Blood tax

Chapter 19 Miss Larmor and the Dinner Party
Griffith, as a second-level team captain who has just been promoted, has an annual salary of 1200 silver lang, that is, he can receive 100 silver lang every month.As a Beyonder Sequence 9, he can also receive a monthly allowance of 10 Yinlang from the government.When he is on the battlefield, most of the monthly salary he receives will be used to buy and maintain his personal equipment, and the rest can be used to buy expensive food and daily necessities in the war zone where materials are scarce.The leather armor that had been badly damaged and the mail armor that had been repaired many times was his personal property that he had accumulated for a long time.

It was also the main reason Griffith left the army with little money in his pocket.

From the day he left the legion, the kingdom stopped paying him.He will receive his salary from the Lamour House until the day he finishes his studies and serves the country again.

If the kingdom needs to recruit him to the battlefield, the Larmor family still has to pay him wages and provide equipment.However, Griffith himself can receive additional mission perks and rewards from the army.

The earl's housekeeper was a tall, thin, amiable-looking man, in his fifties.He was wearing a straight black tuxedo that looked like a statue if he stood still.There was also a handsome middle-aged man beside him, looking at Griffith with critical eyes.

"Mr. Wood, what do you think of this young man?" The housekeeper handed a piece of single-sided crystal glasses to the middle-aged man, "He was the one who passed the selection to the new Torral as he told you before."

The moment the middle-aged man put the crystal lens on, Griffith felt an uncomfortable force that began to interfere with his inspiration.Before he could figure out what was going on, the strange feeling disappeared.

"Without strengthening, physical strength 12, strength 14, agility 12, perception 11, spirit 10, balanced ability, heavy blood energy, magic resistance level 4, not bad for a newcomer," Wood took off the crystal lens , said to the apprentice knight, "I am the chief of the earl's bodyguard and the commander of the Larmor family's army, the great knight Wood Woods, if you continue to work hard and are not killed early on the battlefield, you will take my place in the future. ."

Why can my abilities be described by numbers?Griffith resisted the urge to look at the crystal lens curiously, and solemnly greeted the Great Knight: "Yes, Your Excellency."

"Remember your duty at all times, apprentice knight," said the big knight Wood, nodded to the butler, and walked out of the room without looking back.

"Okay, then let's get down to business. I'm Ashford, the housekeeper of Larmor House, and the earl has informed me, Mr. Griffith," the black-clothed butler used the elegance of the chief guard Wood, who could not find any traces of it. He took out a box from the cabinet, "one-fifth of each of the gold coins and silver coins, and the rest are the notes of the Central Bank of the Kingdom, what do you think?"

Most of the goblin bounties earned by apprentice knights are used to make good clothes or spend on travel.He's terribly poor now, and doesn't understand the butler's words: "Bill? I'm sorry, sir, I don't know much about this."

"Money made of paper is equivalent to gold and silver. If you're going to order shirts next, and go to those decent restaurants and shops, the bills will save you and the shopkeepers some trouble," the butler said with a smile. "Bye Yelan gentlemen aren't used to going out with a big bag of jingling metal, that's indecent. The little green paper you see now is, well, very important in life in this city."

Griffith took the bag and happily took out a stack of green bills.This kind of circulation certificate is very beautifully printed, with a fragrance of ink, and is printed with the crown and numbers of King Bayeran.

"You can see the anti-counterfeiting mark here when you look at the sun, an eagle flag, you should be familiar with it," Ashford demonstrated to the apprentice knight, and then looked at Griffith, who was full of joy, "The apprentice Mr. Knight, I suggest that you use the money as soon as possible, lest when people ask why you are so happy, you answer that you have just received three months' salary, which will make everyone talk about dinner."

Griffith, who was carrying a bag of money, hurriedly tightened the corners of his mouth.

"Okay, follow the valet at the door to take your luggage to your room, and then tidy up yourself," Ashford waved to the door, "you're a knight apprentice, and you're going to have dinner with the earl's family. You still have, Half an hour to prepare."

This is the dinner Galadia asked me to dress for!Griffith immediately tightened his nerves. Since the elves attach so much importance, there must be a reason to attach importance.

……

Seven o'clock in the evening.

When Griffith came to the dining room, there was only a thin, pale young man sitting there.His short blond hair was neatly combed, and he held a cup of black tea in his hand. When the apprentice knight came in, he stood up happily and greeted with a smile:
"Good evening, I'm Nolan de La Mole, you must be the new Xiutoral. Let's talk about the East later, I'm a little curious about the battle report sent there."

