scepter

There are two types of palace banquets in Olin Continent.

One is a dinner party type, a long table with no end in sight, the host sits at one end of the table, and the guests are lined up on both sides. As many guests as there are, the table can be extended as long as possible. The rich dishes are served one after another. After about one-third of the dish is used, it is removed and replaced with a new dish to ensure the freshness and appearance of the dish.However, it is conceivable that there is nothing to talk about at this kind of dinner party. Often only the few people sitting on both sides of the host can talk to the host. As for the other end of the long table, it is estimated that only the mouths can be seen. up.

The other is the ball type, which is much more casual. The food is placed aside for others to take. The nobles who love to play can dance, and the politicians can use this opportunity to socialize. For the low-level nobles, Being able to share a room with the rare nobles makes it easier for them to get close.

Old John is such a small nobleman, to be precise, he is a new nobleman.

He was originally a cloth merchant, and he had nothing to do with nobles in eight lifetimes, but during the last La Serena defense battle, Old John had the foresight to make a batch of tents, clothes, quilts, etc., and sent them to La Serena. Serena, to a large extent, solved the urgent need of material shortage.Old John bet on the right treasure, and soon, because of his contribution in the war, the royal family awarded him a silver knight medal.

Although he has no real power and is still a knight title that is not even as good as a baron, he has obtained the qualification to participate in this grand palace banquet - even in this banquet, he is not qualified to strike up a conversation with the great nobles.

But that was enough for Old John. He finally stepped into the threshold of aristocrats with half a leg, which would be of great benefit both in terms of expanding his business contacts and in the descendants of his family.

Worried that his wife and daughter hadn't participated in such a big occasion, they might make a joke. Old John didn't bring them to the banquet, but wandered around the banquet alone, looking for an opportunity to expand his network, but many people saw him The knight medal on his body, and after hearing that he was just a cloth merchant, he ignored him, and some even mocked him for going to the wrong place.

These treatments finally cooled Old John's good mood a little bit. He no longer casually approached people, but stood in a corner with fewer people and watched. Soon, he noticed someone.

It was a low-ranking priest, and Old John recognized the logo of his robe, but the long silver hair was really conspicuous, flowing with a shimmering luster under the light, and it looked even better than the best satin he had ever handled. smooth.

A place like the imperial capital is full of talents, and high-ranking priests are not uncommon, not to mention a low-ranking priest, even Old John thinks it is commonplace, and those nobles don’t pay attention to it, but what surprised him was that this handsome man The silver-haired priest who is said to be beautiful, not only did not receive the same cold reception as him, but some people came forward to talk to him frequently.

Oh look, who did he see, wasn't that Bishop Lahe of the Garter Empire!

Could it be that the silver-haired priest has a deep background?

Old John lamented deeply, the joke he wanted to see was not realized, and he suddenly felt that he was the person with the lowest status in the whole banquet.

Complaints are nothing but complaints. As a successful businessman, Old John is still very clear about the situation. He is fully prepared and intends to start his social career tonight with this seemingly easy-to-talk low-level priest as a breakthrough.

Seeing that a group of people had just left, and there was no one around the priest, Old John walked over and greeted him. "Hello."

The priest turned around and saw him, a little surprised, but still raised a kind smile: "Hello."

"My name is John Bright. You can call me Old John. I'm a businessman." Old John got straight to the point and didn't hide his origin.

The silver-haired priest raised his eyebrows, showing surprise, but only surprise. "I'm Yannick Hill, what kind of business are you in?"

"Cloth, I'm in the cloth business." Old John didn't show any embarrassment or embarrassment, but proudly spoke about his business. "Do you still remember the crisis in La Serena some time ago? I was the one who sent a batch of tents and quilts to deal with the crisis."

Yannick laughed and said, "That's a coincidence. I was also in La Serena at the time. It seems that your business scale is really not small!"

Don't look at Old John's age, his brain is more effective than young people, and he immediately realized: "You are the priest who saved the lives of countless civilians and soldiers in La Serena, right?"

"I just happened to be there, and I fulfilled my duties. It's not as exaggerated as you said, but I have seen those tents, and they are very strong, which shows that you are a successful businessman."

