章節 174: Dinner
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The steward of the Foster family led everyone to a reception room and instructed several other servants to serve beverages and snacks.
"Please wait for a moment. I will go and inform the second young master, Quiller Foster. He will come to meet you soon."
Then the steward politely excused himself and left the reception room.
"Indeed, the nobles from the South are extraordinary! Look at where they live, and look at their servants."
"Yes, look at these utensils. They are all made of glass, just like back home, but their cups exude a sense of artistry no matter how you look at them."
"Oh, you know about art?"
"Why wouldn't I know about art?"
A merchant representative picked up the cup in front of him.
"Look! Isn't this made of porcelain? Earl Grayman has really managed to sell products from his own factory to the Angle Bay."
"I envy that. How did the Earl manage to establish a connection with the Foster family?"
Quik took a sip of the beverage served to him.
"Ugh! What is this? Why is it so bitter?"
"Haha, Captain, haven't you tried this before? This is called tea, it can't be grown in the North, not something ordinary people can enjoy!"
"It's really awful, so bitter. Isn't it like paying to suffer?"
"Captain Quik doesn't understand, right? This tea..."
Just as everyone was talking, a voice came from the doorway: "Master Quiller is here."
Hearing that the host had arrived, everyone stood up and looked towards the direction of the door.
"Welcome!"
Quiller Foster briskly entered the reception room and proceeded to hug each person.
Everyone relaxed, previously worried that he might act like a typical highborn, but it turned out that this second young master was quite approachable.
Starting with Quik, everyone introduced themselves one by one.
"Please, have a seat!"
After everyone sat down as invited by Quiller, he began to speak.
"I was quite surprised when Paul wrote saying he was sending a ship south to open a new route. When I was in the Northwest Bay, he mentioned building a full-sail ship. I thought it would take a year or two to succeed, but I didn't expect it to be built so quickly."
Quik expressed gratitude on behalf of Paul: "We have to thank you and your family for recruiting so many excellent shipbuilders for us, especially Mr. Benjamin. They have made significant contributions to Alden."
"Haha!"
The second young master of the Foster family laughed heartily, showing genuine happiness.
"It's nothing, it's nothing! Paul is my friend, and he saved my life once. It's only right."
Then he carefully inquired about recent events in Alden over the past few months.
Quik detailed the process of eliminating pirates, but due to confidentiality reasons, he only briefly mentioned the performance of the Hope battleship and the muskets and cannons in combat, even though these matters were weighing heavily on his mind.
Several merchant representatives then discussed the development of many new industries in Alden, such as porcelain, papermaking, salt production, and increased canned goods production. They earnestly hoped to cooperate with the Foster family.
Young Master Foster squinted his eyes. "It looks like Paul taught you manufacturing techniques, didn't he? He didn't mention a word about these technologies to us."
The merchant representatives exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
Quik started feeling nervous, imagining the worst-case scenario: Would they be detained? With the Foster family's influence in Angle Bay, escaping would be nearly impossible.
However, Young Master Foster waved his hand, smiling. "Haha, never mind. I understand why Paul did this."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Quiller called a servant over and whispered a few words. The servant hurriedly left.
"Are you all still hungry? Let me properly entertain you."
Everyone stood up to express their thanks.
Soon, a large group of servants carrying trays of food entered, placing dishes on the table. Aside from knives and forks, each person had a stack of napkins placed in front of them.
"Wow, so exquisite!"
Captain Quik sighed inwardly, discreetly observing those around him. He imitated others in properly unfolding and placing the napkin, while the merchant representatives were quite proficient.
Although the hills of Angle Bay limited crop yields, the warm and humid climate allowed for a variety of crops. As a major trading city, Niceport gathered ingredients from all over.
To the visitors from the Northwest Bay, it was like a table of rare delicacies, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.
They chatted with Young Master Foster as they ate. Suddenly feeling thirsty, Quik picked up the glass of clear water in front of him and took a big sip.
"Pfft!" Suddenly, a servant's laughter came from behind.
Although not loud, everyone heard it.
The visitors from the Northwest Bay were puzzled, wondering if the servants standing aside were quietly joking.
Quik finished his glass of water in one gulp.
He laughed, "Ah, our servants at home aren't as strict as those in other households. My apologies, my apologies, please continue eating."
One of the merchant representatives praised, "Young Master Foster is truly kind and generous."
The others quickly followed suit with compliments.
In the Kingdom of Aldor, nobles rarely paid any attention to merchants—not even a glance—except for Earl Grayman, who unexpectedly received such courteous treatment in Angle Bay, especially from a prominent local family.
How could the merchants not be excited?
Angle Bay truly lived up to its reputation—a veritable paradise for merchants. More than one person had thoughts of moving here to live.
But that was just wishful thinking. Their roots were in the Northwest Bay, where their businesses and connections thrived. They were strangers here, unfamiliar with the language, and most likely, the kindness they received was due to Earl Grayman's influence.
Ah, people always had to compromise with reality.
During the meal, several merchants expressed their desire to inspect the commercial situation in Niceport.
Quiller slapped his chest. "No problem. Whatever you need, just let me know. I'll arrange translators and guides for you."
Seeing such generosity from the young master, the merchant representatives were profuse in their thanks.
After dinner, it was already late. The visitors from the Northwest Bay bid farewell and Quik planned to return to his ship, while the merchant representatives thought about finding an inn to sleep comfortably for a few nights.
Young Master Quiller frowned. "Are you looking down on me? Does the Foster family not even have a few guest rooms?!"
The guests smiled wryly, explaining that they didn't want to trouble the host too much.
However, under Young Master Quiller's insistence, the merchant representatives decided to stay.
Only Captain Quik insisted on returning to his ship to be with his sailors.
Young Master Quiller secretly admired his decision and did not insist further. He personally escorted them outside, arranging a carriage to take Captain Quik back to the dock.
(End of the Chapter)
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