Celebration, Part 2

At that moment, Sean and his men had just arrived at the entrance to the square where the celebration was being held. Naturally, officials from the Lord's Mansion were there to welcome the attending nobles. Sean smiled and took his leave of Sir Hall and Miss Amy. "Sir Hall, it seems the Lord's officials have come to receive you..." Sean said, gesturing toward the officials approaching their party.

Then, still on horseback, Sean gave a slight bow and continued, "I should return to my post. It was a pleasure meeting you and Miss Amy. Please allow me to take my leave now..."

"Thank you very much. May your journey be smooth." Sir Hall, noting Sean's respectful demeanor, replied with a smile. From inside the carriage, Miss Amy's voice chimed in, "Goodbye, Brother Sean..."

"And I wish you and Miss Amy a smooth day as well. Goodbye..." Sean waved to Amy inside the carriage as he spoke.

After saying this, Sean pulled hard on the reins, steering his horse away from Sir Hall's convoy. Meanwhile, Torr led the squad of soldiers, turning to follow Sean back to their post.

Under Sergeant Donnie's command, the checkpoint was running smoothly. Commoners attending the celebration passed through the checkpoint in an orderly fashion. As the crowd flowed by, another hour passed. Then, Sean suddenly heard the sound of the celebration beginning, carried faintly from the direction of the square.

Sean glanced back at Torr, whose face was full of anticipation, and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. Still, after a brief exchange with Sergeant Donnie, he turned and led Torr and his squad back toward the celebration square.

Soon, Sean and his men reached the edge of the square, which was already packed with people. They stood near the western exit of the square, and from a distance, they could see the center of the northern side. Facing the square, a two-story wooden viewing platform had been erected for nobles and officials to watch the festivities and rest.

Sean gazed toward the central platform from afar. It was densely packed with seated figures. At that moment, a middle-aged man in ornate robes stood at the center of the upper platform. Though the distance was great, Sean could vaguely make out that he was giving a speech to the crowd below. Every time he finished a sentence, several soldiers standing before him would bellow the words to the commoners gathered in the square. This went on intermittently for over half an hour without end.

Sean guessed that the middle-aged man might be the City Lord of Linshui City. He led Torr and the others, slowly approaching the central platform. It wasn't out of a desire to catch a glimpse of the legendary City Lord, but rather to see if his uncle, Baron Horton, and his family had attended the ceremony today.

Soon, Sean and his group reached a spot about fifty meters from the platform. He carefully scanned the faces of the nobles seated there. Before long, he spotted his target on the upper platform and, unsurprisingly, saw his cousin Jim as well.

As the middle-aged man in ornate robes declared the celebration officially open, the nobles and officials on the platform applauded politely and reservedly. Immediately, at the docks south of the square, the long-awaited River Sacrifice began.

Dozens of fishing boats sailed out of the dock, each heading to the Dorosun River to perform their rituals. They would pour prepared offerings into the river and complete certain ceremonies, praying for smooth sailing and bountiful catches in the coming year. Only after finishing all the rituals would they return to the Linshui City Dock Area.

On the temporary stage at the center of the square, acrobatic troupes took turns performing, entertaining the watching crowd in hopes of earning extra tips.

For Sean, the performances on stage were utterly unremarkable. A few clowns kept teasing the commoners, while the main acts were nothing more than fire-breathing or knife-throwing tricks.

But for the commoners of this world, it was a rare and spectacular show. Whenever a performer executed a seemingly dangerous move, the crowd below would gasp involuntarily, making the already lively celebration square even more raucous.

Sean frowned, finding the noise hard to bear. Just as he was considering leaving, Torr beside him was thoroughly engrossed, occasionally gasping along with the crowd before focusing intently on the stage again.

"Young Master, that man can spit fire!" Torr said excitedly, pointing at the stage.

"Idiot, that's wine he's spitting out..." Sean replied helplessly, looking at the excited Torr. Knowing this was Torr's first time seeing such a show, he added irritably, "Torr, keep watching. Come find me at the post when it's over. I'm heading back first..."

As Torr hesitated, about to say something, Sean patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Keep watching... It's fine..."

With that, Sean turned and walked back, leaving Torr alone to enjoy the show. The squad soldiers under Torr's command followed Sean, though they weren't as lucky as Torr.

