A Boring Banquet

The prosperity of the Lord's Mansion exceeded Abel's imagination. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw a huge fountain. Lights from an unknown source illuminated the dancing water, shimmering with a fantastical glow.

The servants guiding guests at the Lord's Mansion were all dressed in black servant uniforms and were extremely polite. The guards patrolling the surroundings wore half-plate armor and carried longswords, their presence indicating they were at least Level 4 Cultivators of Battle Qi. Everything here clearly demonstrated the extraordinary status of a Viscount.

Professionals include classes like Warriors, Knights, and Assassins. They all cultivate Battle Qi as a foundation to develop special abilities.

Warriors are ordinary professionals, and most people who cultivate Battle Qi are Warriors. Warriors can use almost all weapons, such as swords, hammers, and spears.

The most powerful are Knights. Their excellent education and abundant resources allow them to receive comprehensive training and possess the finest equipment. Warhorses and armor are standard for them.

Assassins are the fewest in number. In addition to cultivating Battle Qi, they must learn many methods to conceal themselves. An Assassin's Battle Qi erupts more fiercely, but the price is a shortened duration of Battle Qi.

In the Duchy of Camai, obtaining nobility is very difficult. Generation after generation, the Kings have suppressed the number of nobles, enacting a series of regulations to reduce the inheritance of land and titles. For example, they established rules that women cannot inherit titles, and for non-feudal titles, they are downgraded by one level with each inheritance. If there are no heirs, the fief is reclaimed. Over countless years of continuous power consolidation, numerous noble families have vanished.

To obtain a noble title, there is only one condition: to render great service to the Duchy. This is especially difficult to achieve in times of peace. When war breaks out, the acquisition of military merit comes at the cost of the lives of many quasi-nobles.

Therefore, in recent years, the conflict between the King and the nobles has become increasingly severe. The great nobles continuously strengthen their power, while the King seeks opportunities everywhere to eliminate nobles who dare to challenge royal authority.

One can tell the low status of noble titles in the Duchy of Camai just by looking at the title of the Lord of Harvest City. The lord of a large city is only a Viscount. For a city of the same size in the neighboring Grand Duchy of Thunderclap, the lowest title would be Duke.

Of course, these matters are very distant for Abel. It was only casually told to Abel by Knight Marshall on the carriage ride here when he was talking about the City Lord. Knight Marshall, a Knight who obtained his fief through military merit, did not care about these things and merely recounted them as an interesting anecdote.

However, seeing the guards of the Lord's Mansion, Abel couldn't help but think of what Knight Marshall had said about the great nobles strengthening their forces to counter the King. Just looking at these hundreds of guards before him, each one a professional, even if they were only the lowest-level Warrior professionals, the combined combat power of these hundreds of people could rival that of a legion of thousands.

The hall was crowded, and to Abel's disappointment, the food at the Lord's Mansion was limited. Due to it being winter, the buffet only offered pastries and roasted meat. However, there was an ample supply of red wine.

As Viscount Dickens, the City Lord, appeared, the banquet officially began. First, the Viscount gave a speech. Although there were many people in the hall, Viscount Dickens, as Knight Commander, used his powerful Battle Qi to ensure his speech reached everyone's ears. According to Knight Marshall, this was an annual display of strength, both in terms of wealth and military might, which would allow Viscount Dickens to better manage this vast territory.

This was the most boring banquet Abel had ever attended. Abel didn't know anyone here. After Knight Marshall introduced him to a few friends, Abel retreated to a corner alone, quietly observing this high-society gathering. He also realized why there wasn't much food prepared; few people here took food, instead holding glasses of red wine and mingling.

In this environment, Abel's eyelids grew heavier, and he gradually fell asleep. After a day of walking around the city, the noisy surroundings sounded like a lullaby. He was only woken up by Knight Marshall when the banquet ended.

