Old Gods, Rapid-Fire Guns, and Prohibition

Chapter 374 [Kindness and Power]

The most important person to Winster was, of course, Ned.

From any perspective, Ethan is now deeply intertwined with Ned.

The two of us are now inseparable; neither of us can live without the other.

The meeting place was still Ned's garden.

However, since it was summer and the Ned family lived east of Winston, some distance from the sea, it was still quite hot.

Fortunately, Ethan brought back several refrigerators from the capital, and the best one was naturally reserved for Ned.

Once placed in the garden, the heat quickly disappeared.

Ned was full of praise for the machine.

"The capital is definitely different; everything is new and exciting."

It's unclear whether Ned was marveling at the machine or something else.

Ethan smiled and added, "No matter how good the capital is, it's not as welcoming as Winster. I still prefer Winster."

Ned paused for a moment after hearing this, then glanced at Ethan and laughed, "You... come on, have some. This is fruit someone brought me from Storm Island. I heard it's in high demand but hard to find right now."

Ethan casually picked up a piece of greenish-blue fruit that looked like a mango or a papaya and took a bite.

It was indeed an unusual taste. The first thing that entered my mouth was not sweet and sour or any other flavor, but a numbing sensation that went straight to the top of my head, as if I had been struck by lightning for a moment.

It was both exciting and exhilarating.

Then, a sweet and sour flavor began to permeate the air.

"It is indeed very different."

Ethan nodded, but he also had some other feelings.

That feeling, like lightning striking his body, seemed to subtly touch his 'true god's name'.

More accurately, it should be one of the branches connected to the 'name of the true God,' which comes from the authority of the King of the North Sea.

This……

"What's this fruit called? Why does it taste like this?"

Ethan asked another question.

"This fruit is called Thunder Fruit. It is said that it only ripens after being struck by lightning. Speaking of which, Storm Island is a peculiar place. It is probably related to some kind of True Name Relic. However, it is currently in the hands of several countries in the Old Continent. It is also relatively close to the Old Continent, so we cannot interfere."

Ned thought for a moment and said.

"I see."

Ethan noticed the place name, but couldn't pay attention to it for the time being. Maybe he could take a trip to the Old World someday when he had more free time.

"Oh, by the way, I brought some things from the capital. Some of them were asked to be given to Sophia by someone. You see..."

Upon hearing this, Ned's expression immediately turned unnatural.

He clearly knew who Ethan was referring to.

"You've seen her?"

"I've seen it before."

"Be careful, that's not a woman to mess with."

Ned's tone was extremely complex as he said this.

"really."

Ethan shared the sentiment, but he didn't want to provoke Ned, so he didn't say anything more.

“Take those things to Saint Quanti and give them to Sophia. Don’t leave them at my house.”

"Ok."

"My daughter, what are you really thinking?"

Now it was Ethan's turn to be at a loss. "I..."

What could he say? In front of the man's father, he really couldn't say anything that was too contrary to his conscience.

"Forget it, this is all your young people's business, I don't want to get involved anymore, just... don't hurt her."

Ned's thoughts were probably a bit complicated; he got up after speaking.

However, after taking a couple of steps, he turned back and said, "Come in, come to my study. It's time for us to talk about your campaign. Time is running out."

This is precisely the biggest reason Ethan came to see Ned today.

To run for a local councilor, in addition to support from all sectors of society, a powerful figure like Ned, who is the most influential in the area, would certainly be the best asset.

Ethan stayed at Ned's house until evening, and didn't leave until it was almost time for dinner.

Compared to underground warfare, these public affairs are much more complex and troublesome.

This cannot be solved by violence.

Fortunately, Ethan has at least built up considerable popularity in Winston over the years.

With his fame throughout the kingdom and Ned's support, entering politics shouldn't be too difficult.

Tonight's dinner is also very important.

The Poletta family hasn't had a proper get-together or celebration in a long time.

There must be such a joyful moment.

People's hearts tend to drift apart over time.

The dinner was held at the Poletta Estate.

This time, Ethan invited not only the core members of the family, but also the middle and lower-level leaders.

This is rare.

So the minor leaders in the family were very excited; they considered attending a banquet at Poletta Manor an extremely honorable privilege.

This is the influence of family.

This was the signal for the establishment of the kingdom.

Ethan naturally understood the deeper meaning behind it, so Anya handled the entire process quite appropriately and solemnly.

Ethan had been immersed in the capital for three months, attending all sorts of parties, and Anya had also seen a lot of the world.

So if you really make the arrangements, there won't be any problem at all.

Let alone the lower-ranking members of the Poletta family, even the dignitaries from Winster City who were invited this time would probably feel ashamed the moment they stepped into Poletta Manor.

This is the grandeur of the royal capital.

Many people even wore formal attire today, but they still looked out of place.

While everyone was nervously attending the banquet, Ethan suddenly came out from the inner room, tapping his wine glass with a spoon, attracting everyone's attention.

"Everyone, why are you all so reserved? This is our own gathering, so have fun, do whatever you want, relax! Eugenid, I heard you're a great belly dancer, come on, give us a little performance!"

Hearing Ethan say that, everyone burst into laughter.

Eugenid, true to his reputation as one of Ethan's top three lackeys, showed no reluctance whatsoever. He smiled and ripped off his expensive custom-made suit, revealing his slightly overweight belly, and stepped into the light.

He even snapped his fingers at the band he had hired and said with great flair, "Music on!"

As the music started and Eugenid's belly bounced, everyone finally relaxed and immersed themselves in the joyful atmosphere.

Ethan was very pleased with the scene.

To gain genuine identification with the family and a heartfelt sense of family honor among a group of people, both kindness and strictness are necessary.

As the belly dance came to an end, everyone was laughing and joking, and some people couldn't help but swear. Ethan then tapped his glass with his spoon again.

"Alright, let's put the fun aside for now and welcome our great hero, the family's hero, the true tough guy, Velen!"

(End of this chapter)