Heart of the Castle

Chapter 417 His Majesty's Weird Attitude
When Li Wei and others followed Sir Bona, His Excellency the Grand Duke Raul just finished talking with the two nobles wearing the badge of the dripping spear, but it was different from the enthusiasm at the beginning. Although he was still smiling, there was a look of boredom and irritation in his eyes.

"I will consider your proposal, Baron Koth, but now please go and enjoy the food and wine with your nephew first, we will talk about this matter later."

The older of the two nobles shook his head lightly, his face surrounded by white beard and hair looked as tough as marble, "Your Excellency, Grand Duke Raul, your hesitation will make you lose the opportunity and your steps will be difficult, I hope your decision It won't be too late to make it, otherwise..."

"I will do my best to remember your wise reminder. Now, Baron Koth, I have a new guest to receive, so I'm sorry." Grand Duke Raul's tone became tough, and he interrupted a little rudely.

Baron Koth glanced contemptuously at Levi and the others who were approaching, "If you place your hope on him..." The corners of his mouth curled coldly, "The Stilwell family will let you see , What kind of strength should a truly reliable ally possess! Sam, let's go!"

After saying this, the two nobles of the Stilwell family walked away in anger. When they passed by Li Wei and others, the undisguised hostility even made the young lord feel a tingling pain in his body. .

"That's the number two member of the Stilwell family, the head of the Lightning Knights, Baron Koth Stilwell, the Lightning Knight." Sir Bona explained in a low voice, "The one behind him is his nephew , and also the youngest brother of Earl Leonard Stilwell, the current head of the Stilwell family."

"Is it the Stilwell family in the Jiuzhu family?" Li Wei's eyes flickered for a moment, and he wanted to cast a deep glance at the proud back of the middle-aged man, but that was all.The Lightning Knight is quite powerful, but there is still a huge gap compared to the Lord of Abyss Alchemy and the sword dancer Earl Ansair.He didn't feel timid when facing these two, and Li Wei certainly didn't have the slightest fear in his heart or face.

Sir Bona saw this from the corner of his eye, and his guess about Levi's true identity became more certain in his heart. He stepped forward, bowed deeply to Grand Duke Raul, and then introduced loudly. "My lord father, this is the light of the northern border rumored in the capital, the hero who ended the calamity, His Excellency Baron Leviston."

His Excellency Grand Duke Raul's blue eyes flashed with interest, and the anger on his face dissipated—or hid it deeper, and his expression became amiable. "Dawn of the North, Lord Levi Ston, I have heard of your reputation here in the capital. Since my brother fought the demon-slaying war in North Orla ten years ago, the Kingdom of Arthur has never Such a wonderful record...I heard that you even cut off the head of the demon commander with your own hands?"

"Your Excellency, that is the merit of my fencing teacher, Sir Rodriguez." Li Wei corrected. "Just standing in front of the abyss demon refining lord, I need to use all my strength to support it."

"Sir Rodriguez? Oh, is that the powerful knight beside you?" Grand Duke Raul glanced at the middle-aged knight standing beside Levi, especially at his star iron that slanted out of his right shoulder. Pausing on the giant sword for a while, the surprisingly simple appearance of that weapon made His Excellency slightly surprised in his eyes. "Sir Al-Adir just reported to me that he was defeated by a strange knight. I still don't quite believe it, but now that I see the knight himself, I believe it."

Sir Rodriguez bowed slightly, and replied with the haughty attitude typical of a strong man, "Sir Al-Adil is skilled. It was not a real duel just now, so I cannot agree with His Excellency's compliment."

Grand Duke Raul laughed at this somewhat offensive answer, "Sir Adil has many valuable qualities, but humility is by no means one of them, and this is the first time I have heard the words of admitting defeat from him. "His expression looked very happy, and then his eyes turned to the third person, "Master Li Wei, this is...?"

"He is the butler of Frederick, and he has served my family for more than 30 years." Li Wei said in a flat tone as much as possible.Grand Duke Raul nodded, his interest in Butler Frederick immediately faded away, he turned his attention away from the old butler, and said with a smile, "Welcome to the humble house, Lord Li Wei, I hope you can come here Have a nice evening here."

This sentence means that the Grand Duke is ready to end this conversation, and Li Wei is slightly surprised, because before that, he and Mr. Dish have guessed the real purpose of this prince's invitation, and even guessed that he is going to use this This banquet created a rift in the relationship between Li Wei and Arthur XII.But among all the guesses, there was absolutely no thought that this was just an ordinary meeting.

Although the rise of Li Wei can be said to be quite rapid, it is not an exaggeration to be called a dazzling new star in the northern border, but for His Excellency Raul, a mere baron on the northern border, even if he has some fame and achievements, It shouldn't be able to arouse the curiosity of this big man.

Unless he has other plans!
Well, let's try again.

With this in mind, Li Wei knelt on his chest with one hand and saluted, "Your Excellency, I came in a hurry this time. If you don't mind, please accept these meager gifts." The entourage of the box took a few steps forward, butler Frederick took out a small crystal bottle from his pocket, held it carefully in his hand, and walked behind the wooden box.

