The Straightforward and Naive Suika / Messenger Boy and Local Fast Food
That saintess of Kjerag, or perhaps...
"Miss Messenger, please watch your words." Knowing that the other party came from the outside world and did not believe in the gods of Kjerag, Mosi still did not expect the other party to be so blunt.
Fearing that her words would get out and cause a huge mess, Mosi quickly interrupted her before she could utter the name.
"Alright, alright. But I must remind you, I am Victoria's envoy, representing the will of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Sciences. You'd better tell the person behind you to show some respect. I don't care what you want to do or what you're planning, but don't drag me into it. I have a terrible temper when I wake up, and it wouldn't be pleasant if I caused trouble."
On the surface, "Suika" seems to refer to Browntail, because everyone in Kjerag knows that the relationship between the three races is not friendly.
But Mosi had a feeling that the other person wasn't referring to Browntail, but rather to Gnosis.
So she didn't reply, but instead respectfully pointed in a direction.
There, she had prepared a carriage.
Without any further pressure from Mosi, Suika obediently got into the car.
The carriage traveled for nearly two hours before arriving at a farm.
After getting off the bus, Suika clicked her tongue.
The reason is simple: it started snowing in Kjerag last night.
Even in the small town, you can see snow piled up on the eaves.
But this unassuming farm was so clean that it seemed completely unaffected by the wind and snow.
"Plz follow me."
After being lectured by Suika, Mosi became much more respectful.
Perhaps fearing to hear something chilling or unsettling from her, Mosi, realizing that Suika was resistant to gentle persuasion but not force, kept going along with her.
Even when reminding her of the personalities of the head of the Browntail family and his right-hand men, namely her sister and brother-in-law, on the way, he did so in a tone that would least provoke Suika's displeasure.
Soon, Mosi led Suika into the house through the front door.
Even before entering, the temperature emanating from inside was intense.
"Unlike the outside world, there are no advanced high-tech gadgets on the snow-capped mountains."
Only in order to keep warm can one rely on the experience passed down from generation to generation.
Welcome, Ms. Ibuki Suika.
Just as Suika was looking around, a woman using long tweezers to pok at branches by the fireplace not far away caught her attention.
"Please have a seat! Perfect timing, I have some freshly warmed wine here, would you like to try some?"
After Suika walked up to her, the woman pointed to the empty space next to the fireplace.
Suika didn't say much, but sat down quite naturally.
Then the woman poured her a glass of warmed wine and handed it to her.
After taking the glass and taking a sip, Suika an eyebrow.
"Excellent wine! I never expected that Kjerag would produce such a fine brew."
"Hmm, you've never had it before?"
This wine is called "Spring of the Snowlands," and it was brewed at the distillery established by Enciodes's father, who was also the previous patriarch of the Silverash family.
However, some unforeseen circumstances led to the closure of the distillery, and with each bottle of <Spring of the Snowlands> consumed, there are fewer and fewer left.
However, as the chieftain of Silverash, Enciodes shouldn't be without any...
Suika didn't say anything, but in her heart she was praising the Browntail family for truly living up to their reputation as Vulpo.
He was digging his own grave the moment they met.
The fact that they knew I loved wine must have come from my behavior last night in that Warm Cottage.
After all, it's common knowledge that Jian doesn't drink alcohol, and at that time, he was the only one at the table besides her.
Then there's the relationship between Spring of the Snowlands and Silverash.
If I were truly an ordinary person who wasn't very familiar with Kjerag and was visiting for the first time, I'm afraid my goodwill towards Enciodes would actually decrease because of this.
After all, I've said I enjoy drinking, yet you, Enciodes, have been hoarding your best wine and haven't given me a drop. What does that mean? It means that in Enciodes eyes, I'm not a special guest at all.
"That's outrageous! I'll have to go find the head of Silverash and ask him for a few bottles when I get back today..."
Chapter 293 The Honest and Naive Suika
"Speaking of which, I'm a little curious. Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from Victoria?"
Just as Suika was drinking Ratatos suddenly asked a question.
Suika's eyes flickered slightly.
"Oh, so the head of the household knows Victoria very well?"
Ratatos shook her head, then calmly replied...
"I wouldn't dare say I know Victoria that well."
However, the main route out of the mountains from Kjerag is via Victoria.
The Browntail family's territory is mountainous and forested, making them a major exporter of furs to the Kjerag and having seen many Victoria there.
Ms. Ibuki Suika's name and accent are very different from the Victoria I'm familiar with.
"Indeed, I am not from Victoria, but from the Great Yan further Touhou."
I accepted Ms. Elisa's request to come because I have a good personal relationship with her; by the way, Elisa is the dean of the academy."
Suika said frankly.
"Then could you tell me about Dean Elisa?"
Of course, this is just my own curiosity. After all, not many people from Kjerag have studied abroad, and the dean of the university has always been a very mysterious figure to us!
Ratatos smiled, looking like a curious child.
"Elisa?"
I can reveal some information, but... my mouth is a little dry...
Suika swirled the wine in her glass, a smile playing on her lips.
"Of course, you have stories, and I have wine, don't I!" Ratatos picked up the wine bottle beside her and poured Suika another glass.
