Facing the Viscount who pretended to be enthusiastic, the guests in the hall stood up one after another, raised their glasses, and praised the host for his generosity and nobility.
Although everyone was more or less confused, on the surface they still maintained the etiquette of daily banquets, complimenting each other, congratulating each other, saying that this year's harvest was not bad, and everyone could live a good life.
Looking at the various expressions of everyone in the hall, Viscount Moreau was not surprised. He was not the kind of person who was keen on socializing, so he did not expect these people to have much true feelings. Today, his purpose was just to let the key people
Just show up.
Walking down the stairs, the Viscount greeted each guest and exchanged a few words to get acquainted with each other and build a closer relationship.
"Is this Miss Mecia? Please forgive me for my previous indifference." After passing by each guest, Mo Ruo greeted the officer and then walked towards the conspicuous and peerless girl in the hall. But he was originally facing
Lorraine Hill struck up a conversation with a few young people and left knowingly.
After bending to salute, Viscount Morrow took a closer look at the girl in the black and red dress. He had to say that even according to his harsh standards, this girl could be said to be flawless. Especially her neck as delicate as a swan.
, it’s really fascinating.
Even I, a man of considerable age and experience, was so fascinated, and others in the hall were probably even more fascinated.
Viscount Moreau was a little surprised by this accident, but fortunately it was not enough to break his original plan.
"Can I take the liberty of asking which family Miss Mesia comes from? A girl like you must have a noble bloodline." For the sake of caution, Viscount Moreau wanted to test it.
"Sorry, this is a secret." Lorraine Hill raised the wine glass, covered his face lightly, and softly uttered these words.
This is what Lottie taught her. Girls have many advantages in interactions among nobles. Even if you deliberately don't say anything, others will not embarrass you. Instead, they will think it is some kind of reserve, which makes people more interested. No.
Needless to say, the world is really unfair.
"That's such a pity." Viscount Moreau pretended to sigh, and then he chatted with Lorraine Hill about literature, local customs, etc. Seeing that he couldn't get any special information, he had to give up at this moment, because there was still
There are more important things to do.
As the banquet gradually entered its middle stage, everyone had some simple food and got to know each other. Most people praised the food prepared for the banquet, which was very delicious. It can be seen that Viscount Moreau is a person who understands life.
However, compared to the majority who were happy, Lorraine Hill, who was sitting aside, was a little distressed because another neatly dressed officer walked towards her.
This imperial officer is handsome, wearing a military uniform with dark red as the main color, with gold embroidery on the collar, buttons and cuffs, and a rose emblem on the chest, which symbolizes that they belong directly to the royal family and have a glorious status.
"I think I must have seen Miss Mecia somewhere." The officer held up his wine glass and talked so naturally as soon as he came forward.
"Maybe this is a misunderstanding."
"I don't think so, because a beautiful girl like you is always unforgettable." He praised the girl with skillful words. If it were other girls, they might have fallen into this handsomeness and enthusiasm.
"Thank you for your compliment." Lorraine Hill did not refute, and therefore did not give the other party a chance to answer.
"I would like to invite Miss Mecia to dance with me. Could you please show me your respect?" Seeing that the girl was still unmoved, the officer had no choice but to invite her directly.
"Sorry, I don't want to dance tonight."
The girl refused again, and it was only then that the officer left. When he left, his steps were no longer as calm as before, and became much slower. He seemed to be still recalling his actions just now, looking for the girl's possible points of interest.
After briefly greeting many guests, Viscount Moreau stood in the center of the hall again. He clapped his hands gently, asking the band in the hall to pause their performance, and then attracted everyone's attention.
"I'm very happy. I've gotten to know you a lot again. It's an honor for me to have so many friends here tonight."
"Lord Mo Ruo, that's very complimentary." Some of the guests below also complimented him.
"However, I invite you all to come here today. In fact, there is another thing that I want to ask for your help. I wonder if you can spare some time and let me elaborate on it."
Then he patted his palms again, and the waiters in the hall began to leave, and the band members also left one by one, until finally only Viscount Moreau and the guests were left in the hall.
"Click-" The door of the hall was gently closed. At this moment, only the windows on both sides were slightly open. The night breeze slowly came out, swaying the candlelight in the hall.
