dognovel Chapter 109 The Fate of Civilians
Chapter 109 The Fate of Civilians
When they pushed open the door to the restaurant, Savile looked around:
The dining area is decorated in white, with arched windows on three sides except for the kitchen which is separated by a wall. The windows are made of more expensive glass rather than wooden bars like in ordinary restaurants. As it was almost noon, the restaurant was almost full. The few waiters were carrying plates and moving back and forth in the aisles between the tables. Surprisingly, there was a platform specially designed for band performances in this restaurant. With the performance of accordion, recorder and other instruments, the whole restaurant was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
"Hello, guests. How many people would like to have dinner?" At this time, a brown-haired girl in a waitress dress came over and asked.
"There are two of us in total. If possible, find a seat by the window." Anderson said as he pinched the infatuated Savile.
After the two of us sat down, the girl handed me a menu and opened it on the table with both hands, saying, "Please take a look at the menu. If you need anything, just call the waiter."
After the girl left, Anderson picked up the menu and glanced at it. The menu was very thin, only five pages long and wrapped in a leather cover. It was divided into appetizers, main courses, desserts, drinks, and alcoholic beverages. There was a note in brackets about the alcoholic beverages: It is prohibited to sell alcoholic beverages to minors.
The dishes on the menu come from a variety of sources. In addition to Midland's popular dishes, there are also some dishes named after Yoda, and some dishes whose meanings are unknown, such as East Balden Crispy Corners.
"Hmm..." After looking around, Anderson found that the prices in this restaurant were not that expensive. Basically, the prices ranged from dozens of copper coins to one silver coin. For young masters like them who were born into noble families and had no shortage of money, it was just like a drizzle.
"Take a look at this menu. What do you want to eat?" Anderson poked Savile, who was looking at the scenery, with the menu.
"It's enough for me to be the same as you." Savile said as he looked at the people passing by.
"Waiter!" Anderson shouted. This time it was the brown-haired girl who came over again. She ran over with a pen and paper and said:
"Sir, would you like to order food?" the girl said respectfully.
"Well, two servings of Franche-Comté steak, herb-roasted lamb chops, roast potatoes, white bread, country vegetable salad, black pudding, and beer," Anderson said as he flipped through the menu.
"That's so much! Can you finish it? And military regulations say we can't drink alcohol." Xavier asked hurriedly after hearing Anderson ordered some wine.
"Didn't you ask me to order this? Of course I have to experience the local folk culture when I come here." Anderson said as he looked at the girl who was writing the bill.
"Okay, sir. The total is 3 silver coins plus 26 copper coins. Do you have any food restrictions?" After writing the bill, the girl asked the two with a smile.
"There's nothing to worry about. Just ask the kitchen to prepare it," Anderson responded.
After waiting for a while, a waiter came to their table with dishes.
"Sir, your Franche-Comté steak is ready." After saying this, the waiter gently placed two plates of steak on the table for two and left quietly.
At this time, the aristocratic etiquette that had not been used for more than two months was finally used. The two of them elegantly picked up the knives and forks, skillfully cut the steak into small pieces, and then picked up the steak with the fork and dipped it in the sauce to chew.
"Well, the quality of the beef is pretty good, and the sauce tastes delicious, too." Feeling the delicious taste of the mixture of beef and sauce in his mouth, Anderson nodded involuntarily. However, what the two of them did was actually to prove to the people around them that they were different from them and that they were aristocrats.
However, when they looked into the restaurant, everyone was doing their own thing and no one was paying attention to them, which made them feel disappointed. In their opinion, once the nobles wanted to do something, the common people had to follow them like dogs and say all kinds of flattering words to them. They were tired of hearing such words before, and now that no one was paying attention to them, they felt a little lost.
"This is really unreasonable. Are all the people dining here nobles dressed in simple clothes? Or is it that our seats are too far away and no one can see me?" Savile thought as he observed his surroundings.
