vncnus Chapter 182 Acting City Lord
Chapter 182 Acting City Lord
Chapter 182 Acting City Lord
"Regardless of your background, if you really want to be worthy of the identity you claim, you should at least know a little common sense."
Jarl, with his brown braids, sat upright on his horse, leading Harriet through the white fir forest.
Harriet was indignant at such comments:
"What makes you think I don't understand common sense?"
"The common sense that a noble lady needs to possess is very different from that of a peasant girl," Jarl said, his head always facing forward. "And throughout our conversations, I have repeatedly sensed your superficiality and shortsightedness in your speech."
Harriet couldn't deny it, but she stubbornly countered with:
"Then give me an example."
Their horses carried them out of the sparse woods and soon onto a flat road.
The hard road stretched forward, and Harriet saw a tall, gray city come into view.
Jarl spoke up, "Then let me ask you, do you know what's ahead?"
Harriet squinted and looked out, able to see the city's sturdy walls and the flags fluttering above them.
The flags planted above the city walls usually depict the family crests of the city's owners.
If you can identify which family's crest it is, you can deduce which city it is.
However, Harriet couldn't tell:
"I don't know, but that's only because I'm not familiar with the highland families and the distribution of cities."
Making excuses is not a good virtue.
Jarl bluntly pointed out that he could be quite annoying at times.
"Since you call yourself the wife of the Duke of the Plateau, how could you not even know anything about the situation on the Plateau?"
Harriet's face flushed with shame: "Why are you making things difficult for me? You know I haven't known Cathy for very long. Before that, why would I bother to know about the distant Lyons Plateau? So, I don't know things that aren't true."
“But you don’t even recognize a tree,” Jarl said with a laugh.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the trees around us, haven't you ever seen them before?"
Harriet, after being prompted, took a closer look at the trees for the first time.
These are undoubtedly cedar trees, but their bark is white, like pure snow.
The city built near the white fir forest. Harriet's eyes widened:
"White Forest City!"
White Forest City was their destination.
"Hmph, at least not stupid," Jarl said. "And what's flying over the city walls is the white fir fortress banner of the Davis family. If you recognize it, you'll be able to answer my questions more easily, and you'll also be able to get other information immediately."
Upon hearing this, Harriet's expression tightened:
"Other intelligence?"
"See that iron chain flag? The Iron Chain of the Cliff is the emblem of the Sack family of Iron Chain Fortress. Since it is flying on the city wall of Whitewood City, it means that the actual rulers of this city are currently the Sack family."
"Not the Zorc family?"
"You should know more common sense, Your Excellency," Jarl said sarcastically. "Even I know that in the civil war on the highlands two years ago, only three cities refused to submit to Goringburg and resisted to the very end."
"Of these three cities, one of them is the Iron Chain Fortress of the Sack family. As a great contributor, it is not an excessive request to gain control of one or two enemy cities. Moreover, it is possible that the Sack family will be the one to take over Whitewood City."
But whether it's Zorc or Cyk, it means:
"This is enemy territory!"
Jarl sneered, "Your sense of crisis is commendable."
As soon as he finished speaking, Harriet saw the city gate in the distance being opened from the inside.
Then a troop of cavalry charged out of the city gate and headed straight for the two of them.
Harriet was understandably panicked, but Jarl remained unusually calm, as if he had anticipated this situation.
Before long, the cavalry had surrounded Jarl and asked him:
"Who are you, and what is your purpose?"
Jarl must have prepared his answer beforehand, for he calmly replied:
"I am a mercenary, and I was responsible for bringing this young lady to Whitewood City."
"What is your purpose in coming to White Forest City?"
Jarl continued, "She came here specifically to buy exotic iron ore, having heard that the exotic iron ore in Whitewood City is of superior quality."
These soldiers were clearly not the type to make decisions; they didn't ask any more questions but instead led the two men into the castle.
Cathy had told Harriet that he grew up in Whitewood.
Whitewood is a castle perched on the edge of a cliff, where the wind howls all year round, and even in summer the air remains cool. Harriet can now understand how Cathy felt in the past and imagine Cathy playing around the castle as a child.
However, according to Cathy herself, she was never mischievous as a child, and therefore was not very lively.