"I think everyone is curious as to why these servants were dismissed. In fact, this is related to what I am going to say next."
"Instead of trusting those lowly people, I trust everyone who participated in my banquet more, so here I will explain what happened recently." He paused his voice and stood the scepter in front of him like a crutch.
"A lot of magical beasts have appeared in the surrounding forests recently. Everyone must have heard about this."
"Why is it so rare to hear this happening in other regions, but only here there are so many of them, and many of them are new to the industry."
"This is because there is a ruins in the forest not far outside the city, and the magic power seeps out of it, affecting the surrounding creatures." After he finished speaking, the guests below were surprised. This is a great secret.
"This ruins is also a secret of our family, because in the distant past, my ancestors established this ruins, but unfortunately with the passage of time, many inheritances have been broken. Until now, our family only knows this ruins
It's probably nearby, I don't even know exactly what's buried inside."
"In order to unlock the secret of inheritance, our family has made great preparations, inquiries, investigations, excavations, etc. It was not until my generation that we finally had hope of unlocking the secret."
"But it is a pity that such good wishes have now been shattered."
"A shameful thief stole the key props to open the ruins, which made me angry and helpless. It even caused trouble for everyone. I was locked up in the city and lived a miserable life." He bowed and apologized, and this behavior made many locals
People also feel good about him.
Although Viscount Moreau did not bring any benefits or changes to the people, compared with other greedy and harsh nobles, this one is really easy to get along with. Everyone has been safe and sound for many years, and they only need to pay more taxes occasionally.
Can.
"After waiting for several days, I tried every means to recover this key treasure, but unfortunately, I still failed."
"In order to avoid accidents in the future and let outsiders gain access to the family's relics, I have to open up this secret that has been passed down for thousands of years in advance. But such an act cannot be completed by me alone, so we need the help of everyone."
"I know that I can't force everyone to do this alone. So I specially prepared a generous reward for this." After saying that, he tapped the scepter on the ground. After a while, the door at the back of the hall opened, and the butler pushed the dining cart away.
came out.
When the curtain on the dining car was lifted, what appeared in front of everyone's eyes were stacks of shining extraordinary gold coins, with some jewelry placed aside, which made people dazzled.
"These are just the initial rewards. After the ruins are excavated, I will distribute 30% of the treasures to everyone." He once again dropped a piece of bombshell news.
After he finished speaking, there was a burst of noisy conversation in the hall.
"So generous? It's unbelievable."
"I always feel like this is not that simple."
"But it seems good if someone gives you money for free."
"Or, we should follow his wishes and see what he wants. I don't think he dares to do anything to us. Once something happens to us here, the legions stationed in the province will immediately send people over."
"Besides, there are many high-status people among the guests here. How dare Viscount Moruo have any crooked ideas." As he spoke, he looked at Lorraine Hill.
After everyone in the hall finished communicating, everyone probably had a plan in mind.
"Because there is a restriction at the entrance to the ruins, everyone needs to work together to destroy it. In addition, after entering it, everyone also needs to explore the maze-like structure. These require everyone's cooperation." Viscount Moreau explained again, but at this time someone in the hall began to
Raise your hands and express different opinions.
"Sir Mo Ruo, I am just an ordinary businessman in the city. I may not be able to help you in this operation." The speaker was a local businessman who was keenly aware of the danger and was ready to retreat.
"It turns out to be Mr. Di Feng. I understand your concerns, but this does not affect you. You don't need to enter the ruins then, just wait outside."
"In fact, many of you have no fighting ability. I know this. The reason why I asked you to come is not just to unlock the ruins. I also want to ask you to be a witness."
"If I only invite a small number of people, I'm afraid some people will worry that I will go back on my promise, but with you fair gentlemen here, I think others will feel more at ease." His words can be regarded as clearing up some people's doubts.
Seeing that Viscount Moreau had said this, the others were not able to refute him for a while, so they gradually became quiet.
"I would like to ask Master Mo Ruo, if treasures are found in the ruins, how should they be distributed?" The man from the east raised his wine glass and asked.
