The Grand Ballroom of the Count's Castle was brightly lit. This is a banquet where Xiao Chen is the east and the earl provides the venue.

Banquets are traditionally in the form of long tables. Three tables occupied the east, west, and north sides of the banquet hall, and to the north of the front of the entrance was the main table of Xiao Chen and the earl. A long table and six chairs facing the hall were placed on a low platform more than a foot high to show that they were the seats of the host and guests.

Count Arias and Xiao Chen sat in the center, with Selinda, Li Jia and two big businessmen on the side. Their tables were covered with light gray linen tablecloths embroidered with simple patterns, and the dishes and knives and forks were silver. Wine glasses and flasks are glassware from the earth. Such tableware was not considered a luxury among the aristocracy. On the other hand, the rainbow fruit wine in the glass flask, under the combined light of magic runes and candles, changes color from red to yellow, and it is the best at first glance.

A steamed swan is placed on a central plate, decorated with washed white feathers, eyes replaced by small red fruits, and waves made of lettuce leaves underneath. On the side is grilled herring, grilled squid and oyster soup, which are often magically frozen to eat in such a place that is not close to the sea. Most of the other dozen or so dishes are meat, including wild boar, veal, venison and lamb, some made into steaks, some made into pies, some smoked, and some roasted with cheese for a juicy taste. There are also some vegetables and beans, which are made into a paste or cake, and some are ground into a puree and mixed with flour to make a cute little animal pastry. These dishes are much more delicate than the tableware, and at first glance they are the handiwork of famous artists.

Below the tables on the east and west sides sat the Earl's knights, Xiao Chen's guards, and merchants from all over the world. Ye Zi, Shi Hao, Roger and Xi Luo and others also sat in it. The table of these people is about ten meters long, and two rows of benches are placed on either side of the table, and people sit opposite each other. There were no tablecloths on the table, and the food was much simpler. The swans were replaced with pheasants, the meat was simply cut into chunks, the aroma was tempting but less delicate, and the pastries were made into simple round cakes despite the same taste. Drinks are wine and malt wine in clay pots.

A five-member band plays cheerful music on one side of the main table, led by an elven flute, a slender flute that has long been popular in the kingdom, and plays a small seven-string harp, a Ramos violin, and a Northern Desert bagpipe. It was a half-elf bard who played a tambourine and hummed an inaudible tune in a low voice, setting the mood very warm.

"This seat is really distinguished from dignity and inferiority, or Xiao Chen and they mix well, and they are all seated wherever they go. Shi Hao laboriously cut off a piece of salted meat with an iron table knife and stuffed it into his mouth, while on the other side, a meat-cutting waiter helped Xiao Chen cut the meat into small pieces and sent it to him.

"It's the feudal era now, these lords are harsh on the people below, I've seen what the surrounding farmers eat every day, it's really 'Zhumen wine and meat stink, and there are frozen bones on the road'. I don't know if they will feel guilty about eating and drinking like this now. Ye Zi responded, also in Chinese.

"I don't think you can't eat it. Shi Hao couldn't help laughing when he saw Ye Zi slamming the poor for not being able to eat, and generally stuffed meat into his mouth.

"I don't eat for nothing, don't I eat, can these things still be sent into the mouths of those peasants? Ye Zi wiped his mouth and poured a sip of wine.

"Ahem. Roger coughed twice and said in Chinese as well: "Miss Ye, although you speak in magic language, most people can't understand it, but well-educated mages, scholars and nobles can still understand it." ”

Ye Zi looked left and right, and saw that no one paid attention to what he said, including some knights and merchants who were relatively well-dressed here. She shrugged and said, "It seems that the people here are not educated like you. ”

"Miss Ye, most of the people here are businessmen and martial artists. There is no opportunity to learn magic words. Some people can understand words, but sentences, not. I admire you for learning our word for being so fast. "As a member of the business team, Siro has spent a lot of effort on learning Chinese, and he has been able to communicate for several months.

Ye Zi laughed: "Spanish, well, it's your local dialect, it's okay to learn, after all, we have night classes, textbooks, and teachers." Moreover, the more people we run outside have more contact with the locals, so naturally there will be more. People who have been in school are somewhat worse. ”

"Well, you're all literate, that's amazing. There are already few literate people in the kingdom, and it is even more difficult to learn magic language and magic script. Ciro said that he was a little proud here, not to mention that he was already middle-aged, and he was definitely the fastest in the town of Floro to learn the magic script, even a little faster than his son Garcia.

"The cultural heritage of the Iberian Kingdom is still much worse than that of the Empire, our Purple Eagle Empire has a unified territory and a large population, and the knowledge of many ancestors has been passed down in the library and magic tower. If you're in the capital of the empire, you'll find a lot of people who can speak magic words. "When it comes to their homeland, the knights of the empire always have a sense of pride.

