.
People believed that the humanoid creature was the most perfect because it was also the appearance of God. When compared to metals, gold is a product that cannot be destroyed.
In this age where science and superstition coexist, people are constantly conducting various rigorous experiments, and at the same time they believe in the theory that "everything will evolve towards perfection" - and this is alchemy: a time Synthesizing and smelting again and again; knocking and melting again and again, alchemists have been trying to smelt ordinary metals into gold for centuries, and we have already seen the results.
The theory of perfection does not seem to be universal in the world of metals. No matter how they try, they cannot turn stone into gold - but to say that they are a complete failure is not necessarily true.
"Woo - Wu -" the unique style of Otolo's horn echoed melodiously. In the light of candles and oil lamps scattered throughout the palace, golden plates, cups, knives, forks and spoons were neatly placed. On top of the long table.
Henry looked at the golden goblet with wonderful patterns in his hand. It was very well-proportioned and it could be seen that it was made by a skilled craftsman. Such a cup was enough to fill every long table in the palace hall. .
It is extremely luxurious, and at first glance you can see the imperial style in the charming brilliance reflected in the firelight - but in fact, to a certain extent, it is a scam.
From the delicate and gentle feel on the surface, the sage could tell that it was indeed gold, but the weight in the hand told another story.
Others may just be a little confused, or just like the big white-haired loli next to them, they may be stunned and think that these are all gold. But Henry was different. His knowledge was enough to determine that these cups were only gold-plated, but this raised another question.
It is true that if they are simply made of gold, the tableware filled with dozens of long tables in the entire palace hall will be a very high consumption. But if it is only gold-plated, this consumption will be as high as pure data. It was reduced to a level that even the royal family of Avenela could afford.
——In terms of pure data.
——In other words, it is unfair.
Because it ignores an extremely important factor, which is the difficulty of gold plating processing.
This is not something that can be done by just going to the street and grabbing a blacksmith. It requires a certain degree of knowledge and strict implementation of the steps. If making a cup made of pure gold shows wealth in money, what these gold-plated quilts in the entire palace hall show is "wealth" in another sense.
And it is far more precious than gold.
As long as a certain amount of luck is found and a gold mine is discovered in the territory, any country bumpkin lord can use pure gold tableware.
But craftsmen with this skill are the truly valuable assets of a country.
"Otolo is showing off..." Edward sighed softly on the side. This obscure technique made all the visitors who had the ability to see it, including them, fall into deep thought.
The trombone sounded again, and the country of Otolo once again showed its most unique diversity.
——Businessmen were invited to the emperor’s banquet.
At a glance, the person standing over there and talking to others may be a Latin American businessman; it may also be a Luoan general; and the person serving them may be a pure Otolo man.
They do not distinguish each other by blood, appearance, or language, but use a highly inclusive common culture to integrate everyone into one nation.
They did not call themselves Roanites or Lamanites, but called themselves Otolo.
"One is many, many are one, and the country belongs to everyone. Because everyone works together, we have the country..." The visitors fell into deep thinking.
There are so many things worth learning about in this country.
"Woo - Wu -" The rhythm of the loud horn sound began to change, as if the music had changed.
Precious incense slowly floats out from the copper furnaces around the hall. The deliberately built stained glass reflects the firelight in the room, making them more blurry. Coupled with the faintly fragrant smoke, the nobles in gorgeous clothes are here. They stood there as if they were the gods in heaven - and those who understood this signal turned their heads and waited for the arrival of the most noble one.
"Ambro, Erbos——" The shrill-voiced palace attendant loudly announced the arrival of the emperor in Otolo language. People walked to the front of the table in an orderly manner, and then stood on both sides, waiting for his arrival. advent.
The attendant stepped forward and carefully blew out the incense. Steady footsteps came from behind, echoing emptyly on the marble floor.
The emperor did not bring many guards, he just stepped forward together with the crown prince and the queen.
