The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 95 Parliament and Conferences

Although the lion's facial expressions are not very rich due to its wild appearance.

But Merard could still tell that the public lord was not happy when he left.

Just as I was wondering why the other party was visiting the mansion so frequently, I heard my father questioning me:

"You mean Huss led the mercenaries deep into the forest ahead of time, leading the orcs in another direction, which gave you the chance to escape?"

"Yes, it is."

Melard felt that her father might not love her.

The reason he raised me was because I was his only son and had to shoulder the responsibility of the family.

So when facing his older and younger sisters, he can put on a kind face and even allow them to ride on his shoulders.

But when facing himself, he always wears a stern face, meticulously listing his shortcomings and mistakes—

Why do you treat me differently? Why are your expectations of me so high? What exactly is it about me that you don't like?

There are always arguments between fathers and sons.
"Because they will all marry other nobles in the future, giving them a happy childhood is the only thing I can do."

But you are different; you are the family's sole heir. I must hold you to high standards so that the family will not be ruined in your hands!

"Actually, I can get married too..."

"Damn it—where's my belt?! Give me my belt!"

Although the fat on his buttocks helped him withstand most of the whippings, he only suffered some minor superficial injuries.

But since then, he has never dared to tell his father what was on his mind again.

To be precise, she no longer dared to speak to her father.

It's a bit difficult to get him to lie to his father now.

Fortunately, the lie Tang Qi helped him weave was reasonably logical.

Huss's loyalty is also beyond question:

"This certainly seems like something he would do. The only thing I didn't expect was that those mercenaries who only care about money would actually agree to his plan?"

"Because, because Mr. Huss deceived them—yes, that's right. These mercenaries only care about money; they followed him after hearing about the generous reward..."

Since it was just a recitation of Tang Qi's explanation, Melard spoke haltingly.

"Where are Black Snake and Shattered Stone? I paid a hefty sum to hire them."

"The Black Serpent traveled with Chief Steward Huss, while the dwarf and that poet were responsible for escorting me and the refugees..."

"No, that's not the case."

Mel shook his head.

“You must remember that it was ‘you who devised the plan and led everyone to escape the orcs’ iron hooves,’ and it had nothing to do with dwarves or poets, not even a single copper coin.”

"why?"

“Listen, son. This is the best opportunity for our family and for you to make a name for yourself.”

Since the loss of territory is inevitable, we should make the most of it and turn the loss into a gain.

I'll show those who mock our family that Barry isn't just a farmer who grows star plums!

"But……"

Melard recalled that Don Qi had also mentioned the topic of 'fame'.

"But the bard who traveled with me seems to have already written down what happened along the way."

"That's perfect. Give him some money and have him write you up as the protagonist of a story; it'll save me the trouble of hiring some bards to sing your praises. Where is he now?"

"At Dragon Tail Pass. Because of the martial law, they only allowed me and the dwarves to enter the city gates."

"Let's wait until martial law is lifted before we talk about it."

Mel's mood finally improved.
"As for the losses in the territory... it's nothing more than a year's harvest."

If we can use this to expand our influence, gain support, and strive for a seat as a Masked Lord.

It might even just mean you marry a lady of high status—like Wendy from the Silver Shield family, after all, she has declared that she will only marry someone braver than herself.

This will benefit the entire family.

'With the right methods, even rotten cheese can sell well.'

My child, remember these words.

Sometimes, looking at things from a different perspective can turn a bad thing into a good one.

Although Merard never thought blue cheese was particularly delicious, he didn't dare disturb his father's fantasy.

Only after his father finished his teaching did he hesitantly ask:
"Then—how should the refugees in Xingmei Town be resettled?"

What are we going to do with them?

“They are, after all, our people…”

"It's already merciful of me not to hold them accountable for leaving their posts and territory without permission. Should I be expected to cover their accommodation and expenses?"

"But--"

But he still owed Tang Qi money, and Tang Qi would spread that secret throughout the entire Longjin City!

He couldn't bring himself to say these words:

"What if they don't make it back to their territory, or they don't want to go back?"

"Why not just go to the slums or orphanages and find some people who are so poor they can't even afford to eat to fill the gaps?"

Where do you think these people came from?

"It's just planting a star plum tree; it doesn't require any special skills. If they don't plant it, plenty of others will!"

