Chapter 166: Hunting Grounds Outside the City (Part 2)

"Strange, really strange." Winston stroked his chin. "That Miss Bones, who is a great cook, doesn't seem to have anything to do with this whole incident."

"She has a lot of little ideas, but she's completely focused on selling soy sauce. She's only interested in expanding the brewery." Andre shook his head. "I've never seen anyone so obsessed with soy sauce."

"But why risk your life to summon a lich who can only make sauces and dishes?" Winston was puzzled. "Is this Evil Eye Moon's original plan, or did Miss Mi You suddenly betray? Or maybe Mi You is not one of Evil Eye Moon's people?"

Andre rubbed his brow. "It's no use asking me. The clues are too scattered. I can't figure it out right away. Oh, by the way, when you have time, check the empty house on the other side of the brewery."

"Why? Do you suspect that the owner of that empty house is related to the Evil Eye Moon?"

"It's possible," Andre said. "It won't hurt to check. Besides, Jiang You also plans to buy that building and expand the store after he makes money. It's a good opportunity to do both business and personal matters at once."

Winston laughed and said, "You are still the same. You won't take any loss at all."

The two of them exchanged a quick message before separating again, one on each side of the carriage. Inside, Vivian, staring at her pink contact book, rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

The open contact book on her lap had only one line of words on it: "Winchester clerk can be trusted."

She glanced out the window again and put the contact book back into the necklace pendant that was enchanted with space magic.

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The long procession walked slowly for three hours before covering the distance that a horse could normally cover in half an hour at full gallop. When the noble ladies finally arrived at the camp, they quickly jumped off the carriages and looked for their relatives, friends and acquaintances, gathering in groups of three or five to share the latest gossip.

The hunting camp was actually very luxurious. A whole row of solid and tall stone houses stood in a row on the open space on the hillside, and there were many tents neatly stationed outside the stone houses.

The stone house is simple and majestic, and it looks like it can withstand all wind, snow and attacks from wild beasts. It is naturally a place for the nobles to rest and have fun, while the tents are for servants to rest or store prey.

Vivian sent her servants to put the luggage away, and followed Andrei, asking about the recent movements of her childhood playmate.

Traumatized by his childhood, Andrei answered many of her questions with a 'good-natured' attitude. As Vivian pried inwardly about Winston's whereabouts, Andrei finally sighed and pulled out his lunchbox. "Want a braised burrito? Made in the Brewing Workshop."

Vivian's originally smooth train of thought was suddenly interrupted by him. She glanced at the unremarkable lunch box with a bit of dissatisfaction. But before she could refuse, the bulging light yellow burrito in the lunch box and the words "brewery workshop" that popped out of Andre's mouth immediately attracted her attention.

The aroma of food kept coming into my nose and it was impossible to stop it.

Vivian licked her lips and reached out to grab a roll as fast as lightning: "Then I will be disrespectful to refuse it."

She took a big bite of the burrito, and immediately showed a satisfied expression. She puffed out her cheeks and chewed happily.

André quickly closed the lid of the box and slid away—heartbroken at the loss of a burrito. This was probably the greatest sacrifice he could make for Winston.

Vivian's problem was left to Winston to solve on his own, and Andre had other work to do.

Andre pretended to be on patrol, walking back and forth at the edge of the camp, but in fact he was keeping his eyes and ears open, taking in all the movements.

The nobles now gathered at the hunting grounds for more than just hunting, drinking, and catching up. The nobles of the old royal families were constantly seeking to expand their territory, strengthen their military forces, and form more allies. Every insignificant piece of gossip was an evaluation of potential partners, and every seemingly insignificant word could be a test for an alliance.

The baron has divided the nobles into two groups these days, with himself and his wife organizing activities separately, probably with the intention of defeating them one by one.

Men have their own topics to talk about, and women have their own private conversations. 'Ladies' politics' is always a very important part of the interactions among nobles, and it can help them to find out more information.

The Baroness was the first to find Baron Neumann. The two of them avoided the crowd and went into the stone house. They talked for a long time before appearing again.

Their eyes kept wandering between their son and Vivian, probably still wanting to pair the two up.

However, after filling her stomach, Vivian had already found her half-sister. She was a tall female warrior with short hair and tan skin. She carried a bow and arrows on her back and two hand axes strapped to her waist belt. Her body was covered with many old scars, and she was obviously a ruthless person.

This half-sister was named Alexia fa Leicester, a rare female knight and Vivian's chaperone.

In the Duchy of Huntington, unmarried noblewomen who wanted to travel or attend social events were officially required to be accompanied by an older female escort at all times. In theory, this escort could not leave the unmarried woman's side... but in practice, the nobles would always make adjustments based on their actual needs.

The escort was usually a dignified maiden from aristocratic families, possessing high status and observing strict rules and regulations. Of course, it was also becoming increasingly popular among the nobility to have female knights with considerable martial prowess as escorts. After all, compared to an elderly maiden, these female knights were truly capable of bringing down a scoundrel.

Whenever the escort needed to leave, a personal maid would stay by the noblewoman's side to perform his duties. However, the older escort didn't officially have to obey the noblewoman's orders, but the maids did. This gave the noblewoman the opportunity to send her maids away at certain times.

This was a customary and secretive practice among the nobility. Even in some aristocratic families, the chosen escort would regard the wishes of their daughter as if they were an imperial decree - Alexia was one of them.

In this way, the female knight's presence became more like a solid shield. For example, when she saw Baron Neumann's foolish son Victor, Vivian didn't want to leave the tall and intimidating sister; but if she was meeting Winston in the brewery box at this moment, she could even send her personal maid out.

——However, even without a guardian, Vivian's safety can be fully guaranteed.

In Andre's eyes, the person with the highest fighting power in the whole place is probably the violent Barbie Vivian who is wearing pink clothes, twin ponytails and has a cute and delicate face. But no one else (except Winston) knows this secret!