Chapter 110: Different People, Different Fates

Facing the appetizers on the table, George was just about to sprinkle some salt on the cheese. Green quickly stopped George’s hand, shook his finger, and whispered, “Just try eating it like this! The cheese here is very different from the kind you find elsewhere!”

George looked at the round, egg-sized cheese slices, cut thin and laid evenly over sliced tomatoes with the skin removed. At the bottom lay the greens, glistening with crystal-clear water droplets. The whole dish looked like a blooming flower, with the cheese as the bud, the tomatoes as petals, and the greens as the supporting leaves. However, the dull gray tin plate ruined the overall beauty. If it were served on a bone china plate, the presentation alone would be enough to get it into a top restaurant in Karada.

But as a dish, appearance only ranks third. The aroma, which was second for a cold appetizer, was also not very strong. So, the most important thing was the taste. After watching Green’s move, George mimicked him and used a small fork to lift a piece of cheese held by a tomato slice into his mouth.

Once it hit his tongue, the fresh fruit and vegetable flavor of the raw tomato made the rich milky scent of the cheese reveal an extra touch of freshness. As the temperature in his mouth changed, the cheese began to melt. The sensation of this soft, solid curd melting in the mouth and stimulating the taste buds was so wonderful that no words were needed to describe it—anyone who had tasted the finest raw chocolate would understand.

What made George feel even more surprised was that the cheese he tasted this time lacked the distinct fishy smell of the cheeses he had eaten before. This made the original flavor of the tomato taste even richer and deeper. Although George was sure no sugar had been added to this appetizer, it tasted like a dessert.

George closed his eyes and savoring it carefully for a while before returning to his normal expression from his look of pure enjoyment. “Green, I never thought I could taste such delicious and elegant food in a busy tavern! This isn’t just about clever ideas; the most important thing is this cheese I’ve never tasted before—it really is unique!”

“I knew you had that idea in mind. But I’m really sorry, I have no news on this matter. As you know, I’m not very interested in such things. Besides, this is the owner’s business secret, and it’s not easy to find out.” Green shook his head, directly expressing his stance to stop George from trying to get information out of him.

Knowing Green’s character well, George did not press further. He just said, “It’s okay. There will surely be other ways.”

“I need to remind you! Although I am not a Knight, I was born into a Knight’s family. If you really do something that breaks the rules, we won’t even be friends anymore.” Having seen too many bullying court nobles, Green was overly sensitive to George’s slightly ambiguous words just now. His expression was not good afterwards, and his tone was a bit stiff.

Seeing Green’s reaction, George almost laughed out of anger. He said unhappily, “With the wealth of the Bolerum Territory, why would we need to resort to shady methods? For purely commercial matters, we would only use commercial means. With enough Gold Coins, we can buy off even a Lower Plane Demon or an Upper Plane Angel. Although we aren’t at that level yet, handling a small tavern is still quite easy.”

Saying this, George drew a money symbol on the table with his finger.

“That’s right! Among us, you are the real big shot! I say, Mr. Moneybags, since you are so rich, shouldn’t you pay for this meal?” Green immediately put on the image of a greedy sycophant, which perfectly fit his profession as a Bard!

‘Can’t say he isn’t a true professional actor. His face-changing skills are perfect, far better than any old fox with years of business experience!’ George thought to himself, then deliberately turned his head away. “You were the one who said you would treat me earlier. Why are you acting like a cheat so soon? Besides, without me, you wouldn’t have made that easy extra money today, would you? Can’t you give a little as a thank-you gift? I didn’t think you were this stingy!”

Young people usually can’t let go of their pride. Indeed, after George provoked him like this, Green immediately changed his attitude. “You’re right. Today, I’ll treat you.”

“This appetizer really opened my appetite! Now I’m very much looking forward to the main course!” Saying this, George deliberately licked his lips, making a look of impatience.

Green turned the tables and teased George, “Don’t expect too much. After all, this is just an ordinary Tavern, not a high-end restaurant like ‘Mobosa’ or ‘Cafura’. Having one signature dish like this is already great. The rest is just a little better than a normal tavern.”

But did George really not know this situation? Or was he just letting Green have the upper hand verbally?

On the other side, while George and Green were leisurely enjoying their bourgeois mood, the other protagonist of that morning’s farce was fuming with anger. The so-called “Baron Ignatius” was throwing a tantrum at the place where he was staying with his compatriots.