"A gift for me?" Grand Duke Raul smiled, and Li Wei could see that the smile of His Excellency the Grand Duke was genuinely happy, but it also carried a hint of disdain.This may not be the original intention of the Grand Duke, but the arrogance unique to the nobles from the capital of Fermeyer.

The same arrogance also appeared on the faces of those wealthy and famous people, and it was not concealed. They gathered in twos and threes, and watched Li Wei's four followers carrying the wooden box to the corner of the banquet hall with mocking eyes.There are all kinds of rare treasures sent by the guests on display, ranging from Taixi's enamel drip clock to Yahan's blue and white porcelain. The only common feature is that they are all exquisite. The large wooden box for decoration is even more cumbersome.

"Flandala, what is that? What an ugly wooden cabinet!" said a lady, patting the back of her hand with a small fan.

"After all, he is a little lord from a bitterly cold place like Beijing County. It is not easy to take out this cabinet." Another voice continued the words in a tone that seemed to understand.

Grand Duke Raul didn't mind the crudeness of this gift, instead he came over to show his appreciation.He originally wanted to alleviate Li Wei's embarrassment a little, but when his eyes fell on the box, the moist and solid material made his eyes flash a little surprised.

"Is it diamond sandalwood?" the Grand Duke said softly, his voice was like a sigh.

The expensive material can't cover up the defects of this item. It's like giving a piece of high-quality jade raw material as a gift. Although the value is enough, the taste is very bad.Although diamond sandalwood is precious, it is not considered a rare treasure for a noble like Grand Duke Raul at the pinnacle of power. Even among the gifts sent by the nobles of the royal capital, it can only barely rank in the middle .

Seeing the disdainful expressions on the faces of many nobles in the royal capital, Li Wei felt a very happy feeling in his heart, and a smile appeared almost uncontrollably on the corner of his mouth.This is exactly the effect he and Mr. Dish wanted to achieve after discussing it. Otherwise, with the manufacturing capacity of the Castle Heart, the diamond sandalwood carriage could be manufactured, and it would not be difficult to make this wooden box look exquisite and ingenious.

"Your Excellency, this gift is not a tribute, but it is quite heavy. You should be careful when you let the servants carry it." Seeing that the four followers had put the wooden box on the ground and then stepped aside, Li Wei deliberately Say it with a voice that many people can hear.

This sentence obviously made the people around the Grand Duke feel humiliated, "Master Li Wei, don't worry about it, the Grand Duke's mansion still has no problem handling these bulky gifts." A somewhat angry voice came from behind Grand Duke Raul , and then a middle-aged man wearing a decent butler costume walked quickly, bowed deeply to the Grand Duke, and then waved his hand. "You guys, carry this generous gift from Mrs. Li Wei to the warehouse. It's very obstructive to put it here. If that distinguished guest bumps into it, it will be bad."

Cheering laughter came from the surrounding crowd, but Li Wei didn't mind it, and calmly looked at the servants walking towards the wooden box, with a hint of anticipation in their expressions.

Seeing the four servants walking past, Grand Duke Raul shook his head, and Sir Bona who was beside him coughed lightly and reminded, "Housekeeper Pole, the box is made of diamond sandalwood."

Butler Boer was taken aback. As the Grand Duke's butler, he knew nothing about diamond sandalwood. This precious and hard wood weighs as much as steel of the same volume, and it is indeed difficult for four ordinary people to lift it.So he beckoned again, added four servants, and surrounded the wooden box together.

"Pick it up and follow me." Butler Bohr ordered, and the servants immediately stretched out their arms to grab the box, but a scene that made him angry and anxious appeared, eight strong servants tried their best at the same time, but the box But it didn't move at all!

"You bastards, didn't you have enough to eat tonight?" Butler Boer, who felt that he had lost face in front of the Grand Duke and the guests, walked over quickly and growled angrily.

"By gods, Master Steward, this box is so heavy that it is solid, isn't it?" a servant blurted out.

"I think we need at least twice the number of people." Another servant agreed.

"Twice? You have already doubled!" Butler Bohr said, "The country lord from the northern region only used four followers to carry this box. Didn't you all see it?"

Ordinary servants, of course, can't compete with alchemy swordsmen who have reached the level of regular knights. They exhausted all their strength, and veins appeared on their arms and necks, but the box still stayed there firmly, Not even a shake.

Butler Boer was about to continue cursing, but this scene had aroused the interest of Grand Duke Raul, who walked over and raised his hand to stop Butler Boer. "Bohr, it seems that Master Li Wei's gift is not simple, you should withdraw."

Butler Bohr took a deep breath, and the anger immediately disappeared from his face. He bowed deeply to Grand Duke Raul, and then retreated with the servants without saying a word.

"Master Li Wei, can you tell me what this gift is?" After turning around the box, Grand Duke Raul returned to the position facing Li Wei, with a strange expression on his face, as if Mixed with wonder and a little bit of surprise.

