Starting Today, I'll Work as a City Lord-Chapter 195: Backwater Noble?

“Hahaha…”

North Wind City’s City Lord looked at the items on the table and laughed like a pig, “The goods have finally arrived! I’ve lost several pounds over the past few days. I need to make up for it!”

Next to him, Niu Wu grinned as he looked at North Wind City’s City Lord, who was as fat as a pig. He didn’t see any weight loss at all- he looked exactly the same as the last time they met.

Niu Wu had come to North Wind City this time to deliver the milk tea and canned fish that the North Wind City’s City Lord had ordered earlier. Besides that, he was also here to recruit more people for West Sun City.

On the surface, Niu Wu was just the head of a trade caravan, but in truth, he had another mission: to discreetly spread recruitment information for West Sun City. And this time, not just in North Wind City- he was making rounds in the surrounding cities too.

“Lord City Lord, I still need to make some decisions regarding the caravan, so I’ll take my leave now,” Niu Wu said softly.

“Alright! Remember to send my regards to Lord Liu Feng. And don’t forget- make sure the next batch of milk tea and canned fish is delivered on time,” the North Wind City Lord reminded with a smile.

“Of course!” Niu Wu bowed and left.

The North Wind City Lord watched him go, the smile slowly fading from his face. He turned to the knight next to him and said, “Test one of each.”

“Yes, sir!” The knight stepped forward, picked up a can of fish and a pack of milk tea, and left. He was going to test them on a servant to make sure they weren’t poisoned.

Northwind City’s City Lord swallowed his saliva as he stared at the canned fish. Better to be cautious- he wasn’t about to fall victim to a trap. No one becomes the lord of a city by being a fool.

“Recently, there have been fewer commoners in the city. Is it because of that bandit attack?” the lord frowned. Fewer commoners meant less tax revenue. He began to consider whether to implement a law forbidding commoners from leaving the territory.

Every noble’s domain was like a small kingdom- they could rule however they liked. Such laws had been used by many nobles before.

In the end, he abandoned the idea. His city thrived on trade, and banning commoners from leaving would likely do more harm than good.

Tap tap tap…

The knight returned and saluted, “My lord, no abnormalities were found.”

“Oh?” North Wind City’s City Lord glanced at the knight’s greasy lips. Looks like he ate the stuff himself- well, that makes him the perfect test subject.

Tap tap tap…

Hurried footsteps echoed as a gate guard ran in, urgently reporting, “My lord, Baron Adam requests an audience.”

“Baron Adam? Never heard of him,” the city lord said, puzzled. “Did he say anything else?”

“He claims to be the son of Earl Pulley and the elder brother of Baron Omar,” the guard reported.

“What?! The son of Earl Pulley?”

The North Wind City Lord’s face turned grim. He immediately thought of Baron Omar- the mastermind behind the bandit attack. And now his brother had shown up. Was he here for a fight?

“My lord, you mustn’t be discourteous,” the knight reminded in a low voice.

“Hmph!” North Wind City’s City Lord’s chubby face twitched. He was almost ready to curse out loud. Unfortunately, Earl Puli was not someone he could afford to offend.

“Huff…” He took a deep breath and replied coolly, “Invite him to the reception hall. I’ll be there shortly.”

“My lord, it’s lunchtime. According to noble etiquette, you should hold a banquet for your guest,” the knight reminded again quietly.

“…” North Wind City’s City Lord shot the knight a vicious glare. He’d lost his composure and nearly forgotten basic noble protocol. “Prepare the banquet,” he ordered coldly.

“Yes, sir!” The knight breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness North Wind City’s City Lord had restrained himself. Offending Earl Pulley would bring great disaster to North Wind City.

After all, the Ghostly Water River flowed through Earl Pulley’s territory. If he blocked river access to North Wind City, the city would be half crippled.

“Wait!” North Wind City’s City Lord thought of this too, and he stopped the departing knight with a blank face. “Serve those two items at the banquet as well.”

“Yes, sir!” The knight paused for a second, then picked up two cans of fish and two packs of milk tea before leaving.

The knight admired the lord’s patience and composure. If it had been him, he would’ve made things difficult for the guest.

Once the knight was gone, North Wind City’s City Lord ground his teeth in frustration. If not for the need to show off, he never would’ve served milk tea and canned fish at the banquet.

His eyes scanned the room, looking for something to smash in a fit of anger. His gaze landed on the canned fish on the table, but he quickly looked away. Each can cost 300 copper coins- too expensive to waste.

Swallowing his fury, the city lord leaned back in his chair and began to contemplate Baron Adam’s true intentions. Was he here to stand up for his younger brother?

After a while, the knight returned and reported, “My lord, the banquet is ready, and Baron Adam is waiting for you.”

“Mhm.” The city lord nodded and, with the knight’s help, slowly and laboriously stood up and made his way to the banquet hall.

As soon as he entered, his face lit up with a warm smile. Folding his hands in a ceremonial greeting, he said, “My apologies for the delay, Lord Adam- I was just finishing up some official duties.”

“Uh?” Baron Adam froze. What kind of gesture was that? The noble etiquette of the Western Lands? He couldn’t afford to lose face as a high-ranking noble, and he quickly mimicked the gesture and replied, “I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced.”

“Please, have a seat!” The city lord gestured graciously, a smug smile playing at his lips. He was secretly delighted- Liu Feng’s etiquette had even startled a count’s son. If I can get an outfit like Liu Feng’s, I can probably make this count’s son completely stunned.

Baron Adam took a seat at the far end of the table. Once North Wind City’s City Lord had taken the first bite, the banquet officially began.

“Here, Lord Adam, please try some of North Wind City’s finest delicacies,” the city lord said, pointing to a porcelain plate filled with fish meat.

“Okay!” Baron Adam was indifferent. How good could the food be in this remote place? But as he caught a whiff of it, he was surprised by a rich, delicious aroma.

“Huh?” He stared wide-eyed at the chunks of fish meat before him. He’d never smelled anything like this before. He picked up a spoon and scooped a piece into his mouth…

“Delicious! So delicious!” free𝑤ebnovel.com

Baron Adam’s eyes widened in shock as he stared blankly at the chubby city lord before him. Is this really some backwater noble? How is he eating food even better than what a count had?

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