On the way back, Knight Marshall mocked Abel quite a bit. The Knight did not believe that a Level 5 Apprentice Knight would be so tired from walking around the city that he would fall asleep at a banquet.

The next morning, Knight Marshall took Abel onto the carriage, preparing to return to Hari Castle. As they left the courtyard, the butler Robin saw them off at the gate, and Abel waved goodbye to Robin from the carriage window.

This action confirmed to the servant, who had been watching the courtyard all night in the cold, that Abel was about to leave. He hurried away to report to his master.

"What, they're heading towards the south gate? Are you sure?" Joshua asked, confirming the report from the servant before immediately gathering his men.

Joshua's father was a Baron who, being skilled in business, had purchased over ten shops near the main roads in Harvest City over the years, controlling nearly 50% of the ready-made clothing market in Harvest City. He was a true noble merchant. His considerable wealth also provided Joshua, his only son, with better conditions for cultivation. At 19, Joshua was already a Level 4 Apprentice Knight. The Baron had always dreamed of Joshua earning military merit and becoming a feudal knight.

Because of this, the Baron had never been stingy with Joshua's development. The Hundred Refinements Greatsword purchased to help Joshua was a testament to the Baron's investment. Joshua, having lost the bet, didn't dare tell his father about it, only thinking of getting revenge first before finding an opportunity to explain it to the Baron later.

After assembling a small team of twelve men, all strong servants from his household, each equipped with a sturdy horse and a longsword, Joshua rode a fiery red warhorse. The thirteen-person pursuit party set off.

Knight Marshall was in the carriage, savoring a glass of red wine gifted by a friend in Harvest City. He swayed gently with the carriage's movements, but the surface of the red wine in his glass remained perfectly still. Abel was diligently trying to learn the Knight's posture. However, the carriages in this world were too hard, lacking any shock absorption. Sometimes, a jolt would come, and before he could react, the red wine in his glass would start to shake violently. But Abel didn't get discouraged; he carefully observed the Knight and imitated him with great enthusiasm.

Although the sturdy horses were not fast, they were faster than the carriage over short distances. The 13 riders quickly closed in on the carriage. A sinister smile spread across Joshua's cold face.

"Interesting, someone dares to pursue my carriage," Knight Marshall said, stopping his wine glass. A cold, sharp smile appeared on his face.

Abel also felt the anomaly from the ground's vibrations. He glanced at Knight Marshall. Having accompanied Knight Marshall to the banquet, he hadn't brought his longsword, so he took out his crossbow and loaded a bolt, ready to fire.

"Go, stop the carriage and drag the people inside out," Joshua ordered his 12 servants.

If Joshua had seen the carriage from the front, he might not have done this. There was a noble family crest on the front of the carriage.

The 12 servants raised their longswords and charged towards the carriage. The coachman, knowing Knight Marshall was inside, was not in a hurry and loudly warned, "This is the carriage of the Hari Family. Attacking this carriage will incur the wrath of the Hari Family."

The 12 charging servants knew nothing about the Hari Family. If it had been Knight Marshall's carriage, they might have recognized it. Thus, the 12 did not stop their horses and continued to charge towards the carriage, blocking its path.

Joshua had caught up. The first thing he saw was the conspicuous white unicorn crest on the front of the carriage. A chill ran from the back of his neck to the top of his head. He had led men to attack a noble's carriage. He hadn't clearly heard the coachman's words, but seeing the coachman's confident expression, he knew the other party must have a significant background.

The attack on the noble's carriage was now a fait accompli. Joshua was in too deep to back down. He couldn't help but harbor a murderous intent. If he killed the coachman and the little blacksmith inside, who would know it was him?

"Kill them all," Joshua spat out the three words sinisterly.

The 12 servants hesitated. They usually only helped their young master bully people, at most breaking limbs, but they had never killed anyone before. However, they had to obey their young master's orders, so the 12 haphazardly swung their longswords and charged at the coachman.