“Insult! This is the most unprecedented insult. Our House of Ignatius has never been treated like this.” As Ignatius spoke, he waved his hand and knocked the cup on his table to the floor. Fortunately, the tea table was not high, and there was a thick plush carpet on the floor, so this set of exquisite Eastern porcelain did not suffer serious damage.

The young man in front of him, who was not much older than him, shouted at him in dissatisfaction, “How long are you going to act like a madman here? Remember, this is Karada, not your former Baron Ignatius Territory. And you are no longer a Baron Ignatius, just a common Exiled Noble. Don’t go causing trouble for us before you have even settled down here.”

“What do you mean, Baroklav!” Ignatius looked up, his eyes burning like fire as he stared at the other man.

Lord Baroklav looked at him with an expression saying, “Are you an idiot? What do you mean? It means you need to realize your current status and position yourself correctly. Karada is not a place where you can do whatever you want. You caused such a big trouble on your very first day and were even caught red-handed! Do you know how much damage this does to us Exiled Nobles who fled from Cliffs?”

“Is that all you have to say? If it weren’t for the help from our House of Ignatius back then, would your family have been able to escape Cliffs? Now you refuse to help just because of such a small matter!” Ignatius truly became like a lit firecracker this time. His face twisted, and he kept slapping the table.

“Hah! Hah! Help? How do you expect me to help? When you helped our family escape Cliffs back then, you bit off a huge piece of us. So, that was more of a transaction than help. Your price was just a bit better than others. The House of Baroklav still remembers this favor. Otherwise, do you think we would have hosted you and helped arrange for your family to take root in the Duchy of Nohan?” Seeing Ignatius always acting as if he had done the Baroklav family a favor, Lord Baroklav, who was already very angry, directly crushed the other’s sense of superiority.

“You! You! You…” After a while, realizing he couldn’t think of a good way out, Ignatius was not completely stupid. Knowing that a local like Baroklav wouldn’t help him fight, he started trying to shift the blame. “It is the glory of Nobles to enjoy those low-born women. How dare those low-born people resist! This incident cannot be let go like this.”

Lord Baroklav frowned. He knew that if he didn’t let the other person vent somewhere, it might cause more trouble later. It was better to keep the matter within a controllable range himself. But he wouldn’t let him have his way completely. “Those are Freemen, not low-born people. Besides, they belong to His Grace the Duke. Do you want to touch His Grace the Duke’s property? Moreover, this matter has already reached the City Guard Station. Even if you want revenge, you have to wait a month or two. Wait until the heat dies down and you get the title of Court Noble first.”

“Only a Lord? Damn it, how could this happen? How could they downgrade a noble Baron from Cliffs to a Lord?” Ignatius found it very hard to accept. Perhaps in his eyes, the Duchy of Nohan in the north was only a bit better than the land of Barbarians. For a Noble like him from the South, even if not welcomed with open arms, he should at least be treated with courtesy.

In a sense, he was also one of those brainwashed by the narcissistic propaganda spread by Nobles living in the heart of the former Empire. He held onto his past glory but refused to face the changes in reality.

“This is a rule used across the entire Continent, and you are not more noble than others. Especially in Nohan, you are not even as good as a newly appointed Formal Knight.” Lord Baroklav only picked the key points and said nothing else.

A sharp person could easily sense his undisguised disgust for Ignatius. However, this was completely understandable. Dealing with such a teammate who might drag everyone down and who couldn’t be completely shaken off like a piece of tough candy, no one could keep a good mood.

Ignatius held his head and muttered in a crying voice, “Damn it, why did Father choose this place as the end of our escape?”

For such a self-centered guy, Lord Baroklav could only threaten him regarding his life and interests. “If you don’t want your political enemies from Cliffs to take your head back, Nohan is your best choice. If you go further north, you won’t even be able to keep your Noble status. Maybe you want to go there and become one of those ‘low-born people’ you speak of, and try how cold the north wind is, like a knife. I almost forgot to tell you, the road further north is not very safe. Barbarians often sneak in to attack passing Caravans. With your level of guards, if you meet them, there is absolutely no chance of survival.”

After saying what he wanted to say, Lord Baroklav picked up his tea cup and drank on his own, not caring about Ignatius’s reaction at all. In his view, his family had already done their utmost for the House of Ignatius.

Even though Exiled Nobles from the same region liked to huddle together for warmth, why was only he willing to help the House of Ignatius? Besides the fact that the House of Ignatius had made too many enemies with their arrogant behavior at home, more importantly, the heir, Young Ignatius, was a huge disappointment after the old Ignatius died.

