Wizard: Adventures in Two Worlds-Chapter 530 - 37: Angel

The carriage hit the road.

Bastin quickly adjusted his position, transforming from a fellow traveler to the Marquis’s hired worker.

This was not disgraceful.

Many people would eagerly seek the chance to serve a Marquis.

On the way to the Royal City, there were many refugees; occasionally, they could even see troops galloping by.

"Earl."

Bastin spoke up:

"The Kolon people have already reached near the Royal City, and I heard that many nobles from Gando have fled to other countries."

"Real estate should be quite cheap at this time."

He was a coach driver, often traveling to the Royal City. Although his status was low, he knew quite a few insider news.

"Hmm." Carl nodded:

"How are the prices in the North City Suburb?"

"North Suburb?" Bastin thought for a moment and said:

"I rarely go there, I heard it’s all estates of big figures, the prices... should have dropped as well."

"But even if they’ve dropped, they won’t be cheap."

Carl used to live in Sigerno City, where suburban manor prices ranged between one thousand to three thousand gold coins, including renovations and most of the furnishings inside.

The housing prices in the Royal Capital were several times higher than in Sigerno City.

Even with a price drop, it likely wouldn’t be less than five thousand gold coins, a sum many wealthy merchants might not accumulate in a lifetime.

As for ordinary people...

They wouldn’t even dare to think about it.

"Bastin!"

"Here."

"Pull the carriage aside."

"...Yes."

Bastin was a bit puzzled, but he stopped the carriage obediently, pulling it to the road’s edge.

Once he was done, a commotion came from the front, followed by hundreds of soldiers from Gando charging towards the people on the road.

"What’s this?"

"What are you doing?"

"..."

The road fell into chaos.

"Conscription!" A man dressed as a sergeant, riding on a tall horse, raised a notice and shouted loudly:

"The King has ordered that all males between thirteen and fifty-five years old must go to the battlefield." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Arrest them!"

The soldiers, like wolves and tigers, rushed into the crowd, ignoring the cries of women and children, capturing all the men who fit the requirements.

"You guys!"

Two of them came to the front of the carriage, shouting at Bastin and Carl:

"Get down, quick."

Bastin turned pale, his body trembling. If he were to go to the front line, no one would take care of Rita.

And in his physical condition, joining the army would be akin to going to his death.

"What?"

Carl sat upright in the carriage, pointing at the noble emblem hanging from the carriage, frowned and asked:

"Can the army forcibly conscript nobles?"

"Nobles?" The soldier sneered:

"Just because you say so?"

"..." Carl was speechless but then shook his head lightly:

"I understand."

"Get your superior here."

His voice wasn’t loud, but the two men’s expressions changed, looking at him as if they were facing a terrifying giant beast.

Battle Aura!

And it was at the level of a Great Knight!

They were soldiers off the battlefield and knew well what a Great Knight represented.

Soon.

An officer hurried over, and upon seeing the noble emblem, his eyes narrowed, and he bowed his head in a respectful salute:

"Honorable Earl, please forgive the soldiers’ ignorance; they... are merely following orders."

"Hmm..." Carl remained expressionless:

"You are quite forgiving of your subordinates, but if I were really forcibly dragged to the battlefield, to whom would I appeal for justice?"

"And if I were unfortunately to die in battle, would you be responsible for the consequences?"

"This..." The officer’s expression changed, and he said anxiously:

"Earl, on the battlefield, there are commanding officers to verify identities, and there are people from the Noble Council; we are willing to make compensation."

As he spoke, he untied the money pouch at his waist and respectfully offered it.

"To think, even the army of Gando has become this corrupt." Carl did not accept the money pouch, sighed and shook his head:

"No wonder the situation isn’t good."

From priests in the Church to the Noble Council, and even military leaders, bribery seemed to have become the norm.

Gando...

It was rotten to the core from top to bottom!

"Lord Earl."

