Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Banquet
The Baron wanted to say something more, but his mouth was just halfway open when he was interrupted.
"Lord Louis!" A cheerful voice suddenly interjected.
Only to see a young noble stepping forward with a beaming smile, his face full of flattery: "You are now my greatest idol in the Northern Territory!"
Before his words could finish, another person squeezed in, a middle-aged noble dressed in a brocade robe, his hair sleek and shiny.
"My lord, may I have the honor of hosting you at my territory someday? We’ll certainly prepare the finest wine and the most tender roast venison!"
Next, as if a dam had been opened, more people kept crowding over.
Each with a flattering smile, holding a wine cup, surrounded Louis with greetings, toasting, and handing out name cards.
The Baron of the Southwest could only watch helplessly as he was squeezed out of the crowd, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Louis maintained his dignified smile, responding to the greetings while keeping an eye on the distance between them.
"Thank you for the compliment. I shall certainly visit when the opportunity arises."
"I am flattered, I have long admired the elegance of past seniors."
Every sentence was flawless, neither too close nor too distant.
But there were simply too many people, and no matter how composed and complete he was, he was nearing his limit.
At this moment, a well-dressed Attendant quietly approached, whispering in his ear: "Lord Louis, the Duke requests your presence."
"Excuse me," Louis seized this opportunity to gracefully take his leave.
Like that, under the envious eyes of the crowd, the Attendant led him out of the banquet hall, towards the Duke’s parlor.
Duke Edmund was already seated there, with a dozen other distinguished nobles by his side.
"Louis, let me introduce a few people," the Duke said with a smile, introducing Louis one by one, "This is Count Albert, and this is Count Grant..."
Each of them had considerable fame in the Northern Territory, and these people should indeed be the Celestial Dragon People of the North.
"The scion of the Calvin Family is certainly no mediocrity," Count Albert began with a hint of commentary, "There are plenty who can fight these days, but not many as outstanding as you."
"You really took down one of the Snow Swearer’s outposts with just about a hundred men?" Count Grant continued.
Louis replied calmly, "It was mainly good fortune; I don’t dare to claim credit."
"Hmm, well-spoken," Count Grant snorted, "Much better than some young hothead telling tales right after a battle."
Duke Edmund observed this, feeling more satisfied.
He gave a gentle smile and said in passing, "I invited him today, hoping he can integrate into our Northern circle sooner."
The nobles exchanged glances, a bit surprised.
This lad... just won a battle, didn’t he?
It was indeed impressive, but the Duke seemed to hold him in too high regard.
However, those present were all vassals of Edmond, naturally no one would dare contradict him publicly.
Count Albert thought for a moment, then simply raised his glass, speaking with a hearty tone: "Though young, your future is limitless. It looks like we’ll have another outstanding companion here."
Louis smiled and raised his glass in return: "I’m thankful for the kindness, I will not disappoint."
They all nodded with smiles, and after a round of pleasantries, the topic gradually shifted direction.
The nobles began discussing the most pressing issue—winter preparation.
"I’m afraid the winter snow will come early this year, the construction in my territory is only halfway finished, who knows how many will freeze to death again."
"This is easy to solve; come spring, just buy more slaves from the South."
"But these slaves are getting more and more expensive, they might soon become unaffordable."
"Hahaha, then we’ll just capture some barbarians from the North."
"That’s not feasible, the barbarians are hard to manage."
...
Every word from each noble made the serious issues seem light and casual, as if they were discussing a few farm animals.
Louis didn’t speak up, just listened quietly, but his expression grew increasingly grim.
The winter problem was one he couldn’t escape.
The victory at Qingyu Ridge brought him new land, which certainly made him very pleased.
But behind this reward lay three times the territory, multiple times the population, and countless issues.
Moreover, this year’s situation is rather unusual, having just conducted large-scale warfare, resources would be even more scarce.
He knew very well, if he wasn’t sufficiently prepared, by the end of winter, he wouldn’t just lose a few lives under his command but thousands to tens of thousands.
But the Red Tide Territory could still manage, with smoked fish and the year’s grain harvest, they could temporarily maintain their basic needs.
The houses were sufficient, and the geothermal heat in the territory ensured nobody would freeze to death for now.
But in those newly acquired places...
The citizens there were clad in thin linen, with roofs still leaking, and a heavy snowstorm could spell disaster.
These old nobles spoke lightly, but their families had cultivated their roots in the Northern lands for many years; their foundations were solid.
One harsh winter wouldn’t cause them major damage.
Moreover, they were indifferent to the plight of the lower rung populace.
Come spring, if the numbers were insufficient, they would simply purchase them from the South.
Hey, and the slaves are full again.
This was much easier than maintaining the survival of slaves.
But Louis was not yet capable of being that cold-hearted, still hoping to save more people.
Prepare more food, build more houses, gather more firewood.
However, such challenges require a lot more effort.
While Louis silently pondered the way out for his territory, the nobles’ conversation took another turn.
"Those Pioneer Nobles are truly a joke, a bunch of fools."
"They only create chaos in battle, and in territorial management, they only waste money. Quite a number died in this war too."
"Hmph, serves them right," one person sneered, "saves us the trouble of cleaning up after them."
For a moment, a few voices of agreement echoed lightly in the parlor.
No one noticed, seated quietly on one side, that Louis was indeed a member of the so-called "Pioneer Nobles."
Yet he displayed no change in expression, simply raising his glass quietly and sipping his wine.
Indeed, Louis was different from those people, not like the useless ones they spoke of, he performed better than most Northern Lords.
This was precisely why they forgot that this young man was just a newly risen noble "banished" to these lands.
"But not all Pioneer Nobles are useless," Count Albert glanced at Louis and casually added.
Duke Edmund smiled, seizing this opportune moment to broach a matter he’d prepared to inform everyone about.
"Speaking of pioneering," his tone was casual yet demanding attention, "There has been some activity on His Majesty’s side recently."
The group paused slightly.
"His Majesty intends to expand southward in a few years, targeting those small countries in the Southeast," Edmond said softly, "He’s asking us in the Northern Territory for some Knight reinforcements."
As soon as the words fell, the air tightened.
"Us again?" Count Grant furrowed his brow, "We haven’t even finished fighting our own battles."
"That’s right, the Southerners only suck our blood," another noble complained.