Chapter 782 Iris Winery
On Saturday afternoon, Angel arrived at the Iris Winery in the northwest suburbs of Backlund in advance. He was greeted by a luxurious carriage with Earl Hall's family crest at the new manor and met with Audrey Hall, who had been invited.
This winery and its large vineyards did not originally belong to Angel, and naturally not to Baron Sindras, but to a friend of the Baron, a coal merchant named Winster, who had invited Angel to visit his other estate.
When this merchant, who had just arrived in Backlund and had attached himself to Sindras, heard that he was looking for a gift for a young lady, he enthusiastically offered his newly purchased winery, along with the aged wines in the cellar, as well as the winemakers and manor servants who had already signed work contracts, for a total of 35,000 pounds.
Angel naturally accepted the "apology" from Baron Syndras, who almost committed suicide by jumping off the building in Angel's home after being hypnotized by the "manipulator".
Although the annual repair, maintenance and labor costs amount to several thousand pounds, the winery can produce a large amount of high-quality wine, which can be sold in part to subsidize the cost, and can also replace the consumption of alcohol at various dinners and dances held in Angel, making it a sure profit.
Standing in front of the four-story villa, surrounded by gardens and fountains, and looking at the endless grape vines outside the fence, Angel felt like his pockets were filled with gold pounds and he breathed a sigh of satisfaction.
"I've heard about this winery from conversations between my father and brother. It's larger than the Meg Manor of Duke Negan's family, and even rivals several royal gardens. Although it only has vineyards and no additional woods, preventing autumn hunting, the land is more fertile and the wine produced is of higher quality."
Audrey, who was standing nearby, was wearing a wide-brimmed hat with lace and ribbons. She was also gazing at the grapevines and spoke with some emotion.
The two men's maids stood a little further away, leaving the two masters with undisturbed private space.
Hearing Audrey's praise, Angel's already raised lips could hardly be suppressed.
Backlund's urban area is shrouded in continuous rain and sunshine for most of the year, but its suburbs are always covered with thin clouds and bright sunshine, like a sunshine belt surrounding the city, providing sufficient sunlight for the vegetation.
Therefore, the wines produced by the various plantations on the outskirts of the city, especially the vineyards in the northwest suburbs, are of excellent quality. However, most of the estates here belong to the royal family and traditional aristocrats. They mostly use the champagne, white wine and red wine they brew for themselves and sell less. Only people in the upper class or connoisseurs of fine wine know about them. Therefore, they are not as famous as several famous wine producing areas in Intis.
I heard that before being acquired by Winster, this winery originally belonged to a land noble, but they had been running the business poorly in recent years and their fortunes had fallen. They had no choice but to sell a large amount of real estate to maintain their noble dignity, so it was picked up by a businessman without a title... Angel muttered as he and Audrey returned from the garden to the interior of the manor and arrived in front of the four-story villa.
The building is square, a rare shape in the city. Four "sides" with a large number of rooms surround the internal courtyard, so that all bedrooms and guest rooms have large windows and balconies with views of vegetation. The interior decoration seems to imitate the style of some museums, embellished with sculptures, oil paintings and display cabinets, and crystal chandeliers can be seen everywhere, making the whole building like a palace.
Of course, this courtyard design was not original, but rather a style that had been popular in the Kingdom of Loen for hundreds of years. However, it was extremely rare in urban areas because its only problem was that it occupied too much land. In the Queens District of Backlund, where every inch of land was valuable, even a duke could not afford to live in such a manor.
No wonder the nobles liked to buy another property in the suburbs as a venue for banquets, hunting, and other activities. Their money and power could not be fully utilized in the city...
Walking between these sculptures and murals, which he couldn't name but looked very valuable, Angel secretly glanced at Audrey, who was looking sideways at the interior decoration, and asked:
"What do you think of this manor?"
Hearing this, Audrey retracted her gaze and looked at her friend beside her. Her eyes flickered, and after a moment she smiled and said:
“I wanted to say something complimentary, but I could tell from the look in your eyes that you wanted me to tell the truth.
"This manor originally belonged to Duke Negan. Before it was handed over to you, it was renovated by Mr. Winster. I think he rearranged the interior to cater to the aesthetic tastes of the upper class. However, the quality of the designer he hired was not commensurate with his status, and he made many ridiculous changes."
Audrey's emerald eyes were filled with frankness, but what she said made Angel's heart beat fast.
"My suggestion is to reduce the number of paintings and unify their style into a realistic style after the Twenty Years' War. The placement of the sculptures should also be changed. Most guests don't want to see sculptures of people or animals in their rooms. Some small ornaments will please them..."
"If you need anything, I can introduce you to a designer who works for my father. He's responsible for renovating the family castle and several important properties every year, and adjusting the architectural styles according to the latest trends. He can help you resolve the current problems at Iris Manor as quickly as possible so you can be ready for the important social events in the fall."
There are so many questions. Is Baron Sindras planning to embarrass me... No, he probably just bought the manor from Winster and then gave it to me. He might not even have been here himself. And the latter is just a nouveau riche, a coal boss... Well, I'm not even a coal boss, so I have no right to criticize him.
Angel's shoulders gradually drooped as Audrey spoke, and he asked hesitantly:
"Will renovating it like this be, uh, more expensive?"
"Most of the paintings and sculptures are already there, and the main structure of the building doesn't need to be altered. Including the interior furnishings, the total cost should be around 5,000 pounds. Compared to the fixed maintenance costs here, it shouldn't be expensive."
Audrey answered without thinking, and then noticed that the expression of the "Queen" next to her quickly became stiff.
