vstars Chapter 161 Passing
Chapter 161 Passing
At night, beside the main road leading to the palace, a giant building flashes bright lights from the inside. Although the exterior of the building is very plain, its large area in the prime location of Wyndham and its ancient empire-style decoration hint at its luxury.
Even at night, the place seemed as lively as during the day, and men and women in gorgeous clothes could be seen entering or leaving the gate at any time. On the road, carriages were parked behind the building under the guidance of waiters, and the nobles represented by the various family crests on the carriages were all people who could influence the political arena of Wendam, which was enough to show that the building served the dignitaries of Wendam.
"Kingdom Restaurant... This is it." With the help of the bright light, John saw the words on it and signaled the coachman to stop the car. Looking at the white building in front of him, John could tell at a glance that the material used was the same as the one used in his residence in Beigang, which was white marble. According to the Yisu merchants, this stuff is very expensive. If the building in front of him was made entirely of this material, it would probably weigh dozens of tons.
John looked around and saw a carriage entering a place similar to a parking lot from a small door next to the restaurant, so he ordered the coachman to follow the carriages.
A servant guarding the door saw a carriage coming, trotted over to signal the carriage to stop, knocked on the door, and then asked respectfully.
"Sir, do you have any reservations or invitations?"
After handing Matilda's invitation to the servant, the servant checked it first, and after confirming that it was correct, he returned the invitation to John and immediately led the carriage into the parking lot at the back, which was something like a large stable. The carriages were separated by marble columns, and John also found that there were quite a few people in charge of the stable, with special people washing the cars, cleaning, and putting feed in the trough.
After seeing a noble getting off a carriage in the stable, everyone working in the stable felt a little strange, because most nobles got off directly at the door, and those who came here were usually grooms who drove there and guards who occasionally came to check.
After seeing the family crest on the carriage, everyone thought for a while and had never seen any great nobles in the country use the black eagle flag with a white background, so they classified John as a small country noble who was invited. Although some of this was due to the staff's mistakes, more of it was because John was too low-key. He almost always flew the Midland flag when he sent troops, so few people knew what the family crest of this noble who controlled several earldoms was.
In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, this time John brought two White Wolf Knights in casual clothes to the restaurant. After showing the invitation to the waiter who came to greet him, the waiter immediately took John from the lobby of the restaurant into the interior of the restaurant.
John followed the waiter's steps and looked at the surrounding environment. He saw doors made of some kind of birch wood placed on the white marble walls. However, this time the waiter did not stop on the first floor, but took John to the second floor.
The contrast between the second floor and the first floor is that the doors here are more majestic than those on the first floor, and the distance between doors is also farther.
At the end of the corridor, John saw Matilda pacing back and forth as if waiting for something. Matilda was wearing a red and white dress. When she saw John, she immediately waved to John happily.
"Sir John, thank you very much for attending this banquet." When John approached, Matilda pulled her skirt with both hands, then lowered her body to salute John.
"I should be the one thanking you and your wife. If it weren't for your invitation, I definitely wouldn't be able to come in here now." John also responded with a salute.
The two walked to the door. Matilda knocked on it first, and a waiter immediately opened the door. Only then did John feel the high-end luxury here:
Behind the door was a hall rather than a room. There were golden utensils everywhere, especially the giant golden chandelier on the ceiling. Four giant marble columns stood in the hall, and next to them was a long golden table with various foods. Many waiters walked among the crowds to pour wine for the guests. In the center of the hall, countless gorgeously dressed men and women danced hand in hand to the music of the band. John thought that this was a little lower than the level of a triumphal celebration.
Matilda, who was standing next to him, was looking at the men and women dancing and was about to ask John if he was willing to dance with her, but she found that John had already skillfully walked towards the place where meat and seafood were placed with a plate and a knife and fork. After all, John, a nerd, didn't come here late at night to dance with others. If there was no sponsorship, John probably wouldn't have come.
Seeing this, Matilda, feeling embarrassed, could only turn around and walk towards a noble lady next to her who was surrounded by people.
However, John was very busy here, because he found that in addition to some Midland dishes, there were also some Yoda dishes that he had heard about from Yoda prisoners, which made him very happy, so he added a little meat to each dish and found an empty table to enjoy it slowly. The two White Wolf Knights who followed him also took some dishes with John's permission, but while enjoying, the knights still held the hilt of the sword with one hand to prevent sudden assassination.
Just as John finished his first round of eating and was about to start his second round, Matilda came over from nowhere and asked John with a smile:
"Master John, are you enjoying your meal tonight?"
John put down his utensils and answered honestly:
“Very good, there are many kinds of dishes here, some of which I have never heard of but are delicious, overall it is pretty good.”
After hearing John's praise, Matilda said in a pleading tone:
"Well, my mother wants to express her gratitude to you in person and hopes to start some business cooperation with you. What do you think about this matter..."
