Chapter 349: The Broken Aristocrat By daybreak, the carriage had bypassed a large road and crossed a hill, and a small farm appeared in front of it.
Chen Daolin, who was sitting in the carriage, yawned and stretched.
The space in the carriage is quite spacious, and the baron family sitting opposite Chen Daolin has a complicated complexion, especially Baron Pierre, after all, he is old, and the old man who has not slept all night can hardly hide his tiredness.
But the baron's son, Bolomir, was sleepy-eyed, and had already dozed off several times along the way, before he opened his eyes and looked around in horror and alarm.
Chen Daolin had a polite smile on his face, and said in a low voice, "It looks like it's almost there, Lord Baron." ” Baron Pierre nodded, looking at Chen Daolin, the old man's eyes stopped talking, but then he saw his son's relaxed sleepiness, and couldn't help but show a little disappointment.
At the front of the line, Montoya had already ridden a long distance, and the Holy Knight had a mounted spear in his saddle, responsible for guarding and clearing the way ahead.
At the end of the line, the hapless Ade was still on guard duty, the priest-turned-fellow was woken up in the middle of the night with a tired face, and then dragged out of bed, carrying his luggage, and running with everyone, which was really depressing.
To Ade's frustration, Master Montoya didn't seem to be in the mood to explain anything to him, so the poor young priest simply appointed.
The baron's mistress and the girls such as Barossa Chasha rode in a separate carriage.
Chen Daolin pulled the baron father and son to share a car.
What surprised the baron even more was that it was actually the one who was in charge of driving the car A werewolf It seems that the farm in front of me does not seem to be very prosperous, although the land is flat, but it is already the spring ploughing season, the withered yellow thatch is still growing tall, the road is a little muddy, along the way only see some simple farmhouses, the walls are exposed to yellow mud, occasionally you can see between the farmhouses, and a few skinny cows and goats are kept there, but obviously undernourished.
Chen Daolin could judge that it seemed that the baron's estate did not seem to be as rich as he imagined, at least the farm looked depressed.
The muddy dirt road made the carriage a little bumpy, and there was no rooster crowing or dog barking, and it was early in the morning, but the farm had a sense of twilight.
Finally, after walking through a sloping area, you can see a slightly larger house in the distance.
The courtyard walls are made of stones, and they look quite sturdy, and they are old.
The blue-brown stone was bare, and there was no painting of the walls, but there were weeds growing tenaciously between the crevices.
The walls weren't too high, barely enough to hold an adult.
The gate is two iron fences, tall and imposing, but it is also obviously not painted for a long time, there is rust peeling, black, yellow and yellow, slightly dilapidated.
The house inside is not small, but it has obviously not been repaired for many years, and the creepers on the walls are growing arbitrarily, and in many places even the windows are blocked, and they are blue and red.
The main building of the house has two floors, a large natural courtyard in the courtyard wall, and the ground is fairly smooth, but probably in order to save costs, no precious green plants are planted, not even cheap green lawns, and the black dirt floor is exposed.
The portico of the house was very tall and could be seen, and the baron's ancestor was indeed wide, and the thick columns were carved from fine stone, and the floor of the porch steps was also of fine stone.
It is commendable that in front of the porch of the house, in the middle of a fountain, is a sculpture of a samurai, dressed in imperial uniforms, holding a sharp sword, and in a heroic posture, which is to show that the baron's family ancestors have martial arts and military exploits, and it is also to reflect the meaning of this family to earn this family business with martial arts.
However, the fountain was dry, there was not a drop of water in it, and the stones around the edges were already somewhat broken.
When the carriage stopped, Chen Daolin opened the window and glanced at the mansion of the baron's mansion in front of him, the roof and walls were gray, it seemed that it had not been cleaned for a long time, in short, this seemed to be a standard dilapidated old mansion of a country noble.
Obviously, the baron's life was not as good as he had imagined.
In fact, Chen Daolin knew that this was also the general status quo of the minor nobles in many parts of the Roland Empire.
Fortunately, although the family is in tatters, the rules are still there.
When the baron jumped out of the carriage, the servant from the porch of the house had come out quickly, and although he looked old, he was not slow to do things.
Chen Daolin and the others got out of the car, and a servant led the carriage and horses to the side and back of the house to take care of them.
When he arrived at his home, the Baron Pierre seemed to have regained some confidence, and his waist was straightened a little, he casually threw the cloak he took off to the old servant beside him, made a gesture of invitation to Chen Daolin, and smiled reservedly: "Your Excellency, welcome to the Humble House." ” Chen Daolin smiled slightly, took Barossa's little hand, and then followed the baron's family into the mansion.
