The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 57 Weinberg's Reach
On the western coast of the continent, within the territory of the Terran Empire.

"It says on it, 'Products made by Weinberger are guaranteed to be of high quality and innovative'..."

So, we shouldn't have gone down the wrong path, right?

On a simple, moldy wooden signpost, there was an engraved slogan along with the words "Moonlight Fortress" and "Graystone Village".

Ge Ya and her junior, Su Wen, exchanged a glance, roughly confirming their direction:

"Then I'll head to Moonstone Castle first; it shouldn't take too long. I'll meet you at the tavern then?"

Su Wen's gaze remained fixed on Ge Ya's profile.

He was thinking that, according to legend, there was once a goddess who was in charge of 'all the beauty in the world'.

She unified aesthetic standards and even shaped the concept of 'beauty'—

Could it be that Senior Sister Goya is the first 'doll' created by the goddess, which is why everything about her is so perfect?

"Junior Brother Su Wenxue?"

Goya didn't look at him directly, but instead pretended to look expectantly at the dark castle in the distance—

It's not that I look down on this junior.

She welcomes appreciation from others, as long as it's not vulgar or obscene.

She even prefers to show off her left profile, preferably with some strands of hair falling down to make her look better.

The second soft call brought Su Wen back to his senses, and he nodded repeatedly:
"Oh, okay, senior. I'm going to be on duty at the Moonstone Village tavern this week, it'll probably take me a while..."

Goya smiled and gently patted the innocent junior's shoulder:

"Of course I know you're going to 'be on duty this week,' because you've already repeated it many times along the way—"

Don't worry, I know you have a job to do and you're not following me on purpose to chat me up.

Actually, thanks to your company along the way, I wasn't so lonely.

Goya chuckled softly, blinking her left eye. Her eyes shimmered like the surface of the sea bathed in the morning light.

"I'll be going now, see you at the tavern later!"

After Goya turned and left, she even walked quite a distance towards the castle.

Su Wencai slowly came to his senses.

Did Senior Goya wink at me just now?

So, is there a possibility...?

She's interested in me!?

"Do I have a chance?"

Unable to contain his pounding emotions, Su Wen jumped up and down, even skipping along the way to Graystone Village.

But the departing Geya had already dropped her businesslike smile, pinched her brow, and said with a slight headache:
"It's definitely easier to travel alone."

As she gently kneaded the flesh with her fingers, she looked up at her destination, which was drawing ever closer—

It was a towering, cold, and hard ancient castle built of dark gray rock.

The Weinberg Territory is built against the mountain, and the main resource here is the mineral [Grey Stone] found in the mountains. Thanks to its alchemical components, it is as hard as steel.

The castle is hidden by the same gray stone walls, with only the dark green vines climbing the stone walls and the budding blue and deep purple flowers visible.

That's the Moonlight Vine, usually used as a pigment or fragrance. It blooms year-round, but its flowers only burst forth under the damp, cold night sky, blooming in large swathes along the lakeside beside the ancient castle.

When the sun is still shining, they always lower their eyes like shy young girls.

When the moonlight shines on the lake, the flowers along the shore vie with the moonlight, making it a sacred place for lovers to meet.

Simple, austere, and elegant.

The style of Moonlight Castle seems to represent, to some extent, the temperament of the Weinberg family.

Standing before the matte black, exquisitely crafted wrought iron gate that connected to the outer wall, she couldn't find a single servant tending the garden through the gaps in the railings.

Just as I was hesitating about how to greet the owner of the castle, a long-haired girl with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a black and white maid outfit, walked past the gray stone statue in the center and came over first.

Her face was cold and expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

But Goya felt that if the concept of 'beauty' was truly created by the goddess, then she should also be given a share of it.

The faint black scales peeking out from her neck, in particular, made her appear even more ruthless...

It is said that the blood of the Weinberg Territory contains the magic of an ancient black dragon, so much so that occasionally a few [Dragon Vein Warlocks] awaken in this territory.

Even so, they are still virtually unknown.

After all, every noble in the Terran Empire possesses the power to cast spells.

They are either sorcerers who have inherited the blessings of their ancestors, or mages who are skilled in the study of arcane arts.

This is an empire ruled and controlled by 'wizards'.

