Five years later:
Several luxury carriages were driving in the thick fog, and in the depths of the thick fog, one after another, low and dilapidated buildings stacked with stones could be vaguely seen.
The doors of these carriages are all painted with an anemone with delicate lines, which is the family emblem of a certain noble.
The sky, the earth, and everything around were gray, and the moist air slid in through the cracks in the windows, bringing a smell of musty wood.
In the frontmost carriage, a man slammed the window tightly and muttered, "God, this smell is so unpleasant!"
He covered his mouth and nose, revealing only a pair of brown eyes full of disgust.
He was wearing a white shirt and red velvet jacket, black velvet breeches and cowhide boots, heavily perfumed neck and wrists, powdered cheeks, rouge, and long red hair with a white ribbon Tucked behind her head, she was dressed like a nobleman.
But he is not a nobleman, just a servant of the nobleman.
As long as the master he serves has a large enough wealth, a lower-class person like him can live a more luxurious life than a third-rate aristocrat.
He took out a perfumed handkerchief from his pocket, waved it several times in the air, and complained in a sarcastic tone: "I can't imagine the great Grande could have such a bad place!"
Another servant sitting beside him also sneered: "The city of Desolate five years ago was a hundred times better than here!"
But not.
Desolate is taken from the meaning of "barren". The city of Desolate was originally a barren city. The people there lived without food and clothing. Even the old earl and countess who managed the city fell seriously ill because they could not eat enough all the year round. Later, they could not afford medical treatment. Fee, and eventually both passed away.
And Grande is taken from the meaning of "greatness". Grande City is a great city and the most prosperous city in the Totes Continent. Although it belongs to the Glory Empire, it has completely independent political, military and legislative powers.
It is said that the fortune of Lord Grande is the highest in the entire Totes Continent. If it weren't for the fact that he married the eldest daughter of the city lord of Grande, Charles III would not have been able to take the position of king at all. The huge dowry and huge army brought by the queen helped the king clear all obstacles.
Therefore, Grand City is a more famous city than Glory's capital, Porza, and it is also a dream place that everyone yearns for.
The two servants demoted Grande to nothing, just because of the nouveau riche's comparison mentality. They came from the city of Desolate, which used to be the poorest place in the entire Totes continent.
But not anymore.
After the death of the old earl, their young master, Earl Jane Joe, vigorously developed the flower planting and mining industries, and invented unique incense-making technology and jewelry processing technology. In just five years, the city of Desoulette was lifted out of poverty. It has become one of the most prosperous cities in the Totes Continent.
Today's Desolate City is rich in top perfumes, flowers, powders and jewelry, and these commodities are precisely the most cherished treasures of all nobles. They are willing to pay big bucks for these luxuries from Desolette.
The annual increase in taxes paid by the city of Desoulet, and by a large margin, finally caught the attention of Charles III. Therefore, in the spring of this year, Earl Jane Qiao, who is in charge of the city, unexpectedly received a birthday invitation from the king.
A trip to Porsa for the king's birthday is a test of whether a nobleman has reached the top of the pyramid. There is no doubt that Jane Joe did it.
Because of this, his title has changed from the former "Lord of the Desolate City" to the current "Count of Huadu".
On the way to Bolsa, it is inevitable to encounter bandits, so each noble will bring his own knights, and these knights together are a large military force.
Charles III did not have the confidence to suppress this force, so he let all the nobles go to Grande first, unload their weapons and equipment, and leave the members of the knights behind, and then they can bring two servants into Poersa to attend the banquet.
Jane Joe also brought with him a dozen knights, who he had to place in Grande before he could see the king.
The fog outside the window was filled with fog, blurring Jian Qiao's vision.
He pursed his lips slightly, showing an uncomfortable look.
Due to his childhood experiences, he hated the foggy weather, but unfortunately, the Totes Continent was just a place that was shrouded in rain and fog all the year round. A sunny day is as rare as a diamond in the ground.
He rubbed his eyebrows and temples, trying to drive away the memories of his past life that came from the depths of his mind, but was caught by the noise outside the window.
His vision penetrated the thick fog, and vaguely saw a gallows, hanging on the gallows a man with a hood and a burlap pocket, his body kept twitching, surrounded by a group of ragged civilians under the man's feet. These civilians are constantly waving their fists and shouting: "Hang him, hang him, hang him..."
The man's body quickly stiffened. After the executioner put him down, a group of people hurriedly surrounded him, quickly stripped his clothes, and then ran away.
Those who snatched the clothes smirked triumphantly, those who didn't snatched the clothes reluctantly cursed, and the children clapped their hands and danced around.
A pale corpse was placed in plain sight like that, without a trace of cover, but it did not cause any panic.
People who live here seem to not feel the fear of death, nor can they feel pity, and they naturally do not know what it is like to bathe in warmth because they have not been exposed to sunlight all the year round. And the nobles who are above the common people only know how to splurge, enjoy themselves, and fight for power and profit.
This is Totes Continent, a place full of poverty and numbness, but also full of extravagance and pleasure.
Humans, plants, animals, everything grows savagely. Gray is its main color, and gloom is its most essential core.
Jane Qiao looked at the gallows that had been emptied out of focus, and then hurriedly looked away.
This place is like a reflection of his true heart, so he can't face it directly.
---
Death made the two servants shut their nagging mouths.
Through this foggy town, the great Grande lies ahead.