Nobles themselves focused on bloodline inheritance, while their interactions with other Nobles focused on the exchange of interests or gaining greater benefits after a union. The image of the House of Ignatius previously acting as a selfish eater was already enough to be despised. Add to that the fact that the current heir was a complete playboy. They had barely sat down in Nohan before starting to bully men and women. Forming an alliance with such a ruling family, let alone gaining benefits, would be a miracle if it didn’t bring disaster to their own family.

If Young Ignatius could not recognize his mistakes and change them in the near future, the House of Ignatius might not even wait until he died of old age before becoming history. For such a piece of meat with no ability to protect itself, not even the consciousness to do so, once its mysterious disguise upon arrival was removed, it could not withstand the jackals that had gone hungry for a long time. Perhaps the Fireplace Nobles of Nohan might still have a bit of restraint, but those Court Nobles would not be so polite. By the time that happens, don’t blame Baroklav for joining in to get a share.

Ignatius’s expression changed rapidly in a short time. No matter how it changed, it was distorted and showed his very bad mood. After a while, his forehead turned red, and his cheeks became a deep purple. He closed his eyes and panted heavily. After waiting for a while, he seemed to accept reality and said dejectedly in a low voice, “Okay! I will do as you say.”

Thinking the other person might have understood a bit, Lord Baroklav felt he should give him some hope for the future. A person who doesn’t have high hopes for the future is not a good ally. Besides, after hitting them with a stick, you should at least give a sweet date. “It’s good that you understand. Although those Commoners cannot have their lives taken, it is very easy to make them lose their means of livelihood. However, to prevent others from getting suspicious, the time interval might be a bit longer.”

Knowing that the other person was willing to help him vent his anger, Ignatius finally felt a bit relieved. But he actually pushed his luck further. “Then those two young men who attacked me today, and the civil servant who threatened me, should not be allowed to have a good time either.”

“Cough! Cough!” Lord Baroklav, who had just felt a bit of good mood, was angered again by Ignatius’s lack of tact. He never thought that guy would be so out of touch with the times. This sudden change made the person who was actually drinking water almost choke to death. After finally calming down, he shouted angrily, “If you want to die, don’t drag others down with you. I have investigated clearly. The status of each of the three people you just mentioned is higher than yours. I advise you not to look for death.”

Perhaps his previously relatively gentle behavior had given Ignatius a first impression. Although the other’s tone had been stiff or severe before, his expression always seemed quite polite. This time, Lord Baroklav’s sudden outburst of anger like a general’s hat being pushed up had a certain effect. This huge contrast left Ignatius at a loss for a moment. At least his desire for revenge was temporarily suppressed.

Such a dialogue between Court Nobles and Exiled Nobles in Karada was still quite rare. To be honest, someone like Ignatius was very rare even among the somewhat decadent Nobles in the South. After all, a Noble family with years of heritage would not let their heir become a waste.

Let’s leave the two flowers and focus on one branch. Let our eyes return to George’s place, the ‘Oak Journey’ Tavern. As a rare Tavern that prepares knives and forks for customers, the ‘Oak Journey’ should be walking the so-called boutique niche route. Its greatest feature and capital is the performance space and the large gathering of Bards.

The two of them tasted the lunch in front of them, which was passable. After skillfully cutting a small lamb chop into the right size, dipping it slightly in sauce, and sending it into his mouth with a fork. Perhaps due to the environment, the two of them rarely maintained elegant table manners in a Tavern.

“George, after seeing you today, I have a question that has been buried in my heart.” Green rolled his eyes and asked with a somewhat smiling and not smiling look.

Although he didn’t know what trick the other was playing, George knew it wouldn’t be anything good, nor would it be intentionally trying to harm him. “Just say it quickly!”

Getting the reply, Green immediately put on a lewd smile. “Since you are about to go to the battlefield, you should be preparing a marriage contract, right? Give us a little news so everyone can have some fun!”

‘Truly a gossip man! Well, anyway, the Noble circle in Karada is so small. These news will be known sooner or later.’ Knowing that the profession of Bard naturally had a hobby of gathering news, George maintained an indifferent attitude. Without enough rumors as material, how could they create such twisted stories?

George deliberately lowered his voice. “My family has arranged a blind date for me, and one of them is Ben’s sister!”

“If that happens, you and Ben won’t be…” Green said with a strange laugh, “Hah! Hah!”

George said indifferently, “I hope so! But the first target designated by my family is not her.”

For this news, Green could only show a bitter smile, not knowing what other expression to use to face it.