章 9: Chapter 9: The Gathering, Salted Fish Voltaire
Chapter 9: The Gathering, Salted Fish Fors
In the early morning, two invitations lay on the desk, one on the left and the other on the right.
One invitation was overall black, exuding luxury, while the other was light yellow, embroidered with a dozen red roses and carefully sprayed with rose essence, its fragrance overwhelming.
The black invitation came from Glaint, inviting him to attend a small gathering at his villa tonight, promising to introduce him to an extraordinary person.
The rose invitation was from Lady Gemanie, also inviting him to a banquet in the evening. The writing revealed a deep longing and a touch of sorrow, making him seem like a heartbreaker.
Choosing which banquet to attend was not a difficult decision, but he was reluctant to reply to Lady Gemanie.
Not replying would be incredibly rude for a nobleman.
But once he replied, Hastur was sure that he would receive invitations from Lady Gemanie periodically.
Perhaps not just for banquets, but possibly for some explicit and ambiguous words.
"Being too handsome is a trouble in itself," Hastur sighed, finishing the last sip of milk, tidying up the desk, and taking both invitations upstairs.
In the study, he penned a reply to Lady Gemanie.
He started by thanking her for the sincere invitation, then wrote that due to prior commitments, he could not attend.
Clear and concise, without dragging things out or giving Lady Gemanie any chance for ambiguity.
As for Glaint's invitation, he didn't plan to reply; he would simply go to the villa when it was time.
After settling this matter, he changed into a proper outfit and left the house with a bag of laundry.
If not for his lack of confidence in handwashing, he would have liked to save some money.
But the white shirt and tie were difficult to clean, so it was better left to professionals.
Would this make him seem too shabby and destitute?
Hastur didn't care about that; everyone knew Fors Campbell had squandered his family fortune, unable to maintain the dignity of a nobleman.
He spent another sixpence to go to Beckland University, where Professor Wayne's lectures were as well-received as ever.
He rarely discussed specific legal statutes in class, focusing instead on how to appeal and judge in special cases and small tricks to persuade judges and juries.
For the specific statutes, he was directed to borrow books from the library.
After class, Hastur went to the campus cafeteria as usual, enjoying the good and cheap food and reliving his student days—there was no better arrangement.
Having solved the problem of hunger, Hastur headed to Beckland University's library, planning to spend the afternoon there.
This was to avoid encountering Lady Gemanie at the courthouse again that afternoon.
The laws of Rune were somewhat archaic and barbaric, with a strong flavor of the old times, but some were quite interesting.
For example, theft was a very serious crime; regardless of the reason, even if you were starving, you could not steal. Anyone caught committing a crime was sentenced to hanging.
There was a severe lack of empathy, and naturally, no moral baseline.
Murder, on the other hand, was divided into many scenarios.
For the lowly, murder was a life for a life.
For those with some status, monetary redemption and compensation were considered.
For the nobility, there were several categories, but overall, they favored the nobles' acquittal.
There were also special circumstances, such as self-defense in danger or encountering burglars, which generally resulted in acquittal without the need for imprisonment.
When it came to the Seven Gods Church, Rune's laws were a notch lower, with a hint of divine right of kings.
Of course, on the surface, it was written as respecting religious freedom.
As Hastur flipped through the books, he gained a general understanding of the Rune kingdom.
In his view, Rune's laws were undoubtedly rough and barbaric, but compared to other kingdoms, Rune was a leader of the times.
For example, the civilization level reflected in the laws of the War God Church's Fosac was at least a hundred years behind Rune.
…
As night fell, the lights in Glaint's luxurious villa were lit, and about a dozen guests were mingling among the food and wine.
Hastur arrived on time, seeing Glaint busy talking with other nobles, he didn't disturb them, instead, he picked food from the lavish spread.
He hadn't had dinner yet.
After some main dishes, he headed straight for the dessert area.
Since arriving in this mysterious world, to save expenses, he always hurried past dessert shops.
