章節 6: Chapter 6 "Malcolm Carlos" and "Banquet" (Seeking Chase Reading)
The Marquis of Dawnstar's More Castle was situated on top of Sun Mountain.
The More Castle was built on the mountain, harmoniously blending with the surrounding forest, incredibly majestic and grand.
Milton Cheney followed the maid up the steep mountain path.
Upon reaching the mountain top, crossing the wooden bridge over the mountain stream, and passing through the arch gate, they entered the unique front courtyard of the castle.
The towering grandeur seen from far is replaced here, more like stepping into an ancient estate.
Towers, city walls, ponds, corridors.
The wooden structures of the houses made the castle appear even more ancient.
On the castle walls were exquisite bas-reliefs, and fully armored guards were stationed on both sides.
Milton followed the maid through the middle door, entering the castle's backyard.
Here, one could see the castle's main building and two magnificent towers.
This was where the banquets took place in the castle.
Before Milton had arrived, plenty of young people dressed in noble attire were already engaged in quiet conversation.
If one could climb to the top of these two towers, they could overlook the entirety of the beautiful Sun Mountain Forest.
Inside the castle's main building were marvelous rooms, small churches, and large halls for reciting poetry and singing songs, all architectures in the distinct style of the Frostwinter Kingdom.
Further embellished by the intricately carved stone pillars and cloisters, Milton couldn't help but marvel at the stunning craftsmanship.
Upon seeing Milton and William being led in by the maid, the gaze of some of the noble disciples fell on Milton.
Surprise, awe, and envy filled these eyes.
Because at this moment, Milton was too dazzling.
Blond hair with blue eyes, a tall and upright posture, and a set of splendid clothes.
Compared with Milton, they felt somewhat less noble.
However, their gazes lingered only for a moment before moving away.
After all, staring at someone continuously was extremely impolite.
Everyone present were the cream of the crop from each noble family and naturally wouldn't display such improper conduct.
Milton wasn't in a hurry to integrate into these noble circles either.
Some things couldn't be rushed. Besides, his main purpose here was merely to make an appearance.
Seeing that Milton had made no move to mingle, William, thinking that Milton didn't know anyone here, whispered in his ear:
"Young Master Vernon, the person there with black hair and blue eyes is the son of Earl Black Serpent.
The one with auburn hair is the son of Earl Garden.
The one with two crossed swords embroidered on his clothes is a noble from the Rose Family.
The one with an eagle-like clan emblem is from the Blue Eagle Family..."
As one who had served with Earl Arthur for over thirty years, William was well-acquainted with the information about these nobles.
A few simple sentences and he had informed Milton about the identity of the nobles present.
Milton nodded upon hearing this, glancing briefly over all the nobles before his gaze settled on the red-haired man.
The knight standing behind the red-haired man seemed to notice Milton's gaze, suddenly turning his head to stare back.
But when he saw it was Milton, he shifted his gaze to William behind him. The cold look in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a light smile, and he nodded slightly to William.
Seemingly noticing Milton's confusion, William softly said:
"That man is the Grand Knight Liam Steves from the Garden Clan, and he is a good friend of mine.
The patriarch and Earl Garden have been best friends for many years, having traveled together across the Kingdom for a few years in their youth.
The Golden Lion Family and the Garden Clan have been allies for hundreds of years."
Upon hearing this, although Milton's expression didn't change, his heart stirred.
He hadn't expected Liam Steves, the man who had killed him in the simulation, to appear so soon before his eyes.
A major reason for Earl Arthur's defeat in the Lord's War of more than a decade later was likely that he had not anticipated the betrayal of Earl Garden.
After all, the two families had been friendly for hundreds of years, and the two were best friends - it was unimaginable that such a thing could happen.
Even if Milton were to tell his father now that Earl Garden would betray their friendship in the future, that he would attack the Far East Territory, his father likely still wouldn't believe him.
Fortunately, Milton wanted to see whether some behaviors in reality could change the simulation. This Hunting Day would be a good opportunity.