Mel sighed, feeling that his foolish son was far too slow-witted and had much to learn.
"Alright, stop getting in my way. I'll throw a ball tomorrow night and tell everyone about your deeds."

Go take a shower and change your clothes now—look how smelly you are!

"I……"

"Go quickly!"

Seeing his father's anger, Merard dared not say another word. Nodding, he fled like a runaway wild boar.

Only then did Melna's stern expression soften:

"It's alright, it's alright."

It's good that you're back.

I can't bear to sell that money tree—

"Ha, the parliament and that big cat must be furious right now, right?"

……

"Ah!"

Lions have a deep, resonant voice, which made Leon's sneeze sound like a roar, startling everyone sitting in the Dragon Hall.

"Hey, don't be so angry. It's just a little white pig that was let in."

A deliberately neutral voice came from the heavy, wide white robe. His face was covered by a golden mask beneath the cloak.

There were a total of 19 such people in front of him, encompassing every representative figure from various areas of Longjincheng.

Of course, they wouldn't actually sit at that wide round table.

Now his form is somewhat ethereal, like a shadow formed from condensed smoke:

"At worst, we can let those orcs live a little longer. After a while, that 'old white pig who grows star plums' will get restless on his own."

“'Xingmei' is a money tree that makes people envious, so of course he won’t give it up easily.”

“If it weren’t for its immense value, I wouldn’t understand why we should push for public ownership of land.”

"In fact, I never expected him to be willing to sign a contract for his son. After all, he's still young, and if things don't work out, he can always have another one, right?"

"Perhaps his health wasn't very good? Otherwise, how could he have only given birth to one son?"

"If he wants to get it up, he might have to go to the Sandalwood Forest and find a druid to cast an Oak Cudgel spell on his cudgel."

"enough!"

Leon slammed his fist on the round table, causing the entire Dragon Hall to tremble.
"Keep these foul words to private conversations. This isn't the [Port Area] or [Business District]!"

The two playful laughs that had been heard earlier ceased.

They dared not offend this [Oathbreaker].

After all, the citizens are all speculating about the identity of the Masked Lord, but the lords themselves know everything about each other.

They were genuinely afraid of a lion coming to their door:
"Don't get so agitated, my lord. There's still one lord who hasn't taken his place yet. I thought the meeting hadn't started."

“She’s not coming,” Leon murmured.

"why?"

"He probably overslept because he was researching those 'underground mushrooms'."

One of the lords couldn't help but speak up:

"I've always been curious, what right does someone like her, who's always late and rarely seen, have to participate in parliamentary discussions? Does it really matter whether she's there or not?"

"This is not the topic we are going to discuss today."

Leon snorted coldly, scanning the 19 masked lords in total.
"Now, we will only vote on the resolution regarding 'how to deal with the orcs of Starplum Town'."

"Of course we'll just keep dragging this out—I've been eyeing 'Star Plum' for ages, something that can bring in a hundredfold profit. Making me watch that old white pig fill sacks with gold coins every year is worse than killing me!"

The lord representing the [Commercial District] raised his hand without hesitation.

"But this crop is useless outside of the unique soil near Starplum Town. I don't think it's worth the trouble of raising a group of dangerous orcs."

A decision cannot be met with both approval and criticism.

Others also joined in the discussion:
"Isn't it said that those mushrooms are excellent alchemical materials, capable of adapting to and modifying any kind of soil environment? Once enough mushrooms are extracted from the deep well, none of this will be a problem."

"The news about the orcs hasn't spread to the entire Lords' Alliance yet. If it drags on for too long, it could even damage the reputation of DragonGoldCity."

"Once we get the land, we can just bulldoze it, right? Then we won't have to leak the information to them anymore."

"But orcs reproduce quite quickly..."

Amidst the lively discussion, everyone made their own choice.

Leon counted the lords' votes and found that the votes were exactly equal.

So he pondered for a moment:
"Given the absence of some voters, I will not participate in this vote so that the vote count does not reach a tie."

So now, the last one—"

All eyes turned to the lord, who had remained silent throughout.

He was so silent that it was as if he didn't exist at all:

"The mushrooms that improve the soil come from the underground city, and this can promote the development of the entire [Deep Well District]. I have no reason to refuse."

When he raised his hand to vote, it also meant that the meeting was about to come to an end.

Leon said:
"Then spare the lives of those orcs for now, until [Mel Barry] relents."

The meeting is over! "

(End of this chapter)