Chapter 157: 157 Accompanying the Princess on an Outing

Luoning chose two places for their outing from the list Moste had provided yesterday.

Spending the morning at Wushan Lake, followed by a stroll through the lakeside gardens, was considered a rather leisurely and pleasant recreational activity.

For the afternoon, he chose to take the Princess to the Colosseum to watch the show, which belonged to the more thrilling category of entertainment.

The entourage for the Princess's outing was very grand.

Although she only brought Knight Mixi with her, Wushan Castle had dispatched a Knight Squad led by Jialier to provide protection along the way, and more than a dozen servants followed as well.

These people were responsible for either keeping watch or setting up temporary sun-umbrella-style tents, arranging tables and chairs, and preparing snacks and food.

Thinking back to when Luoning first inspected Shanlin Town, he would eat dry rations and cold water when out at noon; how could there be such a display back then?

On the surface of Wushan Lake, a large boat sat quietly upon the water.

Luoning was holding a fishing rod and angling; in just three to five minutes, he had already pulled up seven or eight fish, drawing applause and praise from Princess Blanche, making him feel as if he were a master angler.

He decided that when he returned to Shanlin Town, he would also make a fishing rod and try his hand at Shanlin Lake.

"I hear there is a very large library in Wangdu, and it has all kinds of books inside."

Luoning chatted with Blanche while fishing; after all, he was the host, and he could not leave the guest of honor aside and only focus on his own fishing.

"I wonder if there are any books specifically introducing the Orland Empire and the period before the Empire was founded?"

Although Lulansi did have some books in his collection, they were not detailed enough, and many eras had gaps in the records.

As for history books regarding the time before the Empire, there was not a single one.

The Imperial Calendar has only reached the year 968; he did not believe this world had less than a thousand years of history.

"There are quite a few books about the history of the Empire."

"It is said that the period before the Empire was too chaotic, and as you know, books have always been expensive, not many were produced, and even fewer have been preserved."

Blanche sighed softly, her face filled with indescribable sorrow: "I have also wanted to learn about it many times, but my gains have been very few."

Luoning was somewhat surprised, "Even the library in Wangdu does not have such books?"

"There are a few, I suppose."

Blanche said with a smile: "If you want to see them, you can come to Wangdu to find me at any time, and I will take you to spend a few weeks in the library if you like."

It seemed that the other party was quite satisfied with Luoning, as such an invitation had already been issued three times.

Of course, it was also possible that she was only saying so out of politeness.

While speaking, Luoning pulled up another green fish, "Come, Your Highness the Princess, don't just watch, come and try."

"Me?"

Blanche pointed at herself, somewhat surprised and a little at a loss.

To tell the truth, she had been on many outings, but this was the first time she had been invited to fish, and the first time someone had asked her to hold a fishing rod.

"I have never fished before; I am afraid I won't be very good at it."

"It's fine, I will teach you."

Luoning handed the fishing rod to her, "As long as the fish are biting well, you only need to maintain enough patience and focus, and you will surely succeed."

"Then... then alright."

Blanche took the fishing rod somewhat awkwardly and tried to cast the line, but she was truly unfamiliar with it, to the point that she failed to cast it properly twice in a row.

"Perhaps the rod is a bit too heavy."

Luoning stood behind Blanche, reached his hands forward around her body, and gripped the fishing rod, "I will help you."

Listening to the voice right by her ear and feeling the warmth from his breath as he spoke against her ear, Blanche only felt her cheeks flush, and her heartbeat quickened quite a bit.

A royal princess should have experienced all kinds of occasions, but due to her bad reputation, she had not had much contact with the opposite sex over these years.

Because those people were afraid that if they got too close, they would be snatched up by Bruno to be betrothed and then cursed to death.

Therefore, she had never had such an intimate interaction with anyone in all these years, and for a moment, she forgot how to cast the rod.

She only remembered that this throw was very good, and soon a fish took the bait, and then the first fish of her life was caught.

"Yay~"

She laughed happily, masking her unusual emotions.

The two of them caught a few more fish, then returned to the shore by boat, and after handing the catch to the servants to prepare lunch, they began to stroll.

After several hours of spending time together, both sides had become much more familiar with each other, and it was no longer so awkward when they were alone.

After having lunch in the lakeside woods and resting for a while, the two began to head toward the Wushancheng Doushouchang.

Their best seats had been booked long ago, and even the start time of the Colosseum had been adjusted.

The Wushancheng Doushouchang stood in the center of the city.

This massive building resembled a mountain peak, solid and stable, making one feel a majestic aura that commanded respect without anger.

The center of the Colosseum was a huge performance stage, where gladiators would engage in life-and-death struggles with Magic Beasts, bringing thrilling scenes to the audience;

Surrounding the stage were high walls, and walls over ten meters high were enough to ensure that the Magic Beasts inside could not harm the spectators in the stands at the top of the walls.

This time, Luoning only brought Maiken, while Mixi remained by Blanche's side.

The four of them sat in the best seats at the front of the stands, and by looking down slightly, the entire performance stage was in full view.

At this time, the stands were already filled with spectators, including nobles, knights, merchants, and so on; as long as one could pay the viewing fee of at least three silver coins per session, anyone could come.

"There is also a Colosseum in Wangdu, and it is even larger than this one."

After the intimate contact while fishing, Blanche's words were noticeably more frequent, "I have been to watch it a few times, and the fighting scenes are very spectacular, but also very tragic!"

It was indeed tragic, especially for the defeated gladiators, whose ends were very miserable, with some even being eaten by Magic Beasts on the spot.

However, people still flocked to the animal fights because it was bloody, violent, and sufficiently thrilling.

"Boom!"

A dull drum sound caused the heartbeats of all the spectators to skip a beat.

The host, dressed in gorgeous clothing, was already standing on the viewing platform, and he loudly introduced: "Welcome everyone to the Wushancheng Doushouchang!"

"Today, our Colosseum welcomes an unprecedented heavyweight guest!"

As the speaker spoke, a beam of light shone onto the location where Luoning was, illuminating both him and Princess Blanche.

"That is the beautiful Her Highness Princess Blanche, from the noble Auduin Royal Family!"

"Please allow me to invite everyone to welcome Her Highness's arrival with the warmest applause!"

A princess; this was a major figure many people would never have the chance to see in their entire lives, and under the illumination of the light, Blanche appeared exceptionally beautiful.

This immediately drew thunderous applause, and many people shouted Her Highness the Princess's name, expressing their enthusiasm.

Blanche was relatively accustomed to such scenes; she stood up and walked to the front of the viewing stand, waving to the surroundings with a smile on her face, looking just like a star responding to the cheers of fans.

Luoning looked unexpectedly at the opposite viewing stand; was that Magic Crystal Lamp beside the host the spotlight of this world?

He frowned slightly.

In the itinerary submitted by Moste, there was no mention that the Wushancheng Doushouchang would have a segment specifically introducing Her Highness Princess Blanche.

One must know that one of the builders of this Colosseum was Wushan Castle.

Besides sharing profits with Wushan Castle, the operators of the Colosseum also had to obey the orders of Wushan Castle.

If there had been an introduction segment from the start, it should have been explained in advance to let the Princess be prepared.

Luoning glanced at those standing behind.

To give Luoning and Blanche enough space, Knight Mixi and Maiken were both standing a few meters behind them.

Maiken understood and immediately walked forward, "My Lord?"

Luoning said softly, "Stay alert."

(End of this chapter)