Bastin pulled the reins, controlling the direction of travel, while always paying attention to the movements around him.

This place is too close to the front battlefield, and we may encounter soldiers from Cologne or Gangdo at any time.

Although he is also a citizen of the Gondor Kingdom, these bloodthirsty soldiers may not care.

No! Compared to the strict military discipline of the people of Cologne, the soldiers of Gangdu are more like bandits and greedy vagrants.

"Father."

The girl in the carriage rubbed her eyes, poked her head out from the back, and asked, "How long will it take?"

“Soon.”

Bastin looked at his daughter with some doting, and replied, "Once we get to the city, we'll see your aunt and take a short rest, then we'll continue on to the capital."

"This place is too close to the front line. The Cologne people may break through at any time."

"Yes." The girl nodded: "Aunt is leaving too?"

"Of course." Bastin ruffled the girl's hair and said with a smile, "Let's go together. It will be safer this way. Your uncle has a nobleman in his family."

"Remember Dick, the guy you played with when you were little?"

"He has grown up now. I heard that he is doing timber transportation business with his father. He is a very talented young man. Maybe you should try to get in touch with him."

"Father!" The girl blushed. "Why are you saying this? It's been so many years since we last met. I can't even remember what Dick looks like."

Of course she knew what her father meant. It was inevitable that a young girl would feel shy when it came to finding a suitable husband for herself.

"You loved playing with him when you were little. When we moved, you two cried and refused to separate." Bastin smiled.

"It's time to think about it."

"Huh?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his right hand had already grasped the long sword he carried with him, and his eyes were fixed on the roadside.

"who?"

The leaves swayed.

A middle-aged man with graying temples and looking very haggard walked slowly out of the woods.

The man was wearing a retro gentleman's suit, a top hat and a cane, and he exuded an invisible nobleness.

Although he had just walked out of the forest and was inevitably covered in broken leaves and dust, his demeanor did not diminish at all.

Karl patted the dirt off his body and nodded to the driver:

"Merciful Lord of the Morning, I finally met a living person. Do you two want to go into the city?"

"yes."

The other party was obviously not a highwayman dressed like this. Bastin's expression relaxed slightly and he nodded in response: "Who are you?"

"Karl." Karl placed one hand on his chest and saluted, saying, "I am a traveler from the Swick region, from the Bergman family, a baron who has lost his territory."

"Baron?" Bastin's expression changed slightly:

"Are you a noble?"

"Yes." Carl nodded, pointed to the clover family emblem on his body, and shook his head: "It has been too long since I registered with the Noble Council. I don't know if my title is still retained."

"There is a noble council in Mino City." Bastin pointed forward, "You can go and ask. There have been frequent wars in recent years, and many nobles have not been able to register on time. But it doesn't matter. I heard that as long as you pay the tithe you owe, you can get your title back."

"That's really good news." Carl smiled and asked:

"I wonder if I could take a ride in your carriage. My original carriage unfortunately fell into a ravine."

"This..." Bastin hesitated.

Although they were not far from the city, he had no intention of contacting strangers just to be on the safe side.

"I am willing to pay you, and I will pay you in advance." Carl bowed his head and untied a purse from his waist: "How about two gold coins?"

The two golden coins made Bastin swallow his saliva, and then he got off the car and opened the door.

"Dear Baron Karl, please."

"Excuse me for asking."

After taking a closer look at Karl, Bastin looked puzzled:

"How old are you?"

The other person doesn't look very old, but if you look closely you can see that he is not young anymore and his figure is very blurry.

"Me? Over sixty." Karl smiled.

"ah!"

"What?"

Bastin was so surprised that even the girl who was hiding in the corner of the car and peeking couldn't help but scream.

Nearly seventy years old?

If you look closely, you can see that Carl's hair has turned white and his facial skin has wrinkles.

But he has no age spots and looks pretty energetic, giving people the impression of a middle-aged man in his forties.

More than sixty?

It was far beyond their imagination.

"How do you maintain your looks?" the girl couldn't help but ask, "I've never seen such a young... old man."

"Mood is important." Karl touched his cheek and smiled, "Of course, you have to eat well, drink well, and take good care of yourself, so that your age won't be too obvious."

"Rita, don't even think about it." Bastin shook his head:

"This kind of carefree life can only be enjoyed by nobles. We definitely can't."

The young girl Rita looked regretful.

…………

When the carriage arrived at the city gate, it was already heavily guarded and strict inspection was required for entering and leaving the city.

“Who would have thought?”

Pulling the carriage into the city, Bastin looked back and sighed:

"The city near the capital will one day become the front line of a battlefield and may be breached at any time."

"Baron Karl, I will take you to the Noble Council first. Are you going to the Royal City as well?"

"Um."

Carl nodded:

"I am old and need to find a place to retire. At present, it seems that the Royal City is more suitable."

"Yes." Bastin nodded:

"We are also planning to go to the royal city. If Baron has no companions, why not come with us?"

"There's someone to take care of you on the way."

"This..." Karl thought about it and said with a smile: "Okay."

As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at the Noble Council. There were even more soldiers here, and it seemed to have become a temporary battlefield command post.

The soldier guarding the gate was leaning on his spear, with his helmet hanging at his waist, looking very casual.

"Re-register as a noble?"

The soldier looked disdainful, as if he didn't see Karl, the 'noble lord' at all. He waved his hand and said, "Don't you see that we are at war? We don't have time to care about such trivial matters recently."

"Please inform me." Karl was helpless. He flicked his fingers lightly and two gold coins appeared at his fingertips: "Thank you."

"Um?"

The soldier raised his eyebrows and put away the gold coins skillfully: "Wait."

Not long.

The three were allowed in, and a fat man with a big belly and gorgeous clothes sat down to meet them.

"There is such a person, Baron Karl of the Bergmann family, but he has not been registered for decades."

The fat man spoke slowly: "How do I know if you are a fake?"

"The Lord of Dawn can testify to this." Carl saluted and handed over two more gold coins:

"Can we find a quiet place to talk in detail?"

"Hmm..." The fat man put away the gold coins openly and stood up lazily:

"All right."

(End of this chapter)