Surviving The Fourth Calamity-Chapter 717 - 516: Success Always Calls for a Celebratory Banquet
Hill was genuinely delighted, and his joy spread to everyone around him.
Indeed, celebrating good fortune with a grand meal is a customary ritual across all worlds, and Toril was no exception.
"Very well, sir. Let’s prepare some dishes with the meat and fresh fruit we brought, capturing the flavor of Teraxil," List floated in mid-air, asking with a smile, "Would you like some of your own brewed fruit wine? The batch that was made when we left Teraxil has just reached its prime."
"Excellent," Hill nodded in satisfaction.
As for what Teraxil flavor meant, it was essentially dishes brought by the Undead Tribe.
In Teraxil, especially in Saral, the cuisine consisted mainly of roasted or stewed meat, followed by vegetable soups complemented by various salads, with the only real difference being the amount of seasoning used.
The real feast, in truth, came from the Undead Tribe.
It was much the same in Ferun, except that there was a wider variety of ingredients and spices, adding a little more flavor to the dishes.
When it came down to it, it was all about the difference in ingredients.
Lynn and Terry both showed an interested expression; this was the first time Hill had planned to serve them specialties from that world.
"Hill’s Dad~" Agleya asked curiously, "Why did you move the Purification earlier?"
"Kelben," Hill explained briefly what Black Staff had been up to this time, speaking slowly, "His methods are despicable and nauseating, even worse than last time in terms of difficulty to resolve.
But I couldn’t stand it, my conscience wouldn’t allow me to ignore it."
Although his methods were tacky, the outcome was rather satisfactory.
Having been exposed to the ridiculous situations in Teraxil, Agleya quickly understood Hill’s actions.
But the dragon and elf on the other side were completely baffled.
They couldn’t fathom the point of Black Staff’s behavior.
Nor did they believe that Tyr’s Paladins would fall out with Hill over such a trivial matter.
Hill felt that if he hadn’t seen so much, he would probably be just like them.
Which goes to say, one should never underestimate an old-timer who’s lived 970 years!
With vast experience came the ability to craft deviously clever ideas almost effortlessly.
Hill said with a smile, "Kelben is just doing this casually; he’s got more important things to attend to.
Even though he deeply resents that I’ve cut off one of his money-making schemes, he doesn’t have the energy to bother me with it.
With so many mages now in Deepwater City, he can’t nor dares to show clear hostility toward me.
I estimate that by late spring or early summer, he’ll probably set off for the Supreme Wastes.
Hah~ I remember several Archmages have already arrived in Deepwater City, so Kelben has to maintain the demeanor expected of a Mage, regardless."
The distasteful part, though, lies here.
Too many are watching the contest between Kelben and me.
If I reacted too strongly, it would make others think I’m making a mountain out of a molehill and that I don’t trust the Paladins’ integrity enough.
Especially the Paladins of Tyr, who take great pride in their self-discipline.
Yet doing nothing might really lead to trouble.
Moreover, I couldn’t possibly stand by and watch innocent girls get hurt over such a trivial reason."
Hill glanced at Agleya, "In my original world, there were also some lovely girls in my territory.
During their naive days, they married the wrong men and were later abandoned.
Even though they’re now very strong and living happily, and are very willing to pursue their love in normal times,
the hurt they received is always there.
They only accept the courtship of those willing to move to my territory and never leave again.
Otherwise, they’d rather enjoy a temporary love than leave with a lover."
Hill sighed, "That wasn’t even love yet the harm done was so immense.
How could I possibly underestimate such a tactic?
If it were truly a girl madly in love, coupled with a father who valued her above life itself, trouble could indeed arise.
If rationality could truly suppress emotions, Tyr wouldn’t be the way it is now.
If the deities themselves can’t do it, how could I believe that humans could?"
Having lived a long life, Lynn quickly grasped Hill’s words, whereas Terry, whose world revolved around only meat and money, had already given any excess emotions entirely to his parents and Hill.
One could tell from his vacant, wandering giant dragon eyes that he didn’t understand at all.
Fortunately, List was already directing the Puppets to serve the dishes, and Terry immediately perked up and sat up straight, his eyes fixed on a huge rabbit.
Although the rabbit was served whole, it had been cut open and each part prepared using different methods, then reassembled back to its original form afterward.
The rabbit head was marinated and extremely spicy.
The entire rabbit captured the essence of cold-eaten rabbit; whether it was one preparation or another, they were all fundamentally spicy, with only the head being the spiciest.
"Are rabbits from Teraxil always this big?" Terry asked longingly.
"Ordinary rabbits are probably a third of its size, this one has mutated," Hill replied, "Sadly, the mutation isn’t in the brain, and it’s overused its life force, such rabbits have a very short lifespan."
