Chapter 58: Holidays in Itarica City (Part II) (I wish you all a happy Lantern Festival)

Although the Empire was in the midst of a bloody civil war, and now it was a withering winter, the luncheon at the Count of Vermar's mansion was still extravagant, with the subhuman maids bringing barrels of wine and ale from the cellar, dishes such as ham, lamb, veal, venison, steers, ducklings, chicken, rabbits, river fish, shortbread, oranges, cheese, and eggs, as well as roasted boar's head with apple in its mouth and roasted swan with feathers in its mouth. It's hard to imagine that just over two months ago, the city was on the verge of a terrible famine.

In addition to the food and drink, the maids of the Count Vermar also hired folk entertainers from nowhere to entertain them by playing wind instruments, tambourine and harp, as well as somersaults, imitating bird calls, juggling tricks, and throwing plates. The originally empty banquet hall was decorated with tapestries and bunting to create a celebratory and lively atmosphere......

However, the extravagant banquet of this magnitude is quite lengthy and tedious to organize and prepare, and it takes several hours just to cook and roast a calf. In order to prevent the distinguished guests from the other world from sitting at the empty table and waiting hungry and waiting too boring, Captain Pennijo of the White Rose had oranges and shortbreads and spiced wine served in advance, and wanted to light the candlesticks on the table with her own hands - because the walls were too thick and the windows were too small, the light in the hall was still dim even though it was still daytime.

But for some reason, maybe because she was used to letting others serve, she took the flint and steel and the fire sickle and beat it for a long time, but she couldn't light the fire, and finally Levi felt tired when she looked at it, so she had to take out her silver-shelled gilt lighter: "...... I'll do it anyway! ”

Then, with a soft click, a faint blue flame lit up in the dark hall, lighting the three silver candlesticks on the long table in turn, which also made Penny's eyes shine, "...... This...... What is it? Do you have any magic items? It's amazing. ”

“…… Boosters? Where, it's just ordinary gadgets! Well, since you like it, I'll give this one to you! ”

Levi, who was not short of money, pursed his lips and casually threw the lighter into Penny Bead's arms. Then, looking at this heroic female knight, playing with a lighter like a child, he couldn't help but want to laugh at first, but recalling the past experience, he couldn't help but sigh faintly - when he was still trapped as a knight in medieval France, if he could get a lighter, he would probably be ecstatic, right? I remember that at that time, I was the same as the female knight in front of me, I could only use flint and steel to beat slowly, or find ways to borrow fire everywhere.

Just like the same silver, which can be manufactured in modern industrial countries to produce the most advanced integrated circuits, but here it can only be made into plates and candlesticks, many small objects that seem commonplace to modern people are actually invented and improved by countless scholars and craftsmen in the past before they were finally created, and I don't know how much wisdom and sweat of our ancestors were consumed during this period. In Li Wei's view, it is obviously very wrong for some modern Xiaoxinxin to enjoy the various achievements of their ancestors, but when they look back, they despise their hard work, wantonly ridicule the ancients for being so backward and ignorant, and have no respect for their ancestors.

However, after experiencing so many adventures, Levi couldn't help but secretly hope in his heart that one day in the future, their generation would also seem so ignorant in the eyes of future generations. Because human science and technology should have been extremely advanced at that time, and it was even possible to travel to the stars at the speed of light and develop massive resources on other planets, no one would be short of food and clothing due to material scarcity, and no one would die of incurable terminal diseases...... At that time, human beings may also wonder why the "ancients" of the 21st century would not hesitate to kill each other for a pitiful amount of wealth; Wonder why tragedies such as the extermination of the Jews and the genocide in Rwanda occurred, and why humanity retreated back into the cradle of the earth within half a century of exploring the moon, unwilling to explore the wider universe like frogs at the bottom of a well......

In the eyes of modern people, how stupid and stupid the ancients were, then people in the future will probably look at modern people with the same eyes - after all, from the Stone Age to the Internet Age, human civilization has always been constantly developing and progressing, and it is progressing faster and faster, isn't it?

If there really is a day when human civilization on the earth really exists, then as an "ignorant ancient", he may also be able to smile at Jiuquan.