"Everyone will get 30% of it. If our family needs it, I will pay additional gold coins as compensation and recycle it. Of course, the price is probably the same as the market price, and I will not deduct everyone."
"I see, I understand." Although he didn't believe that Mo Ruo could do it completely, Yan Liuyan stopped asking at this time. If he really got the right treasure, he would not let it go easily.
"What if you find something special? Lord Mo Ruo, you should be aware of some conventions and rules. Certain things cannot be handed over to individuals for personal use." An officer sat at the round table and asked calmly.
"I will check something like this. If it is true, I will report it to the royal family or the Council of Sages." Viscount Moreau's answer was watertight, but whether it can be believed is another matter.
Next, No Ruo answered a few more questions, and then he clapped his hands to make everyone quiet down again.
"Then let's set off now, time waits for no one."
After finishing speaking, he walked in front and led everyone to the open space in the center of the castle. Soldiers holding torches high had been waiting for a long time.
Soon after, a long procession of fire dragons began to meander through the forest, heading deeper into the forest.
Riding his horse and looking at the long queue behind him, each figure vaguely visible in the flames, Viscount Moreau finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The first step of the plan was successfully accomplished.
After the holy white ball disappeared, he slept in agony every night, fearing that someone would take this thing, open the door to the ruins in advance, take away the precious thing he had been waiting for for decades, and make him a joke.
.
But even though he knew that the ruins might be stolen, he couldn't send anyone to guard them. That would undoubtedly point the way to various small organizations, saying that there were good things hidden underground here.
He couldn't send someone to guard the door, and he didn't have the key to open the door. In such a dilemma, he could only choose to break the situation in advance, find a group of people, and work together to open the door, so as not to lose everything while waiting.
Fortunately, no one knows what is buried under this ruins, and what he just said was mostly focused on wealth, just to prevent people from discovering it for a short time. As for what will happen after he gets the things, he has many ways to solve the problem.
, if it doesn’t work, why not go to sea? Then, far away from the empire, no one will know where he went.
Recalling the plan again in his mind, Viscount Moreau moved forward again, surrounded by a group of guards, towards the steep area of the back mountain.
Lorraine Hill was sitting sideways on the horse, and Miss Charlene was driving the horse in front. She stuck her head out and looked forward curiously.
She didn't expect that something like this would happen at this banquet. The Viscount was really bold and dared to use strange tricks to break the situation in this way.
Since the key to open the door is lost, we might as well give up some of the treasures, bundle everyone into our chariots, and go out to break the situation together. Faced with such a team, the small organizations peeping on the side are also deeply troubled and find it difficult to solve the problem.
response.
You must know that this team not only includes local celebrities, nobles, etc., but also powerful officers and adventurers. Now that they have suddenly gathered together, even if an organization like the 'Fire-Eyed Warbler' gets the news, they will not be able to mobilize manpower to stop them in a short time.
, could only watch helplessly as Viscount Moreau took away the things in the ruins.
However, although he may be regarded as a clever person in the eyes of outsiders, Viscount Moruo's family members know about his own affairs, so there are still many risks involved. The next key is how to obtain the sacred object without everyone paying attention.
If there is no holy object, but just treasure, will the sage intervene? After all, this is a relic of the Mercury Dynasty, not something from the Twilight Age, and it is not that sensitive.
But if there are holy objects, their properties are different. In order to fight against the possible disaster of chaos, all holy objects excavated in ancient times must be handed over to the Sage Council for safekeeping.
Under such regulations, except for a few top-level nobles (such as the royal family and the four great dukes) who can keep one or two pieces, other sacred objects will definitely be confiscated by the Council of Sages.
"I will never give up." Looking at the burning torches in the mountains, Mo Ruo whispered to himself.
He has devoted decades of his youth and years to this thing, how could he just give up? Even if he is facing the Sage Society, he will not retreat.
Everything is for the great power that transcends all ordinary things. Just like the fairy tale books he read when he was a child, the incredible spells and magic, and the imaginative fantasy stories are all tempting him, and he is getting closer to this dream step by step.
He is no longer young, and there is basically no possibility of advancing to the Transcendent Sequence again. But even so, he still wants to feel the power and detachment he has never experienced before.
Second only to the witch, a sacred object with power is his last hope.