"The food... who cares how long it can live?" Terry looked longingly at the food on the table, all from obviously large animals, "Teraxil’s dragons are truly lucky, even eating rabbits can fill them up."
Hill and Agleya were both silent, how should they tell Terry that dragons, this sort of thing, literally didn’t exist in Teraxil.
Lynn looked down at the beef on his plate, absentmindedly fiddling with it using his fork.
He seemed yet to recover from the shock of discovering just how deceitful Kelben had been in his actions.
Kelben was indeed a ruthless lord, but political maneuvering and exploiting the feelings of a simple and kind-hearted girl were definitely not the same thing.
This was almost a tactic of the evil faction, but considering Kelben’s practiced methods, this clearly wasn’t his first time doing this.
Kelben’s faction had always been lawful neutral.
"Mystra... what on earth is she doing?" Lynn murmured, "Where are her eyes looking?"
Hill didn’t make a sound, at this moment Mystra was still thinking about limiting the deities’ privileges on the Weave!
She didn’t feel at all that everything happening on the ground was a big deal.
Hill lifted the jug of wine and poured two glasses for them, "Try the wine I made myself, even the Forest of the Elves in Teraxil doesn’t have anything this good."
Terry held the wine glass in his claw and poured it into his mouth all at once, "Ah! It’s so delicious~ Feels warm~"
Lynn looked at the dazed Golden Dragon and took a small sip from his glass.
He immediately understood why Terry had that kind of reaction; this wine could increase life force! And it definitely wasn’t weak.
For a giant dragon, it was pretty much like having had a full night’s sleep.
The alcohol content actually wasn’t high, but the sense of impact was really strong.
What fruit had Hill used to make this wine? The Goddess of Life’s apple tree, perhaps?
Hill also took a sip of the wine; this time, he had indeed paid a little price.
He who never planned to have any significant cause and effect in Toril, was now connected with the land beneath his feet.
Helping the Sea God purify the Undead Swamp was no small matter.
Even after saving Terry and significantly altering the fate of the Silvermoon Dragon Queen, he didn’t have this feeling.
Today’s event had just made Hill determined, he had hesitated for a long time, only wanting to drag out the time.
Hill knew he should have less emotional involvement with people; when he found Terry once again appearing in fate, already a skeletal collection in someone else’s warehouse, he changed his mind.
In the universe where the Toril World existed, there was also the Aber Galaxy. When Mystra perished in that instant, the worlds would intersect, and the Ferun Great Land would need to reorganize.
Eo managed to save the lives of most people but left out quite a few.
For the deities, that amount of death was hardly significant, as the dead would also have their place to go.
But Hill was not willing to see his friends gambling with their lives.
Not to mention Shaer, who caused such a big commotion by using Cyric, only to use a large number of the deceased spirits to fortify her Shadow Demon Network.
The more Hill thought about these things, the less he wanted to interact with the deities of this world.
He could increasingly understand William’s approach, Shaer was indeed a tough character!
Nevertheless, he, being outside of fate, should be able to keep this land safe, a land that had never seen a lord, and naturally protect some of the lives within it.
And when Hill made that decision, he was bound to form a certain connection with this land.
Hill looked up at Lynn and asked, "Lynn, is there something you must do for Quelva?"
"What’s wrong? There’s definitely nothing to do in spring, can’t hunt then," Lynn put down his knife and fork; although the food and wine were delicious, his heart felt as if it were being pressed by a heavy stone, and he felt a bit tasteless.
"No, I mean, can you come here and help me?" Hill said seriously, "You know how it is with me, even if I know about certain things, I might not respond in time.
With an enemy like Kelben, I need to be aware of every corner of my land.
But I can’t be that meticulous.
You’ve seen Terry; he definitely won’t be able to do it either.
Agleya needs to manage her Sea God Temple and with an imminent full-scale war with Ambori, she cannot help me either."
"Both of your Tower Spirits are very competent!" Lynn frowned and said, "Are you worried about my life in Quelva? It’s not going to be a problem.
Even if humans change, my profession level is still there!"
"Tower Spirits can’t see into people’s hearts." Hill said seriously, "Do you think like today’s event, a Tower Spirit would be able to understand immediately?
This time we were lucky; I saw it with my own eyes. What if next time I happen to be studying a spell?
Lynn, come help me!
If you were truly comfortable in Quelva, I certainly would not be saying this, but it’s for the best for both of us, isn’t it?"
Lynn lowered his head, played with his knife and fork again, and then replied softly, "I’ll consider it."
Hill didn’t say anything more, just stared at Terry with his eyes.
The Golden Dragon looked puzzled for a while, then finally remembered something Hill had said to him and nodded vigorously. Then he forked the rabbit head, the one he had been eyeing for a long time, into his mouth.
Hill and Agleya swiftly looked up, both fixing their gaze on him.