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Compared with some arrogant and arrogant aristocratic ladies with above the top, the delicate Miss Penny-Joe should be a more suitable conversation partner, especially when Miss Penny-Joe puts down her body and flatters and flatters, it is even more pleasant - for men, even if they don't have that kind of idea, it is a very decent thing to be so popular with beautiful women.

Then, seeing that the atmosphere had become harmonious, Miss Pennyjoo tried to ask a question that had been buried in her mind for a long time.

“…… That one...... Mr. Levi, I have a question, I wonder if I can ask you? ”

“…… Well? What's the problem? Levi put down his glass and raised an eyebrow.

“…… Belch...... With all due respect. As far as I can see, the vast majority of the officers and soldiers in your country seem to be wearing strange green clothes. Even those who don't wear green clothes have a very different style of dressing than in our country. Only Your Excellency's dress is similar to ours. If you walk into the city alone in this armor, we may think that you are a centurion of some legion, or some mercenary of great magnificence! ”

Miss Penny asked curiously, first pointing at the Chinese GIs in camouflage uniforms at the other end of the table, and then flicking the half-length armor on Levi's body, "...... Can you tell me why? Mr. Levi, is it a pure coincidence, or is there some secret? ”

“…… Hehe, this is indeed a very complex issue. But it's not a secret, it's just a hassle to explain...... How so? In the world where I was born, there was no soldier who would dress like this for a long time. However, before I came to your world, I spent several years in another world, well, a similar one to yours, where I became a knight, owned a manor, and served as a military leader in a colony...... This armor is a souvenir that was purchased at that time. ”

Levi rolled his eyes and thought about it, and felt that there seemed to be no need to keep it secret in front of the natives, so he told the truth one by one.

“…… Wow! I can't believe that your past experiences are so rich! No wonder the martial arts are so skillful......"

Miss Pennyjo looked adoring, "...... So, what kind of place is the other world where you became a knight? ”

“…… That world...... Hey, it's not a good place, it's much worse than your living environment. If you experience it for yourself, you'll feel the suffocation of all the contrasts – it's a place that no one wants to ......."

Levi sighed and shook his head, looking up at the smoke-blackened ballroom of the Earl's Court—on the outskirts of the port of Marseille in medieval France, he once owned a decent manor house with a living room made of boulders like this, which at first glance felt familiar.

But on the whole, in terms of living conditions, the port of Marseille in medieval Europe was much worse than the cities on the continent of Farmatt.

Although a long time has passed, as soon as he closes his eyes, Levi can still vividly recall his life in medieval France - the stone mansion looks quite grand from the outside, but in fact it is small and dark and damp all year round, and even in the sunniest weather, there are always mushrooms growing in the corners of some rooms. The walls of castles and cottages are always covered with moss and dirt, and the streets of the city are always filled with sewage. Even in the cities, most people live under the same roof as livestock. The excrement dumped by the citizens at will will make the mud on the streets of Marseille and Paris never be dried, and the people who walk on the streets will become real "mud legs". Everywhere in and out of the city, groups of bare-bottomed, emaciated children waded barefoot in muddy water, playing with geese, pigs and sheep.

Most of the craftsmen of the guilds in the city worked in shacks that leaked on all sides, and the shops of ordinary merchants were nothing more than a few extra sheets of linen, but they were still unguarded against thieves. The dilapidated tavern is always bustling with drunken drunkards and violent people, and a few corpses are brought out from time to time. Most of the defenders of the city were ragged peasants with dung forks, and worse, everything from the slums to the mansions of the rich merchants was just as filthy, forever surrounded by dung and all kinds of rancid waste; Swarms of buzzing mosquitoes, flies and squeaky rats "attack" the inhabitants every night, and when the rainy season comes, the air is consistently filled with the strange smell of human and animal waste mixed with rotting food.

In comparison, the city of Itarica is already too clean at the moment. With the exception of the slums, the rest of the streets are either paved with stone slabs or cobblestones, and there are people who are responsible for cleaning the streets and removing garbage every day. The city's streetscape is very different from medieval Europe, and more like the Italian city-states of the Renaissance or Paris in the 19th century, making Levi feel like a "medieval theme park in a fantasy game."

