Funeral (Revised)
Money, money, money. Money is needed everywhere and there is a shortage of money everywhere.
But Elena didn't want to spend any more money.
With a slam on the table, Elena stood up suddenly: "Come with me to the kitchen."
Elena rushed into the kitchen in a hurry, causing a commotion in the kitchen.
The chef came over cheerfully, and the cooks and handymen quickly grabbed the best seats against the wall, hoping to eavesdrop.
"Bring over here all the sauces I asked you to make before." Elena ordered as soon as she opened her mouth.
The chef immediately ran to move the jars of sauce, one jar, two jars, three jars, a total of seven jars of sauce. Fortunately, the jars were not very big, and the height was only up to an adult's knees, otherwise the chef would have been very tired to move seven jars.
Elena asked the chef to open the lid. As the clay lid was opened, the special aroma brewing inside wafted out little by little.
Elena picked up the spoon and tasted them one by one. Hmm, they tasted okay.
"Now I will teach you how to cook some new dishes. You must learn them well and serve them on the day of the funeral." Elena instructed the chef in a serious manner.
The chef bowed deeply and said, "I will do my best to prepare the most delicious dishes according to your wishes."
Braised beef, roasted lamb, numbing grilled fish, roast duck wraps, fried meatballs, shrimp meatballs, apple pie, creamy white mushrooms, steamed pumpkin, stuffed winter melon.
Elena read out the recipes for ten dishes to the chef in one breath.
The chef tried hard to write down the recipe with shaking hands. Because he knew few words, there were many patterns and circles in the recipe that only the chef could understand.
These ten dishes are absolutely new in this world and are quite fresh, but the reason why Elena chose these ten dishes is not because of their newness, but because they save ingredients.
In fact, if you look closely, you will find that these dishes are not whole portions. For example, large dishes such as grilled lamb chops and fried steaks that are commonly used in banquets must be whole portions. Only a few pieces of good meat can be used from a cow or sheep, and the poor ones cannot be used. Elena listed small portions of dishes. A cow can be used to make several servings of braised beef, and a sheep can be used to make dozens of grilled lamb skewers.
The dishes are new, but the portions are actually smaller, so the money spent is also less.
Elena spent two full days teaching the chef how to cook. Two days later, the chef finally made a dish that passed the passing line and Elena nodded.
The day of the funeral arrived in a blink of an eye, and the entire Viscount's Mansion became increasingly busy and tense.
Leonard came to say goodbye to Elena.
He still appeared suddenly, appearing in front of Elena out of the blue. Elena was busy checking the expenses when Leonard suddenly appeared.
"I have something urgent to do and have to leave right away. I can only say sorry for Joyce's funeral." Leonard was carrying a large package on his back, and it was obvious that he was about to leave.
Elena's gaze lingered on his large package for several seconds, then glanced at his left finger: "Don't you have a space ring?" Isn't the ring still on? Why don't you put the luggage in the ring?
Leonard chuckled, "You said it was a ring. A ring can hold whatever it wants, and it would have been full long ago."
Elena nodded and asked casually, "Did you bring everything? Is the package big enough?"
"Of course it's not enough." Leonard patted the package gently. "If it weren't so inconvenient for me to travel, I would pack more."
Elena was curious: "What did you pack?"
"Guess." Leonard blinked, then turned and jumped out of the window and left.
Elena didn't take it to heart and continued to calculate her expenses.
It wasn't until the next day when the head chef came to report in a panic that Elena found out what Leonard had taken away.
He actually took half of every jar of sauce.
"This bastard!" Elena cursed with gritted teeth.
The day before the funeral, lords from surrounding territories arrived one after another, even Elena's maternal grandparents who lived far away in another earl's territory came.
The person who came was Elena's uncle, Viscount Walshi, and he was accompanied by the Viscountess, Elena's aunt.
"Elena, my poor little girl, you have worked so hard these days. Let me take a good look at you. You have lost weight." Viscount Walshi looked at Elena and spoke words full of tenderness and heartache, but a shrewd gleam flashed in his eyes.
The Viscountess also stepped forward and took Elena's arm. "Yes, your face has become thinner. After this funeral, Elena, you can go back with us. Let us take good care of you. Your aunt will definitely raise you back. Julie and the others miss you too. You can have tea and chat with them, or go hunting with them. Otherwise, it will be too lonely for you to stay here alone."
Elena didn't want to leave her territory as her business venture hadn't even begun yet.
"Thank you for your concern, uncle and aunt, but I can't leave for the time being. My application for the title has been submitted to the Earl's Mansion. I need to stay here and wait for Earl Barnett's reply." Elena found a legitimate reason to refuse.
The Viscountess looked at her husband. Viscount Walshi nodded his chin slightly. The Viscountess smiled and said to Elena, "Don't worry. Your aunt will stay with you and take care of you. When you inherit the title, we will go back together."
Elena's eyes flashed, but she smiled without saying anything.
Count Barnett also arrived in Fussen that afternoon.
