Chapter 71: The Salon

Seeing George’s rare playful gesture, Viscount Bolerum was immediately stunned. Sometimes, one had to feel sorry for Viscount Bolerum, having to deal with a son like George, such an overly mature Transmigrator. Since George was three years old, Viscount Bolerum had never experienced a single moment of true family joy. Thus, this simple gesture alone was enough to charm Viscount Bolerum.

Seeing Viscount Bolerum’s reaction, the softest part of George’s heart was touched. Compared to Viscount Bolerum’s previous constant nagging and his slightly exaggerated, performative expressions and movements, this natural and completely subconscious act from the heart made George feel a deeper sense of affection and respect from the bottom of his heart.

“Should I also give my cheap dad some benefits from time to time?” George suddenly thought of this idea without knowing why. “No! No! I must have been out of my mind just now. How could such a thought even appear? Maybe if I give him a taste of sweetness, he will want more later.”

Under these circumstances where everyone had their own thoughts, the study became very quiet for a moment. However, soon Viscount Bolerum’s words broke this calm surface like a stone thrown into a still pond: “George, you should remember the main purpose of your trip to Cardala this time, right? This is a crucial matter affecting our Territory for the next few decades. If you delay this matter because you are busy with the cooperation with the Lord of Justice, it would clearly be a loss greater than the gain. So, after the framework and main body of the cooperation are completed, arrange for others to take over the detailed parts. You just need to focus on the specific progress. The man power of the Bolerum Territory in Karada is at your disposal, but you must first remember that the continuation and inheritance of the family are the foundation.”

“I understand, Father,” George replied, following Viscount Bolerum’s words, while thinking to himself, “How do you know that the legal construction of the Territory won’t affect the development of the next few decades? Is this called the limitations of the times? And why do I feel like I’m being treated like a breeding stallion from your words just now?”

Viscount Bolerum said with satisfaction, “I am glad you understand. But how did you know I would arrange a meeting for you?”

“That’s not simple, is it? There is still a long time before the Autumn Hunt. If it wasn’t for the pre-arranged meeting, but waiting until the Autumn Hunt, would I need to free up my time this early?” George asked back with some confusion, while thinking, “You must have done this on purpose! You must have done this on purpose! Such an obvious situation, anyone with normal intelligence could see it. Why are you pretending to be surprised?”

Viscount Bolerum waved his hand and said, “Oh my, oh my, you are as sharp as ever.”

“Father, I think there is no need to dwell too much on this matter. Regarding the time, place, and method of the meeting, you should inform me first. That way, I can have time to prepare.” George immediately countered Viscount Bolerum’s poor acting skills.

Seeing George’s intense reaction, Viscount Bolerum’s eyes lit up like a child discovering a new toy. He paused and said, “The specific time has not been decided yet. I must discuss it with the other party’s parents before reaching a conclusion. But you must be ready for balls, evening banquets, and salons!”

“Balls and evening banquets are fine, but as for salons, aren’t they gatherings of sissies who can’t even fight a Goblin, discussing the falling of leaves or sighing about the changes in their lives?” Hearing the word “salon” in the words, George couldn’t help but shiver a few times.

Since George saw this kind of thing in Karada two years ago, he had been disgusted by it. If it was just some useless people who refused to pay a price and felt hopeless about standing out, using this to pretend to be cultured just to numb themselves, that would be fine. But later, many so-called poems criticizing current politics were spread. In George’s view, these works were nothing more than nonsense and whining without any real pain. They not only offered no help to the real situation, but the sour smell of old vinegar leaking from them was enough to ruin one’s appetite. Sometimes, even things with obvious errors in grammar and vocabulary were praised by those guys and given the fancy name of “creative change.” In short, George believed that those guys’ behavior seriously tarnished poetry as a form of literary art.

Viscount Bolerum slapped his thigh and laughed loudly: “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! This is a sarcastic description! Next time I see those guys, I will definitely use these words to provoke them.”

“It seems Father and those people from the literary salons don’t get along well at all! Can I say this is a father-son understanding?” George immediately saw the contradiction and asked with some worry, “Won’t this lead to a direct conflict with them? If something goes wrong later, it will be hard to handle.”

“Don’t worry. What kind of trouble can those guys cause? If they really start fighting, your old dad can handle all of them by myself. Originally, because of my status, I couldn’t take action against them. But if they strike first, it’s a perfect chance to teach those guys a lesson.” Viscount Bolerum waved his right hand to show George not to worry about this.

However, his frank expression of full malice still made George feel a bit shocked. “How did those useless guys turn my good-natured cheap dad into such an angry state? Was my judgment wrong at the beginning? Maybe those guys aren’t as useless as I thought. Although they are not good at doing real work, they are quite good at disgusting people and making enemies.”

Seeing George looking down and silent, Viscount Bolerum thought he was worried about him going to the literary salon. So the Lord Viscount hurriedly explained, “Don’t worry too much! No military noble would let their children participate in a literary salon that only wastes time. But now, the salons in Karada are not just that kind anymore. A salon originally meant a small circle gathering. However, those gatherings that started in the Commercial Republics in the South, for some reason, spread to our place and turned into an activity for those clowns to show off. Now, we are just restoring it to its original appearance.”

“Non-literary salons? Then what kind of salons are they specifically?” George couldn’t help but feel curious now.

Viscount Bolerum said with a strange smile, “After the exchange with the Kingdom of Coruz this year, many different types of salons have popped up like alfalfa in the spring fields. You will know which one you will attend when the time comes. Right now, even I don’t know. It mainly depends on whether the meeting time matches the time of one of the salons.”

“Did Father arrange this on purpose just to make fun of me? Anyway, I feel a very strong sense of conspiracy. And the exchange with the Kingdom of Coruz. Is there something wrong here?” George looked at Viscount Bolerum with a strange expression and asked, “When did the exchange with the Kingdom of Coruz start? And how is the discussion about the marriage alliance with these two kingdoms going at the highest level?”

“Why did you suddenly change the topic? Oh, is it because I just mentioned the Kingdom of Coruz?” Viscount Bolerum laughed at his own slow realization.

George shouted angrily, “Don’t try to change the subject!”

“It seems you changed the subject first. Also, you should not worry about diplomatic matters for now. Dealing with those old foxes is not an easy job. It won’t be so quick to get any results.” Viscount Bolerum seemed to think of something and suddenly looked tired.

George murmured to himself, “So it is full of difficulties after all.”

Viscount Bolerum smiled, “With that tone, it sounds like you already knew this situation would happen.”

“Of course! The impact of a potential all-out war between Human countries in the future will definitely be beyond our imagination. The risks and benefits hidden within cannot be clearly seen in a short time. There are also various conflicts, big or small, between the families in the highest level. Plus, everyone has their own different judgments on the threats and benefits that the war might bring. It would be a miracle if a consistent decision could be made in a short time.” George immediately defined the nature of this matter without saying a word, “Just the few families in the South will definitely have different voices. The Territories with close trade with the Kingdom of Coruz will surely lean towards that side. And the Lords who make a living from the land will surely long for opportunities to expand. Plus the fence-sitters in between. Just the Lords in the South are divided into so many factions, let alone the entire Duchy.”

“You see through this matter better than me in this aspect. But for now, the situation is still quite stable. Your old dad can still handle it, so it is better that you do not express any opinions on this matter. Just consider it as maintaining a bit of my fatherly pride.” Viscount Bolerum said with a bitter smile, while thinking to himself, “Having such a child is enough to comfort the ancestors. But sometimes, as a parent, I really feel a bit…”