Perhaps because of Milton Cheney's gaze just now, the red-haired young man briefly chatted with the person in front of him before smiling and walking towards Milton.
Approaching Milton, the red-haired man spoke politely, "Greetings, Vernon, I'm Malcolm Carlos. We're meeting for the first time, but I've heard about you from your elder brother."
Malcolm Carlos's manners were impeccable, placing his right hand over his heart and bowing slightly as he spoke.
Normal socialization was inevitable and Milton too wanted to probe for some information from Malcolm Carlos.
Thus, the two began chatting enthusiastically.
However, Malcolm Carlos was genuinely interested while Milton was merely pretending to be.
Seeing the disciples from the two families quickly hit it off, William and Liam could relax and chat on the sidelines.
The number of people in the backyard was gradually increasing and the banquet was about to begin.
As the banquet was about to begin, Malcolm was enjoying the conversation with Milton and wished it wouldn't end so soon. He found talking with Milton fascinating.
Some things Milton said in exceptionally peculiar terms which even he couldn't understand.
Could Milton not use such peculiar terms? After all, it was the linguistic artistry of thousand years of Chinese culture, it would be strange if Malcolm understood it.
Milton gleaned much from the conversation, also because Malcolm Carlos didn't have the slightest guard against him.
Milton even found out about Earl Garden's hidden army strength.
Malcolm Carlos revealed to him not only the explicit, but also the hidden strength that was kept undercover.
Although he was unsure if it was true, Milton mentally applauded him looking at Malcolm's earnest expression.
Ah, good old Malcolm, a dutiful son indeed.
As the banquet was about to begin, everyone in the audience gradually stopped conversing and together entered the castle banquet hall.
Milton and Malcolm walked shoulder to shoulder, followed by the two Grand Knights.
Having lived two lifetimes, Milton was adept at judging people.
Through their conversation, he already understood that Malcolm, like most young nobles of aristocratic families, was well-versed in social etiquette and interaction.
He even was a Knight Apprentice. But he was basically a laid-back young man who dreamed of inheriting the title of Earl and living a leisurely life.
From Malcolm, it was difficult for Milton to imagine what sort of person Malcolm's father, the Earl Garden, was.
Upon entering the banquet hall, Milton and Malcolm sat down. All the attending nobles were seated according to their social status.
At the head of the hall was the host of the banquet, Nellie Lilith, the young daughter of the Marquis of Dawnstar.
The banquet hall was filled with U-shaped long tables adorned with white linen tablecloths.
Those attending the banquet like Milton, were seated around the perimeter of these tables.
This allowed the servants to serve and dish up smoothly in the central area and allowed the guests to easily keep up with the progress of the banquet.
In the middle of the hall, on a lifted platform stood a huge long table. This was the main table.
The main table was reserved for the banquet's host and young nobles like Milton.
Behind this main table hung a highly extravagant canopy, highlighting the status of these nobles.
The wines were placed on a table near the main one in the center.
The servants in charge of pouring the wine would start from the main table and continue in order.
Gazing at the amber liquid in the silvery-white wine glass before him, Milton couldn't help but sigh slightly.
After the wine was poured, maids wearing the Lilith Family uniform carried in the first course of colorful dishes, entering the hall single-file.
The banquet had an abundance of food, ranging from desserts to meats, and dozens of dishes, with each dish containing up to dozens of different delicacies.
Every dish was prepared by a master chef, an extreme luxury.
The amount of food and the number of dishes reflected the wealth and status of the Marquis of Dawnstar.
The gold coins spent on this banquet alone exceeded what an ordinary person could earn in his lifetime.
As each dish was served, the maids would loudly announce the name of the dish.
The Lilith Family had prepared a spoon engraved with their respective family crests for each noble, used for drinking soup and serving sauce, along with a dining knife for cutting solid food.
The maids of the Lilith Family would directly put food on the plates of the young nobles present.
As for the noble attendants, they were to help themselves from the same large plates.
But the attendants would not object; after all, this was the tradition of the Hunting Day banquet, which had not changed for hundreds of years.
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