Reception

When Veronica was about to take off her helmet, Victor stopped her, since their appearance in public in that posture and manner was contrary to the image he had always cultivated in the territory.

"Change your clothes when we get back to the official residence. This leather armor doesn't suit you very well. I'll have the local leather armor craftsman make you a custom set."

Veronica nodded, Victor noticed that her neck was slightly red, probably because she was also aware of the fact that she was being held in Victor's arms in public.

Victor quickly called Grape over, as he was preparing to change horses. Grape had been standing to the side, swearing at the white horse. The white horse kept turning its head away and occasionally tried to bite Grape, showing how foul Grape was using horse language.

Victor could tell at a glance that Grape was jealous of the white horse carrying him, because he suddenly jumped over. Victor laughed and grabbed Grape's reins, pulling him back and tapping the horse's head. Grape immediately became obedient. This time, Victor didn't show off his horsemanship; he simply dismounted.

After Victor mounted the Grape, he reached out and took the white horse's reins. Both horses became docile. Victor didn't say much and invited Alex to come with him to his residence. He said that unloading the cargo would be left to others to watch over.

Along the way Veronica was very curious about everything in Wood Fort Town. After all, it was very different from ordinary noble territories. The town's construction was uniformly planned, and the functional areas were defined.

The town has wide roads, with the main roads paved with bricks. They are all about 12 meters wide and can accommodate four horse-drawn carriages side by side. Everyone drives on the right. The side streets are at least rammed earth covered with stone powder. There is a dedicated sanitation team responsible for sweeping and watering. Even the horses have manure bags, so there is no such thing as urinating or defecating anywhere. The whole town is very clean and tidy.

In this era, although the territories of other nobles were not as defiled as those in medieval Europe, they were not clean and tidy either. Nobles lived in manors or castles.

Therefore, Victor's territory is indeed very special. Currently, James' Green Valley Territory is also being planned with reference to the Two Rivers Territory.

"Veronica, Wood Fort Town is nothing compared to Sea Song Town. Let Victor take you there. That's where the real beauty is. I'm even planning to build a museum there."

Veronica had already taken off her helmet and was wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a veil. Her pale blue eyes, visible beneath the veil, looked at Victor with anticipation. Victor smiled and said, "Sea Song Town is indeed very beautiful. You won't be disappointed."

Upon arriving at the official residence, Alex looked at the empty courtyard, just like last time, with one side having been converted by Victor into a training ground for him and his guards. He clicked his tongue and said, "What a pity for such a nice courtyard."

Victor ignored Alex. After getting to know him better, he realized that Alex's aloof and noble persona was far from reality. He was actually a chatterbox and probably knew how to manipulate people.

Victor led the two into the reception room and instructed the kitchen to prepare some cold drinks for them. Although he no longer planned to make gunpowder, he still needed to produce saltpeter, as it was useful in many industrial and agricultural productions and could also be used to make ice. Victor often entertained territorial officials at his residence by offering them cold drinks, which was considered a hidden reward.

However, since it was Veronica who came this time, cold drinks alone were not enough. Victor specially arranged a powerful weapon, and soon several kinds of cold drinks were brought over by the servants.

Victor invited the two to try it, and Alex immediately picked up a glass and put it in his mouth. Last year, when they came in the spring, Victor served Alex hot drinks for health reasons. However, Victor also mentioned to Alex the limited-time cold drinks in the summer, which made Alex look forward to it.

However, Veronica didn't taste it immediately. Instead, she pointed to one of the containers and asked Victor, "Is this snow?"

"You can try it. It's prepared for you. You won't be disappointed."

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "This is so refreshing. As expected of the cold drinks made by your kitchen, they are so delicious. Iron Mountain Fortress also has an ice cellar, but our chefs only make some chilled honey water in the summer, maybe with a few mint leaves in it."

Alex also noticed what Veronica was pointing at. "What is this? A smoothie? How can it be so finely shaved?"

He picked one up and popped it into his mouth. Before Victor could stop him, he swallowed it in one gulp. "Ugh, my head hurts so much."

Victor and Veronica laughed as they watched Alex shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it, Veronica. Take a spoon and try some. You won't be disappointed."

"Okay," Veronica, following Victor's advice. She picked up a piece and tasted it. "It's so sweet, with a richer milky flavor than milk and cheese. It's delicious."

Just then, Alex, who had recovered, savored the taste for a moment, then quickly picked up another serving, scooped out a spoonful, and ate it. "What is this? It's so delicious, like snow made of milk sprinkled with honey."

Seeing the two curious people, Victor smiled and said, "This is ice cream, which I invented." He then explained to them the general method of making ice cream and the precautions for eating it.

Victor was quite pleased with the little stars twinkling in Veronica's eyes, but Alex's starry eyes only made him feel disgusted.

However, Victor quickly changed the subject, "Alex, you're staying with me for a few days this time. Besides buying a flour mill, do you have any other plans?"

"No, that's all. My main purpose this time was to bring Veronica to you, deliver this shipment, and buy a flour mill. There's a lot going on at Iron Mountain Fortress, and I'm heading back tomorrow. My older John has gone to Hampshire in the south to inherit his grandfather's viscount title. After he leaves, I'll have to take on more administrative responsibilities in the territory."

Victor understood; it seemed the succession dispute in Iron Birch Territory was finally over, and his brother-in-law Alex had been designated as the heir by Count Colt.

"Congratulations, Alex, you've finally gotten what you wanted."

"Haha, after working so hard for so long, I've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Oh, by the way, I'm getting married soon. I'm marrying the Count of Lloyd Ironvine from Cornwall County in the south."

Victor was surprised to hear this. He thought that Count Colt's abandonment of John was a break with the southern nobles, but he did not expect that the level of cooperation would actually increase.

"Congratulations to you, and congratulations to Count Colt as well. It seems that the southern nobles will also become our allies."

"It's not that simple. After all, that's where the Silver Maple Family started. Many local nobles are loyalists and have great power. They didn't participate in the last Civil War. To them, as long as someone has the surname Silver Maple, anyone can become a Grand Duke."