Chapter 164: Hunting Grounds Outside the City (Part 1)
Thanks to the delicious breakfast, Andre was in a good mood today. Even if he was going to see Baron Neumann's old face next, it would not affect his good mood for the time being.
Baron Neumann probably regarded Andre's arrival as a "declaration of war" by the royal family against him, and the best way he could come up with was to win over the old relatives and nobles of the German royal family. It would be even better if he could arrange a marriage for his son.
Even if His Majesty the King knew what Baron Neumann was planning, he could not prevent normal interactions between nobles, let alone stop the noble children of marriageable age from dating and getting married... right?
Baron Neumann liked to use these high-sounding banners to secretly carry out his operations. He believed that His Majesty the King would not dare to break off relations with the royal nobles. Therefore, as long as he was not caught by His Majesty the King in public and did some small actions in accordance with the customs of the aristocracy, it would be harmless. No matter how angry the king was in his heart, he had to continue to smile at him in public.
Even if the old royal family is declining, it is still the Baron's confidence. For this reason, the Baron has put a lot of thought into organizing various activities these days to please the guests.
Unfortunately, due to the bandits roaming in the city and the presence of Andre, the King's spy, the social dance that is most attractive to nobles and promotes relationships, but is also expressly banned by His Majesty the King, cannot be held for the time being. He can only find another way and bring a group of nobles to his own hunting ground to hold a hunting meeting.
After all, a social ball wasn't just an event for a few nobles. Any social ball was a citywide event, with wealthy merchants eager to participate in such an event and share the same stage with the nobles. They would invest large sums of money to secure a spot on the stage.
If done right, the nobles could host a lavish banquet and then profit handsomely from the wealthy merchants. The hosts were eager to gain both fame and wealth.
But with the presence of bandits in the city, wealthy merchants had to reconsider their investments. No one, man or woman, wanted to dress up in all their glory, smear themselves with powder, and excitedly head to a ball with a carriageload of money, only to be robbed or kidnapped by bandits before even showing their faces to the nobles, losing both their money and their lives.
- Yes, at this kind of social dance, applying makeup is not exclusive to women. Men also put on scented powder on their faces to cover wrinkles, put blush on their pale cheeks to enhance their complexion, and wear curly wigs to cover their receding hairlines.
Under the threat of the gangsters, investors hesitated to move forward, and the baron was unlikely to pay for such a lavish ball out of his own pocket.
Every ball required custom-made outfits from head to toe. Apart from military uniforms of particular significance, any noble who dared to wear a fine garment they had worn once elsewhere would become a laughingstock throughout the country. If the host did so, they would be unable to raise their head for eight hundred years.
The venue for the ball also required meticulous decoration—lavish amounts of silk, flowers, spices, and temporary servants—all of which cost a fortune. Each ball also needed a unique theme, avoiding repetition, boredom, or taboos. With so many considerations, specialized socialite ball planners were often hired at high prices to oversee the entire process.
Money, money, money, money is needed everywhere. Social balls are a luxury built with mountains of gold and silver, and no mistakes are allowed.
If a robbery occurred in the city at the same time as the ball, even if all the important guests were under the Baron's protection, the incident itself would have a huge impact on the Baron's reputation.
Baron Neumann naturally didn't want to take such a risk. So, he took his important guests to his private hunting grounds. This was a specially fenced-off forest, not only guarded by the baron's own private soldiers, but also armed participants, so he wasn't afraid of roving bandits.
Hunting was also a custom that dated back to the days of the German Kingdom. No matter how pretentious the nobles were, they were required to learn horsemanship and archery from a young age, otherwise they would become the butt of ridicule. It could be said that most nobles spent their entire lives trying not to become the butt of ridicule, while also seizing every opportunity to mock others.
They know that they are the source of others' pain and will become the target of public criticism, but they seem unaware of the absurdity of this cycle and continue to act as executioners, fearing that they will become victims under the knife.
Face is what these corrupt nobles try their best to maintain, even if it is just a hypocritical and flashy illusion.
Unlike social dances where any slight disturbance would be blamed on the host, a hunting competition is a risk-taking activity. After all, no matter how careful the host is, wild beasts and swords have no eyes and cannot recognize which are the royal relatives who cannot be harmed.
Baron Neumann did not need to bear too much responsibility, nor did he need to spend a lot of money: the hunting ground had been built for many years, and the wild animals in it were all naturally raised. He only needed to dispatch some manpower to clear out the overly dense trees, clear enough roads for horses to pass and hunt prey, and then let the servants clean out the camp for the nobles to stay.
The task of clearing the trees was completed by Andrei and his knights long after he returned from the Witch's Forest. Andrei took away the high-quality wood that had been cut down and cleared in the name of "garbage" disposal and turned it into rows of shelves in the Takumiyu workshop.
The Baron thought he had humiliated Andrei and was complacent about it for a long time, not realizing that he had been fleeced by the knight.
After the hunting grounds were cleared, the baron led the nobles who had volunteered, their servants, and warriors to the camp ahead. His ostensible excuse was to take the warriors to the camp first to eliminate any dangerous beasts, allowing the servants to clean up, add furnishings, and prepare for the arrival of the women.
Actually...men always need some free time to have fun and have fun.
The witch beer sent by the Winchester clerk made these nobles drunk for several days. They held hunting competitions, drank, indulged themselves, and talked about topics that should not be heard by those delicate noble ladies. Until the women in the city were bored and impatient and sent letters urging them, the baron waved his hand and asked Andre to take a team of kingdom knights to escort them to the hunting ground.
When Andrei went to the camp to count the troops, he ran into the Winchester clerk who had been waiting in the barracks.
"Good morning, Deputy Commander," the Winchester clerk said politely. "The escorts and carriages for the ladies are ready. Due to the numerous matters, the Baron has granted me permission to accompany you."
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