81: Inquiries from all sides

Chapter 81: Inquiries from All Sides

After a series of social engagements, the newlywed couple finally approached Arthur.

The two were a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman; their standing side-by-side was like a meticulously painted classical oil painting.

However, Arthur found it difficult to face Forni calmly at this moment.

Molly was a very typical noble lady, exuding intense curiosity about everything in the world.

She was even more excited when talking about her wedding.

When the musicians struck up a lively dance tune, this noble lady boldly asked Arthur to dance with her.

After receiving Forni's approval, Arthur gracefully took Molly's hand and stepped into the center of the hall, beginning to dance to the rhythm.

For him, an outsider, this could be considered a great honor.

"Can you tell me how you found the ring, Baron?" the noble lady asked softly.

"You might not believe it, but a group of marmots near the monastery stole your ring," Arthur responded in a low voice.

Molly was amused by this bizarre answer and tried hard to maintain an elegant smile.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"Of course not."

"How peculiar," the young lady exclaimed. "That's also why Forni and I are so keen on traveling everywhere.

"The world is full of strange and wonderful stories, but unfortunately, the world is becoming increasingly unstable, and we had to interrupt our journey."

"I believe the war with the orcs will soon subside.

"By then, you and your not, you and your husband will be able to travel again."

A blush spread across Molly's face. "We must thank you properly for finding the ring."

"It was nothing at all."

Arthur quickened his steps with the rhythm, and the noble lady quickly concentrated to keep up.

Taking advantage of a pause in the music, she added, "No, you don't understand the significance of that ring to us.

"As you can see, it is indeed a worthless copper ring, but Forni made it for me with his own hands."

A strong curiosity surged in Arthur's heart.

He was sure that if it weren't for the threat from Qingfeng Valley,

it would be harder than ascending to heaven for this couple of vastly different statuses to unite.

So, he posed his question.

Molly replied, "We are going hunting tomorrow, Baron. Why not join us?

"Then, we can tell you all about it."

"I look forward to it."

The music gradually faded, and the two ended their dance with an elegant spin, nodding to each other before parting.

Forni stepped forward at this moment and asked Arthur, "Baron, I would like to ask you to preside over our wedding.

"What do you think?"

This sudden decision clearly surprised both sets of parents.

It was not hard to guess that they must have already decided on a wedding officiant.

"When is your wedding?" Arthur asked.

"In autumn," Forni replied. "After the autumn harvest, it should be around the Harvest Festival."

A good time, Arthur thought.

The Harvest Festival is a sacred day when people give thanks to Mother Earth for her generous bounty, and it has always been a propitious time for banquets and weddings.

In Amn, people usually seek out their beloved partners during the Green Grass Festival in spring.

Because at that time, flowers bloom everywhere, and followers from various temples bring freshly picked flowers to the temples as offerings.

Temples related to fertility, such as the Fire Haired Lady and Mother Earth, would hold social gatherings.

Young men and women would meet and get to know each other at these gatherings, and many would form romantic relationships.

If this relationship was fortunate enough to receive the blessing of the Fire Haired Lady,

the couples would confirm their engagement during the Midsummer Festival in summer and finally hold a grand wedding during the Harvest Festival.

Before Arthur could respond, he felt the intense gazes from all directions.

He replied with a smile, "I am very sorry, both of you. I will be going to Qingfeng Valley in a few days, and I may never return.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your wedding. You two should find someone else."

Molly, however, spoke quite assertively, "We will wait for you. Forni and I both believe that you will definitely return safely."

Upon hearing this, Arthur smiled and bowed respectfully to the couple: "In that case, it will be my honor to be your officiant."

The next day, Arthur brought Godwin along for the hunting appointment.

Most of today's intelligence was related to commodity transactions; he informed Catherine of all this content, asking her to arrange personnel for procurement.

The most valuable among them was a piece of news about a modified carriage.

A craftsman in Great Al-araksin City was attempting to build a four-wheeled carriage.

However, multiple attempts had ended in failure.

He was now in a predicament of funding and material shortages.

Arthur then asked Iron Shovel to take the craftsmen from the team to inquire.

If feasible, he would have his elaborate but impractical carriage modified.

Given the current situation, he adhered to the principle of practicality above all else for everything.

Additionally, after agreeing to officiate the wedding, there was follow-up content to that intelligence.

Clearly, his decision had caused much dissatisfaction.

Both the Bull Family and the Rahman family's favorability towards him had visibly decreased.

Molly and Forni's favorability towards him, however, had greatly increased.

But none of this was the main point; the main point was that this newlywed couple wanted to join his team.

For this request, Arthur could choose to refuse or agree.

And no matter which choice he made, there seemed to be subsequent developments.

This made Arthur vaguely feel that something was amiss.

The guard captain who had previously arrested Jessica delivered the agreed-upon weapons.

He rode on an Axe-beaked Bird, directing the carriages behind him into the pioneer settlement's camp.

"As per your request, I did my best to gather these weapons. If there's anything unsatisfactory, I'll find another way," the guard captain said to Catherine, who was in charge of receiving the goods.

Catherine sincerely thanked the captain.

After the last weapon-laden carriage entered the camp, the captain dismounted and walked towards Jessica, who was inspecting the weapons.

Seeing this, the soldiers in the camp gathered around, and Jessica raised her hand to signal them to step back.

"Do you have any wine here?" the guard captain asked.

This was clearly a rhetorical question, as the inn's first floor provided food and drink, with plenty of wine.

Before Jessica could speak, Catherine proactively interjected, "Of course, we'll pay for all of your drinks."

The captain smiled, "Very good, then we won't be polite. Can you handle these things?"

Catherine nodded, "No problem."

"Alright, lads, let's go for a drink!"

The captain waved to his subordinates, and the guards excitedly walked towards the inn.

Catherine whispered to Jessica, "You go with them."

Jessica thought for a moment, then followed the guards.

After the innkeeper served the first round of drinks, the guard captain raised his glass and said to Jessica, "Yesterday was business, I hope you don't mind."

Jessica also raised her glass: "If it were me, I would do the same."

"Haha, straightforward! I have no animosity towards you.

"The coalition army summoned by Amn, we Calimshan people do not need to participate.

"However, I've heard many stories about you. Are they all true?"

"Mostly exaggerated."

The guard captain grinned; he could tell Jessica was being modest.

Although he had never experienced large-scale warfare, he had clashed with orc raiding parties.

Now, to meet this legendary figure who had repelled the Imperial Coalition Army multiple times, he felt quite excited.

After a few drinks, Jessica asked, "I heard your border is also very unstable?"

"More than unstable, it's terrifying."

Jessica signaled the innkeeper for another round of drinks and coaxed, "Tell me about it. I've seen quite a few strange things, and rarely anything can scare me."