Section 9 Preparation

There are four cities in North County, and Brasian is one of them. A remote local city is naturally a small city. In fact, this is also true. According to the stricter demographic standards, that is, without taking into account the residents of the suburbs, there are only about 10,000 residents in the city of Brasian. Based on the calculation of three people and one family, there are only two or three thousand families in the entire city.

Luckily, the city happens to be located on a trade route. People often describe trade routes as "blood vessels", because as long as a place or a town is close to a trade route, even if the ruler of the city does nothing, the city will become more and more prosperous. Money and supplies will slowly accumulate. Although the "blood vessels" where Bracian is located are not called "major arteries", the constant flow of caravans brings money, various goods, and news from all over the world, making the city unique.

Among other things, there are four garment shops in the city, and even more if you count the scattered tailors.

It was morning, and a garment shop in the city welcomed a few customers. A young man, accompanied by two female companions, came to the store to buy a dress.

The owner was very welcoming—like many garment shops, while most of the sewing and selling clothes in the store was women's clothing, it was the men's clothes that really made a lot of money. This is because men usually don't like to bargain and don't waste time changing clothes repeatedly. Especially when accompanied by a female companion, a man is very reluctant to show that he is calculating in terms of money.

"How's this dress?" the shopkeeper graciously brought the most expensive dress in the store. It was a real gown with four parts: a blouse in garnet-red velvet with glittering gold buttons, an embroidered satin vest, a pale blue scarf that matched the outfit, and sky-blue velvet trousers. In addition, the owner is willing to give a pair of buckskin boots and a hat with a five-colored ribbon as a gift.

"It's really perfect for you. When the guests changed into full dresses and walked out of the dressing room, the owner let out an exclamation. "It's simply ...... Custom-made for you!"

Admittedly, although a large part of the shopkeeper's amazement is due to the nature of the merchant who wants to make the sale, it is not entirely groundless. First of all, this man is in good shape, and at a glance, you can see that Lu Dao belongs to the type that exercises regularly. With a good figure, you won't look too ugly in any clothes. Secondly, he is also good-looking. The man had a scar on his face that slanted across the bridge of his nose, and normally, such a conspicuous scar would make a person's face look a little hideous, but this man was an exception. Even with this scar, he still looked mild-mannered, at least not vicious. When he walked out with his hat on, he even bent down in a dashing manner and saluted the two female companions.

As the saying goes, a man needs to be clothed, and this is indeed true. There was no obvious feeling when Ashrufat was dressed in civilian clothes, but when he came out dressed like this, it gave people the illusion that he was really a nobleman. His demeanor, mannerisms, and the natural grace between his eyebrows made him look like a man who was above everyone, the kind of aristocrat who was accustomed to giving orders and making others bow their heads and obey.

If it weren't for the fact that the two sisters knew that Ashrufat was indeed a mercenary, they would even think they were mistaken. They were worried that Ashrufat would look rustic even if he wore a noble dress, but it turned out that they were too worried.

"It was really wonderful, so perfect. The shopkeeper walked around Ashrufat's body, observing some of the details on his clothes, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "Sir, this is a good luck for you and me. You've got a good dress, and I've given my proud work the best place to be. Trust you two lovely ...... The female companion will think the same way. ”

"How much?" Ashrufat asked casually.

"It's cheap, and for your sake, I'll only need thirty-five big oli. The shopkeeper replied.

Ashrufat noticed that the star on the side directly changed his face. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was a rather expensive price, about the income of the two sisters' estates for a few months a year. However, his subconscious instinct did not react to the price, as if the money had never been so small to him that he did not bother to take it to heart.

I used to ...... Is it rich? Ashrufat asked himself in his heart. Of course, his memory could not answer the question, and his mind went blank. However, he did react very slowly to this amount, suggesting that either he was an insensitive person to money (a noble child might be, but a mercenary could hardly be), or he was too rich to care about these small amounts.

Now Ashrufat had given up trying to recover lost memories through reflection, retrospection, and occasional flashes of inspiration, not that he didn't want to, but that every time he did, he would crash into an invisible wall in his mind. It was as if he had a fence in his head, and every time he tried to peek out of the fence, he was blocked by a sturdy railing. So now he can only choose another way - through some of his own instinctive reactions, to "speculate" what kind of person he should have been. This method may not be very efficient, but it is better to get something occasionally than to reminisce and get nothing.

Wait a minute...... Ashrufat recalled his salute as he came out of the locker room. There was no doubt that he had just subconsciously made a movement, but his body was very familiar. It was clear that he must have carefully studied some kind of etiquette. A blood-licking mercenary usually doesn't have the time to learn this kind of thing, which shows that what they say is that they come from a family of fallen knights...... It should be.

As he pondered, the deal was finalized, and thirty-five gold coins were cut down to twenty in the bargain. It must be noted that even though he was almost cut in half, there was no look of frustration on the face of the respectable shopkeeper. This fully shows that he made a lot of money in this deal.

"Two lovely young ladies, you cousins......" The shopkeeper looked at the faces of both sides and estimated the identities of the three people. Although he was wrong, the two sisters were too lazy to correct it. "Really fits this outfit. But don't you think ladies need matching clothes too?"