"It is said that Lei Zhe, the second son of the Duke of Grande, is a very domineering person. A few years ago, an earl rubbed his shoulder lightly when he was walking on the street, which annoyed him, and he The man's arm was chopped off on the spot."
After holding it for a while, one of the servants spoke again. He couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Another servant looked at the master who was sitting in the front row with his eyes closed and snorted, and whispered: "This is absolutely true, I also heard about it! Lord Lei Zhe's temper is very hot, Glory's most powerful nobleman Don't dare to be presumptuous in front of him."
"So we must be careful this time, and don't offend the Lord Lei Zhe. Although he is not the eldest son of the Duke of Grande and has no right of inheritance, his sister is the Queen of Glory. Her Royal Highness The Queen will definitely give Let my father pass on the title of duke to his own younger brother."
"Ah, that's for sure. Lord Razer will surely inherit Grande and become the most powerful noble in Totes."
"It is said that his only hobby is to collect beauties. Shall we buy a few beauties from the prostitute and give them to him?"
"It's better to prepare a few. When I get to Grande, I'll go outside and find out who the most famous bustard in the city is."
The two discussed in a whisper, and Jane Qiao, who was sitting in the front row, suddenly raised her hand and swung it left and right. That's what it means to do nothing.
The two servants hurriedly pressed their thoughts to find beauty.
In Jane Qiao's opinion, the only way to maintain a good relationship with the legendary duke's heir is to stay away from each other and not to make any face-to-face encounters. If you do not know, there will be no contradiction.
However, it is not. When a person is too sharp, even if they don't meet, other sharp-edged people will feel disgusted or even hostile to him.
Conflicts will always grow in the dark.
---
A tall man is holding a paintbrush and slowly smearing color on the canvas.
On the red velvet sofa not far in front, a plump lady was reclining lazily, wearing a thin Roman robe, her golden hair slid down her rounded shoulders, covered with a blanket. land. In this land of gray fog everywhere, blond hair is as precious as sunlight.
People with blond hair can always easily get a lot of love and care.
The lady pulled her neckline, which was already low, and looked down at herself to make sure she was well-mannered, and then she fixed her eyes on the man who was painting.
The man also has dazzling blond hair, which is tied behind his head with a black ribbon, revealing an extremely handsome face. This face will always make people lose their minds, and then they can't help but think of the god of the sun who is high in the sky and rarely seen all year round.
Men are not like today's aristocrats, who like to dress up luxuriously. Generally speaking, he is a bit slovenly. He was wearing a white silk shirt, unbuttoned, showing a large chest, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows to reveal strong arms, a pair of skinny trousers and a pair of black boots.
The simple dress highlights his too tall and tall figure.
The silk shirt exudes a unique luster and looks very textured. This is an oriental fabric that few people in the entire noble class can own. The price of a piece of cloth is more expensive than gold.
When worn on a man, however, the sheen of this expensive fabric is nowhere near as appealing as the sensual texture of his muscular muscles.
Have you ever seen a male lion patrolling the grasslands? When they move, the muscles of the whole body will tense, rise and fall, and stretch. Their wildness is both terrifying and fascinating.
The man standing in front of the canvas is such a lion, even in a static state, full of attractive breath.
He's dangerous, yet at the same time slouchy and easygoing.
The lady looked at him fascinatedly, but he only had paintbrushes and canvases in his eyes.
Suddenly, a man dressed as an aristocrat pushed open the door and hurriedly entered the studio, without even looking at the lady with the jade body, he walked straight to the blond man, and whispered in a gloomy tone: "Leizhe, Earl of Huadu is here. Now. His perfume shop and jewelry store stole a lot of our business. Would you like to meet him? Don't forget that Miss Lilith, whom you're pursuing recently, also turned down your invitation because she was infatuated with him. He's yours Rival!"
The blond man took two steps back and squinted at the lady lying on the sofa, but did not respond to these provocative words.
The noble man gritted his teeth and said again: "Leizhe, I know that you have your principles, but Grande is your territory anyway, the count of Huadu robbed you of your interests and seduced your woman in your territory, Isn't it not my fault for you?"
Lei Zhe curled the corners of his lips, and there was a hint of contempt in his casual smile.
However, this contempt was not directed at the count of Huadu, but at the noble man in front of him. He knew all too well what this man was trying to push him to do. A small baron without a fief naturally cannot offend an earl with an independent city-state, so he needs a strong backing.
He is his backing.
Lei Zhe stared at the canvas in front of him, then looked up at the lady not far away, and continued to paint details with his brush.
The baron rolled his eyes, and suddenly he had a better rhetoric: "Recently, everyone in the field said: Lord Lei Zhe is chasing women all day long, while Earl Huadu is being chased by women all day. When it comes to charm, after all, the Earl of Huadu is better. Don't you get angry when you are compared like this, and you lose?"
Lei Zhe's busy brush stopped on the canvas.
At this moment, the lady lying on the sofa spoke up: "It is said that the earl of Huadu has the magic power that makes people fall at a glance. Anyone who has seen him will fall in love with him madly. God, he is coming to Granville. Is it good? I'm looking forward to it!"
The lady held her thumping heart with her snow-white hands, and two shy blushes flushed her cheeks.
With a light click, Lei Zhe threw away the paintbrush in his hand, picked up the black coat that was casually placed on the windowsill, and said sarcastically: "Let's go, go see the count of Huadu. If he himself has nothing to do with the legend , and there is no charming style at all, I will definitely carry him by the back of the neck and take him around the street twice, so that everyone can experience his so-called charm."