But Anderson felt that the civilians here were different from the smelly, rude and impolite civilians they had seen before. The people here walking on the streets gave people a very energetic feeling. Although they were also struggling for a living, one could see hope for the future in their eyes.
As the dishes were served one after another, the two continued to focus on eating. After all, they came here to enjoy life, not to think about life.
"Hiccup~"
After Savile burped and wiped his mouth, he was about to pay but was stopped by Anderson.
"Anderson, why are you pulling me?" Xavier asked in confusion.
"I want to ask the waiters here about the local customs and some things about the rulers here. These waiters in the restaurant can come into contact with many different people and are the best candidates for obtaining information," Anderson analyzed.
"You came here to be a knight, not to be a civil servant for the lord. Why are you fussing about so much?" Savile was even more confused.
"It's not that I want to, but it's true that the people here feel different from people in other places and I'm curious." Anderson replied uncertainly. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to understand this place.
At this moment, the brown-haired girl passed by their table again. Anderson stopped her and asked:
"Hello, do you have time? This is my first time in this city and I want to ask you something about the Territory of Franche-Comté."
The girl thought for a while, then replied:
"Okay, but please wait until I'm done. You can wait here for a while before that."
"Oh ok, go ahead and do your work."
After a long wait, the girl finally came to the two people who were playing with tableware.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, may I ask you anything?" the girl asked the two men.
"I want to ask about this city and how Earl John governs it, because the people here give me a feeling that is completely different from other lords' cities."
"Oh, so that's how it is." The girl said after a moment's silence:
"Maybe the Earl is better to us."
"Like what?" Anderson demanded.
"In fact, I used to live a wandering life with my family. A few years ago, I was persecuted by the previous lord because I couldn't pay the rent, so I had to leave my home..."
"Then where are you from? Logically, you should have fled to an area farther away from the battlefield. How did you come to this territory that could be involved in war at any time?" Anderson asked puzzled.
"I used to come from Brittany. Although there is relatively no war there, the lords have set up all kinds of heavy taxes. My family can't afford it even if we sell our children." The girl said, rubbing her eyes, as if she was sad because of something that happened before.
"Well, let's eat the melons at home." Anderson, who had become a villain, was too embarrassed to talk about this anymore, so he asked:
"What keeps you here, then? Earl John gives you a lot of money?"
"No, although the Earl did not give us a lot of money, he gave us some things that money could not buy. The Earl first gave us a house to settle down, and then prepared suitable jobs for my parents. My younger brother was also sent to school. Now we live a happy life." The girl said with tears and a smile on her face.
"What about you? Don't you go to school? And your brother doesn't have to pay for schooling?" Anderson asked in surprise. He had only heard of commoners paying rent to lords, but had never heard of lords giving commoners houses, finding jobs for them, or sending them to school. In other words, the common people here could actually gain knowledge from places other than the church. As far as he knew, the schools founded by these lords basically hired a bunch of teachers in the castle to teach their own children and the children of their retainers, and ordinary commoners could not get in at all.
"The Earl waived our first year's tuition, but my parents and I have enough money to pay for the tuition. I occasionally go to their classes, but I still think it is better to work for the happiness of my family. But my brother is different. He is only 6 years old. I hope he can take control of his own destiny by learning knowledge, instead of having to obey a planned life path like other children when he grows up." The girl said bitterly.
"Oh, what do children learn in the school?" asked Savile on the side.
"The school teaches children reading, writing, and math. After they have learned these, they will be selectively taught knowledge of different professions. I heard from the teacher that when these children grow up, they will be assigned to various workshops or public facilities set up by the lord based on the knowledge they have learned."
"Then why do you think the Earl has to pay so much money to help you? If you calculate carefully, you will know that it is basically a loss for the lord." Anderson looked at the girl and asked.
"Well... I don't know why the Earl is so good to us, but when he needs us, we will definitely stand by his side without hesitation. Not only me, but the entire Earl's Castle and even the entire Earldom of Franche-Comté will do the same." The girl also looked at Anderson with a firm look, as if if John really wanted to summon her, she would go without hesitation.