Hearing that there was money to be made, John naturally accepted the offer. After all, this was Wyndham, and those who could hold banquets here were all well-known figures in Midland. It was impossible for them to do any illegal transactions with John. Even if there was, John could choose to refuse.
Under the guidance of Matilda, John followed her out of the hall and went to the third floor of the restaurant. The decoration here was more luxurious, but its style was closer to the main color scheme of the Yoda Empire.
When Matilda walked to a door, she knocked a few times, and after getting consent from the person inside, she gently pushed the door open. Two White Wolf Knights, one stayed at the door while the other followed John in.
Unlike the second floor, the space in this room was just that of an ordinary office. In the center of the room, a lady was writing something on the table with a quill pen.
Seeing Matilda and John behind her, the lady slowly stood up and said enthusiastically:
"This must be Earl John. He has such a large fortune at such a young age. He is truly a man of great talent."
John was somewhat confused by the sudden compliment, but he also responded:
"You're so flattered. It's an honor to attend a party hosted by such a beautiful lady."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm afraid Matilda also forgot to mention me to you. You can call me Lady Reginale. Matilda, please go out for a moment. I have to discuss a business with Earl John."
After Matilda had gone out, Lady Reginale said:
"Earl John, I want to discuss a flower trade with you. What do you think?"
"As long as it is mutually beneficial for both parties, I will definitely agree," John responded.
"Then I'll be frank, Earl John. Matilda has already told you about our family situation. My husband is Earl Reginale of Yoda. When he sent me back to Midland, he left me a considerable fortune. I used the money to open a flower shop in Wendam."
"There is a problem now. I picked out a popular flower a few days ago, but most of the land in Midland is not suitable for planting. It can only be planted on the land near the border between Midland and Yoda. John, you know the situation there. I guess there is no place to harvest safely except the land you govern."
"So I want to buy a 2000-acre piece of land in your territory as a manor for growing flowers. As for the compensation, we will be responsible for purchasing seeds, building the manor, and hiring flower growers. Not only can you get gold coins for buying the land, but we will also split the profits generated by the flower trade -."
"Sounds good." Although Simon is responsible for most of the trade in the territory, according to what she said, it seems that this contract is more beneficial to John no matter how you look at it.
"Can I see the contract?" John asked.
"Of course no problem." Mrs. Reginale said and took out a contract from the drawer. John read it carefully several times and signed his name after making sure it was the same as she said.
"Do you want it stamped?" John asked.
"That's not necessary. I believe that your reputation will ensure that you fulfill this contract. Count Milo told me that you are a very trustworthy lord, which is rare among the nobles of Midland."
"Oh, you also know Count Milo?" John asked in surprise, because as far as he knew, Count Milo never communicated with ordinary civilians.
"Count Milo is my old customer, and when the triumphal ceremony was held, Count Milo recommended the flowers from my flower shop to His Majesty the King." Lady Reginale responded.
Only now did John know that Lady Reginale had actually contracted the entire triumphal floral arrangement. This made John re-evaluate Lady Reginale. It takes more than just money to be able to participate in royal activities.
"Please tell me your address so that I can arrange for someone to deliver the goods tomorrow and then set off with your convoy." Lady Reginale reminded.
Just as John told Mrs. Reginale his address and was about to leave, Mrs. Reginale suddenly asked John a question that puzzled him:
"Count John, what do you think of this girl Matilda?"
John thought it was the custom of the Yoda people across the street, and since he had just signed a contract, he responded politely:
"Miss Matilda is very gentle, kind, and polite. I believe she will marry a talented young man who matches her in the future."
"Really?" Lady Reginale smiled meaningfully, and then responded happily:
"Then I wish you a happy cooperation."
After leaving the restaurant, although John had no idea what Lady Reginale meant, the contract had already been reached and he thought she would not go back on her word, so he ordered a White Wolf Knight to go to the stable behind the restaurant and ask the coachman to drive the carriage out to take him home.
The White Wolf Knight immediately went to the stable and woke up the sleeping driver.
"Get up. Lord John wants you to drive the carriage out."
The coachman rubbed his hazy eyes, got off the carriage and checked it around. After making sure that everything was correct, he reversed the carriage and drove outside.
Along the way, the driver asked the White Wolf Knight:
"How is it, Master John, are you having fun here?"
"She should be very happy. After all, it seems that she has made a deal with a wealthy businessman. I heard that she wants to build a flower plantation in our master's territory. When the flowers bloom, they will be shipped back to Windham to sell. It seems that the profits will be split 50-50."
"Oh, so that's how it is." The driver thought about it carefully, but found it a little unreasonable.
“Isn’t it a bit too late to plant flowers in autumn…”
But the driver didn't have the courage to tell anyone. After all, Lord John had agreed. With his wisdom, there shouldn't be any problem with this matter. And if the flowers really bloomed, he might even be able to buy some for his wife.
Thinking of this, the coachman happily stopped the carriage in front of the restaurant. After John got in, he hummed a little tune, waved the whip, and drove the carriage back to John's apartment.