NOVEL WEB Chapter 92 Playing Dumb_1
Hibel, who had just entered from outside, had changed into a new outfit. Her aqua blue noble long dress, adorned with gemstones and pearls, looked extremely splendid.
Originally coiled into a bun to facilitate wearing a helmet, her dark red hair was now let down, its curly ends resting on her shoulders with faint, twinkling glimmers of red Fire Magic elements.
This was the true manifestation of magical energy overflow.
Lifting her skirts, Hibel walked briskly, only slowing her pace after a soft reminder from the butler. Yet, she still moved as if carrying the wind—a typical military style.
"Knight Yan Xing, Knight Colell, welcome to our home... I hope the lunch prepared for you in the kitchen is to your liking," she said.
After sitting down, Hibel glanced at the dining plates of the two visiting knights.
Knight Colell's steak was barely touched, whereas Knight Yan Xing's plate... held only a few scraps.
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When Hibel had approached the door, she had overheard the servants snickering and whispering about Knight Yan Xing's rudeness.
As a guest, proactively asking for food and drink was actually quite impolite.
Hibel was puzzled. The Knight Yan Xing she had met outside Nuta City did not seem to be like this. His voice, so compelling, still echoed in her ears. He seemed a man of great refinement.
Could he be in disguise? Then Hibel watched Knight Yan Xing wipe the grease from his mouth with his hand before using a napkin to clean his hands. Hibel became even more uncertain... which was the real him: the charismatic leader she had first met, or the man before her now?
But no matter what, the most important thing was to acquire a set of Ice Jade Porcelain tableware from him.
"Miss Hibel, your beauty..."
From the moment Hibel entered, Knight Colell's eyes had not strayed from her. Admiration and shyness turned his cheeks slightly red. He racked his brains for all sorts of compliments, preparing a praise poem with the theme of "You are beautiful."
But just as Knight Colell was about to speak, Hibel said to him, "Thank you, Knight Colell, for escorting Knight Yan Xing here. Your task is completed... Knight Yan Xing and I have very important matters to discuss."
Asking for the Ice Jade Porcelain this way bordered on soliciting a bribe, and such a matter definitely couldn't be known to outsiders.
Moreover, Hibel knew that for the Ice Jade Porcelain tableware, both Duke Silvermane and the duchy's Central Shrine had sent special envoys. Servants of nobles from all over had filled every inn in Nuta City. Because of this, the Nuta City garrison had specially strengthened patrols in and around the city to protect the influential people within.
If word got out that Count Theodore was intercepting the deal here, taking one of the five sets of Ice Jade Porcelain tableware... All of Nuta City would be in an uproar!
Therefore... it was necessary to send the meddlesome Knight Colell away first so she could discuss important matters with Knight Yan Xing.
Additionally, the matter of someone within the duchy colluding with the Orcs must also be kept secret from Knight Colell.
Poor Knight Colell. He had waited so long for an opportunity to showcase his artistic and military talents to Miss Hibel, only to be dismissed before he could even finish a sentence.
"Miss Hibel, I..."
Right now, all Hibel wanted was to get the Ice Jade Porcelain tableware from Yan Xing as quickly as possible and then accomplish a great feat.
"Knight Colell, you have completed your task here! Many important people have arrived in Nuta City, and what you need to do now is to patrol your jurisdiction as quickly as possible. We don't want any trouble during this critical time. Knight Yan Xing is my invited guest; I will see to his reception," she stated.
Hibel was now sternly ordering him to leave. In terms of status, she did not need to be polite to Colell.
Filled with resentment, Colell could only rise, bow to the Count's daughter, and take his leave. Then, quite rudely, he ignored Yan Xing as he departed.
Only Yan Xing, Hibel, the butler, and a few servants remained in the room. It grew very quiet.
Although Hibel wanted a set of Ice Jade Porcelain tableware from Yan Xing, now that the moment had come, she felt too embarrassed to bring it up directly.
After all... it was not an honorable request. As a young lady from a count's family, she had never done such a thing. How should she put it? To ask for it outright would be far too undignified.
As Hibel hesitated about how to begin, Yan Xing had already finished the steak on his plate. He held up his empty plate to the butler and said, "Could I have another steak, please? It really is delicious. In my own domain, all I have to eat are hardtack rations as tough as stone."
"It is our honor that Your Excellency has such a fine appetite," the butler responded.
The butler took the plate and stepped out of the dining room. Handing it to a servant outside, he instructed him to fetch another steak from the kitchen, then whispered, "Inform the master that Knight Yan Xing has requested another steak. He possesses none of the qualities befitting a noble; he's as crude as a barbarian from the Swamps. I will remain here to overhear the young lady's conversation with him."
After dismissing the servant, the butler returned to the dining room and positioned himself by the door, observing Yan Xing from an angle where he wouldn't be noticed.
Meanwhile, after some thought, Hibel finally came up with a suitable way to start the conversation.
"Knight Yan Xing, when we first met outside the city... you mentioned you have a domain near the Thunderous Swamp on the plains. Many of the Swamp Tribe Werewolves are among your followers. I've heard that the Thunderous Swamp has many magical specialties. I was wondering if you might have brought some with you? Could you perhaps let me see some of these special artistic pieces from the Swamp Tribe?"
Hibel was quite pleased with this line of reasoning.
This Knight Yan Xing came to Nuta City for the Ice Jade Porcelain auction. If he hoped to fetch a good price for his Ice Jade Porcelain, then if I expressed a wish to admire the art pieces he brought, he would surely offer the Ice Jade Porcelain for me to see. Once he took out the Ice Jade Porcelain tableware... negotiating for it would become much easier.
Yan Xing hadn't expected Hibel to bring up artistic pieces from the Swamp Tribe.
Shouldn't they be discussing the mercenary collusion with Orcs to attack the Eternal Domain instead?
Yan Xing had already formulated a plan to deal with this matter while on his way here with Colell. The plan was simply to play dumb. How could a simple, naive, and inexperienced minor lord like me, who only knows about food and drink, possibly consider deeper implications like mercenaries colluding with Orcs? After all, I've already killed the invading Orcs and handed over the captured mercenaries to you. I don't know anything else. Surely you wouldn't take the initiative to tell me, 'We have traitors in our midst; please help us find them...'? That would be truly foolish.
Yan Xing didn't understand noble etiquette, but having spent so much time with the Werewolves, he was an expert at playing the simpleton. I just had to copy how Duan'er behaved in the Eternal Domain. Besides, the food and drink were indeed delicious. This was practically a free-for-all buffet; it would be a waste not to indulge. I must eat until I need the wall for support on my way out; only then would I have perfectly played my role.
Yan Xing just hadn't expected Hibel to begin by discussing specialties and artistic pieces from the Swamp.
Nobles will be nobles. Even for serious business, they have to beat around the bush. Such a grave internal problem, and they still want to chat about art first. But with the way Swamp Tribe Werewolves build their dens, what kind of artistic pieces could they possibly create? Chasing their tails and rolling around... that might pass for performance art, perhaps.
However, while I couldn't actually produce any artistic pieces from the Swamp Tribe, the thought of making money under the pretext of 'Swamp Tribe art' was definitely there. And it was a very strong thought!