"Hello, I am Geya Yuexi, a temporary teaching assistant from the [Song of the Bard] Academy."

She lifted the gift bag in her hand.

"I've been asked by my mentor, 'Urasan,' to visit my junior, 'Donkey Weinberg,' to find out about his current situation."

This was a task that the mentor suddenly assigned a few days ago after seeing the inscription on the forgotten stone tablet.

Now Goya finally had time to visit.

But the maid's expression still didn't reveal much emotion.

She first lifted her skirt and performed a noble gesture, then hesitated for a moment before responding:
"Tang Qi... I'm sorry, I don't think I have that name in my family. Could you tell me which child he is, my father's child?"

I might be able to find his address by looking through the parentage book.

"Ah—your father?"

Goya blinked.
"you are……"

“Yenne Weinberg. Entrusted by my father, I am now in charge of all affairs in Moonlight Castle. You may call me whatever you like.”

"So, Miss Yena, your brother doesn't live in Moonlight Castle?"

"In fact, there are many younger brothers living in the house. But this 'Tang Qi'... I've never heard of his name before."

Because my father only allowed a few children with magical talent to stay at home and receive a formal education.

This is a more tactful way of putting it.

My father’s exact words were, ‘Moonlight Castle is not a garbage dump.’

Clearly, if Tang Qi had any talent, he wouldn't have been so easily thrown into the Poet Academy and had such a clear distinction drawn between him and the school.

This is not a particularly unusual thing.

After all, sowing seeds extensively and then selecting children with spellcasting abilities is one of the ways that the Tyrannoss maintain their family's prosperity.

Of course, the price is that the bloodline will be diluted quite severely.

As a result, most of their descendants may possess some magic tricks, but throughout their lives, they never find the path to mastering even a single element of magic.

"Okay, then please check it out, thank you."

"Please wait."

She left in a hurry, and then returned in a hurry.
"According to Father's Parentage Book, the Donkey Weinberg you mentioned, Father's sixty-sixth child, should be studying at the Bard's Song Academy."

"He hasn't come back?"

"Looks like it is."

Goya was stunned for a moment.

broken.

Could it be that my junior has actually heeded his mentor's advice and gone off to find his own poetry and distant horizons?

He was so dull-witted, and now he's been missing for a year with no trace.

Could it be that they died on the way?
She sighed, her expression a mix of joy and sorrow, since her relationship with this junior student wasn't exactly close.

All I know is that he's the only man who won't actively try to befriend me.

His taciturn nature prevented him from doing it.

Since that's the case, there's no need to stay any longer:

"I'm so sorry to bother you. Please accept these things—"

Goya performed the proper etiquette and presented the gift bag in her hand.

Ye Nai had no reason to refuse. With a light snap of her fingers, a slender, translucent, dark blue hand flew through the wrought iron gate and took down the gift.

[The Mage's Hand] is the spellcaster's most powerful companion:
“I will tell my father that this is a gift of comfort sent by Goya Moon Creek from the Academy of Poets.”

May abundance always be with you.

The beautiful half-elf girl did not linger.

After she left, Ye Nai expressionlessly examined the gifts in the bag—

It contained a fine quill pen, fragrant ink, and high-quality toilet paper.

These are all products of well-known families in the empire, and each one is extremely expensive.

Clearly, this half-elf girl had done her homework.

The Weinberg Territory is not well-known in the entire Terran Empire; it is considered below average and can barely cover its expenses thanks to the production of Graystone and Moonlight Vine.

The writing materials used in the home have never been of high quality.

Sending writing materials in the name of the Poets' Academy would neither seem out of place nor make the nobles feel slighted.

"Urasang's 1001 Praises" teaches more than just flattery techniques; it also includes methodologies for ingratiating oneself with the nobility.

"The product is good."

In order to generate revenue, the Imperial Academy has always required students to bring their own paper and pens.

However, once students are required to bring their own supplies, it often fuels a competitive spirit among them.

As a nobleman, using overly cheap items would invite ridicule.

I imagine that the younger siblings in the family who enjoy the right to education must also be looking forward to receiving such exquisite pens, ink, and paper.

And the father would definitely distribute it in the same way.

and so……

Yena murmured expressionlessly:

"I won't say."

They're all mine now.

(End of this chapter)