The shopkeeper began to focus on the two sisters, and began to convince them to try on clothes. Although he tried to emphasize that this was just a "casual try", everyone knew that it was just a clever business trick. Most women are very resistant to buying beautiful clothes.

"Sorry, we just want to buy such a dress. Xingke used a polite and cold tone to dispel the shopkeeper's dream of making another profit.

"We have the best tailor in town...... "The shopkeeper continued.

"It's a shame that we bought clothes for the prom. Xingke replied. "It's been a few days, which is why we have to buy ready-to-wear instead of finding a tailor to sew it. ”

The shopkeeper was a little surprised. He could see that among the three people, it was actually this petite-looking girl who was in charge. He also had a vague impression of the two sisters, but this man was the first time he had seen them. Well, according to a common logic, he thought that the three people were related, the two sisters were the masters, and the young man was a relative from afar (judging by his age, it should be a cousin or something). But it doesn't look like that now, because even unproductive relatives who have come from afar will not be treated like this - at least they have a little say in the clothes they wear. This time, the two sisters did not consult the young man. In fact, the man didn't say a few words other than casually asking about the price.

Ashrufat had become accustomed to the cold treatment of the two sisters. Or rather, the two sisters' attitudes towards him from the time he woke up were like this. In addition, Ashruphat is currently preoccupied with trying to find his lost memories, and has no time to take care of this.

......

As with most human lands, the nobility and gentry near the city of Brasian formed a stable circle. This kind of social circle is an important way for insiders to circulate information, economic exchanges and even marriages. It is very difficult for a person from other places to enter such a closed circle unless he is really a dignitary or something like him from the royal city. To enter such a circle, it is usually necessary to have a person of great repute in the circle as an introducer, and he himself has to ensure that he will stay here for a long time. In fact, as many people know, although some merchants have been in business all their lives and have accumulated considerable wealth, they are not regarded as members of the local aristocratic circle, but as outsiders. If he encounters certain risks, no one will come forward to support him. Nor would the judges of the circuit court sell him a little face.

The biggest difference between people inside and outside the circle is the invitations to various social events.

In fact, in a small place like Brasian, there are not many social activities. Unlike the big cities, there are only three regular events: horse racing in the spring, dancing in the summer, and hunting in the fall. All three of these large-scale events are festive in nature and have stable government budgets. Other than that, there are sporadic things from local people, most of which are celebrations. This time, for example, Baron Raoul held a large dance party in his castle to congratulate his grandson on his coming of age. Since winter is a season of idle boredom and the noble squires have nothing to do, there is no doubt that the ball will be large.

According to well-informed sources, Baron Raoult's main goal in holding such expensive balls (a ball meant a large decoration preparation, an invitation to a band, a large amount of wine and food, as well as temporary servants, cooks, cutlery, etc.) was to find a suitable fiancée for his grandson.

The baron was a veritable nobleman. He had his own actual fiefdom - albeit a land close to the wasteland, very dangerous, and ready to be attacked by barbarians at any time - so he was a true nobleman. Like the lords who were not good at war, the baron "entrusted" his realm to others in exchange for an annual income of about seven hundred large quiemolis. In addition to this, the baron had a number of other estates and business incomes that made him a nobleman of both fame and wealth near Brasian. In short, being his granddaughter-in-law was a good deal, and more than one family was interested in the marriage.

In short, this rumor has effectively increased the number of people attending the ball, and has made those who are too lazy to go out in the cold also have a strong interest in the dance.

......

Ashrufat sat in the car, feeling the jolt of the wheels.

Actually, the road was in pretty good condition, but he still felt uncomfortable. Based on this, Ashruphat determined that he was by no means a man who often rode in carriages.

The atmosphere in the carriage was very dreary. He sat in the carriage with his two fiancées, and it was in this confined space that he could really feel the attitude of the two women towards him—as if there was an invisible wall between them. The two sisters adopt a "disregard" attitude towards him, Xing Ke is a pair of eyes, nose, nose and heart, and face to face with him but seems to be blind. Hoshimi, on the other hand, focused most of his attention outside the car window.

"Where have we been?" Probably after a long dull feeling of impatience, Startick finally broke the silence in the air.

"I can see the castle of the Knight of Dale. Hoshimi replied immediately. "Pretty little castle......" she stared out the window. Ashrufat also looked at the carriage window, and before the sun was setting, he could clearly see the scenery outside the window—not far from the roadside, there was a castle with a unique shape.

It was a beautiful valley, and deep in the valley lay a lovely little lake, like a sapphire set on a green base. And this chic and elegant castle sits on the shore of the lake, a location that can be described as flawless. It is an extremely beautiful castle with several towers overlooking the entire valley. A road lined with cypress trees branched off from the main entrance to the castle's main entrance.

Ashrufat looked at the castle, and his first reaction was that it was not built well enough to withstand an organized attack. After a while, however, he realized his mistake - like most castles in this world, this "castle" was not a military building, but a habitable castle, which was beautiful, elegant, convenient and comfortable, in order to show the wealth and status of its owner.

I must be used to war...... He told himself in his heart.

"It's beautiful every time I look at it. Hoshimi said in a low voice. There was a palpable envy in her voice.

"I heard that the knights of Dale are selling the castle. Xingke's voice was calmer, but she also stared at the castle outside the window, and didn't move away for a long time. "It's a pity that the asking price is too high, and I can't make a sale for a while. ”