"I suddenly feel that the nouveau riche decor suits me now..." Angel said with a forced smile, then changed his tone, "Fortunately, the wine collection here should make guests forget the incongruity of the decor. Shall we go to the wine cellar and take a look?"
“I heard that even the royal family has a collection of the Iris Winery’s own red wine. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Audrey, realizing that Angel was trying to change the subject, smiled and started chatting about the value of wines from different years, as well as the differences in winemaking styles between several other wineries and Iris.
It seemed Miss Queen had been short on cash lately, perhaps because she was preparing potion materials for her Sequence 3 advancement, or perhaps because of the impact of the previous battle on the southern continent... A hint of doubt flashed through her mind, and she was tempted to take the initiative to renovate the villa as an apology for her reckless behavior that nearly exposed the identities of the Queen and the World. However, she felt that a mere 5,000 pounds might not be enough for this Tarot Club demigod, so she hesitated and did not speak.
Arriving at the wine cellar, the two viewed hundreds of bottles of wine of varying vintages left by the previous owner of the estate, and picked out a bottle of 10-year-old red wine, tasting a small glass in the tasting room.
Audrey was full of praise for this part. Although she had just reached adulthood and seldom drank alcohol even when dining at home, she had been exposed to the wines for a long time and had a clear understanding of different grades of wines. After her evaluation, Angel had a new understanding of the value of the wines in this wine cellar.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to rest, the two chatted about their plans for the next few days.
"Mr. Hampres invited me to a small gathering of psychology enthusiasts at his house tomorrow afternoon. I think this is a signal for the Psychological Alchemy Society to gather. There, I might actually come face to face with Hvin Rambis."
Audrey raised her glass and took a sip, then spoke in a low voice.
There was no one else in the room except her, Angel, and Susie who had been following her. However, whenever Audrey talked about the Psychological Alchemy Society, she would still speak softly subconsciously.
"It's best to seek help from Mr. Fool and obtain his blessing. This will prevent you from being hypnotized again... Also, I will use the blood curse on Hampres to monitor the situation over there. If any danger arises, I can intervene immediately."
Angel made several suggestions and then asked:
"What do you think the purpose of asking you to come to this appointment is? Was it the 'instructions' from that day?"
"He probably wanted to know the details of my father's communication with Baron Syndras. He's already visited my father twice this week, holding secret talks in the reception room. Besides my brother, even I wasn't allowed to get close... Fortunately, thanks to Susie, I was able to get some useful information."
Stroking Susie's head, Audrey's expression became serious and she continued:
"Because Sindras distanced himself from the Conservative Party and aligned himself with the new party my father represents, the conflict between the two parties has become increasingly acute. Beyond the usual attacks and vetoes of each other's proposals in parliament, the struggle has spread to the business sphere. Hostile takeovers, industrial competition, and market exclusion may become the mainstream going forward. A certain degree of division has already appeared within the kingdom."
"The royal family doesn't care?"
Angel asked subconsciously, and then immediately realized the problem:
Hvin Rambis is ostensibly a royal advisor, but secretly seems to be acting in accordance with the royal family's orders.
Perhaps, the two parties becoming alienated from each other and creating a rift is the result the royal family hopes to see!
Is this related to their fabricated disappearances, their cover-up with smog, and their collaboration with the "Witch Cult"? Are these just different manifestations of the same grand conspiracy?
Angel looked at the intelligent girl in front of him and found that her eyes contained the same worry.
It seems she's thought of this too... Couldn't the Conservatives and the New Party have thought of this? No, they might even be happy to see it happen. After all, only when the conflict intensifies will there be a redistribution of interests, giving some people an opportunity to take advantage...
Thinking of this, Angel felt helpless. Even with the ability of a demigod, he could not do anything under such circumstances. Even the Baron Sindras, who was worth tens of millions, was just a fuse. Hvin Rambis, who was also a demigod, was the match that lit the fuse. The internal forces of the kingdom that had gradually inward-looking since the defeat in the war were the real powder keg.
Forcing a smile, Angel changed the subject to a lighter one:
"Dwayne Dantès will return to Backlund tonight."
She was referring to Mr. World... Hmm, at this point, should I say I'm looking forward to the specialties of the Southern Continent he'll bring back, or congratulate him on his journey? Wouldn't that suggest there's some kind of special relationship, and give Miss Queen the wrong impression?
Audrey pondered, not knowing what to say given her identity. She subconsciously glanced at Susie who was lying at her feet and found that she was actually sleeping on her stomach.
Come and help your master find a solution!
She secretly nudged Susie with her toes, which instantly woke up the "psychologist" and made her look around, shaking her head.
————
In the evening, a train spewing gray smoke and white steam entered Backlund and stopped steadily on the platform.
Klein, whose face had returned to that of a middle-aged gentleman, carried a gold-studded cane in one hand and adjusted his silk hat with the other. He stepped out of the first-class carriage and onto the grounds of Backlund. Behind him followed a brown-skinned servant with a low nose and obvious mixed-race features from the Southern Continent, and a burly bodyguard wearing a leather trench coat and a face so ordinary it was difficult to remember.
They are "Winner" Enzo and "Admiral of Hell" Ludwell, of course, they have been transformed.
After being promoted to Sequence 4, Klein's marionettes could also use all the abilities of the "Trickster", which made carrying the marionettes very convenient for him. They could transform into any appearance required, use illusions to change their clothing, and even fire air shells with power comparable to cannons without weapons. They could also leap thousands of meters away in flames at any time and even instantly swap positions with their original bodies.
Of course, the task of these two extraordinary people at this moment is just to help their master carry the luggage.
With the help of the marionette he controlled, Klein walked out of the station with ease. He took a breath of the noticeably cleaner air and smiled to himself, saying,
"Backlund, I'm back."
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