"I have another question. Why is this restaurant called the Little Duck Restaurant? I don't see that they sell duck meat here." Savile asked at this time.
"Oh, this is because of that flag." The girl pointed, and they saw a piece of glass wrapped in cloth on a wall with a black duck painted on it, giving people a silly and cute feeling.
"What's the origin of this cloth? It doesn't seem to be anything special, except that it's a little torn." Savile said carelessly after seeing this, and was immediately stopped by the girl.
"Please stop talking, sir. This is not a rag. This is the original draft of the flag of Earl John's family. This restaurant and this restaurant all belong to the Earl. If anyone hears you, you will definitely be beaten."
"Sorry, sorry, we'll leave now." Anderson already felt some unfriendly eyes staring at them, so he quickly pulled Savile to the front desk, paid the bill, and walked towards the door.
After leaving the restaurant, Anderson and Savile wandered aimlessly on the street. Savile, who was walking behind, asked Anderson:
"Do you think what that girl said is true or false? Does Earl John really have this ability to summon people from the entire territory to respond spontaneously?"
Anderson glanced at him and said, "I don't know whether what she said is true or not. If it is true, then the entire territory is Earl John's war machine. It is terrifying that an underage child has such a strong control over his territory. Basically, all the nobles in the country can't do what he does."
"Oh, by the way, where are we going next?" asked Xavier.
"I don't know. Let's go and see the Earl's Castle. After all, it is the landmark building of the entire castle."
"No, I can't walk anymore. They gave me too much food and I'm full." Xavier said, holding up his bulging belly.
"If you don't leave now, you won't be able to go back tonight." Anderson pushed behind.
"Anderson, what do you see over there?" At this time, Savile pointed to the front and said. Following his direction, Anderson saw a long line of people getting on a carriage. After the carriage left, the people behind got on the next carriage.
"Public carriage, from the west gate to the Earl's castle, a seat is 10 copper coins, and minors pay half price." When they got there, they saw a big sign that said public carriage.
"Great, there is a carriage available. Let's take it." Xavier said happily. Finally, he didn't have to walk.
"Okay then, let's go by carriage, and then we can take a carriage back as well." After seeing this, Anderson suddenly thought that this was a good idea. He could also drive a paid carriage like this to make money when he returned to the territory.
While the two were waiting in line for the carriage, a middle-aged man with a child wearing a knight's hat stood behind them.
Savile glanced back and just as he felt like he had seen the middle-aged man somewhere, Anderson in front of him urged him:
"What are you looking at? Here comes the carriage."
Savile hurried over and got on the carriage after paying the fare.
The carriage was divided into two seats, front and back, which meant that only four people could sit in one carriage, so the two people at the back also followed Savile into the carriage.
When they got on the carriage, Savile saw that the coachman seemed to take off his hat to salute them. After they got on the carriage and closed the door, the carriage moved slowly and gradually accelerated. After reaching a certain speed, it began to drive smoothly on the main road in the city.
"So, are you just going to take a look at the gate and then go back to the barracks?" Xavier asked Anderson who was looking at the scenery, and glanced at the two people opposite.
"Of course not. I went there to see Earl John coming in and out, and maybe see a guard of honor or something."
"What if he goes out alone instead of being a soldier?"
"How is that possible? How can a noble go out without soldiers? Nobles like these on the frontier have soldiers to protect them."
"Well, what if we're found drinking when we get back to the barracks?" Xavier was still a little worried.
"Oh, what are you afraid of? By the time the smell of alcohol in the barracks is long gone, how can he still come to the Earl's Castle to investigate us?" Anderson said indifferently.
"Oh, you guys have been drinking." At this time, the child sitting opposite said.
"Yes, because we are adults and can drink, but you can't." After Xavier finished speaking, he was about to turn his head, but ended up looking into a pair of blue eyes.
"So what is the number of your unit and who is your centurion?" John took off his hat and asked slowly, like a wolf finding its prey.