Carriages loaded with wine and food passed through the dark and broken streets in the wind and snow.
The guards with weapons stared at the poor people and scavengers along the way with vigilance. The vibration of the wheels running over the frozen corpses made them nervous. Fortunately, flesh and blood bodies could not withstand the blade of weapons. These hungry and frozen poor people had no intention of attacking the carriage.
Turning around the street, the bright and vast manor in the distance allowed the guards to relax. Driving through the streets guarded by guards, passing through the gardens where servants roamed, and driving into the kitchen to unload the goods - red wine from the Ferran Highlands, fresh fruits and vegetables shipped from the south, they collided with each other.
On the silver platter, the servants carried it past the queue outside the auditorium and into the brightly lit, never-ending banquet.
Annan looked at the fruits brought to the banquet with envy - he had never tasted them in Xingyue Bay, so they were very expensive.
Withdrawing his gaze, Annan leaned closer to the broad back in front of him to avoid the cold wind. While stomping his feet to relieve his frozen body, he turned around and glanced at the queue that was dozens of yards long - many people wanted to try their luck like him, and there were many rich people.
people and nobles.
For example, there is a young man behind Annan who is wearing a blanket but still shivering in the cold night.
"My name is Albert Howey." He said to Annan who turned around.
"Master Olmei has no surname."
The young man who found out that Annan was not a noble didn't bother to talk to him anymore.
The team moved forward slowly. When there were eight or nine contestants in front, the head guard walked out of the auditorium and stood on the steps and announced: "Mrs. Winter is in a bad mood today. If you want to make up the number, leave immediately!"
There was a commotion among the players who had stood in the ice and snow for dozens of minutes.
"Quiet!" The captain of the guard pulled out his long sword, "If your jokes make Mrs. Winter angry, there will be consequences at your own risk!"
The bustling team returned to silence. Only a few people left, so we couldn't endure the cold for dozens of minutes in vain. Annan also believed in his joke - if he couldn't see Mrs. Winter's gums, he would lose.
In the next few minutes, several contestants failed. Annan was still confident at this time, until he reached the first place, and the joke of the previous person who entered was vaguely heard in the auditorium:
An old rich man called his three sons to an empty room and asked them to fill the room. The eldest son bought a pile of firewood, the second son lit a candle, and the third son praised "the common people of Ruikaner Kingdom live and work in peace and contentment", swearing and swearing
Suddenly the whole room was filled.
Joan told the same joke, which was much funnier than the bard's "feeling the goblin's hand in the pocket". Annan prepared a joke similar to this -
"Get him!"
Then he heard the call of the captain of the guard.
It’s not funny and you’re going to be arrested?! Mrs. Winter, who looks like a tyrant, comes to Annan’s mind.
Not long after, the guard appeared on the steps:
"Master Olme! Where is Master Olme... Albert Howe!"
"I'm here."
The young nobleman puffed up his chest, took off his blanket, and walked up the steps tremblingly in his thin dress.
…
The brightly lit manor in the distance disappeared into the depths of the wind and snow. Annan felt a little relieved. He had just come out of the dungeon and did not want to be locked up again.
Annan, who was still thinking about how to sneak into the auditorium, didn't notice the shadows on the street. They suddenly burst out when Annan was passing by the alley and dragged him into the alley.
Begging for mercy and crying briefly rang out, then silence returned. After a while, Annan emerged from the alley carrying a few wallets and braved the cold wind back to the hotel.
Annan didn't see the knight girl and the others, but two strange guys were dining in the hall.
After greeting Uncle Mulma, Annan returned to the room and poured out the coins he had snatched from the gangsters. The dirty coins were piled in piles, but there were only three silver coins and dozens of copper coins.
Knock knock knock——
There was a knock on the door. Annan opened the drawer, slid his wallet and coins in, stood up and opened the door.
The brown-haired knight girl appeared outside the corridor. She leaned forward and sniffed, then glanced across the room in confusion: "Let me ask you when will you return to Breeze City?"
"You guys go ahead, I'm going to stay in Betar City for a while."
Astolfo's eyes flashed with disdain: "Are the pubs in the city so attractive to you?"
"I haven't been...to the pub!"
"Are you so attracted to the women in the city?"
Annan couldn't refute, because he really wanted to attract a woman's attention.
The knight girl "hummed" twice as if she had discovered Annan's secret, but they were just companions, not even friends, so she could only say: "We will stay in the city for a few more days. If you need help, please tell us."
"good."
After closing the door and hanging the latch, Annan went back to bed and fell asleep staring at the old cobwebs under the eaves.
…
The frost on the window blurred the snowy scene. Annan woke up very early, put on a felt hat to cover his faded hair, and walked downstairs on the creaking stairs. He didn't see Joan and the others. He took out a silver coin and paid in advance.
In the next few days to pay for rent, Annan came to the streets and wandered aimlessly. Unknowingly, he came to a dilapidated church - Joan's orphanage.
Annan, who still had two silver coins and dozens of copper coins left, left two silver coins by the way. When he was about to leave, the lady stopped him.
"You seem to be in trouble..." The lady held her hands on her chest, "The god of justice and courage will bless you."
"Didn't you say you weren't a nun?"
"The spirit is dead, and his nuns and priests have returned to dust, no longer extraordinary..."
Annan planned to try again tonight, and if he was caught in the dungeon, he would ask for help from the bard - anyway, Betar City was poorly managed, and he could get out after paying a ransom.
However, the mineral powder was about to fade, so Annan bought some more orange mineral powder. After returning to the hotel, he washed it and applied it on his black hair. He put on his dress, cotton coat and felt hat, and went to Mrs. Winter's room again.
manor.
"name."
"Olme is just right."
"What?" The guard who never raised his head even raised his head.
"Olme is just right." Annan read out this simple and easy-to-understand name. "As a bard, it is normal to have a strange name."
The guard wrote down the name, and Annan stepped into the snow-free manor again. Looking at the team, no familiar faces were found. After dozens of minutes, there were only two people left in front of Annan. After one of them entered, Annan vaguely heard the sound coming from the auditorium.
sound:
"Would you choose a joke or a riddle?"
"Joke...Mrs. Winter...what do you pronounce these two words?"
"Ha ha?"
"Yes, you laughed."
"...Put him in a dungeon, laugh a hundred thousand times, and then let him out."
This player was quickly dragged out like a dead dog. Then it was the turn of the player in front, and the wind brought a faint voice:
"Would you choose a joke or a riddle?"
"I choose to guess..."
"What's this?"
"Pelogo!"
"Wrong. Let him eat a hundred Pelo fruits before going out."
Gudu——
Annan swallowed, he was a little hungry.
"Olme is just right!"
Finally, it's Annan's turn - oh, it's Olme who has just appeared.
