As Shad spoke, he turned his head slightly to look at the early spring night in Tobesk outside the car window, watching the dim light of the gas lamp on the side of the street passing by the side of the carriage:
"Galina, if the earl has a small accident in the local area, will it affect the negotiation?"
"Of course, it will cause diplomatic problems, but if it's not local, it's fine."
Xia De nodded:
"I see."
Miss Galina looked at his thoughtful expression, and said again:
"This is the first time I've seen that you are taking the initiative to make a bad idea. In my opinion, you are the kind of person who... doesn't care much about the law, but attaches great importance to morality."
Shad continued to look out the window:
"I never think of myself as a good person in the traditional sense, so this allows me to have a more flexible moral bottom line. I have done a lot of bad things, and I am even better at breaking through. Besides, my heart is not made of stone Yeah, isn't it normal to hate or dislike someone because of something? I watched a funny love story in Randall Valley and learned to cherish the person you love. Don't worry, I don't I would kill someone for such a trivial matter. But since that earl is not a good person, and I've been busy recently, I might as well find something for myself to do."
The beautiful witch then bit her lower lip:
"Is this considered jealousy for me?"
Xia De turned his head and blinked:
"Since you and I have made a further breakthrough in our relationship, of course I will be jealous because of you. Just like what is written in those court documents, if you want me to fight others for you, I will not refuse .”
"I didn't expect you to watch that kind of show. I thought only Adelina would like it... you know? Now, you have never felt like a living person before."
This sentence sounds strange, after all, Shade has always been a living person. But he had no chance to express his doubts, because Miss Galina took his hand and kissed him.
The carriage drove towards Saint Teresa Square in the dark at ten o'clock in the evening. Presumably, tonight will be another peaceful night.
The following Friday is the registration time for the "1854 Ring of Tobesk Riding Competition". The registration deadline is this Sunday. Although there is still a long time, Xia De decided to complete the registration process today. He is not someone who will delay things until the last day.
This morning, he was not woken up by Mia, not because Shade woke up earlier than the cat, but because the cat who slept in the guest room with the maids had no time to get into the room, it was waiting for the maids in the kitchen Make breakfast ready.
Although there was no "Mia Alarm Clock", Shad still woke up on time at 6:30. He yawned and wanted to get up, but the red-haired lady who hugged his neck lazily pulled him back under the quilt:
"What are you doing waking up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer."
The end of her voice when she closed her eyes was very similar to Rezia's tone when she acted like a baby to Shad. Xia De wanted to get up. After all, there were still many things to do today, but the witch caught the handle and pulled him back under the quilt:
"Really, being so energetic early in the morning makes me wonder if I wasn't attractive enough last night."
Shuo Ruo hugged Xia De, which made the two of them not leave the bedroom until 7:30.
While out-of-towners are used to living alone, it's nice not to have to cook your own breakfast. And Miss Galina, who was used to living in manors and castles, didn't have any other opinions because of the shabbyness of Xia De's house, and had breakfast at the dining table with Xia De.
Speaking of which, thanks to the large number of guest rooms in Xia De's house, otherwise the maids who followed the Duke would have no place to stay last night.
At the breakfast table, when Xia De held the newspaper in one hand and touched Mia with the other, the witch on the other side of the table suddenly asked:
"Speaking of which, isn't your badge a bit different?"
"Yes."
The badge of detecting the witch was originally made by Miss Galina for Shade,
So of course she could see it. However, Xia De was not wearing the badge at this time. Before going to bed last night, the badge was taken off and placed on the head of the bed:
"The space left by the ancient gods - the melting pot of the earth's core."
He briefly described that space, and the witch listened carefully to it as something new, but she didn't plan to visit it after the meal. But when Xia De sent her and the maids downstairs, the Duchess stood in the hallway and looked at the house, and then suggested:
"Taking advantage of the nice weather in spring, do you want to renovate the house? You can live with me temporarily during the renovation period.",
"Renovation? Why do you need to renovate? Didn't you renovate last year?"
Xia De asked curiously.
"Oh, it wasn't a renovation last year, it was just making the house from dilapidated to habitable. Think about it for yourself, I don't think Rezia, Louisa and Anat would object."
She spoke lightly, then moved closer to Xia De and kissed his side face:
"Speaking of which, did you forget to give me something?"
She asked again with a smile, and Xia De blinked suspiciously, so the voice of "her" appeared almost at the same time as the movement of the maid beside her.
【key. 】
Tifa made a motion to turn the key to open the door.
"Oh yes."
Xia De suddenly realized, took out the key from the biscuit box in the shoe cabinet, took one off the iron ring and handed it to the lady in front of him:
"Galina, here is a spare key for my house."
The witch smiled and took it, and instead of handing it to Tifa at the side for safekeeping, she stuffed it into her skirt pocket:
"If you encounter any trouble recently, remember to come to me at any time. Although I may be a little busy during this time, at least I won't see you once a week like little Rezia."
She said goodbye to Xia De in a good mood, and then boarded the carriage at the door of Xia De's house. Shala opened the door and watched the carriage go by on the steps in front of the door.