Afraid he couldn't control the urge to indulge in sweets.
On the pristine tablecloth, various desserts were laid out: cream cakes, ice cream, muffins, puddings…
Hastur smiled, selecting several tempting desserts and moved to a spot not far away, enjoying the sweets while observing the evening's guests.
After a round of desserts, he poured a glass of wine to taste, then continued to select another plate of sweets.
Compared to interacting with unfamiliar nobles, quietly enjoying the food was more to his liking.
A lady who shared his thoughts also had a fondness for desserts; Hastur counted that in less than twenty minutes, she had eaten four rounds of sweets.
The lady, probably around twenty-three, 165 cm tall, wore an orange dress with ruffled collars, her brown hair slightly curled and loose, her features delicate, and her light blue eyes playfully observing the other guests.
When Hastur's gaze met hers, she returned a polite smile and then walked to the other side, avoiding his gaze.
"Could that lady be Salted Fish Fors?"
The thought crossed Hastur's mind, but he didn't approach her, continuing to quietly observe the banquet.
Half an hour later, after dealing with other guests, Glaint approached Hastur with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then whispered, "Tonight, I've invited a true extraordinary person. I'll introduce you later."
"A lady?"
"Ah, you already know?"
"I just have a feeling. After all, I'm also pursuing the extraordinary, and I have some understanding of such people."
"When you become an extraordinary person, don't forget to lend me a hand."
"Of course."
After a brief exchange, Glaint led Hastur to the lady.
Glaint introduced her, "Miss Fors is an outstanding writer. Each of her books reflects her intelligence and ingenuity beyond ordinary people."
Indeed, it was Fors, the salted fish.
Hastur was moved but showed no sign of it, simply smiling, "It's an honor to meet a writer who possesses both beauty and wisdom."
"This is Baron Hastur Campbell, the current heir of the Campbell family. He is well-versed in many languages and is now seriously studying law," Glaint introduced Hastur in a timely manner.
Fors just nodded with a smile, appearing somewhat aloof and proud.
Hastur knew this was just a facade; she simply didn't want to waste unnecessary words.
"You two can chat for a bit. After I see off a few guests, we'll go to the study for a detailed discussion."
Glaint left, leaving Hastur and Fors alone.
"The desserts here are quite good, especially the cream cake. The cream is sweet but not greasy, melting in the mouth—a rare delicacy," Hastur said, not expecting Fors to initiate conversation and bringing up the topic of desserts to avoid an awkward silence.
Fors's eyes brightened, "The cream cake is indeed good, but I prefer the ice cream tonight. It fills the mouth with a sweet taste."
No, tonight's ice cream was clearly too sweet, cloyingly so. If rated out of ten, it would only score three, failing.
Hastur internally disagreed but said, "That's indeed good. Viscount Glaint is always generous, especially when it comes to food."
With the topic of desserts, they became less strangers, chatting while picking another plate of sweets.
During the casual conversation, Fors was surprised to find that Baron Campbell knew more about mystical knowledge than she did.
No matter what aspect of mysticism she discussed, he could keep up with her thoughts and provide interesting and insightful opinions.
Baron Campbell was indeed not simple.
No wonder Viscount Glaint said he had once attempted a resurrection ritual.
That was a taboo area she dared not touch.
After a long chat, the topic somehow turned to Emperor Roselle.
Hastur's eyes twinkled, "I'm an admirer of Emperor Roselle. If Miss Fors has any original manuscripts, I'm willing to pay 50 pounds per page."
50 pounds per page?
Fors's eyes lit up; this was a very profitable deal. After all, she couldn't understand a word of those texts that seemed like gibberish.
Rather than keeping them as waste paper, it was better to sell them and make a little money.
She immediately agreed to the deal, planning to conduct the transaction the next time she visited Glaint's place.
Hastur raised his glass, his gaze meaningful, "Pleasure doing business."
"Pleasure doing business."
Fors's lips curved slightly, equally satisfied with the transaction.
(End of Chapter)
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