CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 207 PREPARATION FOR THE BANQUET_1

"Shortgun!"

Lady Karol gently repeated the name.

She had established contact with the Snow Elves very early on and provided them with a lot of intelligence.

However, it was very difficult to establish relations with the Barbaric Orcs.

This was because a mercenary organization called "Shortgun" had already connected with the Orcs before them.

To investigate the background of "Shortgun," Rose Court had covertly clashed with this mercenary organization multiple times.

But they had not gained much of an advantage.

Now that mercenaries were flooding into Nuta City, the members of "Shortgun" had certainly gathered as well.

If Lady Karol wanted to smoothly meet with the Elf Envoys and successfully negotiate their cooperation...

She had to be wary of "Shortgun’s" sabotage.

"Have you been exposed?"

This was Lady Karol’s concern.

Li Jiya was responsible for receiving and protecting the Elf Envoys. The appearance of someone connected to "Shortgun" at her tavern at this particular time was bound to make one uneasy.

Li Jiya said, "I shouldn’t have been... I’ve investigated Grey Mouse. He’s just a temporary, peripheral member of ’Shortgun’; he doesn’t even know the name ’Shortgun.’

It seems he fancies me, so he often comes to my tavern to drink.

Moreover, if they suspected my identity, they wouldn’t voluntarily come to my tavern to discuss confidential matters.

I believe this is just a coincidence."

Lady Karol looked at Li Jiya.

Dressed as a common woman, even with makeup to downplay her features, her beauty was still striking.

Her features were especially approachable. When she smiled, her eyes resembled crescent moons, easily making people lower their guard around her.

This woman, if dressed in royal court attire and further adorned, would undoubtedly become a beauty surrounded by the sons of nobility.

"Be careful yourself!" Lady Karol reminded Li Jiya, adding, "Our highest priority is my meeting with the Elf Envoys. If ’Shortgun’ notices anything, you must investigate thoroughly.

No mistakes are allowed."

Li Jiya bowed to Lady Karol and answered, "Yes, my lady. I will investigate Grey Mouse and Terence, and I will not give ’Shortgun’ any opportunity..."

...

Yan Xing was unaware that his meeting with Grey Mouse had led him to stumble right into Rose Court’s newly activated high-level intelligence station.

At this moment, he was busy preparing for his housewarming banquet.

The guiding principle for this banquet boiled down to three points...

Showy! Showy! And ultimately, still damn showy!

Count Theodore did not wish to engage in power struggles with those shady merchants and nobles.

Yan Xing didn’t either.

Wasn’t it better to spend that time focusing on his territory’s development or catching up on gossip back in the real world?

Isn’t the whole reason I, your Lord, work so hard every day so I can enjoy life?

Therefore, when Yan Xing acquired this noble villa, he immediately began a major renovation.

Windows would be enlarged, doors too.

Glass windows and glass doors would be installed.

Your alchemy skills aren’t quite up to making this kind of colorless glass, are they? Well, I, your Lord, am going to use glass products extravagantly!

Solar panels would cover the villa’s roof, and a generator would be placed in the attic.

Electric lights would be installed in every room. Fancy chandeliers would hang in the main hall. Neon lights would adorn the outside of the house, and the courtyard would be brightly lit. Four large lampposts would be placed at the villa’s entrance.

They’d be on twenty-four hours a day... Not for any other reason, just to be bright!

All old furniture was to be disposed of. I, your Lord, will never use second-hand things that others have used.

He would photograph every room in the villa and have designs made back in the real world.

All walls would be repainted. Murals would be hung, and tiles applied.

Various animal head trophies were to be hung high. Additionally, two dragon heads had been designed and were scheduled to arrive before the banquet.

They were to be hung on either side of the great hall, one black and one gold, to display my martial prowess!

Then, the furniture would be arranged.

The price wasn’t important; it had to look expensive and upscale, so much so that lesser nobles wouldn’t dare touch anything, fearing they couldn’t afford to replace it if broken.

The wine cabinet would be filled with spirits.

Red wine was out of the question; it would be stocked entirely with high-proof white spirits.

The alcohol content must not be less than 60%. Let those nobles accustomed to red wine see what real men drink!

Yan Xing also had the banquet food meticulously planned.

He would have the chefs from the Lord’s Mansion take charge, using the most expensive ingredients on the market.

As for desserts, Yan Xing ordered these from the real world.

He had already made everything clear with the pastry shop.

Taste was secondary; the key was to use an abundance of white sugar.

Ideally, the pastries should be coated with a layer of white sugar. When picked up, sugar should sprinkle off; when eaten, it had to be so sweet it would make one’s throat catch.

Sugar was a luxury in the Magic World.

Especially at a banquet, the appearance of visible white sugar was definitely a symbol of the host’s status and identity.

Therefore, Yan Xing’s requirement for the desserts wasn’t just to see the sugar, but also for the guests to feel His Lordship’s "sincerity"!

His rule for the desserts was simple: Half a plate of dessert, half a plate of sugar!

The pastry shop had never made such desserts. How could anyone eat them?

But the customer is always right!

For the sake of money, the pastry shop gladly took Yan Xing’s order.

In short, Yan Xing wanted this banquet to send a clear message to all the city’s influential figures:

Lord Yan Xing is a man of stature. Lord Yan Xing possesses an abundance of fine things. And... Lord Yan Xing is generous and benevolent; Lord Yan Xing is a man of his word!

While Yan Xing was renovating the house and preparing for the banquet, he also returned to the Eternal Domain from time to time to attend to his territory’s affairs.

Especially when selecting the garrison to guard the Thunderous Swamp embassy, careful consideration and selection were essential.

Count Theodore had given Yan Xing a quota of 500 troops, but Yan Xing wasn’t planning to bring all 500 into Nuta City right from the start.

After all, Yan Xing was now nominally an external force, and bringing in so many troops at once would create a very negative impression.

Moreover, the embassy villa did not have enough space to accommodate them all.

Furthermore, transferring too many troops to Nuta City would weaken the military strength of the Eternal Domain.

His plan was to first bring in 100 men to establish a presence. Then, he would slowly acquire the residential houses around the embassy villa, build barracks, and gradually bring in the remaining troops from his quota.

Olaf led 100 Eternal Domain Werewolf Warriors, all of whom were newly advanced Sixth Order Werewolf Warriors.

...

Two months had passed since Yan Xing led his army into the Thunderous Swamp.

After two months of uninterrupted development, the Eternal Domain was on the verge of upgrading to a Sixth Level Territory.

So Yan Xing resorted to his usual method: using God-given gold coins to instantly construct the remaining essential buildings for the territory’s upgrade.

Then, he upgraded the Council Hall, elevating the Eternal Domain to a Sixth Level City.

Once the territory reached level six, Yan Xing naturally started by constructing Sixth Order recruitment buildings—the Guard Camp and the Guard Training Ground.

And he recruited the Human Sixth Order troop type: "Guard."

Guard (Human Sixth Order)

Attack: 9

Defense: 10

Damage: 6

Stamina: 25

Talent: Protect (When holding a shield in a defensive stance, can generate a defensive force field to provide stronger frontal protection for themselves and their companions)

Rows of Human Guards, clad in full heavy armor and wielding large shields, could form an incredibly strong defensive shield wall.