island fortress

Odin is staying in his guest room. There are several plates of exquisite dishes on the small dining table. This is breakfast brought by the maid.

"Dear guest, please use it with caution."

"It looks delicious, but there are a few things I don't recognize."

Picking up the knife and fork, he tentatively picked up one of the lighter-looking pieces of meat and put it in his mouth.

"Well?!"

As soon as the meat is taken into your mouth, it explodes with incredible sweetness and tenderness, and a mint-like smell penetrates the heart and spleen, activating the sleeping body.

Seeing Odin's surprised expression, the waiting maid smiled and explained.

"Dear guest, what you just ate is saury, a specialty of Bishui Lake. It is a first-level monster. This fish likes to eat water and mint, so the meat has a mint fragrance. It is rich in nutrients and has a good taste.

Even within the Edes family, they don’t always have the opportunity to taste it.”

After hearing the maid's explanation, Odin didn't have time to respond. He just nodded and pointed his knife and fork at the next dish.

After the meal, the maid waiting at the door gently cleaned up the mess on the table and reminded him softly that the banquet officially started tonight at the fish fountain in the inner area of ​​the castle.

Night fell, and Odin went to the banquet on time. When he was about to arrive, Oranke found an excuse to separate from him and go looking for prey alone.

Today's banquet was held in the open air, and the entire banquet venue was surrounded by a large fountain.

The Fish Fountain is an artificial landscape that uses a magic array to stir up water columns. There are small transparent fish in the water, which can absorb the colorful light emitted by the magic array and spray high into the sky with the water flow, so it is called the Fish Fountain.

According to his past practice, he usually went to the banquet venue and walked around low-key twice to say I was here, then went to the buffet area to get some food and drinks, and found a deserted corner to savor them.

This is worth the trouble.

"Ahem."

Odin cleared his throat and straightened his clothes. Although he was just going through the motions, he still had to show his aristocratic bearing and style.

He smoothly blended into the crowd and finished drinking the glass of champagne in his hand. Just when he was about to go to the buffet area, something unexpected happened.

"Hello~ Sir, may I invite you to dance?"

A soft, boneless hand appeared in Odin's sight, blocking his way.

Odin had to look up his arm and locked his eyes on the owner of the arm, a budding girl who looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old.

The elegant off-white evening dress perfectly outlines the girl's beautiful lines. A black pearl hangs from a silver chain under her white neck, making her skin even whiter.

A pair of bright eyes looked over without evasion, their eyes facing each other, calm and generous.

'What a beautiful noble girl.'

Odin secretly praised in his heart, facing the active invitation at the banquet, he really had no suitable reason to refuse the beautiful noble lady in front of him.

Put on a smile and naturally raise your hand to take the little hand lying in front of you.

"It's an honor, my beautiful lady!"

The two walked hand in hand into the colorful dance floor, and the elegant and soothing piano sound came to mind at the right time, as if it was waiting for them.

There are several kinds of ballroom dancing for nobles. Although he doesn't know how to do it, with his body coordination and reflexes, he can master the rhythm after a few steps. After all, it is very simple.

He gently held the other person's waist with one hand, held each other's other hands, looked at each other, and skillfully swayed on the dance floor to the piano music.

"You are a great dancer. Do you often dance with beautiful ladies?"

"Before answering this question, I would like to know your name first."

Passively answering questions will only lead to disadvantage in the conversation, so he must take the initiative.

At this time, the tempo of the song began to speed up, and their pace became more intense.

"My name is Lucia Lucia Black Pearl."

"What a name! Pearls are delicate and round as fat, and black pearls add a sense of mystery and nobility. They are not bound by worldly rules. Your beauty and bold character are exactly in line with this. You live up to your name."

"Giggle! I believe everything you said!"

Lucia showed a happy smile, and her eyes were like crescent moons.

"I told you my name, but I still don't know what your name is?"

"Odin Bloodhoof, I come from the Stone Territory in the northwest and am a hereditary baron."

"It's great to have a hereditary territory. Can you tell me how far it is from here?"

"It takes a week to ride a carriage. There is a huge stone castle near the Endless Mountains. That is my place."

When she heard that the journey would take a week, Lucia frowned inadvertently, then relaxed.

"Is it close to the Endless Mountains? The scenery there should be very good."

"Yes, very beautiful."

The music slowed down and the two fell into silence.

This ballroom dance interrupted Odin's plan. The girl in front of him was very beautiful, and it was obvious that she mustered up a lot of courage to invite him.