"It's a knight's armor." Li Wei's answer caused many people around to show surprised expressions, but the young lord seemed to deliberately want this effect, and his voice became louder, "The place north of the Dusk Forest is not It is as safe as the king's capital, and it is always harassed by robbers and monsters coming from the extreme northern ice sheet and other directions. Therefore, on the northern border, we regard swords and armor as our second life, and they are all we can get. The most precious gift that ever came out."

"It's a pity that there are no robbers here, let alone monsters!" A voice shouted in the crowd.But this time it didn't cause many echoing laughter, because a few people finally saw the material of the box, which was spreading among the crowd, and then everyone's attention was almost focused on the mysterious box.

"Well, if it's knight armor, then there are quite a few connoisseurs here. Your Excellency, Grand Duke Raul, if you don't mind, can you let everyone appreciate the treasures from the northern border together?" The speaker He was one of the two nobles of the Stilwell family who had talked with Grand Duke Raul just now. Although his tone of speech was quite polite, and he even called this gift from Li Wei a treasure of the northern border, but that young face The expression on his face was completely opposite, showing arrogance and disdain.

Grand Duke Raul frowned slightly, and looked at Li Wei, as if asking for his opinion.This action caused more doubts in Li Wei's heart. Could it be that Grand Duke Raul did not have the slightest malice towards him?But he didn't show this thought, and a smile appeared on his face naturally.

"Your Excellency, I have exactly the same intention."

Li Wei's confident attitude caused Grand Duke Raul's eyes to show a little bit of astonishment again, "Okay then, Bona, Hyde..." He called the names of the second and third sons, "Go and open Lord Li Wei's gift , and then let the guests appreciate it."

Sir Bona and a young man in casual cavaliers then walked to the wooden box, and after a little observation, they found the undisguised lock on the box.After the box was opened, both of them were obviously stunned for a moment, especially the young man named Hyde, the shock and admiration in his eyes couldn't be concealed.

"What's the matter, Hyde, don't you like armor and swords the most? Let me introduce to the guests, how is the forging level of this set of knight armor?" Grand Duke Raul urged.

"It's hard...unimaginable...what a magnificent color, what a perfect arc..." Hyde's voice seemed to be sighing from the depths of his chest. Even when Grand Duke Raul spoke, his eyes did not leave the box Leaving inside, if Sir Bona hadn't stopped him in time, he must have touched the armor with his hand in a very rude manner.

"Hyde, turn the box around and let the guests appreciate it." There was a hint of anger in Grand Duke Raul's voice, Hyde's body shook suddenly, and he finally woke up from his gaffe. "Of course, Father." He hurriedly replied loudly, and then the surface of his body revealed a sky-blue grudge. He grabbed the box with both hands, and turned it over carefully.

"That's right, fighting spirit is at the level of a high-ranking knight, but the combat experience is poor." Sir Rodriguez commented softly. "Among the young people present, this Hyde will be ranked third, and the second is the kid from the Stilwell family, who has already reached the level of a great knight commander."

"Then who is number one?" Butler Frederick asked.

"Of course it is Master Levi. The skills honed by the blood and fire of the northern border are not comparable to the flowers in these greenhouses." Sir Rodriguez said firmly.

When the box was turned around, no matter whether it was curiosity or disdain, the eyes of those rich and nobles were all focused on it, and then their expressions were all frozen on their faces, which did not change for a long time.Even Grand Duke Raul couldn't hide his surprised expression, and couldn't help but took two steps forward, wanting to see the suit of armor more clearly.

Inside the box is a set of full-body armor including a helmet, iron gloves, and combat boots, and it is the metal plate armor with the best defense. The joints are connected by small and complicated steel rings. It is so dense that it looks like caviar roe squeezed together.The surface of the armor was not painted or enamelled as usual, but it showed a magnificent deep purple, and there were tiny stars shimmering in the night.In addition to the impeccable material and forging process, the artistry of the armor is far beyond the ordinary level. The helmet is made in the shape of a roaring dragon, and the shoulders and boots are decorated with dragon claws to echo. It looks like a giant dragon that is furious, and the timid people even feel like their bones are standing on end just standing in front of the armor.

"This is really a rare treasure!" Grand Duke Raul blurted out, not hiding his satisfaction with this gift.He should really feel this way, the shape of the giant dragon of the armor just matched the blood of the dragon claimed by Arthur's royal family, and the level of exquisiteness was even comparable to the dragon king's armor hanging in King Arthur XII's bedroom!
There was a slight commotion in the crowd, and a small lord from a remote country in their eyes gained the upper hand. Most of the rich and nobles were resentful.But they still have vision, the value of this armor has far exceeded the concept that money can describe, even the alchemy armor treasured by some ancient families is nothing more than that, so they had to keep their mouths shut,

"Your Excellency, your praise is too generous." The young man from the Stilwell family suddenly said loudly, and the elder beside him seemed to want to stop him, but stopped at the last moment.The young nobleman walked out of the crowd slowly, and sneered at Li Wei contemptuously, "In front of a truly powerful magic weapon, this armor is just a show, and it is not worthy of the status of His Excellency Raul!"

(End of this chapter)