From the inside, the house is indeed very large and spacious, but the smell of dilapidation is becoming more and more obvious.
There are few servants in the huge mansion, probably not enough to support so many people.
The carpet in the hall was old, with a smell of stale that seemed to have been unventilated for many years, the curtains seemed to have faded, and the corners and corners of furniture such as tables and chairs had been worn off.
Although there are still some decorations on the walls, the oil paintings are shoddy at first glance, and there are no famous handicrafts, the only ones that are not good, only some vases with freshly picked flowers, which is probably one of the few styles in the baron's house that can show his aristocratic status.
However, with Chen Daolin's sharp eyes, he could see at a glance that this flower was the same as the common flowers on the roadside that he saw along the way, and it obviously didn't cost money.
Looking up, there was a huge copper chandelier overhead, but the magician's vision was extraordinary, and at a glance he could see the thick dust falling from it.
Probably sensing Chen Daolin's eyes looking around, the baron's face was a little red, and he groaned slightly, so he pretended to be calm and smiled: "It's been hard all the way, please go in and rest."
Please allow me to change my clothes first, and then" Chen Daolin smiled faintly: "Lord Baron, you're welcome, I just need a lounge where I can wash my face and drink saliva." ” The baron made a noble courtesy, and left with his woman, and when he left, he seemed to intend to leave Boromir behind to greet the guests, but seeing that his son looked dazed and panicked, he sighed slightly, and simply gave up.
A servant led Chen Daolin and his party through the hall to a lounge.
The washing water was quickly served, and some edible snacks were just ordinary pastries, nothing more than adding a little honey and cream, Chen Daolin only ate one bite and put it down.
It was only at this moment that he had a personal feeling of "leaving". , the luxurious life of those real wealthy and powerful people seems to be really far away from themselves at this moment.
The ladies with elaborate makeup, the fine utensils, the expensive wines, the sumptuous furnishings, the lavish mansions, and even the servants wore the silk robes of the South "It seems that this baron is not doing very well."
Chen Daolin sighed softly.
Montoya had been silent since he entered the door, probably because Chen Daolin had ordered him to slaughter the seriously wounded prisoners of war, but it still did not make the Holy Knight recover from the blow.
It was Ade, who glanced at Chen Daolin and said lightly: "Do you think it's strange?"
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"Hmm," Chen Daolin glanced at the young priest.
Ade shook his head: "In fact, most of the local nobles are not as good as ordinary people imagine.
Especially like this Baron Pierre, although he has a title, but he has no official position.
A rural aristocrat who has no real power can only rely on the inheritance of his ancestors, at most he can do a little more business, and maintain the dignity and pomp of the aristocratic life. ” After a pause, Ade said in a low voice: "Perhaps, this time because of your affairs, this baron has lost a lot of income." ” "How to say" Chen Daolin was a little surprised.
"It's very simple, this baron's birthday is called a banquet, gifts and cash gifts from those guests."
Ade's answer made Chen Daolin suddenly realize.
Not to mention that the courtyard was burned down by himself, it was enough to make this rural nobleman suffer a lot.
And the gifts and gifts given by those who have heads and faces in the place should be an income that has been calculated in the baron's family, but most of the gifts have been destroyed by a fire of their own.
When I left the courtyard, I didn't have time to dispose of the corpses, and the two or three tables full of gifts placed in the courtyard were burned beyond recognition, and the only thing that was still well preserved was the set of knight's armor that I had given me.
I have to say that the quality of the Pompeii Chamber of Commerce is still quite good, the knight's armor has not been burned, but it is covered with a layer of burnt black color, and it is enough to wipe it The armor is brought back, but there is no need to mention other things.
Chen Daolin was a little embarrassed.
Speaking of which, this baron had really suffered an unwarranted disaster, and if he hadn't run to his banquet, Anthony and the others would not have chased him here.
"If I'm not mistaken, the legacy of this Pierre family should be more than four hundred and fifty years.
When the Augustinian Dynasty was established, the ancestor of this baron, who followed His Majesty Emperor Augustine of the Zhongxing Empire to fight with the army, made war exploits, and then won the title of such a baron and this territory.
However, in the past few hundred years, there do not seem to be any outstanding figures among the descendants of this family.
