Chapter 1367: Chapter 90: Reforging the Nation (17)_2

Then, he looked at the others at the table, pointed at his companion with a thumb, and teased, “If only he could do this earlier, the two of us wouldn’t have ended up performing on the streets.”

Gerard, Mikhail, and Marcia all laughed kindly — although this lute player with an extravagant hat was a bit odd, he had a kind of magic power that made it hard to dislike him.

Off to the side, Siegfried was both annoyed and amused, “What? So it’s me who’s been fooling around and causing trouble all along?”

“Oh? Why don’t we let everyone here judge.” The lute player deliberately put on a serious face, counting on his fingers, “Who was it that hadn’t even left Varn before getting swindled out of all his belongings? Who was it that got overheated with a sense of justice in Rainbow Creek, only to lose all our travel money? And who exposed his accent in Kingsfort, making us have to escape overnight, even selling the horse…”

Siegfried admitted defeat.

On the other end of the table, young Marcia was already dumbfounded, and even old Majiya and Gerard looked surprised.

“Varn? So you came all the way from such a distant place to the Newly Reclaimed Land?” Marcia clicked her tongue, “‘Guest from the end of the world’ is actually true?”

“Which part of it is false?” Marvey seemed greatly insulted, put down his drink, picked up his lute, and began to play again, “Young eagle, you may ignore the nightingale’s song, but you should not doubt the nightingale’s eyes.”

“I believe that dog’s head of yours.” Siegfried couldn’t bear it anymore, grabbing the lute from his friend’s hands and placing it by his feet, “Stop singing.”

“Varn is quite far.” Gerard questioned skeptically, “What are you two doing all the way migrating to the Newly Reclaimed Land?”

“Fleeing.” Siegfried answered without thinking.

“Gathering materials.” The lute player answered without thinking.

The two answered almost in unison and exchanged a glare.

After a moment of stalemate, Siegfried reluctantly changed his answer, “Gathering materials.”

At the same time, the lute player repeated with a smile, “Gathering materials.”

“From Varn to the Newly Reclaimed Land,” Gerard chuckled, “Didn’t you rehearse the ‘testimony’?”

“Because we don’t need to.” The lute player answered proudly.

Siegfried, however, didn’t share his friend’s carefreeness. Although they were only passing acquaintances, the old Dusack veteran across from him had felt quite congenial even in the brief time they had known each other.

So Siegfried, rarely, explained a bit more.

“I know ‘fleeing’ and ‘gathering materials’ sounds completely absurd, but whether or not you want to believe us, my friend and I have not lied.” Siegfried said sincerely to the old Dusack,

“Coming to the Newly Reclaimed Land was a twist of fate, and due to certain reasons, we can’t explain everything to others. But I can assure you, we are just a few unlucky travelers wandering into the Newly Reclaimed Land without any malice or plan. I hope you can understand.”

To Siegfried’s surprise, the old Dusack did not become angry or more suspicious.

The latter just nodded and said, “I believe you. I won’t pry into your personal matters anymore.”

Siegfried nodded in gratitude.

“Old man, you trust people too easily.” The lute player suddenly laughed, moving his chair next to the old Dusack, crossed his arms, and pretended to seriously scrutinize his companion, saying in a solemn manner,

“This guy seems to say a lot but actually says nothing! Look at his demeanor, his words, his build; he doesn’t look like an ordinary person. If I were you, I’d lock him in a dungeon, hang him up, and interrogate him for three days and nights. If something fishy comes out, send him to the gallows; if not, keep him as a son-in-law. What could be better than that?”

“Quit fooling around, Marvey.” The blond mercenary frowned and addressed his friend by name, looking genuinely a bit angry.

“Oh, relax.” The lute player, although verbally unfazed, moved his chair back to its original place in an honest manner, smiling brightly, “I don’t know why, but this old man trusts you very much. Even if I sacrificed important kin to expose you, he wouldn’t pay me any attention — that’s why I’m curious!”

The lute player made an inviting gesture to the three on the other side of the table, asking, “Aren’t you curious too?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Majiya and his son and the timber merchant Mikhail also turned their eyes to the old Dusack.

Gerard, however, did nothing out of the ordinary despite becoming the center of attention at the table.

He looked directly at the young man in front of him and said bluntly, “Because you’re too proud.”

The blond mercenary raised an eyebrow, and Marvey, who was watching the show, also looked puzzled.

Gerard earnestly reminded, “Perhaps you haven’t even noticed how proud you are. You’re so proud that — even the slightest lie you’re too disdainful to tell. Several times, just a simple lie could have brushed me off, but you chose to respond with the truth, even knowing it might get you into trouble.

That’s why I don’t think you’re lying to me. Since you say you ended up in the Newly Reclaimed Land by chance, I’m inclined to believe it was fortuitous that you ended up here.”

After listening to the old Dusack, Siegfried’s expression was mixed with emotions. He didn’t know whether he should laugh at himself or thank the old Dusack for his understanding.

Instead, it was the lute player sitting next to him who reacted more strongly than his companion.