Earl of Barnett was a tall and somewhat portly middle-aged man with a receding hairline that revealed a shiny forehead. His hair was light brown, but his temples were already showing a noticeable frost. He had distinct nasolabial folds at the corners of his eyes and on his cheeks, but he did not appear harsh or mean. On the contrary, he looked very kind, and his nasolabial folds looked like they were from smiling.
"Elena, my poor little girl, are you okay?" As soon as Earl Barnett saw Elena, he opened his arms, half-hugged her, and gently patted her shoulders with his hands.
Elena lifted the hem of her skirt lightly and performed a standard lady's greeting: "Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."
"Elro and Joyce's departure was so unexpected and sudden, leaving you alone, Elena. If you encounter any difficulties and need help, please come to me and I will do my best to help you." Earl Barnett said kindly to Elena.
Elena nodded: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency. You are truly a kind lord."
Elena stepped aside and invited Earl Barnett into the castle.
As they walked, Earl Barnett said to Elena, "Elena, I have approved your application for the title. I have also brought the letter of notification. Please come to Port Bouk in ten days and I will hold a ceremony for your knighthood."
Although she had already expected that her application for the title would not be rejected, Elena never expected that Earl Barnett would personally say that he would hold a knighthood ceremony for her.
Elena was very surprised.
She had learned some basic common sense from the old housekeeper. The investiture ceremony was also divided into different levels. The investiture ceremony of dukes and marquises was presided over by the king, and the regulations were very grand. However, the investiture ceremony of earls, viscounts, and barons did not involve a large number of people. Generally, the recipient of the title would go to the superior lord and hold an investiture ceremony at his own expense. At the ceremony, he would swear allegiance to the lord, take back the silver branch representing the territory, and then return to his own mansion to invite friends to celebrate together.
Elena had already squeezed out the money for the investiture ceremony and celebration banquet, but she didn't expect that Earl Barnett would say in person that he would hold a investiture ceremony for her.
Money saved.
And it's glorious.
"Thank you for your kindness. You are such a kind and good person. May the Lord of Light bless you." Elena expressed her gratitude with joy.
This world is a polytheistic world with three main gods. Earl Barnett believes in the Lord of Light.
Earl Barnett smiled and said, "May the Lord of Light bless you too."
As they stepped into the spacious hall, the guests who were talking stopped to look at the newcomer. When they saw that it was Earl of Barnett, they straightened their appearance and bowed to him one by one.
Earl Barnett was invited by Elena to take the host's seat. He glanced around the hall and found the person he was looking for, Viscount Antoine.
Count Barnett's gaze stayed on Antoine for only two seconds before moving away, but the weight of these two seconds was enough to alert Antoine.
The Earl may already know what he did in private.
How could he absolve himself of responsibility?
Earl of Barnett, who was at the head, spoke: "Everyone, I am deeply saddened by the death of Elro. He was a brave warrior, a kind lord, and a gentleman worthy of respect and trust." Earl of Barnett paused for a moment and bowed his head in silence.
Everyone also bowed their heads in silence.
"Elro passed away, and so did his eldest son, Joyce. Now he only has Elena as his only child. Although she's a girl, I believe she'll inherit Elro's excellence and grow into a qualified lord." Earl Barnett glanced over the crowd. "What do you think? Any objections?"
Except for Antoine, who had long planned to seize the territory of Fussen, none of the viscounts and barons present cared about who inherited Elro's title. At any rate, it was fine as long as it was not someone who appeared out of nowhere. Although Elena was a girl, she was also Elro's child, and the only child. There was no problem with the inheritance right. What's more, a female lord was better. Women were not as ambitious as men and were more likely to give in when conflicts occurred. How great.
And what could Antoine say after hearing Count Barnet's decision?
Antoine could only lower his head and keep his mouth shut.
Amidst the chorus of "Your will is followed", it was finalized that Elena would inherit the title of Viscount.
Earl Barnett smiled and enjoyed the obedience and agreement of the people, and enjoyed the feeling of being in control of everything.
Haha, it’s not that easy to make trouble and fight for power under his nose.
Antoine mingled awkwardly among the crowd, not daring to show his head.
After a quiet night, the most important day arrived.
The funeral of Elro and Joyce was carried out in a solemn and orderly manner. The pastor of Fussen presided over the funeral ceremony and personally lit the firewood under the coffin.
This is a magical world. Necromancers really exist, and so do Warcraft with dark talents. In order to prevent the bodies of the deceased from being contaminated by evil forces and turning into dark undead such as skeleton soldiers, dark knights, or stitched monsters, the bodies must be cremated, especially the bodies of nobles. This is not only because they have status and position, but also because they have all practiced magic and their bodies still have some power left, making them more likely to be targeted by evil forces.
Yes, in a world of magic, how could the nobles not practice magic? Magic is also a form of power.
The identity inherited by Elena originally had the owner who studied magic for three years in elementary school. For the nobles, in addition to general knowledge and artistic cultivation, magic courses are also compulsory.
The raging flames engulfed the coffin, leaving only a handful of ashes.
The ashes were placed back in the coffin and buried, and the funeral was over.
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