Ade thought for a while and said slowly: "It's not easy for them to maintain such a shelf without breaking the house." ” Chen Daolin showed a hint of curiosity at this time, and stared at Ade: "You actually know this" Ade glanced at Chen Daolin and said lightly: "In the academy of the church, I will also learn some imperial coats of arms, and there is their family's family emblem on the pillar at the door of this house, I remember I saw it in the coat of arms." ” Chen Daolin sighed and exclaimed: "Badge learning, I also read it when I was bored in the magic academy, there are at least more than two thousand four hundred families recorded in the badge of the Roland Empire, and there are more than nine hundred that are still inherited and not extinct, but it is difficult for you to remember them." ” He said this on his lips, but in his heart, he was awe-inspiring: the clergy of these churches, in the training of the younger generation, paid so much attention to the study of the imperial aristocracy, which shows that the ambition in the hands of the church and the imperial aristocracy has not really disappeared Thinking in his heart, Chen Daolin deliberately smiled and said, "In this way, it is not easy for these nobles to live.
I really don't know how so many nobles in the Roland Empire live. ” "What else" Ade seemed to be a little disdainful: "Here, there are more than forty families that are qualified to gain a foothold, have prominent public office, and own property, and only half of them can be regarded as first-class wealthy families.
But in the mix, there are more than three hundred people with noble titles above lord, including hereditary and lifelong honorary nobles, most of whom do not have any public office, and even their domains and ancestral properties have been lost, and they are fighting with the title of a nobleman.
These ruined aristocrats came from all parts of the empire, some of them had a meager ancestral property in their hometowns, and some of them were simply destitute.
If these people want to live, they have to give up some of their own decency.
Some people can only take refuge in some wealthy families, take refuge in those real nobles, work as followers, helpers, and even find a career in the chamber of commerce of some wealthy families, be a steward or the like, and some simply rely on their aristocratic titles to act as intermediaries or brokers for others, some of which are true and some are false.
Some of them can still make some way by relying on their aristocratic titles, helping some small businessmen who come from outside to run away and earn some hard-earned money to sell face, and some are simply cheating.
I've also heard that in the Mercenary Guild and several other guilds, several deacons with noble titles are hired to support the façade.
There are many such aristocrats, and most of them go from the local area to eat mixed rice.
But naturally, there are many aristocrats who are reluctant to leave it behind with their faces, and refuse to put down their aristocratic pomp and circumstance, and refuse to do this kind of thing.
I think this Baron Pierre is probably of this type.
Seeing that he was living a very shabby life, he still stayed in this small place and didn't go. ” While the two were talking, Chen Daolin's face suddenly moved, and he waved his hand at Ade, signaling him not to speak.
He could already feel footsteps in the distance outside the door.
In a few moments, the door to the lounge was opened, and the old baron, who had changed into a clean shirt, strode in.
The baron seemed to have washed up, his face had recovered a little blood, and after entering the door, he smiled and saluted Chen Daolin, and then said tentatively: "Your Excellency is resting well if you still need anything."
"Nope."
Chen Daolin immediately shook his head: "Thanks to the hospitality, we have a good rest." ” The baron nodded, but a look of embarrassment flashed across his face.
Chen Daolin immediately understood, smiled, and continued: "I have something to say to Lord Baron, I don't know."
The baron immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly said: "There is a backyard behind my house, which is quite quiet, if your Excellency does not dislike it, please go and visit it with me." ” This backyard is indeed quiet, but it is too quiet.
The crude vegetation was obviously not well maintained, and the lazy and staggering Chen Daolin knew that it would cost a lot to hire a professional gardener.
But even so, a baron's words were so shabby that he was a little surprised.
There were only two people in the backyard, Chen Daolin and the baron, and aside from his concerns, Chen Daolin decided to simply speak out.
"Lord Baron."
He pondered for a while, and after pondering his words for a while, he spoke: "I am really sorry for what happened last night, and I have caused you so much trouble, but you can rest assured, I will compensate you for all the losses you have suffered." ” The baron's expression did not stretch much, staring at Chen Daolin quietly, and then he whispered: "Your Excellency, your name should be, it should not be Alan Yeger."
Chen Daolin smiled: "I'm sorry, this is just a pseudonym, in order to hide my identity and avoid some unnecessary trouble."
I guess you've guessed a little bit that I'm in some trouble, so" The baron's face was even more ugly.
However, Chen Daolin smiled and said: "Let's be honest, my name is Darling Chen, my real identity is a magician, well, I still have a few titles, court mage, court knight, court scholar Well, but these court titles should be deposed now."
But the title of professor of the Academy of Magic, should still be there. ” The baron's eyes lit up, and then he showed a little awe: "You are really a magician" Chen Daolin spread his hands: "When you were in the other courtyard, you should have seen it with your own eyes." ” Baron Pierre's face turned red, his breathing was a little rapid, and after a few deep breaths, he said in a deep voice: "Then" "I think I'm wanted right now.