She looked up and searched, her eyes quickly locking onto the tallest tower.
Kathy said his room was right there.
The rooftop of that tower has a great view, and Cathy said she wanted Harriet to see it too.
Unfortunately, this place is now enemy territory, otherwise Harriet would definitely have climbed that tower.
She naturally wanted to admire the unusual view, but she was more interested in Cathy's room.
Are there any traces of Cathy left there?
"Don't look around!" the soldier suddenly shouted.
Harriet looked away, knowing she had to stay focused.
Soon, they were led into the main castle.
The lord's seat was empty, but next to it stood a man who looked to be around thirty years old.
Behind him followed an elderly man.
The man raised his chin and said to Harriet and Jar:
"I heard you want to discuss a deal with Whitewood City regarding exotic iron ore?"
Harriet didn't know how to answer, but Jarl immediately chimed in:
"Yes, sir, are you the lord of Whitewood City?"
After speaking, he did not receive a reply, and the hall fell into a suffocating silence.
Finally, it was the old man behind the man who broke the silence:
"This is Sir Royce Seck, the second son of Baron Seck of Ironchain Castle."
Royce turned around and glared at the old man with a wolfish look:
"Shut up, Jord! Who gave you the right to answer for me!"
Harriet often heard Cathy mention the name Jode.
He is the herald of Whitewood City and the teacher of history and heraldry for Casey.
Kathy said that Jode was a kind mentor who was always very patient with her and would always notice when she felt down and offer encouragement.
Faced with Royce's rebuke, Jord remained silent, simply averting his gaze.
At this point, Jarl said, "If that's the case, it seems that you, sir, are not the master of this city."
"Lord Davis has recently fallen seriously ill, and I am handling the affairs of the city on his behalf. You can regard me as the acting city lord, and you can discuss anything with me."
"But he is not the lord of Whitewood City after all," Jarl said. "In the end, whether it is signing the contract or stamping it, the lord needs to come forward. Otherwise, no one can guarantee the validity of the contract."
"But I also said that now, everything can only be discussed with me!"
"I'm sorry, sir, we've traveled a long way to get here, it's not easy for us, we must be extremely careful."
"Then there's nothing to talk about!" Royce said angrily. "You won't see anyone from the Davis family!"
"That's a real shame—"
Jarl sighed and shook his head, then suddenly turned to Harriet:
"Miss, it seems we'll have to discuss this order, worth a thousand gold coins, with other lords."
Having said that, Jarl turned back to Reus, and bowed, saying:
"Sir, since that's the case, please forgive us for disturbing you. We'll take our leave now."
"Wait!" Royce called out to the two of them. "You just said, one thousand gold coins?"
Harriet noticed that Royce's eyes even brightened considerably when he spoke.
Jarl continued, "Yes, the man who hired me as this young lady's bodyguard is in the arms and armor business."
And since the young lady is that gentleman's only daughter, she is here as his representative to discuss business.
"Is her father's business very large?"
“Not small,” Jar said. “His equipment even extends to the Far East.”
"So you will definitely need a lot of ore," Royce said with a smile. "And the ore from Whitewood City, in terms of both quality and quantity, ranks among the top three in the entire Lyons Plateau."
“But you are not the city lord, so we cannot do business with you,” Jar said. “Sir, we are not nobles and cannot afford to take too much risk. If something goes wrong, no one will be willing to stand up for us.”
Just then, Jode, who had been standing to the side, interjected again:
"Sir Royce, I have a proposal."
Royce's face instantly fell: "Speak."
"Why don't we let them talk to the Earl?"
"Do you think I'm a fool!" Royce said unhappily. "How could I possibly agree to let someone go see that old man!"
“Lord, please let me explain,” Jord said. “I know you don’t trust me, but I hope you understand that I am the herald of Whitewood City, not a servant of the Davis family. I only care about this territory.”
"Now that you are the acting city lord, my stance is naturally aligned with yours, and any suggestions I make will certainly be for your benefit."
"Sending an outsider to see that old fogey?" Royce rolled his eyes at Jord. "You call this doing me a favor?"
"But if you listen to their accents, they are definitely not from the plateau, which means they are not from the plateau. Therefore, it is highly likely that they are not related to the tense atmosphere of the plateau."