"However, there are many officials in the empire. Merchants knew that the money to fill one imperial tax collector could be used against three royal tax collectors. Ciro said that as a member of the kingdom who had been fighting with his northern neighbor for many years, it was difficult to have much affection for the empire.

"The emperor once spent a lot of effort to rectify the tax system, and many good policies have been left to this day. Your Majesty is young, but he is very intelligent, and he will definitely rule the empire further in the future. Roger said.

"Who cares?" said Ciro shrugged, his Chinese not enough for him to discuss too deep topics.

At this time, Roger's lieutenant Jacob spoke, and he spoke in the local dialect: "My lord, do you still want to speak for those bastards?"

"Don't say that. ”

"If they weren't bastards, we wouldn't be sitting here!"

Compared with the noisy, laughing and even drinking at the table under the stage, the atmosphere on the stage is much quieter. Xiao Chen thanked the attendant for the swan meat. The slices of grilled meat, already drizzled with sauce, and served with several spices that he couldn't tell apart, looked very tempting.

"Alberto, who was the royal court cook of the royal capital, was taken in by me for some of his crimes, and he often complained that I had no distinguished guests here who were worthy of his skill. Today he got his wish. The Count picked up a slice of swan meat with his hand, dragged it over the sauce on both sides, and then stuffed it into his mouth, "but he doesn't use any of these skills at court, and our king is notoriously thrifty." ”

"Isn't saving a virtue?" Xiao Chen said.

"But to occupy a genius like Alberto, and then talk about savings, is to destroy the heavens. He leaned closer to Xiao Chen, and then lowered his voice and said: "That old man always likes to do such things, you have a saying there that is very good, I heard Li Jia say, 'Occupy the pit and don't'." Ha ha. ”

"It seems that my meal money is still worth it. Xiao Chen said with a smile.

"It's still a friendship price, for friendship. The earl raised his glass and touched Xiao Chen, and the glass made a crisp jingle, making Xiao Chen feel as if he was back in the shadow of the cup in that world.

The attendant filled Xiao Chen with wine again, and Xiao Chen still said, "Thank you!"

"You are a humble and courteous man, and such a person is rare among magicians. I've never seen someone of your stature care so much about a waiter. ”

This is the respect brought from the original world, or rather, according to Xiao Chen's education, laborers are the most respectable. But here, he could only explain: "I have heard that most of these attendants are the sons of the nobles under your rule, and they have come to you to learn how to be a true nobleman. ”

"Indeed, our meat-cleaver Diego Bedinyani, do you sound familiar?" the Count gestured to the young man standing in front of Xiao Chen's chopping board with a meat cleaver in hand.

"Viscount Ruiz?"

"Well, eldest son. There......" he pointed to the young man who had come in from the side, carrying a tray of roast suckling pigs, "Antonio Betiani, his brother." These little ones do have a good family background, but you don't care about them until they inherit the title, they are just young people who need to learn a little harder. ”

"I remember Miss Selinda already has a knighthood. ”

"Ah, my little Selinda. The Count looked proud, "She was already practicing swords in my barracks while these imps were still playing in the mud, and by the time these fellows were fond of lifting the maid's skirt, she was already studying in the magic tower of the royal capital." Although she is still a very simple child, and sometimes she has some boundless dreams, but after all, she is the seed of the Arias family. ”

was compared by the earl to Selinda, and the face of the meat-cutting attendant immediately turned red.

"Very good indeed. Xiao Chen praised.

"Later, that old fellow from the royal capital gave her the title of knight after she completed her studies, you know, which is not a good intention. A discerning king, a prodigal and decadent earl, a concubine who is not taken seriously, and a female knight who has returned from the title can all write knights. Hey. ”

"You have nothing to be proud of, everything I have is the result of my own efforts. Selinda's cold voice was heard on the side. She did not pass on her skirt today, but a shirt and vest on her upper body, trousers and boots on her lower body, and she wore a neat regular dress. Even his hair is only tied in a simple ponytail, which looks heroic.

"Look, I said she's still very childish. The Count shook his head.

"Selinda......" Li Jia on the other side persuaded her in her ear, so she didn't let her continue to refute.

But soon, Selinda threw down the knife, stood up and said, "I'm a little unwell, I'll go back to the room first." ”

"Does it matter, or will I accompany you up?" asked Li Jia.

Selinda whispered in his ear, "You know, there are always a few days a month when a woman is in a bad mood, and it's even more upset when she meets some shameless old guys. I'm just going back to rest early, what do you have to worry about. A man's attention should be more focused on business. ”

Li Jia's old face flushed, and he sat back in a daze, watching Selinda walk out of the banquet hall through the side door quickly.