Ah, the eldest son of the count!Should I greet him first.Griffith reacted immediately and agreed to his request very seriously.

Before Griffith had introduced much, the host and guests of the Earl's Palace came.The Countess was a very beautiful and dignified blond woman, tall and graceful, almost as tall as a tall apprentice knight in high heels.The Countess greeted the guests at the dinner one by one, and only nodded to the new apprentice knight.

The guests also included several scholars, parliamentarians and well-known wealthy businessmen.They were the guests of this small dinner party tonight, and they sat in their seats with a natural attitude.

The long dining table was covered with a clean white tablecloth.Fine china and silver candlesticks are illuminating, and in front of every guest there is a sparkling aperitif and many different styles of knives and forks.

Trouble... Griffith realized that he had not been taught anything like that, that he didn't even know which spoon to use to drink the soup.

Several servants stood nearby like stone statues.Griffith's inspiration was slightly touched, and he could feel an imperceptible gaze looking at him behind him, with a bit of criticality and a smile.

What are they looking at me for...why not serve it?
After everyone was seated, a girl hurried into the restaurant and came to the seat opposite the apprentice knight.Her hair was as beautiful as the morning sun in pale gold, and her delicate long dress outlined a soft and slender figure.The girl looked no more than 16 years old, her eyes sparkled like sapphires, and she looked at the apprentice knight in a red-striped black coat with a little surprise.

Black slim coat, no church logo... Is this guy going to grab a random guy in my house for a duel?The girl was very curious about this new young man.Griffith's tall figure and fairly decent appearance further encouraged her curiosity.

"Good evening, Miss Sonia." Several guests present greeted the late count's daughter.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Sonia lifted her skirt gracefully and greeted everyone with a delicate smile.

Compared with the already familiar guests, Sonia is now more concerned about who the strange boy sitting opposite her is.A glimpse before she sat down was enough to give her a lot of information.

"The clothes are new but not new, well made, well, probably just bought for today's dinner. Why is there no family crest on it?

"His movements are a little stiff and restrained, his eyes seem to be looking at the tableware, maybe he is thinking about which spoon to use to drink the soup! Black hair and stern temperament are a good match.

"The blue ribbon, which papa's guests never wear, is some sort of low-ranking medal I don't know. But, unlike the medals bought by the gentlemen, he should have bought it for real merit. This is the only thing that shows his identity. Judging from his serious and restrained temperament and skin color, he should be a soldier, ummm~
"I see, he is the Thutoral that Dad mentioned a few days ago! The Beyonder candidate who wants to monitor my schooling. Then his little blue ribbon should be an Iron Eagle Medal. About him and me Divination...it's very subtle!" Sonia was very excited about her observation and wanted to ask Griffith now if she guessed right.

But now was not the time for Miss Sonia de Larmor to satisfy her curiosity.She had another set of words to say.

"Sorry, I'm late." Miss Sonia quickly reasoned about Griffith's identity and said with a dual purpose.

Griffith hurriedly gave a stiff smile to the girl opposite him, and nodded like a puppet as a greeting.Fortunately, none of the people present noticed his stupid look.

The blonde girl's voice was sweet and waxy, like a warm jade.If she asked for something, Griffith felt that he would definitely not be able to refuse.

"Have you been fascinated by those dangerous books again?" said the Countess of Larmor, slightly reproachful, "when you go to Homunwards...Gods, it's not good if you get into trouble again. It's about the newspaper."

"No, Mom~" Sonia whispered, bowing her head as if trying to hide her little secret, "I'm just doing a preview for the class."

"This is the second son of Knight Brandon, apprentice knight Griffith Brandon, second-level squad leader, Cytolar," the Count casually introduced to everyone, "Your Majesty rewarded me with the addition of wheat in my territory. And minerals, we can finally produce some different specialties this year.”

Hey!I got it right!Can you give me some applause... Sonia can finally boldly stare at the boy who is not much older than herself, and tap the ground with her toes excitedly.

Griffith got up hastily and gave a military salute to everyone present.

"After Sonia enters in September, the apprentice knight will be enrolled together," the earl continued. "A good friend of mine hopes that he will make some achievements in command, law and administration in the future, and bring some new atmosphere to the family. , this is what he has been exposed to in the non-commissioned officer school and the eastern battlefield, or will learn in future courses. After all, you know, my territory in the Odessa region can experience floods and droughts in good weather, It's amazing."

