It is not the first time for the members of Cang Qing Sword to have dinner with their companions’ families.
The last time I encountered a similar situation was when I met Eleanor's brother Ludwig. When we first met, he invited everyone to dinner, but Eleanor ordered a bunch of expensive dishes, which was a classic example of betraying her brother.
However, even in the high-end hotels within the Holy Solomon Empire, the expensive dishes prepared for the Holy Roman nobles were far inferior to the banquet at this moment in terms of luxury and richness.
Even many of the dishes on the table were unrecognizable. No one could tell that this was meat, that was seafood, and that was a vegetable... As for what the specific ingredients were, no one knew at all.
"Sister Nora." Mia sat next to Nora and asked secretly, "What is that red meat?"
"Those are roasted slices of fire hydra," Nora replied.
"What is a fire hydra?" Mia continued to ask.
"Fire hydras are a type of extraordinary marine creature." Nora said with a smile, "They only grow near submarine volcanoes, absorbing the surging geothermal heat to maintain their spiritual growth."
"Aren't underwater volcanoes hard to find?" Mia was shocked. "How did you catch so many?"
Nora was conflicted. She felt that she couldn't explain it too directly to Mia, otherwise the child's immature outlook on life and values would be corrupted by the adults' dirty money.
So she thought for a moment and explained tactfully:
"Mia, do you know Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica?"
"Oh, I know!" Mia said. Because Mastro of the Constantinople Thieves Guild had mentioned in the letter he left her that the surname "Cinquemani" was embroidered on her baby's swaddling clothes when she was a child. It was said to be the surname of an ancient noble in the Kingdom of Sicily. "It should be on the southern island, right?"
"Yes. The people living on these islands are nicknamed 'sea people' on the mainland. This means that they are very good at swimming and diving, and can easily remember the nearby ocean currents and hydrological conditions. These fire hydras were also caught by them."
Nora cleverly concealed the key role of money here and explained that the hired sea people had superb diving skills, which was why they were able to catch so many fire hydras.
"Then, Sister Nora, do I also have the blood of the sea people?" Mia blinked curiously.
So Nora was even more confused. Because the word "sea people" was not very pleasant to hear, in Latin it actually meant "pirate", "lowly", and "exile", so she could only force a smile and say:
"No, Sea People are generally people from the lower classes of society. Isn't your last name owned by a noble, Mia? Nobles over there generally don't call themselves 'Sea People'."
"Oh." Mia said, "So I am a noble?"
Nora: …
The Mediterranean islands have been occupied by the Normans for many years, and they have established the Kingdom of Sicily, where pirates are rampant. As for the ancient Sicilian nobles, they were probably killed by the Norman court in Palermo.
Of course, she couldn't directly explain to Mia that "your family is probably all dead, so your surname has fallen and you can't be considered a noble", so she could only touch her head and said with a smile: