Chapter 973: Chapter 425: Cold Snap in Spring
PS: Thanks to the book friends "Lunzhu Duoji", "Moran zhimei," "Dark Archbishop," "Grand Emperor," and "Crying Bean" for their generous support. Much appreciated!
On a spring day in April, Count Glamorgan suffered a severe "March cold snap," and the entire domain became damp and cold after several heavy rains.
Construction on the count’s castle temporarily halted, with dwarves complaining about the terrible weather outside and hiding indoors by the fire. Even the knights gave up training, as their armor easily rusted in such weather.
Spring sowing had ended, and the peasants from each household hid away in their newly built houses, enjoying the warmth of the hearth and hot soup. Normally, a cold snap often leads to large-scale seed rot and seedling death, but how fortunate for Laine’s domain to have the Lake Fairy’s blessing! Under the Lake Fairy’s protection, the crops weren’t too affected.
As a result, the peasants grew increasingly devout, with everyone chanting the holy name of the Lake Fairy in hopes of her blessing. At least for now, the Lake Fairy still shows favor to the peasants here.
In the vineyard, workers were cautiously tending to the newly cultivated grapes under orders from the master winemaker, Jean De Pino. The winemaker felt immense pressure, having just arrived at Laine’s place not long before encountering such an event, now he could only struggle to salvage whatever losses he could.
The Lake Fairy’s blessing was limited to food crops and didn’t extend to economic crops, seeming like a warning from the Goddess.
In a guest room on the third floor of the vineyard, a fireplace burned while heavy rain battered the glass windows and walls outside. Inside, a woman slept deeply, with waist-length black hair and skin like ice and jade, a blush suffusing her features, her cold yet alluring face bearing a faint, gentle smile.
The door to the room opened, and an Ice Witch Apprentice wearing an ice-blue robe walked in: "Member, it’s time to get up."
"Member?" After calling several times without response, the apprentice had to shake her: "You really need to wake up. The cook is already making breakfast, and if you’re late, Lord Laine will be waiting for you."
"Emma?" The woman finally awoke, her bleary eyes gradually focused as she spent about five minutes coming to her senses. Teresa Trovik, the councilwoman from Jialan Council, finally decided to get up, feeling the soft feather mattress under her.
The witch apprentice Emma attended to Teresa’s washing, while the councilwoman reached for her toiletry, muttering curses at someone for not being more gentle and insisting on exhausting her. Yet, she couldn’t help but savor the experience, finding it irresistibly captivating.
Teresa Trovik had been busy with the construction of her Wizard Tower recently, gathering a sizeable workforce to build her Wizard Tower near a forest cabin in Charon Forest. Jialan Council also planned to send a contingent of twenty Ice Witch Apprentice Corps to Teresa’s side, under her management.
This female sorcerer showed a fierce determination in her endeavors, supervising the construction despite being injured until the rainy season arrived, forcing the construction to pause. At Laine’s invitation, she reluctantly moved to the vineyard, waiting for the rainy season to end and to resume supervision of the Wizard Tower’s progress.
After a quick wash, the sorcerer chose a skirt over pants, ultimately settling on a fragrant, plum-colored, classic elegant form-fitting dress with a fitted waist, with the help of her witch apprentice. She slipped into a pair of peep-toe high heels and headed to the dining room.
Today’s breakfast included bread, bacon, milk, and fried eggs. Teresa was pleased to find Surya seemingly absent, as the sorcerer confidently seated herself across from Laine: "Good morning, Laine."
"Good morning, dear Teresa." Laine nodded, spreading his hands: "Sorry, I left quite early to handle some matters within the domain."
"You’ve been busy gathering supplies and strengthening military arms lately. I’ve noticed your knights and infantry are practicing joint exercises with the dwarves. Are you preparing for another war?" Teresa put on black butterfly-patterned glasses: "Lady Surya seems absent."
"Something recently happened in the domain. The influx of a large population has made law enforcement challenging, leading to a dispute between the newcomers, the dwarves, and locals. Surya is currently meeting with them downstairs... Do you seem a bit afraid of Surya?" Laine smiled at the sorcerer in front of him, Teresa still rubbing her waist.
"Why would I be afraid of her?!" Teresa instinctively retorted, her face bearing an unhidden languid and amorous expression, attempting to explain: "I’ve merely come to an agreement with Lady Surya."
Laine nodded and said no more, eating breakfast, the count began dealing with a large volume of official business, which usually took him about three to four hours.
Seeing she had nothing much to do herself, Teresa decided to sit beside him, engaging in idle chit-chat: "Preparing for war again, my goodness. In my first thirty years with the Jialan Council, we never encountered as many conflicts as I have since meeting you."
"You should ask those Ugoer people. Situated north of the Linsk River, they frequently skirmish with northern Barbarian tribes, almost monthly." Laine scanned through documents, capable of multitasking while chatting with the sorcerer: "Does the Jialan Council rarely engage in warfare? War is the best place for a wizard to grow."
