Chapter 149: Banquet Invitation

"Visiting you today is because I have encountered a difficult problem and hope to get your help," Velin said with a sincere tone.

Argenta looked at Velin, her expression not changing in the slightest: "What difficult problem?"

"I have some precious tree saplings and hope to use growth acceleration magic to shorten their growing time," Velin replied to Argenta.

"Velin, I'm sorry, growth acceleration magic is something I don't know," Argenta said, shaking her head regretfully upon hearing this.

"Alright."

Hearing the disappointment in her friend's tone, Argenta asked out of curiosity, "May I ask, what kind of crop are they?"

Looking at the silver dragon before him who had a fondness for brewing wine, Velin signaled Randolph to bring the metal barrel over to the table and open the lid covering it.

Inhaling the fresh fragrance emanating from the sap of the green vine trees, Argenta leaned her head closer and observed it intently.

"Velin, please, could you give me some of these to use as an ingredient for brewing wine? I can't wait to experiment with them."

"These are the raw materials I use to weave defensive armor..."

Before Velin could finish, Argenta said somewhat dejectedly, "Very well, my friend."

"Argenta, giving you some is possible, but..."

"But what? Please tell me. As long as you don't ask for my gold coins, you can propose any other conditions," Argenta asked, full of hope.

Meeting her burning gaze, Velin felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

"Do you have a way to process these into threads while preserving the properties of the sap?"

"This is a difficult problem, but I can try," Argenta replied after serious consideration.

"Then I will leave it to you."

"No problem, leave it to me," Argenta patted her chest in assurance.

Seeing her eager expression, Velin offered his farewells and did not linger any longer.

Stepping out of the adventurer's tavern, with one matter resolved, his mood improved considerably in an instant.

"Baird, why are you here?"

Looking at Baird waiting beside the tavern, Velin asked in confusion.

"Lord, these are the invitations sent by Lords Olcott and Edgar, inviting you to attend a banquet in the Gutt Fief on November 1st." Baird handed the two invitations in his hand to Velin.

Velin took the two invitations and opened them to inspect their contents. As expected, they were banquets celebrating his two uncles' promotions in peerage.

With this year passing, the family would add two more viscounts, which meant the family's strength had increased by another notch.

However, what surprised him somewhat was that his two uncles had actually chosen to host the celebration together for this momentous occasion.

At the very bottom of the invitations, it was specifically urged that he bring a few capable subordinates with him.

Velin was well aware of the reason behind this.

Generally, formal banquets included a spectator duel segment, primarily meant to showcase the combat strength of each lord's domain, project their power to other lords, and also provide a stage for those knights to vie for honor.

"Who do you think would be most appropriate to go?" Velin handed the invitations to Baird, wanting to hear his opinion.

After reading the contents himself and pondering for a moment, Baird replied, "Lord, I think Orlando, Hebert, and Kyle should be the ones to participate."

"Your reasons?" Velin asked with some curiosity.

"First, the three of them are young enough."

"Second, their strength is in the top tier of the territory, more than enough to deal with the transcendent beings under other lords."

"Third, it demonstrates Your Lordship's appreciation for talent, attracting more people who find themselves with no way to climb higher to come to Star-Prayer Lake."

"Would you, Andrew, Randolph, and the other nine like to participate?" Velin looked at Baird and asked seriously.

Baird was suddenly caught off guard by the question, momentarily not knowing how to respond.

"Everything is left to Your Lordship's discretion." After an unknown amount of time, despite the myriad thoughts in his heart, Baird finally spoke only these words.

Looking at his grand seneschal, Velin said in a deep voice, "The unwritten rule of spectator duels is no more than three people per family. I will give Orlando and his brother one slot, and leave the remaining two slots for you twelve to decide among yourselves. Give me your reply in three days."

"Yes."

Subsequently, Velin left Star-Prayer Town with Kyle, while Randolph and several of his subordinates stayed behind.

"Captain," Randolph looked at Baird and said calmly.

"Randolph, notify Andrew and the others, we will hold a meeting tomorrow night."

"I understand."

On the way back to the castle, Velin looked at Kyle's calm expression and asked, "Do you have any thoughts on my decision?"

"I believe Your Lordship has your own considerations. As your personal attendant, your thoughts are my will."

Velin could not read any expression on Kyle's face, but he could sense the changes within his heart.

"Baird and the other twelve have followed me since the beginning of my pioneering days, and I must consider their interests. As for Orlando and Hebert, they are my first two guardian knights, people I trust, and they are also my public facade for the future. They need to be given a stage to shine."

"Kyle, staying by my side, you are bound to miss out on many opportunities. If you regret it, I can give you a chance to make a new choice."

As soon as Velin finished speaking, Kyle replied without the slightest hesitation, "Since I chose to follow Your Lordship, I will not change my choice. I will uphold the meaning of guardianship and always stand by your side, unless one day I fall."

"Let's go, home."

Velin looked at Kyle and simply uttered these words.

...

In Orlando Town, after finishing his daily cultivation, Orlando received the message sent by Baird's men.

After brief contemplation, he watched his younger brother enter the courtyard with zero regard for decorum.

"Big brother, why are you looking at me like that?" Meeting Orlando's gaze, Hebert suddenly had a bad premonition.

"Hebert, big brother has something good here, and it suits you very well."

"Well, big brother, I suddenly remembered that there are still some matters at the knighthood that require my attention, so I'll be leaving first."

Sensing something amiss, Hebert plastered a smile on his face while shuffling toward the courtyard gate, and taking advantage of his older brother's inattention, he bolted.

Holding a book in his left hand, Orlando made a grasping motion toward Hebert with his right hand, and crimson battle qi formed a giant hand that directly snatched Hebert back.

Thrown to the ground, Hebert feigned holding his rear end and put on a pitiful expression.

"Big brother, when did you learn to manipulate external magic particles?"

"Recently."

Gazing down at Hebert, Orlando sternly reprimanded, "I tell you to study hard every day. The core of the battle technique contains complete knowledge inheritance, yet you don't know how to cherish it."

"I know, big brother."