Old John laughed: "I just charged the cost price for those tents and quilts, but I didn't earn black-hearted money!"

Yannick raised his eyebrows: "It doesn't seem to fit a businessman's style."

Old John winked at him: "A successful businessman should not only see immediate benefits, but also plan for long-term benefits! If he can only see the food under his nose, his business cannot last long."

Yannick raised his glass to him: "I have a hunch that you will become a great businessman!"

Even though he knew it was just a casual compliment, Old John was still very happy: "Thank you, Your Excellency! But no one would use greatness to describe a businessman. Businessmen have always been humble. To be awarded the Knight Medal like me, maybe It's the limit."

Yannick smiled slightly, noncommittal, "You are in the cloth business, do you know anything about magic crystal processing?"

Old John was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Maybe I know something."

Yannick: "I've been shopping in jewelry stores in many cities. Many accessories are processed with ordinary gemstones, and magic crystals are rarely used, unless they are magic accessories specially used for defense."

Old John nodded, wondering why this priest seemed very shrewd, but he didn't even know this bit of common sense. "Yes, magic crystals are stronger than ordinary gemstones. At most, they can only be used as bracelets. It is difficult to polish them into small ornaments such as rings or earrings. Even nobles seldom wear magic crystals as pure ornaments. , because it is really not very beautiful, and most importantly, the cost of magic crystals is much higher than that of gems, it is harder to find than gems, it is more valuable, and it is not easy to polish."

Yannick gently rolled up his sleeves, revealing the purple magic crystal bracelet on his wrist. "The smallest one can only be polished to this size?"

Old John looked at it and couldn't help praising: "It can be smaller, but it's just a little bit. Your bracelet is very well made, and it's worth a lot of money."

Yannick thought deeply: "Even if the production cost is high, as long as the quantity is large enough, magic crystal processing is not without profit, right?"

"Yes, but this quantity should be a lot. In fact, the transparency of the magic crystal is much higher than that of gems. It is only used as an ornament, and its value is greater than that of gems, even the most worthless white magic crystal."

Yannick: "So if there are enough magic crystals, are you willing to do one more business?"

Old John was taken aback: "Do you have many magic crystals?"

Yannick smiled: "I'm just assuming, just asking about your intention."

Having said that, anyone who is familiar with Yannick here will know that it is definitely not a whim for him to ask this question.There is no doubt that there are a large number of magic crystals in the dark forest. Even under the lake of death, Yannick and the others went into the water twice and brought back a large number of white magic crystals.

Although the processing cost of magic crystals is a bit higher, as long as there are enough quantities, you can still make money, and the profits are much higher than gems. Old John has proved this point. Although it is not suitable to go to the Dark Forest for the time being, it is not Representatives will have no chance in the future.

A good partner is not easy to find. This old John seems to be more reliable, and he might as well develop as a business partner in the future—Priest Yannick has long wanted to find a way to make money, so that the shadow of the poor will not always hang over Overhead, now finally see a little light.

Old John quickly reacted: "Of course, I am very happy. If you have raw materials, you can provide them to me. I will be responsible for the post-processing and sales. The specific profit sharing can be discussed again! I live at No. 76, Kennell Avenue in the imperial capital. , my store is also there, you can go there to find me anytime!"

Yannick is very satisfied with his frankness. The essence of a businessman is practical, and he won't be like a nobleman who can't get the point out of a bunch of polite words. Moreover, Old John's philistinism is not very strong. He can spend money in exchange for a knighthood , indicating that he has a long-term vision and is not as preoccupied as ordinary businessmen.

After the two talked, they were very speculative, and immediately exchanged contact information. Yannick didn't have a fixed address yet, so he had to write down Old John's address first, and told him that he would send someone to notify him when he bought a house and settled down. he.

Old John never thought that his unintentional strike-up would change his life forever.

But these are all things for the future. At this moment, maybe it is the effect of alcohol, Old John feels more and more excited. He didn't expect that this silver-haired priest knows a lot, even business topics can be discussed For a long time, the most important thing is that he has no airs at all, and he will not look down on himself just because he is a businessman.

