On the return carriage, Lacey leaned against the armrest of the sofa, her cheek resting on her hand. She felt a little sleepy, not physically, but mentally. It was like she had just played five hours of intense and thrilling online matches. Now she didn't want to think about anything else but to go back to sleep.
She closed her eyes, rested for a while, and regained her spirit before slowly recalling the scene just now. She particularly hated this Edley.
In her past life, her country had a long tradition of toasting. Even though she didn't drink much, she knew that, psychologically, it was a test of obedience. I toast you, and you must drink it all to show your obedience. While this world didn't have the same customs, Adley's behavior just now was actually a test.
As soon as he entered the scene, he made a strong first impression. His seemingly joking words greatly aroused the girls' emotions. Then he quickly stopped talking, saying that he was just joking. This ups and downs made the girls' hearts stimulated like a roller coaster, and then quickly focused their attention on him.
Afterwards, his quarrel with Feng Nai seemed noisy on the surface, but it quickly broke the strangeness of their first meeting, allowing his emotions and personality to be revealed naturally, lowering the vigilance of the two people when they first met.
Then there's another heartfelt conversation, revealing his familiarity with Angus, which provides motivation for his subsequent offer of help, making it less abrupt. Furthermore, the sudden seriousness of a playboy at the start creates a sense of genuine sincerity, a prodigal son's return that's more touching than ever.
Finally, after Lacey thanked him, he toasted again, following the simple interpersonal principle of repaying a favor. If someone offers you a favor and drinks, you should return the favor and drink the drink. This is a spontaneous, unconscious act. Not drinking the drink would seem contrived, indicating a strong sense of wariness. Drinking only a portion would suggest caution, a lack of full faith.
Lacey naturally understood the intention, so she drank it all, pretending that she had no intention of quitting, and believed the promise of Master Edley in front of her.
Recalling the events of the banquet, Lacey couldn't help but sigh. Edley was truly a master of love. With his emotional intelligence, there was no need for him to be so awkward with Funo. This was most likely intentional. If he had gone all out, Lacey suspected that the innocent Funo would have been captivated in less than three days.
Although Meilu spoke a lot at the banquet, most of her words were just polite remarks. She never really expressed her opinion from beginning to end.
Funo is very simple, Adli has plans for Lacey or Carites, Meruru is a mystery, and Fenton is concerned about the new wine and is focused on making money, not interested in anything else. This is the summary after Lacey's party.
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While Lacey was slowly recalling her memories in the carriage, Adley also returned to his study at home.
"How about it, is Miss Lacey from the Carites family pretty?" A young man who was slightly taller than Edley brought a cup of sobering soup. He was Wick, the adopted son of Tisiphone's family, and was considered Edley's half-brother.
"Wick, I'm telling you, you'll really regret it if you don't go. Miss Lacy is the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life."
"Oh? Is she more beautiful than the Angel Saint in the Sanctuary?" Wick smiled and sat down opposite Edley.
"Indeed, I really want to marry her." Edley did not hide the desire in his eyes.
"You can't be serious, right? We've already planned to join forces with Anemi, and Funo is pretty good too."
"You don't understand. Feng No is indeed a stunning beauty, but Miss Lacey, I'm afraid I'll miss this opportunity. It will probably take thousands of years for someone as beautiful as her to be born again."
"Alright, Adli, no kidding. We've already arranged everything. The alliance with Anemyi is set in stone. Now's not the time to go back on your word."
"I know that Carites must be defeated or subdued so that Hopeland can be under our control and the organization's plan can proceed smoothly."
"Yes, Edley, we Tisiphone have already invested too much in this and there is no turning back now. I hope you will not be tempted by beauty." Wick looked at Edley solemnly.
"You don't need to remind me, I understand." Edley leaned back on the sofa and rubbed his eyebrows.
"But I will apply to the organization and obtain ownership of the girl after victory." His voice was slow, but revealed a certain determination.
After a brief silence, Edley asked again.
"How's the Helis family doing lately?"
"They have been keeping a low profile recently and haven't made any big moves."
"Really? I always feel like they might have discovered something, but they just didn't say it."
"Even if they find some traces, what can they do? As long as they can't produce definitive evidence, they won't be able to do anything to us. After a while, everything will be a foregone conclusion, and they won't be able to do anything even if they want to. The wheel of time will eventually overwhelm everything, and it's still unclear whether the Helis family will still exist in the future."
Wick spoke in a low voice, and there seemed to be some fanatical ideal in his eyes under the candlelight.
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After returning home, two days later, news of the battlefield in the north of West Wind spread throughout Virga, and people were in panic for a while.
Xifeng is the central hub of the seven countries of Xuehua. If there is civil unrest, many trade routes will be cut off, and sea routes become a safe option that is not affected. For a time, the Carites family received several times more orders, as well as many sea transportation commissions.
Coincidentally, at this time, the three major fleets of the Carites Chamber of Commerce, "Swordfish", "Trade Wind" and "White Bird", were all called back. In the Quiet Moon Strait outside Hopeland, huge white sails and more than 200 ships of all sizes were parked neatly on the sea, rising and falling with the waves.
For a time, the Carites family's influence in Hopeland reached its peak. Various invitations followed, and major chambers of commerce from other parts of Verga also came from afar, sending greetings and gifts, hoping to establish friendly relations with them.
As peace was broken, safe sea routes became the inevitable choice. The demand for both merchant ships and warships increased, and Charites became the target of everyone's attention.
Just when Loran Hill was worrying about how to deal with so many orders, commissions, and invitations, the country of Lurna also sent a team of alchemists to Hopeland to contact Carites. Their purpose was to discuss an important cooperation project, namely the design and construction of steel battleships.
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