33: A little culture shock (thanks to Lin 18 2019…8024 for the recommendation)

After some polite exchanges, Arthur formed a preliminary impression of the exiled noble.

The man spoke elegantly and thought clearly, but there was always a gloomy, sinister air between his brows.

He felt like a ravenous vulture waiting to feast on someone's corpse.

The reason he seemed ravenous was, first, because of the splendid but outdated overcoat he wore.

The overcoat was well-maintained, but slightly worn cuffs and loose buttons indicated it was quite old.

Yet, he still wore it, suggesting it was likely the only presentable garment he owned.

He probably felt the need to maintain the dignity of a noble, not wanting people to know the fact of his family's decline.

This indicated two things: his life was not going well, and he had strong self-esteem.

Most powerful individuals in Amn suffered from this affliction.

Many old nobles who lost their assets in the civil war preferred to borrow from merchants to get by rather than stoop to a lower position.

The harsh reality combined with an arrogant nature created this ravenous vulture.

"I… my Lord," Godwin pulled out a stack of papers from his Arms, "This is the plan I drafted for your future development."

"I know this seems presumptuous and rude, but we don't have much time."

"I heard from Lord Bard that you will be departing after the inauguration ceremony."

"So we must quickly prepare manpower, vehicles, funds, and most importantly, soldiers. Also, I…"

Arthur raised his hand to interrupt Godwin's incessant chatter, calmly flipping through the plan.

The other party's eagerness to perform revealed his craving for this job, which was another kind of "ravenous hunger."

Understanding this, Arthur remained composed—after all, Godwin was the one in a hurry, so why should he be?

Time ticked by, second by second, and Godwin was on pins and needles, as anxious as a student awaiting a professor's review of their thesis.

He tried hard to control himself from constantly staring at Arthur, to avoid appearing impolite, and even more, to prevent his anxiousness from being seen through.

Even without deliberately inquiring, Godwin had heard many of Arthur's "bad deeds."

In his eyes, this was a typical dissolute young master.

But as long as the other party was willing to listen to advice, there was still room for maneuver.

In his imagination, if Arthur were arrogantly unreasonable, he would surely fly into a rage at his "offense," and then it wouldn't be worth his time.

If Arthur accepted him gladly, then he could proceed with his plan, assisting this young master step by step.

But the one thing he didn't expect was that this noble young master would read his plan so seriously.

After a long wait, Arthur finally asked, "Why do you want to go to Qingfeng Valley with me?"

Godwin secretly breathed a sigh of relief and offered the answer he had already prepared.

"My esteemed Lord, if you were trapped at the bottom of a well, and the only way out was to climb up, what would you choose?"

"That analogy isn't appropriate," Arthur retorted without lifting his head. "Being trapped in a well means starving or dying of thirst, but you clearly haven't."

"Moreover, there's a risk of falling during the climb, and ordinary people would choose to stay at the bottom of the well and live out their lives in peace."

"But I don't want to be an ordinary person."

"Then how do you ensure you won't fall back into the well?"

Godwin pointed to the plan and replied, "I am doing my utmost to prevent that from happening."

Arthur nodded with satisfaction.

He had to admit, Godwin's plan was detailed and well-considered, greatly benefiting him.

Just as Bard had said, this exiled noble was indeed a rare talent.

However, there were still many issues in the plan, which Arthur pointed out one by one, stating directly that some proposals were simply unfeasible.

Godwin's mouth twitched slightly, a hint of displeasure in his tone: "My Lord, then what solutions do you have for these problems?"

Arthur shook his head frankly, "If I knew how to solve them, I wouldn't be in such a predicament."

This blunt answer left Godwin momentarily speechless.

He was about to speak, but Arthur spoke first: "Let's not discuss these for now."

"I want to know, if we can establish a foothold in Qingfeng Valley, how should we govern that land?"

This question was clearly unexpected by Godwin as well.

However, after a brief thought, he began to elaborate on his ideas in detail.

-----------------

Meanwhile, Bard, whose drunkenness was gradually fading, paced back and forth outside the small hut next to the warehouse.

He occasionally stopped, looking at the Orc training with an axe.

Godwin's father had been his good friend and had given him much help.

Therefore, Bard had always regarded Godwin as his own nephew and held him in high esteem.

He did not doubt Godwin's ability.

This young yet mature noble descendant, with extraordinary talent, had shown remarkable qualities since childhood.

When he was sixteen, a group of marauding Orc raiders gathered in Old Wheeltown, and the local mayor fled at the news.

At the critical moment, Godwin stepped forward, leading the residents to take the initiative and successfully repelled the Orcs with a night raid.

For a time, he was unrivaled in fame.

But after the mayor returned, to escape blame, he bribed high-ranking officials and slandered Godwin and others as rebellious commoners who had overstepped their bounds.

Under pressure from all sides, this budding young man indignantly retreated to the mountains.

Years of reclusion and unfulfilled ambition had made Godwin cynical, and his personality became increasingly stubborn.

Whenever he encountered someone with a differing opinion, he would always argue with them until he had proven his point, even resorting to physical confrontation if necessary.

He also frequently cursed those high-ranking dignitaries as deaf and blind fools who had no idea how to govern their territories.

So when Arthur suggested he needed a capable assistant, Bard immediately thought of Godwin.

But then he reconsidered; this was, after all, going to Qingfeng Valley, that cursed land.

So he wrote a letter overnight, explaining the pros and cons, and sent someone to deliver it to Godwin.

Unexpectedly, Godwin showed up the next day.

The two had a long heart-to-heart talk all morning, and finally, Godwin decided to first test this well-known noble young master.

"earth mother above, please don't cause trouble!" Bard murmured to himself.

He was afraid Godwin would act on impulse and contradict Arthur.

If that happened, he would also be partly to blame.

After pacing for a while longer, the door to the hut finally opened, and Arthur emerged with a joyful expression.

The old servant was very puzzled and quickly went to meet him.

"Bard, you recommended well! When this busy period is over, I will definitely thank you properly!"

Leaving that remark, the noble young master walked towards the training Orc.

The stone in the old servant's heart finally fell.

He looked into the house and saw his good nephew sitting blankly on the chair, muttering to himself.

He quickly walked into the room and asked eagerly, "How did the talk go? What did you talk about? Did the young master accept you?"

Godwin stared blankly at Bard, muttering, "Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism…"

Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

Bard was startled, "earth mother above, Godwin, don't scare me!

Your father entrusted you to me before he died; if you go mad, how can I bear the responsibility!

Exquisite, exquisite! The world has misunderstood Lord Arthur! I have finally found a wise lord worth assisting!"