It was only later that she realized that the "troublesome matter" she mentioned probably meant that Xia De wanted to trouble the count of the southern country.
[Do you have any plans? 】
"She" asked softly.
"Of course there is, but we'll talk about it when the time comes. After all, the plan can't keep up with the changes."
Xia De didn't close the door immediately, but looked at the scenery on the foggy square, and then stretched out in front of the house in a very uncivilized way.
When they were about to go home, the door of the neighbor next door opened, and Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith were dressed to go out.
Now that we have met, it is natural to say a few words about the recent weather. And the old gentleman who used to be the chief secretary of the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance also asked Xia De with great interest:
"Hamilton, do you want to sign up for this year's equestrian competition around the city?"
"certainly."
Xia De said with a smile, and then got the blessings of the neighbors. When he closed the door, he thought of last year's "1853 Big City Player" from the equestrian competition, and from "Big City Player" he thought of the bet he made from the doctor before the competition and the money he earned.
"Hmm~"
Xia De nodded slightly, and decided to discuss this matter with Dr. Schneider when the group study meeting was held tomorrow.
The only important thing this Friday is to sign up for the competition. This time, no one sent a special invitation to Xia De.
As usual, Mia was unwilling to move at home, so Xia De could only go out by himself. The registration location is located on Silver Cross Avenue, in the left-hand room on the first floor of the City Hall.
Xia De originally thought that the process would be very simple, but he didn't expect to know that he had to queue up with a number when he arrived. Probably because it is a similar situation every year, a row of chairs is placed along the wall of the corridor so that the gentlemen who come to register can sit and wait.
Although in terms of rules, anyone can report
It is called this competition, but in fact, the entry threshold of "Tobesk Spring Ring Riding Competition" is much higher than that of "Big City Players".
Participants of Dacheng players only need to have their own genuine deck and pay the registration fee to participate in the competition, but the riding competition needs to prepare horses and armor by themselves. As for the one-handed knight swords and bows and arrows, they are provided by the organizer.
For people living in this era, even ordinary nobles may not be able to equip a complete set of armor and harness that can be used, let alone ordinary citizens. Therefore, this is actually a game for the nobility.
Shad is now considered a "big name" in Tobesk City. When he sat down and waited, someone around him recognized him. The gentlemen who were waiting to be called greeted each other and praised each other, and then chatted casually, or exchanged information about this year's competition.
The man who called himself "The Baron of Leipzig of Windsor Castle" revealed that this year's schedule may be different from previous years, and His Majesty the King has new ideas, so there may be new items added. Baron Oliver, who runs a horse business locally in Tobesk, told everyone that there is only one death target for the competition this year:
"My wife's cousin, who does the paperwork at Ridwich, told me that his Majesty was so annoyed by the loss of two players in last year's schedule that this year he ordered the Ridwich to be ready. , if the death quota is exceeded, our Chief of Police, Mr. Feynman, will be in trouble."
The baron said with a smile, and Viscount Chekov, who was wearing a red coat, white bloomers, and a hat with feathers, said:
"I remember the two deaths last year. One died of tetanus after the game, and the other died of a cold during the game. In previous years, there would not be such a heavy casualty."
This Viscount Chekhov was also an acquaintance of Shad. When he went to Lakeview Manor for the second time to attend the grand wedding banquet at the beginning of last winter, Shad played cards with him. The viscount had a rich family and was a well-known poet himself.
"What will happen if you accidentally injure someone or even kill someone during the race? Although everyone is unwilling to do this, it is inevitable that there will be accidents."
Xia De asked on the side. Everyone knows that he is participating in the first year, so he is willing to explain the situation to him:
"If it's just a minor injury, no one will pursue it. If it's a major casualty, Ridwich Field will intervene in the investigation, but as long as it's not intentional injury, basically it's just a loss of money."
Viscount Chekov said, and then asked Shad with a smile:
"It will be interesting to have Reggie's Hamilton participating this year. Knight, in whose name will you swear your allegiance?"
The gentlemen around all laughed tacitly, and Xia De also smiled:
"You'll find out in tomorrow's newspaper."
For such an important event, the main newspapers in the city, including "Tobesk Morning News" and "Terra Real River Evening News", will publish the news of the contestants who signed up for the competition for several days, including family background and personal privacy, for the public They talked for fun. The contestants, far from minding it, were proud that they had received more attention.
Generally speaking, there are no more than 50 contestants each year, so it is just appropriate to use a full page to report.
It wasn't until 10:30 in the morning that it was Xia De's turn to enter the office where the temporary signboard of "1854 Equestrian Competition Registration Office" was hung.
This is the largest office on the first floor of the city hall. Outside the window is the yard of the city hall, and outside is the busy Silver Cross Avenue. From here, you can even see a corner of the building in the square of Saint Teresa in the distance.
At this time, the room was divided into left and right parts. On the left side was a desk and a bookshelf full of kraft paper bags. On the desk were forms and registration instructions that smelled of ink. The right side of the room is arranged like a tailor's shop. An old man with a tape measure hanging around his neck is bending over to write something on the table with cloth on it.
