They all call me Great Master-Chapter 578 - 575 Winter Banquet!
A faint sweetness and the unique aroma of mint spread throughout the room.
Alma stared blankly at the mint candy in her hand. She didn't know when His Excellency had slipped the candy into her jacket pocket, but at that moment, she was overwhelmed with emotion.
Moved!
Warm with emotion!
It was the first time Alma truly felt such care from someone other than her family.
However, upon seeing her brother and father, the astute girl would not let them mistakenly assume anything.
Right away, Alma recounted the scene when she first met Arthur and Marinda.
"Lord Kledos is truly a gentle and kind-hearted person,"
sighed Alvin.
Gentle?
Kind-hearted?
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Acker was noncommittal.
But, looking at his daughter holding the mint candy with a smile and his son with a look of exclamation, the retired assassin left the room.
He looked out the window in the outer room toward the distance.
That was...
the direction of Inner Bay.
At that moment, the retired assassin made a certain resolution.
…
'Has the candy been found by now?'
Arthur estimated the time and put down the book in his hands.
Arthur didn't have any other motives; he simply thought it was nice to make a smart, kind girl happy if he could do so effortlessly.
Of course, it was also because of his fondness for Acker, Alma's father.
For something like giving a bit of love to the children of a father like Acker and thereby greatly increasing his goodwill, Arthur would not refuse.
Just like he wouldn't refuse the supper offered by Ms. Anna.
Beef soup with noodles—it was Arthur's suggestion, and Ms. Anna recreated it quite perfectly based on Arthur's description.
"After daybreak, Arthur, you need to buy a deer steak, a whole goose, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, and also fish and clams,"
Ms. Anna said as she placed the mixed radish skin in front of Arthur.
After tasting the mixed radish skin at Acker's house, Arthur was quite amazed and upon returning told Ms. Anna about it.
And this lady, after briefly consulting some books, replicated the side dish once again.
"Deer steak, a whole goose... it's for the 'Cold Winter Festival' feast!"
Arthur was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized.
As the festival with the longest rest period and coldest climate in South County, the 'Cold Winter Festival,' a lavish feast is prepared on the day that spans the festival.
People call it the 'Winter Banquet'!
Even the poorest of families prepare some meat for the day.
And slightly wealthier households choose to roast beef, lamb, and the like.
As for the nobility?
They treat the day as the grandest of banquets.
It's recorded that the Old Earl of South Los once roasted 373 deer at one 'Winter Banquet.'
The Old Earl didn't just invite the large and small nobles of South Los but also invited many merchants to the banquet.
Nobles, merchants, and even servants.
Someone tallied that over one thousand five hundred people attended the 'Winter Banquet' that day.
As the Old Earl was famously generous, he didn't forget the servants accompanying the nobles and merchants when inviting them.
That's why they consumed 373 deer and tons of fresh fruits and vegetables.
And the drinks?
They were beyond count.
The wine at the Count's Mansion ran out early that night, and the Old Earl immediately ordered more to be purchased.
Legend has it that two horses pulling the wine carts died of exhaustion that night.
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Alas, with the passing of the Old Earl and the current Earl's "seclusion," such lively scenes had long been missing.
People reminisced about them from time to time, expressing their sighs.
Arthur had no comment on this.
With the gathering of information about South Los, including but not limited to readings and conversations with others, Arthur had formed a rather vivid impression of the late Earl.
A decent man.
Lacking most of the vices common among nobility.
But he was grandiose and overly fond of luxury.
It was precisely because of this that the current Countess had chosen "secrecy."
Simply put, had the current Earl of South Los not gone into seclusion, the Kledos Family's finances might have gone bankrupt a decade ago.
And even so, the financial situation of the Kledos Family was still extremely tight.
That's why Marinda seized the opportunity!
Marinda expanded her territory and influence so quickly in just two years because the Earl of South Los behind her treated Marinda as a purse, affording her considerable leniency.
Otherwise, even for Marinda, it would not have been so easy.
'However, the finances of that Countess must have improved considerably by now, right?
Especially after getting involved with the mines of South Town...
Maybe next year, we'll be able to see the Countess's "Winter Banquet."' thought Arthur to himself as he quickly replied.
"Certainly, Ms. Anna.
Is there anything else you need?
I'll purchase it all at once."
"Pine branches, of course!"
Ms. Anna, floating in mid-air with her hands on her hips, appeared to express her dissatisfaction that Arthur had forgotten such an important matter.
Arthur immediately slapped his forehead.
"There's been so much going on lately, I almost forgot.
I will surely bring back a lovely, lush, and resilient pine branch tomorrow!"
At midnight during the Cold Winter Festival, the people of South Los would wear their cleanest and most proper clothes, hang the pine branches they had prepared in advance over their doorways, symbolizing health, longevity, peace, resilience, and success.
Most commoners simply chose a good-looking pine branch.
Wealthy individuals might decorate their pine branches with ribbons.
The nobles were different, though, with some painting them with gold or silver paint, and others, in a bid to showcase their status, even adorning them with gemstones; all to elicit wonder from those who saw them.
However, this was actually a boon for many commoners.
Because this was their last chance to earn money for the year.
Selling beautifully shaped pine branches.
Sometimes they attracted even larger crowds than the butcher's shop selling 'Year Pig' meat.
After all, pine branches were much cheaper than meat.
Having received Arthur's assurance, Ms. Anna then flew up to the beam at No. 2 Cork Street—this lady was contemplating how to clean No. 2 Cork Street.
It was no small task.
No. 2 Cork Street might not look big, but it was filled with secret rooms, secret passages, and other mechanisms that required great care during the entire process.
At this time, Arthur, after finishing his supper, had already lain down in his bed.
Marinda would return the next morning and his normal sleep schedule was bound to be disrupted, which was not at all favorable for Arthur, who was experimenting with the necessary sleep duration for performing the "Orange Cat" Ritual and its impact on the "Great Orange" Ritual.
Therefore, Arthur had decided to sleep early.
Ms. Anna, after making sure Arthur was asleep and covering him with a blanket, and after signalling to Pendragon not to wander around, began her overnight house cleaning.
What about during the day?
Didn't the venison, goose, vegetables, and fruits they bought need to be prepared?
As a member of this household, Ms. Anna would never allow the Kledos Family to be criticized during the Cold Winter Festival for such a manageable triviality.
While Ms. Anna was busy, Arthur opened one eye and glanced at Pendragon, who was wide-eyed and couldn't sleep at all, then turned over with a smirk on his lips—
Hey, the New Year was coming.
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