Oh, but rest assured, this wanted is not public, but private.
Because I have not been deprived of my status as a magician, according to the laws of the Empire, even His Majesty the Emperor does not have the right to openly arrest a magician, however, I have indeed offended the current Emperor, His Majesty Shiloh, so" Unexpectedly by Chen Daolin, when this Baron Pierre heard this, a relaxed smile appeared on his face, and he breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good if it's not publicly wanted."
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"Oh," Chen Daolin was a little curious.
"I'm the Imperial Baron."
Baron Pierre said: "According to the imperial decree, as a nobleman, I have the obligation to uphold the imperial decree, if you are a fugitive who is openly wanted by the law of the country, then I have the obligation to arrest you, although I don't have such ability, but I can't look at you in front of me and be indifferent." ” After a pause, he smiled and said, "Since you are not wanted by national law, but only have a personal grudge with the emperor, then it will be easy to handle." ” "Huh" Chen Daolin became more and more curious: "Even if it is a personal grudge, I offended the emperor, don't you worry about me implicating you, Lord Baron?"
Baron Pierre, this old man actually showed a sly smile on his face: "I am an imperial nobleman, as long as I have not violated the law of the country, the emperor can't do anything to me, at most I am hated by the emperor, and I will be removed from public office Anyway, I am not in public office now.
As for my titles and domains, they are protected by the sacred imperial code, and even the emperor has no right to take them away at will, otherwise he would be on the opposite side of all the noble classes in the world.
What am I afraid of."
Speaking of this, the old man actually narrowed his eyes: "How about His Majesty Emperor Yuan Xiluo, I can't take care of coming here anyway, but you are such a noble magician with powerful mana, but standing in front of me alive Your Excellency Darling Chen, within the borders of the Roland Empire, if you can make friends with a magician, it is something that no nobleman can ask for."
This old man was able to say such a thing, which made Chen Dao Lingao look at him a few times.
Then Chen Daolin pondered for a moment, and then said with a smile: "I don't want to hide from you, in fact, I took the liberty to come to your birthday banquet last night for some special reasons.
I had to leave for my own reasons, and I was secretly pursued by the Emperor, and although I was not afraid of such a hunt, it kept me from contacting the Academy of Magic for the time being.
And I happened to hear by accident yesterday in the town that you have a younger brother, Lord Baron, who is also a magician, and who was also a student of the Academy of Magic, which made me have some thoughts.
I came to your banquet to take the opportunity to meet your magician brother, to see if it was someone I knew, or to see if I could get in touch with the magic academy through your brother, so" Chen Daolin said this, but saw that the baron's face was actually red, his eyes flickered, and he seemed to be a little ashamed and shy.
"This Darling mage, I think, there may be some misunderstanding in this matter."
Baron Pierre's smile was a little bitter and a little embarrassed, and he said, "It is true that my younger brother Quinn is a mage with the status of a registered wizard in the Magic Guild, but he is not a student who graduated from the Academy of Magic.
The legend of that town, actually, um."
Next, Baron Pierre's words made Chen Daolin suddenly realize.
This Pierre family is indeed an aristocratic family on the verge of ruin.
After hundreds of years of inheritance, the industry left by the ancestors has been empty, and the descendants do not know how to operate, and there are no outstanding talents in the family for several generations.
Nor did he hold any public office with real power.
In Baron Pierre's generation, it was already a bit difficult to maintain the dignity of a baronial family.
But where is the real power position of the empire so easy to obtain, this Baron Pierre was also known for his martial arts when he was young, but the problem is that the empire has been peaceful for a hundred years, and there are no wars If this Baron Pierre was born a hundred years earlier, he might be able to catch up with the era of the first Duke of Tulip, and the era of the war with the orcs, this Baron Pierre has the strength of a low-level samurai, although he is not very good, but with the title of baron, if he joins the army, he may be able to mix up an official position.
But the empire has been peaceful for too long in the past few decades, and there is no war, so there is no chance of getting ahead.
So this Baron Pierre took a different path and thought of an alternative way to revitalize the family: he had a younger brother named Quinn, who seemed to be a little smart since he was a child.
Since there is no way to go through both civil and military paths, then let's just try the magic path So, Baron Pierre sent his younger brother many years ago and put him in several magical talent tests in an attempt to get him into the Academy of Magic as a cadet.
However, the truth is frustrating.