He showed absolute confidence, and more than a hundred people present bowed respectfully.
"Everyone, please take a seat." The emperor said, and everyone finished saluting and sat down in their seats.
"Then, the banquet begins."
The Emperor of Otolo smiled.
"Start—begin—" the palace attendant loudly announced again.
——This was like a signal. The palace, which was still in a peaceful atmosphere, immediately exploded like water filling a frying pan.
"Stomp! -" The servant standing at the door stomped his feet neatly and then opened the door, and like sardines swimming in the sea, the waiters in neat clothes and carrying plates walked in exactly the same way. The pace of walking in - just entering the venue looks as fascinating as a dance.
The first thing that was brought to the table was soup in huge clay bowls. Everyone was sitting in front of their seats. Mira, who had never participated in such a formal meal, seemed a little nervous. Ming Na next to her He carefully tied a scarf for her, and then whispered some things that needed attention during the meal.
The gold-plated dinner plates also had a certain depth, and the waiters skillfully and elegantly scooped out the fresh-smelling soup and distributed it to everyone's plates.
Eating is not allowed until everyone has finished sharing.
Otolo is a religious country, and many people pray before eating, and visitors who are not believers politely wait until they finish praying before starting to eat.
Mira took a sip of the soup. The ingredients were obviously of high quality. The soup exuded an alluring aroma, and various spices that she couldn't name further made this smell come out.
The meal was quiet and orderly. After finishing the soup for the appetizer, there was no need to prompt the waiter for more. The waiter came up again with the main course. The soup from before was once again distributed to everyone's plates with skillful movements, and then It's large Otolo-style pancakes and grilled meat that exudes a charming aroma as soon as you bring it in.
The whole barbecue is brownish-red, delicious and juicy. The expensive ingredients and first-class grilling techniques make it appetizing just by looking at it. This main dish is even more delicious when paired with the appetizing vegetable soup. .
The sound of knocking tableware kept ringing. The white-haired Luo An had never tasted such a delicious meal - even though Henry's cooking skills were considered superb, they were completely incomparable.
The soft flatbread has a unique texture and taste that is different from the bread commonly eaten by people on the West Coast. Coupled with the barbecue sauce and the wine poured into the golden wine glass, this delicious meal can be said to be extremely satisfying for everyone - —But it’s not over yet.
After the main meal was over, the huge wooden door was opened again.
This time, desserts were served, including cheese and various jam desserts.
The sound of the knocking of tableware echoed continuously, coupled with the occasional conversations between people, the entire dinner lasted for more than an hour.
"Huh... I'm full." The girl sighed and said this, and Ming Na next to her chuckled softly.
…
After the banquet, the dance began.
There was no need to move the tables in the vast palace hall. After the waiters collected the tableware, groups of dancers and troubadours walked in. The incense was lit again, and melodious songs were sung with a charming light fragrance. The lyrics, which the girl didn't understand, began to echo in the hall.
More waiters came in, and they used pairs of huge lifting poles to carry in dozens of barrels of alcoholic beverages. The nobles spread out in twos and threes, talking to each other freely.
Every gesture is elegant and polite.
"I'm going to try to make some connections with them." Edward's sharpened political intuition made him decide to take action.
"The music has changed." At the moment he left, the dancers pushed behind the scenes, and the music began to soften.
The guests who also noticed this smiled and took action. Many young Otolo nobles held hands and danced to the melodious music. Mira glanced upward at Henry, and the sage happened to be looking at her as well.
"Can you dance?" he said with a smile.
"..." The girl rolled her eyes and did not say that sentence.
"Xi? Xinolita." The two girls who looked very beautiful naturally could not escape the eyes of these young Otolo nobles. A young man with black hair looked towards Minna in a red dress. She extended her hand, but immediately changed it to Siwaliya after realizing that she could not understand Otolo.
"Can I? Miss." He said with a slight smile, and Minna smiled slightly, turned back and winked at the two of them, and then followed the young nobleman from Otolo to the corridor. middle.
Edgar, who came together, had followed Edward to settle the relationship before, while Henry and Mira, who stayed where they were, looked at each other.
"For people like us who can't dance and don't want to get involved in politics, we'd better find a place to hide." The sage smiled, and Mira nodded.
…
"call……"
The banquet was held in the second-floor hall of the palace. When they walked to the outside to get some air, the two people appeared alone under the swaying torches.
The banquet lasted for a long time, and there was still lively singing and dancing behind them. People's laughter and conversations continued one after another, and occasionally the emperor's magnetic voice sounded, as if he was saying something to cheer up.
"call……"
Mira lay on the railing and sighed again.
She looked preoccupied, and Henry knew what she was thinking.
After all, as we have been saying, Mira is an easy-to-understand child.
"I'm glad to see you are still unhappy." The sage said this, his words seemed to have no beginning and no end. What the white-haired Luo An Loli could know was that it sounded very irritating.
"Pa!" She lowered her waist, and then kicked the sage's calf hard. The white skirt swayed slightly under the orange light: "Mr. sage is really the worst adult!"
The girl turned her head angrily, and Henry looked at her back and smiled slightly. After a while, he took a few steps forward and rubbed Mira's little head, and then said softly: "I'm glad you killed someone. From then on, until now, I have been depressed, little Mira.”
"It would be really bad if you didn't feel anything after killing someone, wouldn't it." The words that seemed to have some profound meaning made Mira freeze on the spot, and she stood upright. After thinking for a while, he turned around and stared at Henry.
"?" The sage smiled slightly.
"...Pa." Mira hugged him.
"...I'm sorry for saying that before."
"It's okay...it's okay." Henry touched her little head, and there was a sound of the door being pushed open behind her, and Edward came over.
"Ignore you?" The prince's frustrated expression was clearly written on his face.
"Yes...after all, in the final analysis, this grand state banquet is just Otolo showing off his strength."
"I'm afraid they will strictly control the leakage of information after this." Edward sighed, and then continued: "Those who don't know the facts will only get one-sided information. Otolo opened it for the envoy of Avenella state banquet."
"Everyone who heard the news must think that Avenella found Otolo as a backer, and Otolo also paid enough attention to it..." He said, and Henry nodded, no Answer the call.
"Although... I got a chance to breathe." Edward smiled bitterly: "But I still feel..."
"I'm a little reluctant."
"If Avenella can also become a powerful country." The prince whispered, then turned around and faced Henry with a serious face - bowed deeply.
"Sir, I would like to ask you to help me make Avenera a powerful empire."
Perhaps this sentence that had been buried deep in his heart since arriving in Otolo was finally expressed unabashedly. Edward pursed his lips and straightened his back again.
"Sorry..."
The sage's answer did not exceed his expectations.
"After completing Bernie's mission, I will leave again."
"Politics, after all, is still not suitable for me."
He said this, and Edward smiled helplessly and stopped forcing it.
…
Time passed by, and on this morning, three weeks and four days after arriving in Otolo, the group of people who completed their mission began to return home.
During the back and forth for more than a month, the friction on the border between Avenella and Sivalier intensified, but the almost impending storm came to an abrupt end with the high-profile return of the prince and his entourage.
In the following days, the news spread to every corner of the Rigal continent through sea lanes and merchants from various places, but let us once again turn our attention back to the place where it all began.
Returned to Wawasika a few days later after another two weeks trip. Henry and Mira decided to embark on the journey again.
He replaced Mira with a more expensive stainless steel one-handed sword, and bought another horse and a smaller set of harness. After saying goodbye to Edward and others, the two set off again, this time towards the North. Heading south.
The gentle sunshine shone on the land of Ecasta. Minna looked at the two departing figures from a distance, thinking in her heart that she didn't know when we would see each other again.
