[Monta Republic, Steelcastle City]

[There are two days left until the blacksmith guild election ceremony]

In the afternoon, two carriages painted with the white eagle coat of arms drove into the Lakeside Hotel one after another and stopped outside the small independent building rented by Baron Granach.

A well-dressed old man stepped out of the carriage and walked into the small building without looking back.

The head waiter recognized the old man from afar as the partner of the Navarre firm [Carlo Eide], and came to greet him diligently. However, the foreman still failed to see Mr. Eide, and the baron's guards sent him away.

Mr. Ed made a special trip to pick up Winters and Anna.

Although the White Eagle family's party only started in the evening, the hospitable host was worried that the Baron, who was visiting Steel Castle for the first time, would get lost, so he specially asked Mr. Ed to guide him and also sent a carriage from the Esther family.

"Should I go too?" Anna asked uneasily.

"White Eagle especially wants to invite you, my lady." Mr. Ed explained unsmilingly: "This is a private party, and other guests will also bring their families."

Anna looked at Winters.

Winters felt inexplicably nervous, so he pretended to be calm: "Mr. Esther invited you, it's up to you to decide whether to go or not."

Anna leaned forward and looked closely at Winters' expression as if teasingly.

Winters felt uncomfortable and turned his head to look out the window pretending to be nonchalant.

Satisfied, Anna resumed her dignified sitting posture, with a naughty smile on her face: "Okay, then I'll go too."

As soon as she finished speaking, Anna looked embarrassed again: "But I didn't bring any suitable clothes."

"White Eagle has thought of this." Mr. Ed tapped the floor tile with his cane: "He asked me to bring you a dress."

"But how did he know about me..." Anna asked sheepishly: "My..."

"Clothing code?" Winters interjected.

"He doesn't know." Mr. Ed explained lightly: "So he prepared a total of twenty-four sets, and you can choose as you like."

The door was opened, and two maids in black walked into the living room holding the pulley hangers. Hanging on the hangers were twenty-four sets of women's long skirts of exactly the same style, material, and color, as well as matching bustles.

Even Anna was shocked by Bai Ying's generosity, and Winters's expression became quite subtle.

Although Father Carman on the side still had a straight face, the corners of his mouth and cheeks were twitching slightly.

Winters stood up and said politely to Carlo Ed: "Please thank Mr. Esther for me."

"I am also entrusted by White Eagle." Mr. Ed's eyes showed a hint of helplessness: "After all, you still need his help, so it's better for you to thank him in person."

Mr. Ed also stood up: "I will wait in the side hall without disturbing the lady to choose her clothes. The carriage has been prepared outside the courtyard and is ready to go at any time."

"Leave now?" Winters asked puzzledly, "It should be a few hours before it gets dark."

Mr. Ed explained: "Right now, we can only take the land route. To go to Esther's Mansion, we have to bypass most of the city, so we need to start as early as possible."

After saying that, Carlo Ed bowed slightly to salute Winters and Anna, then turned and walked out of the living room.

Kaman also planned to leave, he coughed lightly: "Then I will avoid it too."

"Priest Kaman." Wen Tesla came to Kaman and said seriously: "Please be sure to attend with me."

"Should I go too?" Kaman was puzzled: "Montaland was the stronghold of anti-religion twenty years ago, and it is even more so now. I'm afraid it wouldn't be good for me to show up in public in a place like this."

"I'm not even worried, so what are you worried about?"

Kaman came back to his senses and laughed angrily: "Why are you so revengeful?"

"What revenge?" Winters looked innocent: "Tell yourself, who else can be my translator besides you?"

Kaman left angrily.

Anna signaled the maid of Esther's family to go out and avoid it, so for the time being, only the "Baron and his wife" were left in the living room.

Winters jokingly asked: "Am I going to recuse myself too?"

Without anyone else present, Anna could no longer maintain her dignified and calm image.

She looked around Winters, suddenly put her arms around Winters' neck, and said in a long voice like a coquettish girl: "So you are jealous too! Mr. M."

Such an intimate and bold action is something that the sea-blue Ms. Navarre would never be able to do. To a certain extent, the journey to the wilderness has greatly expanded Anna’s painting themes, and at the same time, it has also allowed Anna to imbibe a bit of the wild beauty of the wilderness.

.

Winters couldn't resist for a moment, and his cheeks and ears suddenly turned red and hot. He wanted to say a few witty words to resolve the embarrassment, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

He gritted his teeth, said nothing at all, hugged Anna and kissed her. Anna was shocked, and she suddenly became at a loss.