"Good morning, Mr. Hamilton."
Mr. Morris, a middle-aged man wearing a black formal uniform at the registration office, obviously recognized Shad. He got up from the chair behind the table and shook hands with Shad, and then introduced
The situation arises. The two reporters sitting on the bench also began to record, and their conversation might be published in the newspaper tomorrow.
"Let me make sure first, have you prepared your horse and armor?"
"Yes, Galina has, I mean, Miss Galina has prepared it for me."
Mr. Morris nodded:
"Then the registration process is very simple for you. You don't need to bother with the registration form. The Duke sent his servants to send your basic information yesterday. What you need to pay attention to is this 'competition supplies list', please fill it out in the next week Send it here before we get off work at 6 o'clock every night."
The items to be filled out on that list were the horse's pedigree, age, color, and style and size of armor.
"You also know the dangers of the Ring Riding Competition. Here is a letter of knowledge. After signing, you are aware of the dangers of participating in the competition."
Another document was handed to Shard, five bound pages listing possible incidents during the game. And once these dangers are really encountered, the contestants cannot ask the organizer for compensation.
Xia De rolled over a little, then raised his eyebrows:
"Wait a minute, someone actually died of kidney failure during a game? What kind of death is this?"
Mr. Morris, who was familiar with the situation of the competition, stood by the table and explained with a smile:
"That happened more than 20 years ago. Earl Lucius, who came here from Lyon County, won the first place in the first equestrian competition. To celebrate that night, we found a lot of beautiful local ladies... Then unfortunately died suddenly that night. The earl was only 31 years old at the time, which is really a pity. But this incident also told us not to challenge the physical limit of human beings lightly. "
Xia De nodded, continued to turn backwards, and found more bizarre accidents, such as "unfortunately hit himself when shooting an arrow", he couldn't think of how a person could do such a thing.
"Oh, the Knight of Lehman seventeen years ago was the first to complete all the targets when he was shooting a fixed target. Seeing another arrow, for reasons we don't know, he shot that arrow into the sky, and then When he turned around and waved to his wife, he was hit by the arrow just two steps away."
Mr. Morris shook his head regretfully again:
"Lehmann's shooting skills are quite good. People thought he was the favorite to win the championship that year."
Shad continued to turn the pages backwards. After reading the document as a fun thing and signing his name, Mr. Morris coughed and asked Shad in a very formal voice:
"Hamilton of Regard, please swear now that you will display chivalry during the competition. Defend honor, be brave, show mercy to the weak, and win the championship for the glory of Delarion. May I ask, what do you want? To take an oath?"
Xia De did not answer immediately, but asked:
"May I know what the first few applicants said?"
The reporter is still recording, because these contents will be published in the newspaper tomorrow, so Mr. Morris does not hide:
"The eldest son of the Marquis Leon from Green Lake City, swears in the honor of the family; Viscount Chris Rendall, who lives in the East District of Tobesk, swears in the name of his new wife; as for the one in front of you from Carson Sir Groom, who came from Rick, swears by the national treasure of Carson Rick, the blue-winged egret inhabiting the Willendale area. Oh, I almost forgot that Leonard was the first to sign up early this morning Earl Baggins, who swears by the garter of our honorable Queen Diana... I do not recommend you to learn from Earl Baggins, he is Queen Diana's cousin to dare to say so."
Xia De nodded knowingly, he can now swear as the knight of "Radgerd's Hamilton", or a certain girl beside him. Even if you don't mind your own reputation, you can swear in Mia's name.
But Rezia had told him what to do:
"I swear in the name of Her Royal Highness Princess Rezia Cavendish, I will abide by the five virtues of knighthood, defend honor, and use bravery to win."
"His Royal Highness Rezia?"
Mr. Morris hesitated, UU reading www. uukanshu.com and a side note
The reporters who were recording became interested.
"is it not OK?"
Shad asked, Mr. Morris shook his head hastily:
"Of course, it's just... you do it, oh, I shouldn't have said that, but you do it, Miss Galina... "It's okay, I already told her."
Mr. Morris showed an expression of awe, and he looked at Shad carefully:
"No problem, Hamilton of Regard, I swear by His Royal Highness Sisia. If you win, I think His Majesty the King will definitely let His Highness personally present the award to you."
"The bards in the tavern will surely die of excitement."
Xia De also said with a smile.
After dealing with the registration matter and paying a full registration fee of 20 pounds, he went to the tailor on the other side of the room and asked him to measure the size of his clothes. Although the armor is prepared by the applicants, the organizer will customize formal dresses for the banquet for the participating "knights".
This set of clothes is not mandatory to wear, it just follows the traditional process. Compared with the actual meaning, the symbolic meaning represented by tailoring is the most important.
After tailoring the clothes, Xia De was allocated his own camp in the camp outside the "Edward III Arena" where the competition was held. It was a camp of tents and stables that belonged exclusively to Shad and his servants during the games. Shad got a map of where the camp was located, and when he walked out of the city hall, he had already developed a strong interest in the game that opened on Sunday and started next Monday.