Elliot, heir to the Sterling Family, protector of factories and workers, lord of the Hearthfire District, lawgiver of the thirteen regulations, honorary cardinal of the Reforging Flame.
His adornments were elaborate yet elegant, tiny gems set in intricate patterns, like morning stars in the sunlight.
He-had he just looked at Xiao, and even greeted him, as though he knew him?
Xiao hurriedly shook his head, as though trying to shake that absurd thought out of his mind.
Elliot was an important man. How could he possibly know a lowly worker like him?
Come to think of it, he hardly ever saw important people at Theresia's festival.
Important people occasionally came out to give speeches on holidays, but not during the festival.
Red-robed priests and all manner of machinery Xiao could not make sense of slowly passed before him. They turned at the street corner ahead and headed off north, toward the area where the factories were clustered.
Only after they had all left did Xiao and the Factory Guard members raise their heads again.
"What a grand sight," the young man marveled. "If only I could parade through the streets with a crowd around me like that."
"What nonsense are you talking!" Xiao jumped and hurriedly looked around. Only after making sure no one was there did he breathe a sigh of relief. "That's Lord Elliot, a Great Nobility!"
"So what if he's a noble? Maybe I'll become one someday too."
"He issued the thirteen regulations and reshaped the order of the entire Hearthfire District!"
The young man fell silent, but a moment later, his eyes lit up again. "He's going to the factories! Maybe I can go back after my patrol and hear him talk about the thirteen regulations!"
With that, he waved and continued on to the next