Chapter 433

Chapter 433: Under the Flowering Vine Trellis

After everyone had finished their introductions, lunch finally began.

As the carts filled with delicious food arrived, two teams of maidservants carried the prepared feasts onto the table, carefully arranging the utensils and porcelain dishes. Only then did they officially start eating.

During the meal, Lolan Hill felt somewhat uncomfortable, as if everyone was staring at her. Was the price of fame too high? She couldn’t help but think.

Fortunately, after lunch, many people had other matters to attend to and left. Palinsa, watching this sage-like maiden, found her somewhat endearing. However, she didn’t show it on her face, standing quietly by the side.

After lunch, Pullman also had some matters to handle, so he asked several others to accompany Lolan Hill, with Palinsa following behind.

“Hello, Sage Lady,” a girl around twenty years old greeted Lolan Hill. She had golden-orange hair and a shiny little star sticker by her eye.

This girl’s name was Sonia, once a scout and painter, now the head of the intelligence department in Clancia.

“Please follow me,” Sonia said, leading the way for Lolan Hill, followed by two officials who had introduced themselves earlier in the side hall.

“Here.” They entered a white palace-like garden, where the branches echoed with the chirping of birds. A small table was placed under a trellis covered with flowering vines.

After Sonia invited Lolan Hill to sit, she slowly explained.

“I’m sorry, Sage Lady Lolan Hill, today’s ceremony was sudden, and I apologize for startling you,” she said with both hands clasped, as if seeking forgiveness from the silver-haired girl.

Although unexpected, Lolan Hill wasn’t angry about such matters. She shook her head, signaling that it was not a big deal.

“Brother Pullman has been devoted to military strategy and construction over the years and isn’t good at entertaining or socializing. I hope Sage Lady won’t mind; actually, everyone is quite easy to get along with, hehe,” this girl seemed naturally cheerful, and under her influence, the atmosphere gradually lightened.

The group sat down and briefly reintroduced themselves.

Sitting to Lolan Hill’s right was Sonia, to her left was Jork, a kind elderly man and the archbishop in the Imperial Capital, while opposite was Leyden, the Minister of Commerce introduced earlier.

“It turns out that fewer people make it easier to relax, hahaha,” Sonia clapped her hands, asking a maid nearby to bring fresh fruit and snacks. Then, they ate and conversed casually.

“In fact, I first met Brother Pullman in the Northern Region. Back then, I was a new young officer in the West Wind, responsible for gathering intelligence on the ancient grasslands of Guifia,” Sonia recounted her journey of meeting and joining Clancia.

As a young prodigy of the West Wind, Sonia, despite being born into a commoner family, was recognized for her exceptional strength (promoted to Sequence 5 at age 16) and was taken in by a significant figure and placed in the military. In the late period of the West Wind, even geniuses needed a strong background to stand out, and military achievements were one of the few ways to do so.

Thus, she encountered Pullman, who was then a mercenary.

It was Pullman’s third year out of the forest. Though diligent in his training, he was only at Sequence 3 due to average talent. At the time, he was escorting goods into the grasslands as a mercenary squad leader, accompanying a merchant to purchase items.

This merchant was none other than Leyden, the handsome gentleman across the table.

“It was fate that brought us together. At that time, I had just started my business independently and needed someone reliable and trustworthy to protect me,” Leyden said, holding a fan. Though he looked handsome, his long, narrow eyes gave him a somewhat untrustworthy fox-like appearance.

“So how did you meet?” Lolan Hill asked curiously.

“Because I thought this guy had ulterior motives and was involved in smuggling, I followed him to catch him red-handed and earn merit,” Sonia said with a laugh.

“Don’t always talk about my appearance, Sonia,” Leyden wasn’t angry but picked up a green banana from the fruit dish and slowly peeled it.

“Haha, dolt, don’t judge Sage Lady by Leyden’s appearance; he’s actually quite smart,” Sonia took a string of light purple grapes from the dish and shared half with Lolan Hill.

“Looks like you two have a good relationship,” Lolan Hill accepted the grapes and began peeling them.

“Yeah, we often borrow money from each other, hehe,” Sonia put a grape in her mouth.

“In fact, they are a pair of happy rivals,” Jork finally spoke, his white beard making him look like Santa Claus.

“On our journey, I followed this dolt, watching him lose money foolishly, which made me realize he couldn’t possibly be a smuggler.”

“You don’t understand; it’s called early investment to build credibility,” Leyden had to explain.

“Later, we happened upon a Sequence 3 demonic beast, which Brother Pullman defeated, but it also attracted the greed of another merchant caravan, who planned to attack us in the grasslands.”

“The two sides fought until both were exhausted, and the other caravan revealed some contraband items, which we caught in the act. Thus, we got to know Leyden and Brother Pullman.”

“Since we were already on the same route, Leyden suggested hiring us for protection, so we spent a bit more time guarding them through the grasslands before returning.”

“Originally, we were supposed to part ways, but the son of the city lord at the border took a liking to Sonia, leading to a conflict.”

“And then we followed Brother Pullman eastward, evading the city lord’s pursuit until we entered a valley. Suddenly, reinforcements appeared, and with hundreds of people, they overwhelmed the city lord’s army.”

“Only then did we learn that this was Brother Pullman’s secret base. There, we experienced a different lifestyle and read the scriptures left by Sage Lady,” Sonia added a small conclusion to the story.

“So we joined in,” Sonia concluded.

“Is that so,” Lolan Hill nodded.

“How did Mr. Jork meet Brother Pullman?” The young lady turned her curious gaze toward the elder.

“My story isn’t as exciting as Sonia and Leyden’s, hehe,” the elder’s beard moved as he recounted events from eight years ago.

“At that time, I was a priest of the Angel Church in a small town. Due to its remote location, I was the only clergy member there, and around it were a few mines where miners often got injured, some too severely for me to treat.”

“So I could only watch helplessly as those people suffered and died, which troubled me deeply.”

“Later, Lord Pullman passed through, bringing other methods of treatment, such as cleaning wounds with cooled boiled water, removing necrotic tissue, applying medicine, and bandaging.”

“I thought he was an apprentice of a necromancer and engaged in conversation with him. Unexpectedly, during our talk, some of my views changed.”

“There are many suffering people in this world, and life is full of difficulties. People need spiritual support and hope for the future, but angels and deities are too distant.”

“The individual’s power is insignificant, but when people unite, they can achieve great things, thus changing the world. Personal happiness surpasses any abstract rules and worship.”

“From then on, I gradually became part of their group.”

“Two years ago, the starlight beneath the wilderness strengthened my resolve on this path. That night, I broke through my stagnation of nearly twenty years and entered Sequence 7.”

“Perhaps this is my fortune and destiny,” the elder concluded slowly.

Thank you to LowLikeDustQAQ, Panda Tony, Eevee Evie, Qizhunongxin, ReversedWind, and RunnerSix book friends for your generous contributions.