"Priest Hill, how did you come to this banquet?" After getting acquainted, Old John began to insinuate.

As far as he knows, apart from this silver-haired priest, there is no one below a high-ranking priest who can attend this banquet, and many nobles also greeted him just now, which in itself can explain the problem .

Yannick smiled, but did not hide anything: "Your Excellency Chris invited me."

"Oh, Chris..." Old John choked on his words, and suddenly his eyes widened. "Your Excellency Chris?!"

The silver-haired priest nodded with a smile.

Old John's complexion became extremely strange, neither was it a compliment, nor was it a compliment, his face was so red that even Yannick felt uncomfortable for him.

In fact, Old John was not the first to react strangely. As early as the tea party at Earl Marin's mansion, Yannick kept hearing Chris' name from those noble ladies.

Accompanied by this name, there is also that not very pleasant title: illegitimate child.

This is a bit different from Yannick's original vision.

Chris did not disclose his identity from the beginning, and later he told Yannick lightly that he was a noble mage. Judging from the reactions of Sophia, Tines and others, Yannick once guessed that he was a prominent He is such a nobleman that no one dares to reveal his identity without authorization, but it seems that this is not the case now.

"It seems that you also know the identity of His Excellency Chris?" Seeing that Old John didn't speak, Yannick asked proactively.

"Oh, yes, yes...Actually, it's not just me, many people know about it."

"I'm not from the Garter Empire, so I'm not sure. Maybe you can tell me what's so special about his identity?" In fact, Yannick had already heard a general idea from those noble ladies, but he didn't ask Sophia for confirmation. John was just a businessman, which made him feel freer to ask.

Old John scratched his head, but he leaned over and said in a low voice: "Everyone in the imperial capital knows that His Excellency Chris is the half-brother of His Majesty Emperor Francis II, and his mother is said to be the mistress of His Majesty the Emperor. Courtesy."

Courtesans, to put it bluntly, are high-class prostitutes. Olin mainland is monogamous. There is no such thing as a concubine. It is normal for noble men to have mistresses. Sometimes even noble ladies have lovers. Everyone plays their own way .But after all the fun, the child born to a mistress is still an illegitimate child, and it is impossible to get a formal status.

"His Majesty the Emperor takes good care of his brother, but I heard that the Presbyterian Court has refused to recognize His Excellency Chris's identity, so His Majesty the Emperor can only give him the title of Earl in the end."

This is something that those noble ladies never said, and Yannick suddenly realized that it seems that even Old John, a businessman, knows something, and there is indeed no one in the entire imperial capital who does not know the identity of Chris.

But he didn't think that people like Chris would care about a title.

"Your Excellency Chris rarely shows up?" Yannick asked.

"Yes, anyway, I haven't seen him." Old John smiled and sighed: "I heard that he never attended any banquets, and had no contact with anyone, and stayed in his own residence all day long. It is really sympathetic! It is rumored that he is a very withdrawn and introverted person, even a little inferior. He may also have physical defects, or he will hide from people... Oh, yes, he invited you to the banquet, you and him Is the friendship very good, will I be too rude to say that?"

The corners of Yannick's mouth twitched. With Chris's personality and powerful strength, the possibility of looking down on these "stupid mortals" and not wanting to be with them is more than 90.00%. relation!

"No, we're just casual acquaintances..."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a noise from the crowd in front, and soon the people gathered together automatically and consciously gave way to a path.

"His Majesty the Emperor is here!"

Surrounded by the entourage, a middle-aged man wearing a gorgeous robe and a crown, who can be recognized at a glance, walked in.

Beside him is the protagonist they were talking about just now.

Edward Chris Sfleet.

"Oh my God! Your Majesty is openly with that illegitimate son. What does he want to do!"

"I heard that His Majesty strongly demanded that the House of Elders recognize his identity. This is really..."

The whispers in the crowd came to their ears, and Old John subconsciously looked at the expression of the silver-haired priest, only to see that the latter had already suppressed the smile on his face, as if he hadn't heard these discussions, and his eyes were only fixed on the front.