"In that case, why not let them meet that person? Anyway, his life, and the lives of his descendants, are all in your hands. What trouble are you afraid he might cause?"
"And in less than a year, you will marry a Davis, and you will become a member of this family, and even the lord of Whitewood City. You should also consider the city."
"A deal worth a thousand gold coins is no small sum for a territory. Since they want to negotiate with that person, let them negotiate. In the end, the mines and gold coins will pass through your hands anyway, so why worry unnecessarily?"
After Jode's advice, Royce was clearly somewhat swayed, and the way he looked at Jode was no longer as hostile as before.
Not long after, Royce began pacing back and forth on the stone platform, as if he was carefully considering what Jode had said.
When he finally stopped and looked at Jarl and Harriet, he asked:
"Where are you from?"
Harriet glanced at Jarl discreetly, and seeing Jarl nod slightly, she said:
"Gobi people"
This is an implication that Harriet is telling the truth, probably because she's afraid of being exposed.
Harriet answered truthfully: "Blois Peninsula."
Having apparently failed to find a flaw, Royce scratched his hair forcefully and said in an impatient tone:
"Alright, alright! You guys go talk to that old man!"
Jode stepped forward: "I'll lead them there."
Soon, Jord took Harriet and Jarl to other places.
Once they were alone, Jode suddenly turned back and gave the two men a wary look, then whispered:
"Who sent you?"
Harriet was startled by the question.
Clearly, Jode had already noticed that something was wrong between the two.
However, Harriet was unable to determine Jord's stance.
Kathy seems to trust Jord, but Jord's discovery in the hall just now suggests that his stance may have changed.
Not knowing how to answer, she could only look at Jarl.
Harriet also realized that she, who was just a farm girl a few months ago, was really too naive.
She had only been on the plateau for a short time, yet she had already faced power struggles, conspiracies, and schemes on numerous occasions.
It turns out that Kathy grew up in such an environment.
Jarl retorted, "What makes you say that?"
"The Zorc family of Gray City is full of ambitious people. Although they are not likable, it is undeniable that their family members are quite skilled at educating people."
"But the Sack family of Iron Chain Fortress is just a group of opportunists, and Royce Sack is even more ignorant and easily deceived by certain temptations."
"I can tell that you are not the only daughters of some lord, nor do you have an order for a thousand gold coins. Otherwise, the person you insist on seeing should be the ore sample, not the Earl."
"It's thanks to Royce's stupidity that I've managed to survive until now and be able to say a few words for you. Otherwise, once he discovers something is wrong, you would never have been able to leave the gates of Whitewood City."
"I've learned something," Jar replied calmly.
Jode added, "Whatever your purpose in coming here, please pass on a message to the master: hope has not yet been lost, and tell him to hold on."
Harriet's eyes hardened: "Don't worry, I'm here to bring him hope."
Jode stopped in his tracks, his dry eyes widening as he stared intently at Harriet like a startled squirrel.
A kind smile, just as Cathy had described, suddenly appeared on his face, and he murmured softly:
"Really? Thank you."
They continued forward, but as they were about to enter the corridor, the guards on both sides stopped them.
Jode explained his purpose, and Harriet and Jarl were put inside, but Jode was forced to return the way he came.
They walked to a large door and pushed it open.
This is a luxurious bedroom with a Benson rug with a floral pattern on the floor, and exquisite oil paintings, pendants, coats of arms and swords hanging on the walls. Various ornaments, sculptures and decorations are scattered in every corner of the room.
A large, white cedar bed is placed at one end of the bedroom, with a white gauze quilt hanging on an iron hook.
Lying on the bed was a weak, emaciated old man. If this was the fat Earl Reggie from Cathy's mouth, Harriet could imagine how much suffering he had endured.
The old man slowly opened his eyes: "Who are you?"
Harriet promised Jord that she would bring hope to the person in front of her.
She had taken a step forward, raised her head, and announced to it:
"My lady, I am the fiancée of the Duke of Lyons Highlands."
Count Reggie’s powerless eyes snapped open, and his chapped lips parted wide, unable to close.
After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a few words:
"Oh God—God have mercy—"