"It's not so much jealousy...it should be more of an apology..." Winters hugged Anna and said guiltily: "I...owe you so much..."

"Don't say that." Anna patted Winters on the back as if coaxing a child: "These days are the freest and happiest times I have lived. If it weren't for you, I might never have left Victoria in my life.

Netta, let alone have so many precious memories. So please don’t apologize in a heavy tone again.”

"good."

"But you have to remember." Anna pressed against Winters' ear and exhaled like a blue breath: "You will be jealous, and I will be jealous too. I will always keep the sword you gave me with me..."

"……good."

…

…

Steelcastle was originally just a small village at the mouth of the Rose River. Most of the land that now belongs to Steelcastle City used to be the property of [Elwin Abbey].

The discovery of iron ore made the once small villages gradually prosper. External populations continued to move in, local residents multiplied from generation to generation, villages developed into small towns, and small towns developed into cities.

There are no large plains in Monta Territory, only small pieces of cultivated land divided by mountains. As the population increases, the steel fortress becomes more and more crowded.

The land on both sides of the river mouth became insufficient for use, so settlements naturally expanded outward, eventually occupying the flat land along the shores of Rose Lake.

What is called "Steel Castle City" today is actually a ring-shaped human settlement surrounding Rose Lake.

Among them, various handicraft workshops require the use of water power, so they are still concentrated along the Rose River, the original land of Steel Castle.

Therefore, the urban area along the Rose River is often called the "Blacksmith District" or "Old Town".

The old city is not only the handicraft center of Gangbao, but also the administrative and religious center of Gangbao.

Most citizens and poor people without civil rights live in the maze-like streets and alleys of the old city.

From a distance, the three tall stone buildings [Municipal Palace], [Diocesan Guild] and [Elin Cathedral] are surrounded by rows of low wooden houses, standing out like a flock of chickens, which is extremely eye-catching.

The hydraulic workshop is noisy, and maintaining the forge will also produce a lot of smoke. The steel castle is surrounded by mountains, and the smoke is difficult to dissipate. In the worst cases, the entire Rose Lake will be shrouded in thick smoke.

Therefore, wealthy upper-class citizens of Steel Castle built residences on the north shore of Rose Lake.

Although the space on the North Shore is small and land is precious, the scenery is beautiful and it is upwind.

Not only can you avoid annoying noise, but you don't have to be bothered by the thick fog spewing from the factory chimney.

As for those who want to improve their living conditions but don't have enough money to buy land and build houses on the North Bank, most of them will move to the new urban areas on the South Bank.

The hotel where Winters stayed is located on the south shore of Rose Lake.

But whether they are South Bank residents or North Bank residents, their industries and workplaces are still in the old city.

Therefore, the most commonly used means of transportation in Steel Castle is actually a boat. After the Rose Lake freezes in winter, you can still walk directly on the lake.

However, it is now approaching the end of winter, and the ice is too thin, making it too dangerous to walk on the lake.

Therefore, if Winters wanted to go to Esther's mansion, he could only take the land route, which would take him most of the way around the lake.

That's why Carlo Eide says "start early."

…

…

[Steel Castle, Old Town]

The carriage painted with the white eagle coat of arms rumbled through the streets, and the men who gathered around the fire to keep warm got out of the way. When the carriage drove away, they numbly walked back to the fire.

"I originally thought that the famous Steel Castle would be a city full of wealth." Winters lowered the carriage curtain and said to Mr. Ed: "However, what I saw was a lower and filthy slum than Gevaudin.

And poor people who live harder than the poor in Gevaudan.”

Mr. Ed replied: "What you said is not contradictory. Steel Castle is indeed a city full of wealth, and the people at the bottom of this city do live worse than serfs. There is not much arable land in the Monta Republic, so even if you want to be a serf, you have to be a serf."

No. That’s why there are so many Monta workers at Hailan Pier, and that’s why the emperor recruited troops in Monta.”

Winters sighed.

"What are they doing?" Anna couldn't bear to look at the ragged people on both sides of the road: "Why are they standing on the roadside?"

"What are you doing?" Mr. Ed glanced out the window and replied lightly: "Waiting for work."

Winters was puzzled: "Waiting for work?"

"If someone hires them, they can do manual labor in the workshop to earn bread; if no one hires them, they can only wait on the roadside." Mr. Ed narrowed his eyes slightly and asked Winters: "Sir,

Did you hear that?"

"What did you hear?"

"The sound of a forging hammer."
To be continued...