But he doesn't want to fall in love now, or it's a waste of his time. If he rushes to deepen the relationship, the short-term pain may turn into long-term pain.

"Will you invite me to the Stone Castle?"

"Of course, if you want."

After the song was played, the piano stopped. Just when Odin was about to continue with his original plan, Lucia did not let go of her hand, but looked at him steadily and said.

"You said Stone Castle, I will definitely go there."

Only then did Odin see Lucia's eyes clearly. They were a pair of black pupils like black pearls, which were deep and heart-stirring.

After leaving a few words, Lucia turned around and left gracefully, apparently preparing to leave the banquet.

"Oh~ I have a headache. What's the matter? Forget it, the boat will straighten up when it reaches the bridge. Let's go have something to eat first."

The entire Lake Center Island banquet was held for three days. The location of the three banquets was not repeated, and Odin was not absent from any of them.

However, he learned his lesson and stopped wandering in crowded places. He took his food and slowly admired the various beauties of the beautiful aristocratic ladies, and many of them got married on the spot.

It is indeed a blind date conference. In these three days, at least a large number of singles in the aristocratic circles of the Danube Principality have been eliminated.

But no matter what Odin thought, Miss Black Pearl from the first day was never seen again.

On the fourth day of the banquet

Most of the people, the small nobles and the rich and famous, have almost left the island in the middle of the lake.

The real heirs of great nobles and those who claim to be capable are still here, waiting for the next step, the duel in the middle of the lake.

The duel in the middle of the lake implements a draw and elimination system, and all participating noble heirs have their names engraved on nameplates.

All nameplates are put into a special alchemy box, which randomly selects candidates for both sides.

Odin, who had been squinting for three days, finally regained his energy. A fair and just duel is the romance between men, not to mention that it is accompanied by great honors and gains.

A strong body is the pride of a knight, so you cannot wear any armor in a duel, and you can only use ordinary weapons provided by the Edes family.

Of course, you can't make a fatal move in full view of the public. In short, this is a duel that embodies the spirit of chivalry. The strength and methods of each player will be directly displayed in front of everyone.

The contestants participating in the duel are all nobles, which is a condition that must be met. As the foreign aid of the Edes family, Odin naturally has to play.

And the audience has many components.

There are ladies from aristocrats (rich businessmen) who have made a special trip to select their favorite fiancés, important personnel from various aristocratic families, and even the head of the family.

In addition to these, there are also high-level managers from various neutral forces, such as mercenary guilds, large chambers of commerce, mages' alliances, alchemist management associations, etc., who will be invited.

After all, it's all about exposure, and the Edes family knows the meaning behind these people.

After identifying everyone, under the arrangement of the Edes family, everyone took three large boats, each carrying people of different identities, leaving the island in the middle of the lake and sailing to another small island.

The appearance of this island is very special. The area exposed from the lake is not large, only about 200 square meters.

The special thing is that this island has no shoals. It is like a super thick stone pillar inserted at the bottom of the lake, revealing a flat top half a meter above the water. This bare flat top is the duel venue.

The three large boats slowly approached the stone pillars from different directions. The audience did not get off the boat. The hull of the boat served as the auditorium. I have to say that this method was very interesting.

On one of the ships filled with various neutral force organizations, as the duel in the middle of the lake began, these senior officials also began to express their opinions.

"I don't know which family's descendant will win the championship this year. I remember last time it seemed to be the eldest son of Earl of Blades."

"Yes, that guy is pretty good. He made a name for himself in the Blades in one fell swoop. He inherited the title naturally and started a cigar business. But this year, I heard about several potential seeds."

"Look, the red-haired young man on the field now is one of the top five in the previous competition. His fire-based fighting skills are surging, with countless flames bursting. He doesn't give the enemy a chance to evade with one move."

"That's right, the explosive properties of flames are used very skillfully. Who is that person?"

"Haha, that man is the eldest son of Earl Bloodhoof, leader of the Rock. His opponent is a young viscount. It looks like he won't last long."

"."

Odin silently watched the battle on another ship full of nobles. He was still aware of the combat power level of his eldest brother Olank. As long as he didn't run into the perverted seeds of those big families, he would definitely be in the top five.

In just a few words, the battle on the field will be decided.

As Oranke roared loudly, a large area of ​​blazing flames almost completely covered the entire stone platform, and every fireworks was real.
To be continued...