inspire-indiana Chapter 260 What I Saw With My Own Eyes
Chapter 260 What I Saw With My Own Eyes
Autumn July 3th.
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Thorn Collar.
In the Thorn Hall, which Darian once jokingly called "the most shabby place in the entire North".
Darian, his round belly bulging, stood before the long dining table, holding a glass of mead he had bought from Chiffon, and called out loudly to his two baron friends:
"Let me tell you, when Lord Lawrence came up with a stern face, he immediately stated Viscount Hanshan's accusations, saying that Chiffon had stolen Hansong's rabbit, and there were witnesses who could be confronted."
He stuck out his belly and imitated Earl Golden Lion's serious expression, but unfortunately his round figure was not very intimidating.
Two old friends sat around the table, staring intently at him.
Darian was very satisfied with the result.
"But who is Viscount Richard?"
He slammed his hand on the table, making the wine glasses jump, and his face and belly fat tremble.
"The Viscount remained calm and composed, placing a stack of documents on the table. Every rabbit had an official registration, and the entry records were crystal clear!"
He got more and more excited as he spoke, spitting as he spoke.
"Ashvalan and I were standing right there and saw Lord Lawrence flipping through those documents page by page for a good half hour!"
"After we finished tracing the rabbits, we randomly selected a few more and asked them questions on the spot: where they came from, how long they had been there, and where they had been before. Those rabbits answered fluently and clearly."
As he spoke, Darian took a large gulp of mead, wiped his mouth, and his tone was filled with a genuine sense of conviction that even he himself believed.
"Just think about it, what kind of person is Lord Lawrence? He's incredibly fair and impartial, delivering his verdict on the spot after the trial!"
He said that Han Shan's accusations were completely fabricated, and were directly dismissed. He also fined Qi Feng two thousand gold coins to compensate for the damage to her reputation!
When the two barons at the table heard the phrase "a fine of two thousand gold coins," they both gasped in shock.
A tall, thin man analyzed, shaking his head: "Viscount Chiffon can entertain guests with more than a dozen bottles of Golden Star Blueberry Wine, and he'll return the favor with a hundred magic lamps."
"With such enviable wealth, how could one possibly murder a nobleman just to steal a batch of rabbits? Han Shan's accusation is baseless, based solely on the motive."
Another slightly older baron beside him nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Lord Lawrence has been arbitrating in the North for so many years and has a good reputation for fairness. Since he ruled against Cold Mountain, he must have verified the evidence."
Darian sat down and took another swig of wine, his nostrils practically flaring up as if he were the one who had collected the two thousand fines.
"Of course! I saw it clearly. Lord Lawrence even recorded the length of each rabbit's ears. What trouble could Viscount Cold Mountain possibly cause?"
...
...
Blackthorn Collar.
The usually quiet council hall in Blackthorn Territory was unusually lively.
"This is Viscount Chiffon's return gift."
Baron Blackthorn placed a light panel on the table and gently pushed it with his finger, letting the soft light slide in front of the two invited barons.
He sat back down in his chair with his arms crossed. Although his tone was calm, he couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes.
"You should all know about the magical power of chiffon; it is the work of those war mages."
"Take a good look. This magic lamp doesn't need any materials. Just press the switch, and it will keep burning."
The two friends leaned closer to examine it, waved their hands in front of the light panel, and found that the light was so stable that even the shadows didn't shake. They couldn't help but marvel.
Blackthorn saw this and tried hard to suppress the ever-upturned corners of his mouth.
"Viscount Richard sent a hundred lamps to each household. I had someone estimate that these hundred lamps would be worth at least five hundred gold coins if they were converted to market prices for magic lamps."
The two friends exclaimed "Wow!"
"So, there were fifteen of you attending the opening ceremony. Does that mean Viscount Richard sent out a batch of magic lamps worth over seven thousand gold coins?!"
One of the barons' eyes turned red!
"Oh my god! I also received an invitation from Melanie, but I was busy dealing with the aftermath of the Black Serpent Plague..."
At this point, he suddenly slapped his thigh hard!
I regret it!
Although Chiffon helped the North ward off the plague, he was only a baron at the time, and was later promoted to viscount for his merits. The key point is that his territory was still north of the North.
Therefore, he felt that Chiffon was just lucky to recruit a group of war mages, and that he was nothing special in other aspects.
But who knew that Chiffon secretly possessed the wealth and power of an upper-class nobleman!
This caused him to miss an opportunity to show off in front of the thighs, and also missed out on a batch of magic lamps worth five hundred gold coins!
Baron Blackthorn, seeing their reactions, crossed his legs with satisfaction.
He knew he had been showing off a bit too much today, but having received such valuable return gifts, it would be a waste not to flaunt them.
...
...
Ashvale Council Hall.
Most of the important officials and scholars of Gray Valley gathered together.
Municipal ministers, craftsmen, stonemasons, serf stewards, tax officials, city defense officials, logistics officials, and so on.
Municipal ministers, craftsmen, stonemasons, serf stewards, tax officials, city defense officials, logistics officials, and so on.
Baron Ashvale paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, recounting his observations of Chiffon City to those present.
From stone pavement to underground drainage, from flowerbeds to magical giant trees, and then to a vast array of magical lamps.
Each item mentioned was recorded by the corresponding official, and then the matter was discussed on the spot to see if the Ashiya territory could also be changed accordingly.
It seems he wants to drastically transform his territory.
The city officials have drawn up several pages of sketches, marking the width of the drainage ditches reserved for each alley, the spacing between garbage cans, and the standards for sidewalks, all in detail.
The craftsmen's task was to come up with a renovation plan and cost estimate for the main street before the end of autumn, as well as to study the feasibility of transporting sewage to fermentation tanks outside the city.
Tax officials are required to issue a report outlining which projects can reduce other expenses to free up budget, and which require alternative sources of funding.
The meeting ended late at night, and the officials gradually dispersed, but there were still matters that needed to be discussed the next day.
Baron Ashvale stood alone by the window, gazing absently at the night outside.
He remembered the magical giant tree edged with gold by the sunset, the roses blooming freely by the roadside, and finally, the central avenue so clean it reflected the lights...
He exhaled softly, imagining that Ashenvale could also be as dazzling and radiant.
...
...
Hanshan Ling.
The atmosphere in the study was as cold as if a heavy snowfall had already begun in winter.
Viscount Hanshan sat behind his desk, his face grim, because an arbitration award was spread out on the desk.
A fine of two thousand gold coins is imposed, to be paid within a specified period.
The successor of Hanshan stood in front of the desk, his face showing far more confusion than anger.
"Among those snow rabbits, there was clearly one named Xueyan. If she were identified on the spot, Qifeng wouldn't be able to deny it. How could Golden Lion rule against us when it's such an undeniable fact?"
Hanshan pushed the judgment forward.
"Lawrence didn't even meet with the witnesses, or have them confront each other. This isn't arbitration; it's clearly a case of taking a bribe from Chiffon and not even bothering with the formalities."
As he spoke, he walked to the window, turned his back to his eldest son, and gritted his teeth, saying:
"I don't accept this fine. I'm going to Frostfoil to see the Grand Duke. I refuse to believe that with such conclusive evidence, this is the verdict!"
The eldest son hesitated for a moment, but still spoke his mind.
"Father, there's talk everywhere about Chiffon, saying they possess immense power. Perhaps we should..."
boom!
Before he could finish speaking, Viscount Hanshan turned around and kicked over the desk!
"Are you suggesting we just forget about it?"
His tone was icy, and his eyes were fixed on his eldest son.
"This concerns Hanshan's reputation. If we don't get it back, what will our vassals think of us?!"