Under Sergeant Donnie's command, the post remained orderly. Sean took off his knight armor and handed it to a soldier for safekeeping, then found a spot to bask in the sun. The warm sunlight fell on him, making him feel drowsy.

Unnoticed, another two hours passed. Today's celebration performances would end before lunch. In the afternoon, a swarm of merchants would take over the square, simply laying linen cloths on the ground and displaying their goods, waiting for customers. Not only merchants, but many Linshui City commoners would also take the opportunity to sell handicrafts.

Sean slowly strolled back to the post, called for Torr, who had just returned, and Sergeant Donnie, who had stayed on duty. The three of them entered an ordinary restaurant near the post.

Under the waiter's guidance, Sean and the others went straight to the second floor and chose a table by the window overlooking the street. They each ordered a few dishes and slowly enjoyed their lunch. After the meal, Sean had the restaurant prepare lunch for the other soldiers and deliver it to the post, so the soldiers on duty could take turns eating.

Once all the soldiers had finished their lunch, Sean handed the duty back to Sergeant Donnie. He then led Torr and his squad back to the celebration square. He was quite interested in the afternoon market and wanted to see if there was anything he liked.

After the celebration performances, the attending nobles didn't leave immediately. Behind the viewing platform, the Dock Office hosted a simple wine reception for nobles to dine and socialize. Many young nobles also paired up to browse the afternoon market, either to find something they liked or simply to relax.

At the market, Sean ran into his two friends, Jim and Ben. The three of them strolled together through the various stalls. There weren't many stalls yet, but most of the prime spots had already been claimed by merchants and commoners who had finished lunch early.

"Cousin, is the Garrison training over?" Jim asked casually as he looked at the goods on a stall beside Sean.

"Yeah, it's over. From now on, I just need to show my face at the barracks every day. No need to spend all my time there." Sean nodded to Jim with a smile. For the past month, aside from returning to the Baron's Mansion to rest at night, he had spent most of his time at the barracks familiarizing himself with the military situation.

This left Sean no time to try things he had long planned. He could only order some custom parts in advance, of course, from different blacksmiths and carpenters to avoid drawing attention. Now, these gradually completed parts were all piled up in the house he had bought earlier, under Torr's temporary care.

"Ben, how was your New Year... I believe your persistence will pay off." Sean noticed Ben on the other side, whose face showed envy that quickly dimmed. Unwilling to let his friend lose confidence, he spoke up to comfort him.

"Thank you, Sean. I'll keep at it." Ben forced a smile after hearing Sean's reassurance. After a pause, he added with a strained grin, "When I join the army later... I'll need you to look out for me..."

"Ben, you're not forgetting about me, are you?" Jim put on an angry expression and said loudly, but the hint of a smile in his eyes betrayed him. He then turned to Sean with a fawning tone, "Cousin, you'll look out for me too..."

"Jim..." Ben fell for it, looking anxious as he started to explain something to Jim. But when he turned and saw Jim's expression and heard his next words, he glared at Jim angrily and looked away.

"What's with you two? Do I have to marry you both?" Sean dodged Jim and Ben's retaliatory attacks before they landed. Facing his two irate friends, he said seriously, "A person should know themselves... Find your true place, and you can still shine brilliantly..."

Jim and Ben fell into deep thought after hearing Sean's words. Sean didn't interrupt their contemplation. A man who strives grows stronger. Some truths, no matter how often spoken, are useless—only when truly understood do they become one's own.

As time passed, the market in the square grew larger, with more and more stalls displaying goods. This drew even more people wandering among the vendors, picking out items they liked.

Sean and his two friends were enthusiastically browsing a wood carving stall when they suddenly heard an argument not far ahead. A girl's voice, vaguely familiar to Sean, said angrily, "I saw you steal that person's money pouch..." Then a timid boy's voice replied, "Miss, you must be mistaken. Really, I didn't steal anyone's money pouch..."

Sean exchanged a glance with his two friends and immediately led the soldiers forward to part the crowd.

When Sean arrived, he found it was Miss Amy, Sir Hall's daughter, whom he had met that morning. She was glaring with her big eyes at a commoner boy of about sixteen or seventeen.