The guests laughed together, and one of them asked Griffith with a smile: "Tell me, Mr. Apprentice Knight, when you fought on the Eastern battlefield, did you think about what a peaceful life would be like in the future?"

"This is Lord Justice Arthur Raton of the Supreme Court," the eldest son of the Earl, the kind and handsome Nolan introduced Griffith.

Hiss, Supreme Court!
The tables were filled with famous people, and the time left for me to answer questions was measured in seconds.If I don't answer well, people will think I'm a big fool, and if I think about it too long, people will think I'm a fool... Griffith feels cold sweat dripping down his neck.

It would be foolish for me to compliment this lavish dinner as our expectation of peace.

"Respected Judge, many of our legion's auxiliary soldiers are from the Eastern Province. When the war was severe, the Province imposed a heavy tax on the peasants," Griffith thought for a while, and after everyone's patience The scope said as briefly as possible, "In order to obtain the blessing and protection of the church, the auxiliary soldiers in the Eastern Province tried to hand over their land to the church. The laws of the kingdom did not allow such an action. The auxiliary soldiers gave the land to the church. To friends, ask them to give most of the output of the land to the church."

"Well, church land is tax-exempt, and the royal government expressly stipulates that it is not allowed to transfer or give away real estate to the church," Judge Arthur Raton said with a little surprise, "Citizens of the Eastern Province are trying to circumvent the king's written law."

"I noticed that there is a little difference between what the apprentice said and the transfer, Your Honor," said Count Larmor, who was intrigued by this topic, and said quickly, "the citizens of the East, after handing over their lands to their friends, Well, the proceeds go to the church. In this case, it is still regarded as a transfer, and does it need to be licensed?"

"This issue is worth studying," the justice did not ask the apprentice knight to ask more in-depth questions, but nodded approvingly to Griffith, "I think the Supreme Court will soon receive an appeal of the case."

Several of the guests present looked surprised.This new bumpkin is at least a sharp bumpkin.It seemed that the Earl was also interested in this topic, so Judge Arthur Raton asked more questions, and the dinner became lively.

Was this interesting topic a coincidence?Or did the apprentice knight from this frontier prepare in advance to make a good impression in front of everyone?

Sonia looked up at Griffith's face and at the ribbon of the Iron Falcon on his chest.She had thought that after entering Homon Watts, the family would no longer be able to take care of her.But the conversation just now made the blond girl suddenly realize that her father may have deliberately placed such a powerful character by her side.

She tried to control herself not to puff out her cheeks, "When my friends and I were freeing ourselves in Homon Watts, would this wise soldier follow Dad's instructions to monitor and report for credit? Divination shows that our affinities should be It's okay~ Otherwise, he wouldn't be selected, ah! What is he doing!?"

This fried veal is delicious!

Griffith didn't notice the girl's gaze at all, and concentrated on eating the food in front of him.Before he could finish eating, the waiters had already delivered the next meal, removing the food that had only moved two bites in front of the other guests.

Griffith hurriedly forked the remaining slices of meat and shoved it into his mouth, happily watching the waiter bring him a plate of salmon.Across the long table, Sonia stared wide-eyed at his clean plate.

The dinner at Earl's Court took a full hour and a half.The guests at the dinner seemed to have endless things to say, from the visit of the diplomatic corps to the newly discovered plants in the southern province, and the Earl would comment on each topic before the end.

I can't eat anymore...

At first, Griffith counted how many dishes he had served and commented on which one was the best. He ate every dish thoroughly, and it didn't take long for him to be overwhelmed.The apprentice knight, whose stomach was full of food, tilted his body to see if he could move some more space in his stomach.He had nothing to talk about with his noble guests, and it was just too bad.

Miss Sonia, who was sitting in front of Griffith, raised the crystal clear glass with a smile and took a sip of the fragrant fruit wine.

"Everyone, I'm sorry," Count Larmor nodded to the guests who were still eating dessert, turned and left the restaurant.After sitting for more than an hour, the guests chatted for a while, and then said goodbye to the countess.

Griffith, who had been pushed to his throat by the food, stood up stiffly, trying his best not to support the edge of the table and the wall. With Sonia's smiling eyes, he walked out slowly at the back of the crowd.

(End of this chapter)