Wizard: I crush legends with martial arts.

Chapter 109 The Joy of Deceiving Indigenous People

Unlike the castle in Alphonse, the manor of Count Jürgen, the lord of Emerald Territory, is more like a magnificent estate, covering a vast area.

The garden in front of the lord's manor alone is larger than the castle and courtyard of Coldwind Territory.

In comparison, the Cold Wind Ridge is indeed rather shabby.

This is to be expected, as there is only one town in Alphonse's territory, and in the event of war, the castle may also be used as a fortress to defend against enemies.

Emerald Territory has a vast territory with several towns under its jurisdiction, and Brightman City has towering walls and defensive facilities. If someone were to breach the city, there would be little left to defend.

After announcing their identities to the lord's manor, Count Jürgen's butler went to inform them and then invited Alphonse and his party into the manor.

Of course, the two soldiers and Tessie were still guarding the carriage outside.

Only Alphonse, Mia, and Midio were allowed into the spacious and bright reception room.

It was indeed luxurious, with a large and comfortable velvet sofa, and even the tea set served was made of silver, making it exceptionally exquisite.

The only drawback is that in the Kingdom of Bastian, there is no such thing as tea; instead, people drink herbal soups to refresh themselves.

The oak doors were pushed open by a servant, and a short, stocky, middle-aged man walked into the hall.

He wore a fitted black long-skirted suit, his brown hair was slicked back with perfume, his hairline was a bit high, and he didn't have a beard. He had a poker face, and judging from his eyebrows and eyes, he looked shrewd.

He seemed quite confident in his safety, as he didn't even bring any guards.

"Count Jürgen, greetings." Alphonse stood up, placed his hand on his heart, bowed slightly, and greeted Count Jürgen.

"So you are Baron Tartarus, the lord of Coldwind Territory? Please have a seat." Count Jürgen's lips twitched into a slight smile in response, and he asked bluntly, "What brings you here at this hour?"

Given his status, being allowed to meet Alphonse was already a great honor.

The Emerald Collar and the Cold Wind Collar are far apart and have no connection whatsoever.

"Because I am on my way to the capital to pay homage to Her Majesty the Queen, and I happen to be passing through the city of Brightman, but I cannot find an inn to stay at, so I have no choice but to come here. I hope that Earl Jürgen can allow us to stay at your manor for one night," Alphonse said.

"Heh heh." Count Jürgen chuckled, offering a gentle but firm reminder, "This isn't an inn."

Clearly, he did not intend to let Alphonse and the others stay overnight.

They are not related by blood or marriage, and have no connection whatsoever; to put it bluntly, they are strangers.

"I understand this request is a bit presumptuous," Alphonse smiled. "To express my apologies, I've brought you a precious gift. Please let us stay for the night."

As he spoke, he gestured for Mia to present the gift box she was holding, then opened the lid and displayed it to Count Jürgen.

"A precious gift?" Count Jürgen raised an eyebrow. He had already seen that inside the gift box was a bright yellow brocade that neatly surrounded a transparent, long-necked, wide-bellied glass bottle, which was half-filled with fine sand that looked like crystal.

Under the bright firelight, the light reflected from these fine sands was not dazzling, but rather a white blur.

Crystal sand?

Count Jürgen couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. They really were from the countryside; crystal sand was hardly a precious gift.

It's important to know that the larger and more transparent a piece of crystal is, the more valuable it is.

Like this, it's just a pile of sand. How much value can it possibly have? At most, it's a little better than ordinary sand, but it's not even worth as much as silver.

He shook his head, a hint of sarcasm in his smile, and said, "This crystal sand isn't exactly precious."

Midio almost blurted out that he didn't know what he was talking about.

But his good manners made him abandon the idea.

He's not a prince now; he's just a magic advisor to a minor lord.

When the master is speaking, how can the servant interrupt?

Alphonse smiled warmly, "This is not crystal sand, but a very precious sugar, which I have named Snow Sugar."

Midio quietly added to himself, "I'm the one who named it!"

"Is this sugar?" Count Jürgen was immediately moved and picked up the glass bottle to examine it closely.

Candy can actually be this crystal clear?

Alphonse chuckled to himself, finally feeling a sense of satisfaction. He had managed to fool the people of another world with common modern white sugar.

I love seeing how naive and unworldly the indigenous people are.

Count Jürgen uncorked the bottle and brought it to his nose to sniff.

It does seem that a sweet smell can indeed be detected.

He beckoned and gave the order, "Someone! Bring me a small spoon!"

The servant hurriedly ran out and quickly returned with a small spoon.

Alphonse didn't care about Count Jürgen's behavior and waited for what would happen next.

Count Jürgen poured a few grains from the glass jar onto a small spoon and handed it to the servant. "Try it," he said, "what does it taste like?"

The servant put the small spoon in his mouth, smacked his lips, and a strange expression appeared on his face, as if he was savoring the taste.

After a few moments, it replied, "Master, it's sweet, very sweet!"

"You will serve me here," Count Jürgen ordered again.

The attendant immediately stepped aside respectfully.

Count Jürgen turned to Alphonse, "As a fellow nobleman, it's only right that I offer you some assistance; after all, everyone encounters difficulties at times."

Alphonse remained noncommittal. The noble law of the Kingdom of Bastian did contain a clause that nobles should help each other, but it also stipulated that the recipient should pay the giver the necessary compensation.

Yes, Mia taught me.

However, not many nobles abide by this law. Without any vested interests involved, who would help you for no reason?

What followed was mostly empty pleasantries. Count Jürgen expressed his concern in a proper manner, while Alphonse could only try to show his gratitude and emotion at receiving such warmth.

Such social interactions are truly a headache.

Alphonse really wanted to use the Soul-Capturing Technique, which was simple and direct, to avoid this unnecessary politeness.

But having already suffered a setback with Midio, it was not easy to use him lightly when facing Count Jürgen, whom he was meeting for the first time.

He dared to meet strangers without a guardian knight, so he must have some kind of reliance on him.

If the Soul-Capturing Technique fails, then there is no way to return.

Fortunately, the time spent exchanging pleasantries didn't last too long.

Count Jürgen picked up the small spoon he used for stirring in his cup, poured out a few "snowflakes" from the glass jar, and tasted them.

(End of this chapter)