"Elisa was specially invited by the Duke of Caster from the Royal Academy of Sciences' university in Londinium for the establishment of this new school. She was one of the deans in Londinium."
Logically speaking, given her rank, being sent to this remote mountainous area would be considered a demotion, something that ordinary people would never do.
However, she was a compassionate person and believed that even though the area was located on the border of the empire, the children here still had the right to receive higher education.
So I volunteered to come here to serve as the dean.
This time, it was Silverash's application that Elisa felt that although Kjerag was poor and backward, it still had the right to receive an education.
So initially, we planned to give out five spots.
But Mr. Silverash then hoped to purchase a few more places, and after discussion among the college, they split the cost 50/50 and gave Kjerag a total of ten places.
However, four of them belong to the Kjerag Trade.
Suika recounted her reasons for coming here, half-truthfully and half-jokingly.
"I did hear that Enciodes bought a batch of slots."
"I wonder if this spot can be changed?" Ratatos asked immediately afterward.
Upon hearing her words, Suika looked surprised.
"As far as I know, Kjerag Trade has spent a considerable amount of money on these four slots."
If you want to buy a spot from him, it's unlikely you'll succeed at the original price, but you'll have to pay a premium.
Forgive my bluntness, but it's better to wait a year. After all, the college enrolls students every year, and with that price already inflated, it really isn't worth it."
After speaking Suika gave her the price that Enciodes paid for the spot. Ratatos contracted upon hearing this. She had indeed heard that Enciodes had spent a lot of money to buy the spot, but she hadn't expected it to be so expensive.
It was so expensive that even hearing the price tag made her heart ache.
She silently cursed Enciodes in her heart, calling him a spendthrift.
She couldn't understand why Enciodes would invest so much money—enough to hire a group of decent experts—wasn't he afraid of wasting it?
This unusual situation left her conflicted.
However, she became even more determined to secure those free spots.
"Miss Suika, you're right. This price is indeed a bit difficult for us, so I won't argue about it."
However, there are still six spots available in Kjerag.
Oh, by the way, you were a guest. I prepared a gift that I hope you'll like.
As she looked at Suika, she took out a box, which was now open wide, revealing a very exquisite pure white fur.
She stared intently, trying to get some inside information from Suika.
"I've also discussed this matter with Mr. Enciodes."
Ms. Elisa hoped that no fools or mediocre people would go to the academy.
So before I left, they specifically asked me to bring a test paper. There will be an exam in a month, and I will only take the grades of students who pass and rank at the top.
So, ma'am, if you're interested in this spot, you can start preparing now.
Suika reached out and pushed the fur back.
"This gift was originally intended for distinguished guests like yourself."
Besides, there's no reason to take back a gift once it's been given away.
Ratatos once again presented the gift to Suika.
"Speaking of which, I have a question. The exam papers are crucial to the fate of the candidates in Kjerag. If you carry them with you and they get wet from rain or other situations, what if you can't see the questions clearly?"
Ratatos wore an expression of concern for the country and its people, looking worried about Kjerag's fate.
"I know about what you're talking about, so I gave the exam paper to the Black Knight. She said she would put it in a safe place until the exam starts."
Upon hearing her words, Suika wore an expression that seemed to say, "I knew this all along, so I had already planned this."
But those words made Ratatos feel like she was about to break down.
After all, the Black Knight is Enciodes's person, and now the exam paper is in her hands. Enciodes will definitely send someone to participate in the assessment later, so wouldn't she be both the examiner and the examinee?
But she dared not be angry with the messenger before her, and could only show an anxious expression.
"Ms. Suika, don't you know that the Black Knight is from the Silverash family? If she hands over the exam paper to Silverash's, then this exam is completely unfair to Kjerag."
Suika then adopted a serious expression and took out the commemorative gold coin.
"I do know a little about what you're talking about, but I believe in the Black Knight's chivalry. She promised me she would protect the exam paper from being read by anyone beforehand, and she will definitely keep her word when it comes to this commemorative gold coin."
After hearing Suika's words, Ratatos wanted to ask if she was a fool for believing in chivalry.
She felt she couldn't entrust the Black Knight with this matter, and began to think about how to ensure the exam papers weren't, at least not, under the noses of Silverash's family before the exam.
"Was it to deal with this matter that you and that Black Knight went out of the city yesterday?"
While brainstorming, Ratatos continued to question Suika, trying to find something that would be to her advantage.
"No, she had already indicated that the exam papers were settled."
I only went out of the city with her because I was curious about her skills, so I just wanted to find a place outside the city to test my skills a bit..."
Suika's answer made Ratatos's vision go black again.
Chapter 294 The Courier and the Local Fast Food
Ratatos realized that this guy was still a fan of the Black Knight.
What do you mean by "go practice in the wild"? It's just that people feel embarrassed in the city, so they go to the less crowded areas outside the city to chase after their idols.
Enciodes is a truly disgusting person; he actually used a honey trap on the messenger.
No wonder this envoy, who looked quite young, was so biased towards the other side from the very beginning; it's understandable why.
The thought of this Ratatos with a sense of unease.
Because my mind wasn't on this, we didn't talk about anything else.