“…… The otherworldly realm where I was knighted is no match for the countries of your Farmatt continent. The city is as dirty as a garbage heap and stinks like dung soup...... Well, it doesn't seem appropriate to talk about this when you're about to eat. In short, wars, plagues, and famines continued. ”

Levi, a former member of the Knights Hospitaller, sighed and briefly described his life in medieval Europe, "...... The people were generally poor enough to choke on them, and the vast majority of peasants and townspeople could not afford to light candles at night, so they had to replace them with pine branches and small pieces of rope dipped in pine resin. Even if it is a noble lady, a beautiful dress will be worn for more than ten years, and there are even mothers who pass it on to their daughters. As for the poor, they are even more in tatters, and some people can only wear a sack to keep out the cold...... But whether rich or poor, the human beings of that country have one thing in common: they do not bathe all year round, and they are proud of not bathing for the rest of their lives. ”

“…… Vomit...... How can there be such a guy who is proud of being dirty and smelly? Are they humans or goblins? ”

Miss Pennyjoo was dumbfounded, "...... Even the barbarian tribes on our side are usually not so disgusting......"

“…… Because the gods of that world have a convulsion of their brains, and regard not bathing and being filthy as a sign of piety. No matter how disgusting a mortal is, he can't help it. ”

Levi shrugged helplessly, "...... What's even more terrifying is that the priests of that world are also part-time judges, and they have a large number of secret agents under their command, who can catch those who secretly take a bath at any time and throw them on the fire to burn to ashes. Those who did not bathe were so dirty that they contracted the plague and died......"

“…… This...... I don't even know what to say! Isn't that world ruled by a plague god? Penny continued to be dumbfounded.

“…… Well, maybe it's possible! Anyway, there was a super plague (the Black Death) that killed at least four-fifths of the population of the entire continent (various additions from the traverser and Murphy's Law), and hundreds of cities were reduced to uninhabited ruins, and crowns were left on the ground and no one picked them up. So, when the opportunity to escape came, I did not hesitate to leave the manor and estate there and return to my world with the gold coins. ”

Levi shrugged again, "...... If it were you, Miss, you would probably make the same choice as me, right? ”

“…… I think so, I was forced to not take a bath for the rest of my life, and the people around me were also a bunch of humanoid garbage heaps that never took a bath...... What torture this is! On our side, even slaves are not treated so badly...... If it were me, I might have killed myself! ”

Miss Pennyjoo shook her head and sighed, "...... Well, let's not talk about these unappetizing things! Mr. Levi, let's have lunch first! ”

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While they were chatting casually, the maids were already serving hot dishes such as roast lamb, grilled fish, onion and minced meat soup, fried cheese balls, and a few shelf-stable fruits that could be found in winter, such as apples and oranges, were also put on the table in baskets. Although these pure natural green and pollution-free original ecological oranges, due to the fact that they have not been grafted and genetically modified to improve the varieties, they are really small and sour compared to the fruits of the modern earth, but when eaten with nourishing and oily meat, they can be appetizing and greasy.

At the same time, the nominal owner of the city, the eleven-year-old countess Miu, sat down at the other end of the long table, accompanied by the head maid, and raised a silver cup filled with grape juice in a wince, announcing the beginning of the luncheon to the guests.

However, just as everyone was about to eat and drink, there was a sudden commotion outside the hall, and then several exclamations could be faintly heard. Then, the oak door of the banquet hall was slammed open from the outside, and Shirley Rose, the leader of the Red Rose detachment, who had been sent by Princess Pinna to deliver a letter to the Senate and the Emperor. Pluto. Dilhagang, emaciated and dusty, barged in and brought explosive bad news.

“…… What the? The Emperor died in battle outside the city of Lendl? The Imperial Senate has also fallen?! His Royal Highness Sochal became the new Emperor?!! ”

——At this moment, Levi, who dropped the roast leg of lamb in his hand, realized that his vacation in Itarica City was probably coming to an end.

The false friendship and peace dissipated as quickly as dew in the sun; And the wheels of war and destruction are about to rumble and turn......