The officer’s face flushed, and after thinking for a moment, he took out an invitation:

"There is a gathering in the suburbs tonight, attended by the Duke and the Marquis, as well as several important figures in the military. There will be many good things in the transactions at the gathering, you may be interested."

Carl glanced at the invitation:

"Bastin, take it."

"Yes."

Bastin answered and hurried forward to receive it.

"Move on!"

"Yes."

The carriage returned to the road, and the soldiers hurriedly made way to the sides, watching them leave.

*

*

*

Yunlai Manor.

This name, so different from the ’Gando style,’ made Carl momentarily dazed.

It was already evening.

It was too late to rush to the Royal City now, so they might as well stay here, rest for the night, and continue the journey tomorrow.

"Count Karl."

The manor’s steward checked the invitation and said:

"Your servant can stay in the room over there. Do you need a female companion to accompany you upstairs?"

If needed, he would arrange for Rita to wait in the guest room upstairs.

"No."

Carl shook his head:

"Prepare some food for them."

"Of course." The steward nodded:

"Dinner is about to begin, and we have prepared exquisite food for the attendants of the guests."

"Please!"

It was getting dark by now, and the manor was already brightly lit, with exquisitely shaped crystal lamps hanging from the ceiling, shining brightly.

"Electric lights!"

A voluptuous, beautiful woman approached and spoke:

"The Kolon have brought considerable hardships to this country, but they have also brought many good things to this world."

"Like electricity..."

"Once controlled only by the Divine, it has now entered thousands of households, allowing people to enjoy day-like brightness at night."

"Yes." Carl nodded:

"Technology changes lives."

"That’s well said!" The woman’s eyes lit up:

"Honorable Earl, would you mind if I used this as a headline for tomorrow’s news?"

"News Daily?" Carl turned his head.

"Yes." The woman nodded her head:

"I forgot to introduce myself; I am Shalin of the Churchill family, wife of Viscount Muli, and current editor-in-chief of the News Daily."

Shalin.

An independent woman of the new era.

A graduate of the first class of Kingdom University and an independent writer.

"Sure."

Carl nodded:

"It’s just a casual remark."

"Maybe it will spread widely." Shalin shrugged:

"May I know how to address you?"

"Carl." Carl stated:

"Carl of the Begman family."

Seeing her frowning and thinking about the origin of ’Begman,’ he couldn’t help but chuckle:

"No need to pay too much attention; my family is quite inconspicuous, and the title was recently bought."

"Count Karl is really... honest." Shalin paused and said:

"Now is indeed a good time to buy a title."

It used to require great merit for the kingdom to rise in rank, but now one could have the opportunity simply with money.

Of course,

It could only rise to Earl.

Shalin was surprised by his frankness about his title, a situation that could only be explained by two reasons.

The first is that the other party lacked intelligence.

The second is that the other party doesn’t care much about how the title was obtained, or maybe doesn’t care about the title at all.

"Shalin."

"Hmm."

"As the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, you must have access to a lot of information?" Carl spoke slowly:

"I’m thinking of buying a manor in the North Suburb of the Royal City for retirement. Can you introduce some channels?"

"A portion of the price as your reward if the deal is made."

"North Suburb Manor?" Shalin thought for a moment:

"Over the years, many have gone to other kingdoms, and indeed, some are selling their estates, but I need some time to confirm."

"No problem." Carl paused slightly, his gaze suddenly shifting to a figure in the crowd:

"Remiller, is she here too?"

"The Earl must be mistaken." Shalin shook her head:

"That is Bishop Louis of the Church, though this female bishop rarely leaves the Church, indeed rare for this occasion. It’s a pity she doesn’t accept interviews, otherwise I’d want to ask her how she became a bishop so young."

Carl chuckled, not making an excuse.

He hadn’t mistaken her, as Remiller had also glanced in his direction earlier.

Bishop?

An Angel descending to serve in the Church as a bishop would be quite normal, wouldn’t it?

Indeed.

Remiller is an Angel; Carl had interacted with her twice before, back when she had just become an Angel.