The Third Age, 1686, the end of the Year of Fire.
The newly formed Frost Rose Alliance among the seven countries of Xuehua sent troops north. The New Virga Alliance stopped them on the grounds that they had violated the agreement and had not made any statement. At the same time, they asked for help from their allies, the Hinayue Council and the Cranberry United Kingdom.
The supporting Divine Wing Bird troops crossed the South Seas to a branch of the Sighing Mountains. At the foot of Jiansong City, they defeated Frost Rose's golem army and destroyed the fleet heading north. This brought Frost Rose's offensive to a halt, and the conflict between the two sides escalated again.
At the same time, the Falcon Kingdom, west of the New Vilga Alliance and southwest of Cranzia, announced its membership in the Frost Rose Alliance. Civil unrest ensued in the northern Black Rock Principality. The Long Spear Faction laid siege to the principality's capital, Beacon City on the Black Mountains, while the Bowhunter Faction held the city, resulting in a stalemate. Within the Sanctuary, following the death of the previous Pope, the position of new Pope remained undecided, and undercurrents surged among various factions.
Faced with the chaos in the Seven Kingdoms of Xuehua, the Cangcui Empire turned a blind eye and began to prepare for the Crown Prince's wedding in the imperial capital, planning the venue, and it was expected to be fully prepared in a year.
The winds and waves on the Endless Sea increased, affecting the routes to the East, which gradually decreased. At the same time, the Plantagenets stopped sending their envoys to the Southern Isles once every three years. The number of ships sailing out to sea also gradually decreased due to the dynasty's ban.
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Emenas, Temple College.
There is now a new resident in the cottage where Luo Xier lives, and that is her good friend, the half-elf girl Frosia.
"How long will this take to cook, Roxelle?"
Frosia, wearing an apron, stood in the kitchen, gently stirring the white soup in the pot with a spoon. Even as the flames licked the bottom of the casserole, the potatoes, chicken, mushrooms, and other ingredients in the pot kept tumbling, emitting bursts of fragrance.
"About 20 minutes."
The girl guessed that she usually couldn't keep track of time, so as long as it looked cooked and flavorful, it was fine as long as it was edible.
In the room next to the kitchen, Luo Xier was wearing a white winter dress and was filling out a form. Judging from the booklet, she should be almost finished.
These are the matters that the Chief needs to arrange. She will be going to Clansia next year, so these need to be done in advance.
Phew, I finally finished writing. Now I can have a good rest.
Loran Hill raised his head, put the pen aside, put away the booklet, turned around and went to the kitchen to see how Frosia's meal was going.
The eldest daughter of the Landsworth family recently moved in with him. Since she had no other servants to serve her and didn't want to bother him with cooking all the time, she volunteered to learn how to cook.
Many stories often feature someone who can't cook, creating some unpleasant dish, as a cute cliché. But Loran Hill thinks this is definitely exaggerated. Maybe someone can't cook at first, but after a few tries, they might not be able to cook it well, but they can still cook it.
Besides, if you are in doubt, just boil water. And she taught Frosia to start with the simplest way of making soup.
Just wash the food, cut it into pieces, put it in a pot, add water and heat it up. It doesn't get any easier than this.
"let me see."
She opened the lid of the pot and looked inside. The boiling soup was about to jump out of the pot.
"Why add so much water?" Loran Hill looked at the eldest daughter of the Landsworth family. The blonde daughter was a little at a loss.
"But wouldn't it be better to put more water? That way it won't dry out and the food will be completely submerged."
Well, this guy and Ketti are two extremes.
Katie likes to heat the bottom of the pot with flames. In her own words, it is just like warming the food with her hands, which is very interesting. However, the consequence is that the heat is too strong and the food often turns into charcoal or boils dry.
"Although this understanding is correct, the taste will be diluted by the soup and will not be rich enough." Loran Hill took the spoon from Frosia's hand, scooped out some excess soup, poured it into the pool beside him, then tasted the saltiness and continued to add some seasonings.
Looking at Roland Hill's skilled and serious demeanor, Frosia was deeply impressed. People are like that; if someone excels at something you're not, you always feel a little respect for them.
"That's good. Just wait a moment." After replacing the lid, the two returned to the hall.
It was already winter in Emenas, and snowflakes were falling quietly outside the window. Some snow accumulated on the windowsill and condensed lightly on the corners of the lattice windows.
The air was much colder than before, and the staff and students on the streets all changed into thicker clothes.
Although extraordinary people can use magic to keep warm, it is ultimately more tiring. It is better to wear more thick clothes, which will be more comfortable.
After returning to the hall, Loranhill picked up a little firewood with tongs and put it into the fireplace to add fuel, then sat in the chair beside the fireplace with Frosia.
The winter sky was a little gray, and the fireplace in the room cast a light red flame into the room. As the flame burned, the temperature in the room slowly rose.
"How does Frosia spend the winter at home?" Loran Hill asked the girl next to him.
"It seems to be about the same as usual. It's quite warm everywhere in the house."
Hmm, it seems like I asked a pointless question, Loran Hill thought. Given Frosia's family background, she should have grown up in an extremely luxurious environment.
"If Frosia doesn't marry the Crown Prince, what kind of family background would be needed to marry you?"
Frosia's face turned a little red under the reflection of the fire. She thought for a while before answering.
"According to my aunt and other elders, they usually marry into the earl's family, or the more promising and outstanding viscount's family. However, there are also elders who have not married. They are quite capable and can live easily on their own."
"I originally thought that I would follow this path..." She stared at the fire in a daze.
"If Frosia doesn't want to get married, I can think of a way."
Perhaps because he felt a little reluctant, Loran Hill did not want to see his friend enter into a forced marriage. In his previous life, the society had always advocated the sanctity and freedom of marriage. Although people sometimes did not like it, some ideas gradually spread to everyone's hearts. This is also one of the most basic choices of human beings.
"No need. It's not good to involve you." Frosia shook her head. The people and things involved in this matter were not simple. It was not something that the girl next to her could solve. It was too dangerous to involve her.
"Then I'll give you a gift."
Loran Hill took out a velvet box from a cabinet nearby.
Opening the box, an exquisite light gold pendant was revealed. The pendant was as transparent as crystal, with a little liquid rippling in it. In the reflection of the fire, this little liquid reflected the faint colorful starlight, which was very beautiful.
"If you ever want to leave, drink the liquid inside. It will make you extremely lucky for the day, and everything will go smoothly."
"Just consider it as a parting blessing."
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