Although his younger brother is still quite intelligent, his magical talent is not enough to enter the selection of the magic academy.
But the baron did not give up: he learned that even if he could not become a real magician, if he could learn to become a magic apprentice, it would be a promising profession, and if he was lucky enough to be apprenticed with a magician in the future, he might be able to enrich his life for a lifetime.
At the same time, if you can rely on this younger brother to have a little relationship with those high-ranking nobles in the wizarding world So, after gritting his teeth and making a decision, Baron Pierre bet the prosperity of the family on his younger brother.
His younger brother Quinn did enter the Academy of Magic, but he was not a formal student, but an auditor.
Auditors are a special group in the Academy of Magic.
The official students, each of whom is a treasure of the Academy of Magic, are all free to study in the Academy, not only that, but also enjoy superior free food and lodging treatment, as well as free training, and even are carefully cared for and protected by the Academy of Magic.
But the auditors are different, they are some young students who are interested in taking the path of magic, but they are not talented enough to become official students, so they have to spend money to enter the academy to audit.
These people can only audit the courses in the Academy of Magic, but they do not have the same rights and benefits as the regular students, such as not being able to enter some special magic laboratories in the Academy, not being able to read some real magic books in the Academy's collections, and some special courses, which are also not allowed to learn.
But audit students all have one thing in common: tuition is expensive seems to be Chen Daolin's introductory disciple, Lucius, the son of Governor Fritz, who was unable to recite mantras because of his stuttering, so he couldn't become a magician, but he refused to give up the ideal of magic, so he had to spend a lot of money to enter the magic academy, and find someone to get a place as an auditor Governor Fritz is an important minister of the empire, and the governor of the East China Sea is rich, so he can naturally afford such expensive tuition.
But for a small aristocrat like Baron Pierre, who was about to fall into ruin, the tuition fees for auditors were a heavy burden In order to get a place as an auditor, Baron Pierre had spent almost half of his family's savings to get out of the house, and in order to pay for his tuition, he sold several pieces of his family's ancestral jewelry.
Then he finally sent his younger brother Quinn to the Academy of Magic as an auditor.
Moreover, in the past few years, in order to maintain his brother's study and research on the path of magic, the family has been fully supplied, and the Baron has devoted almost all his financial resources to his younger brother.
So now, as a dignified baron, Yuzi is living so poorly.
Baron Pierre is not shy about it, yesterday he said that his birthday banquet, in fact, according to his plan, this birthday banquet, he is expected to receive a large amount of gifts and gifts, just to alleviate the recent financial tension of his own family.
And his younger brother, although he is an auditor in the magic academy, but externally, he can be regarded as a "magic academy student", and in this small town far away, where do the people here know the difference between a formal student and an auditor in the magic academy Just hearing the name "Magic Academy Student" is enough to make the body shake, and he bows his head And because of some subtle vanity and face, the baron's family did not deliberately say it, and deliberately maintained this situation and statement vaguely.
This also makes Baron Pierre in this small local place, with a transcendent status, respected by local figures and faces, and does not dare to offend.
However, at this moment, there was a full-fledged professor of the Academy of Magic standing in front of him, and Baron Pierre naturally didn't dare to brag about this kind of cowhide anymore.
"I see."
Chen Daolin frowned, a little disappointed in his heart: "Then your younger brother is just an audit student, then he should be a magic apprentice now."
Based on Chen Daolin's understanding of the Academy of Magic, the selection of the academy is very reasonable and strict, since the selection was left behind, then the younger brother of this baron should really not have enough magic talent, and probably can't become a magician, and now most of them are still just a magic apprentice.
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The baron was in good spirits, and his face showed a little pride: "My younger brother Quinn, after five years of auditing in the magic academy, left the academy, but later, he had some other adventures, which can be regarded as the blessing of the goddess, he actually became a real magician Just last year, he has passed the magician examination of the magic union, and now he is a real magician, and my Pierre family, there is also a mage, hahahaha" Chen Daolin's heart moved: It is a bit strange that he has been selected by the Academy of Magic, but in the end he became a magician, right?
Just when he had already guessed something in his mind Outside the courtyard, the baron's son Boromir suddenly strode in, and the baron's son looked panicked: "Father is not good, a team of local garrison cavalry came to the house, surrounded the house and blocked the gate, said yes, said yes" Chen Daolin smiled slightly, but his expression remained unchanged, and said lightly: "Bolomir, don't shy away from it, these people should have come to me."
Polomeir looked strange and glanced at his father: "That one of these people came with them, it's Uncle Quinn."
"To be continued
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