Chapter 256: Simply Pig-Like!

"Gervas, who are they?"

What a sight! Mil and the others exclaimed, "What a sight!"

So they had been standing here for so long, and this Flower of the Southern Region had been treating them as if they were air or wooden stakes, right?

Only now did she remember to ask about them.

They were all wearing decent silk formal robes; it was absolutely impossible for them to be mistaken for servants.

"Catherine, these are nobles from near Stormhold. After learning that Viscount Pa Ke invaded Stormhold, they came specifically to visit and inquire after me!"

Hearing that they had come to visit Gervas, Catherine's attitude immediately improved.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lords! Thank you for coming to see Gervas!"

"Uh! My Lady Catherine, no need for courtesy; we are also honored to meet Countess Catherine!"

"As for visiting Lord Gervas, as neighbors, it is only proper!"

Hearing that Catherine had taken the initiative to greet them.

Mil and the other minor nobles were flattered and hurriedly bowed to Catherine in response; their manner was nothing short of eager.

Catherine was somewhat puzzled; why did these nobles look so excited?

Of course, this was also because she had not had much contact with outsiders during this period.

Otherwise, she would have realized that the attitude of these minor nobles toward her was not an isolated case.

In fact, Violet Castle received visit requests every day now, but she had rejected them all.

She had even ordered the steward not to notify her and to reject them directly.

After all, when the Violet family had fallen on hard times, besides Gervas, no other family had extended a helping hand to assist her.

"Let's go, Catherine; you have arrived just in time. The luncheon is ready; since you traveled from afar, you must be hungry!"

Gervas saw Catherine's confusion and immediately invited her into the castle.

After all, the longer they stood here, the greater her confusion would likely become.

Upon hearing this, Catherine recalled the delicious food at Gervas's castle and was indeed very much looking forward to it.

For instance, the roasted oysters, Colored-Wing Swan meat soup, Colored-Wing Swan egg custard, combined with the skill of that beautiful chef, were things she could not taste elsewhere.

"Alright, Gervas!"

"Lord Uka Di, beyond this avenue lies Stormhold, and that mountain ahead is the spark that ignited the border dispute between Viscount Gervas and Viscount Pa Ke!"

"The battle between the two sides also took place right here!"

"Ker, you said at the time that Viscount Pa Ke was chased by Viscount Gervas all the way to your outpost, and that it was you who protected Viscount Pa Ke, preventing him from being captured by Gervas; indeed, in the end, it was you who escorted Viscount Pa Ke back to his castle, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Uka Di. At that time, Viscount Pa Ke, being chased by Gervas and several knights, appeared extremely wretched and panicked. Due to my duty and my acquaintance with Viscount Pa Ke, I directly allowed him into the outpost."

"Shortly after, Viscount Gervas quickly chased to the outside of the outpost, claiming that Viscount Pa Ke had invaded Stormhold, and that he had brought fifty light cavalry to ambush him, intending to kill him, and demanded that I hand over Viscount Pa Ke."

"At that moment, I learned that Viscount Pa Ke and Viscount Gervas had come into conflict,"

"However, since the Kingdom has laws stating that no one other than Your Majesty and the Noble Council may arbitrarily convict a noble, I refused Viscount Gervas's request and suggested that Viscount Gervas could later file a complaint in Iron Wolf City and Eagle City!"

"After Viscount Gervas heard this, he did not dare to attack the outpost arbitrarily and could only leave. By the way, before Viscount Gervas left, Viscount Pa Ke happened to see the two captured vassals, so he again demanded that Viscount Gervas hand them over!"

"Later, after Viscount Gervas left, I confirmed the safety and then escorted Viscount Pa Ke and his vassals back to Viscount Pa Ke's Castle!"

"At that time, I personally saw the gates of Viscount Pa Ke's Castle close before I left!"

Ker truthfully informed Lord Uka Di, who had been sent from Eagle City, of everything he knew.

Lord Uka Di was a trusted confidant of the Governor of the Southern Region.

Therefore, his arrival this time actually represented the Governor of the Southern Region.

For Ker, this required even more careful handling than the Civil Administrator of Iron Wolf City.

After all, the Governor of the Southern Region also held the power to supervise all legions in the Southern Region.

Although this power could not directly command legions in battle, any legion commander who did not wish to be targeted by the Governor of the Southern Region and have complaints filed against him day and day out had to give full face.

And he, being at the very bottom, had to be even more cautious in his service.

After listening to his report, Lord Uka Di frowned slightly and gazed silently at the Iron Mountain ahead for a long time.

"Lord Uka Di, is something wrong?" Ker asked cautiously.

"Too coincidental! Although Viscount Gervas seemed not to suspect anything, why would dark creatures attack Viscount Pa Ke's Castle immediately after his battle with Pa Ke?"

"Moreover, judging by the number of dark creature corpses, if it were not for this battle, the forces under Viscount Pa Ke would have been sufficient to resist; then Viscount Pa Ke's Castle might not have met such a fate!"

"Lord Uka Di, this is indeed very coincidental, but... dark creatures are those ghostly things; surely no one can command them?"

"Who can be certain!" Lord Uka Di said an ambiguous sentence.

As a steward of the Governor of the Southern Region, he had heard that some nobles deliberately caused trouble, luring dark creatures to ravage other nobles' territories.

However, the sole prerequisite for this matter was the ability to detect dark creatures in advance.

And dark creatures basically appear suddenly at night, so often their attacks are sudden; let alone detecting them in advance and guiding them to other territories.

In the past, when such situations occurred, it was always because dark creatures had flooded the area, and some nobles took the opportunity to strike.

But currently, the dark creatures near Stormhold and Viscount Pa Ke's territory have not flooded to such an extent; to threaten the border, it would still take at least three to five months.

"Let's go; take me to Viscount Gervas's castle."

"Yes, Lord Uka Di!"

"This... this is Colored-Wing Swan meat soup?"

"Yes, honorable guests. To entertain you, honorable guests, the castle slaughtered three Colored-Wing Swans this morning!"

"In addition, this is Colored-Wing Swan egg custard; five were cooked this morning in total!"

What a sight! Mil and the others exclaimed, "What a sight!"

They had originally thought that although Gervas surpassed them in military strength, his life was still rather frugal.

But who would have known... truly, comparing people makes one's heart break!

A single Colored-Wing Swan egg costs one gold coin, yet there is a large bowl of egg custard for each person on this table.

Furthermore, the servant said there is more after this; a total of five were used this morning.

Five Colored-Wing Swan eggs—that is five gold coins!

And there are three Colored-Wing Swans as well!

Let's not even talk about their value!

I just ask: are Colored-Wing Swans really meant to be eaten?

Even if a great noble arrived, these Colored-Wing Swans would have to be kept to produce swan eggs!

So, Viscount Gervas, living like this is truly a great waste.

And we all feel our hearts ache!

Besides, that giant lobster, those sashimi slices, and those charcoal-grilled oysters...

Why does the ocean of Storm Domain produce so much seafood?

Wasn't it said that the oceans are very dangerous?

As Mil and the others ate, they felt their eyes grow moist.

They didn't know if it was because the food was so delicious that they were moved!

Or if it was because their hearts were bitter that their eyes grew moist!

All in all, this is the life a noble should have!

The noble life we have lived is simply one fit for pigs!