Chapter 195 Are These Still Country Bumpkin Nobles?
"Hahaha..."
The Lord of Hyratos looked at the items on the table and laughed like a pig. "Finally, the goods have arrived. I've lost a lot of weight these past few days. I need to make up for it."
Zachary, standing nearby, grinned as he looked at the Lord of Hyratos, who was as fat as a pig. He couldn't see any sign of weight loss; the lord looked the same as the last time they met.
Zachary came to Hyratos this time to deliver the milk tea and canned fish that the Lord of Hyratos had ordered earlier. Besides these two items, he was also here to recruit people in Hyratos again.
On the surface, Zachary was the head of a caravan, but in reality, he had another mission: to secretly spread the word about Eldoria's recruitment. And it wasn't just Hyratos; he had to visit the surrounding cities as well.
"Henry, I still need to take care of the caravan matters, so I'll take my leave now," Zachary said softly.
"Alright! Remember to send my regards to Lord Henry and make sure the next batch of canned fish and milk tea arrives on time," the Lord of Hyratos reminded him with a smile.
"Got it!" Zachary bowed and left.
The Lord of Hyratos watched Zachary's departing figure, his smile fading. He turned to the knight beside him and said, "Test one of each."
"Yes, sir!" The knight stepped forward, picked up a can of fish, opened the box, took out a packet of milk tea, and left with both items. He was going to have the servants test them to see if they were poisoned.
The Lord of Hyratos looked at the canned fish and swallowed his saliva. Better safe than sorry; he didn't want to be caught off guard. Becoming the lord of a city wasn't something achieved by being foolish.
"Recently, there have been fewer commoners in the city. Is it because of the bandit attack?" The Lord of Hyratos frowned. With fewer commoners, his tax revenue also decreased. He was considering whether to implement a law prohibiting commoners from leaving the territory.
Each noble's territory was like a small kingdom, and they could do whatever they wanted. Many nobles had used such laws before.
In the end, the Lord of Hyratos gave up on the idea. His city was trade-oriented, and prohibiting commoners from leaving the territory didn't seem practical.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
The knight returned and saluted, "Sir, no abnormalities were found."
"Oh?" The Lord of Hyratos glanced at the knight's greasy mouth. Did he eat the items himself? That made him the best test subject.
"Thud, thud, thud..." A series of urgent footsteps sounded as a gatekeeper knight ran in and said urgently, "Henry, Adam requests an audience."
"Adam? Never heard of him," the Lord of Hyratos was puzzled and asked, "Did he say anything else?"
"He said he's the second son of Lord Purley and the brother of Baron Omar," the gatekeeper knight reported quickly.
"What? Purley's son?"
The Lord of Hyratos's face turned extremely grim. Thinking of Baron Omar, the mastermind behind the bandit attack, he wondered what his brother was doing here. Was he here to break ties?
"Henry, we mustn't be rude," the knight beside him reminded.
"Hmph!" The Lord of Hyratos's chubby cheeks trembled. He was on the verge of cursing, but unfortunately, Purley wasn't someone he could afford to offend.
"Whoo..."
The Lord of Hyratos took a deep breath and said coldly, "Invite him to the reception room. I'll be there shortly."
"Henry, it's lunchtime now. According to noble etiquette, you need to host a banquet for the guest," the knight reminded softly again.
The Lord of Hyratos glared fiercely at the knight. He had lost his composure and almost forgot basic noble etiquette. In a cold voice, he said, "Go prepare the banquet."
"Yes, sir!" The knight breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Henry managed to keep his cool. Offending Purley would be a huge disadvantage for Hyratos.
It's important to note that the Youshui River also flows through Purley's territory. If Purley were to block the river, preventing Hyratos's ships from passing, it would cripple half of Hyratos's trade.
"Wait!" The Lord of Hyratos, realizing this, called out to the knight who was about to leave. He instructed, "Include these two items in the banquet as well."
"Yes, sir!" The knight was momentarily stunned but then left with two cans of fish and two packets of milk tea.
The knight admired Henry's patience and magnanimity. If he were the lord, he would have made things difficult for the guest.
After the knight left, the Lord of Hyratos ground his teeth in frustration. If it weren't for showing off, he wouldn't have included the milk tea and canned fish in the banquet.
The Lord of Hyratos scanned the room, looking for something to smash to vent his anger. His eyes landed on the canned fish on the table, but he quickly looked away. Each can cost 300 copper coins, and he couldn't bear to waste it.
Suppressing his anger, the Lord of Hyratos leaned back in his chair, his mind racing as he pondered Adam's intentions. Was he here to stand up for his brother?
After a while, the knight returned to report, "Sir, the banquet is ready, and Adam is waiting for you."
"Alright!" The Lord of Hyratos nodded. With the knight's assistance, he struggled to stand up and slowly made his way to the banquet.
As soon as he entered the banquet hall, the Lord of Hyratos put on a friendly smile, clasped his hands together, and bowed. "I apologize for the delay, Lord Adam. I was just finishing some official business."
"Uh?" Adam was taken aback. What kind of gesture was this? Western noble etiquette? He couldn't afford to lose face as a high-ranking noble.
He quickly mimicked the gesture and bowed, "I apologize for the intrusion."
"Please, have a seat!" The Lord of Hyratos gestured with a wave, a smug smile on his lips. He was secretly pleased that his etiquette had impressed the son of a count.
He thought to himself, if he could get a set of clothes like Henry's, he could probably impress the count's son even more.
Adam sat at the other end of the table. After the Lord of Hyratos took the first bite of the dish, the banquet officially began.
"Please, Lord Adam, try some of Hyratos's delicacies," the Lord of Hyratos said, pointing to the fish on the ceramic plate.
"Alright!" Adam thought dismissively. What kind of delicacies could this remote area have? He sniffed slightly and caught a rich aroma.
"Huh?" Adam was surprised as he looked at the chunks of fish. It was the first time he had smelled such a fragrance. He picked up a spoon and scooped a piece of fish into his mouth...
"Delicious! Absolutely delicious!"
Adam's eyes widened as he stared dumbfounded at the fat lord in front of him. Was this really a backwater noble? How could the food here be better than what a count eats?
