Before Elias could answer this textbook matchmaking question, Mary, sitting on the right, suddenly waved excitedly toward the tavern entrance.
The group instinctively looked in that direction together.
At the door, a tall young man strode in. His hair was a slightly lighter shade than Mary's, styled in a meticulous slicked-back look, glistening under the dim gaslights with some unknown brand of hair oil.
He wore a decent, perhaps even deliberately chosen, high-end custom suit. In his hands, he held a bouquet of red roses still glistening with dew.
His attire made him look like a middle-class elite who had just stepped out of a luxury apartment in the West District, appearing completely out of place in this Northern-style tavern.
As he spotted the group at the table, his gaze swept over them rapidly. The moment his eyes landed on Charlotte, they lit up like an incandescent bulb suddenly surged with electricity.
He straightened his tie and walked straight toward them.
“Hello! Miss Rockland!”
The young man stepped forward, naturally treating Elias like thin air as he flashed Charlotte what he clearly thought was a charming smile. Then, he turned his head and gave Victoria a reserved nod.
“Miss Moore.”
Victoria politely inclined her head in return.
“Mary, and this is...?”
Only then did the young man’s gaze “accidentally” fall upon Elias. He raised an eyebrow and turned to ask his sister.
“This is Lottie's brother!” Mary quickly stood up and introduced him enthusiastically.
“Hello! Mr. Rockland!”
Upon hearing that this was his sweetheart’s brother, the young man’s attitude did a complete hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. He hurriedly stepped forward, extending his right hand to Elias with a warmth that suggested he had found a long-lost father.
Elias, however, remained impassive. Out of basic social courtesy, he slowly stood up and gave the young man’s hand a perfunctory squeeze.
The moment they made contact, Elias sneered inwardly. This kid’s hand was soft and smooth, without a single callus. He was clearly a hothouse flower who spent his days sipping afternoon tea in an office, never having lifted a heavy object in his life.
“Hello. Elias Rockland,” Elias said, his tone devoid of emotion.
“I’m George,” the young man said, gripping Elias’s hand firmly with a beaming smile. “George Robinson.”
In truth, while Elias was being perfunctory with him, George was doing the exact same. As soon as the formalities with the “future brother-in-law” were over, he couldn't wait to turn back and present the red roses to Charlotte.
“Miss Rockland, these are for you!” His voice was so tender it practically dripped.
“Thank you!” Charlotte had clearly never dealt with such a display before. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she happily accepted the flowers.
George’s blatant maneuver was obvious to everyone present unless they were blind. Wasn't this just brazenly eyeing a farmer’s prized cabbage right in front of his face?!
Elias crossed his arms, his gaze toward George already resembling the look one might give a corpse about to be stuffed into a sewer.
“Mr. Rockland, you haven't answered my question yet!” At that moment, Victoria spoke up, forcibly pulling the conversation back to the suffocating matchmaking topic.
Elias was currently calculating in his head exactly which method he should use to make this strutting peacock humiliate himself in public. Hearing the question, he leaned back nonchalantly against his chair and answered casually:
“Oh, I’m a sailor. Employed by Wayland Shipping.”
“Wow!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Victoria and Mary let out a simultaneous low cry of surprise.
In this steam age, Wayland Shipping was no small-time operation. It was a super-giant that held a near-monopoly on half of the Kingdom of Velen’s maritime trade! Being a formal sailor there was definitely considered a high-paying, respectable, and secure job.
“Wayland Shipping is a massive company!” Mary’s eyes lit up, her gossiping spirit burning bright as she curiously pressed further. “So, what’s the salary like?”
Exactly as he had predicted!
After asking where someone worked, the next step was inevitably an inquiry into their monthly income.
Just as Elias was preparing to brush the question off, George, who had been feeling neglected, suddenly jumped in. He adjusted the cuffs of his suit and spoke in a tone that seemed friendly but was actually condescending.
“I’ve heard the pay at Wayland is indeed decent! Being a sailor, drifting on the sea every day, facing storms and pirates—it sounds quite thrilling.”
George sighed and shook his head, a look of mock pity appearing on his face.
“Unlike those of us in government departments. We sit in spacious offices every day, following the same routine. We don't make much in a month.”
He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze seemingly wandering over Charlotte as if by chance.
“It’s only 16 gold crowns. And it never changes. Life has no excitement at all; it’s far too dull.”
Elias nearly burst out laughing right then and there.
What a character. He acted as though he envied the dangerous, rich life of a sailor, but in reality, every word was a blatant humble-brag.
Sixteen gold crowns—in an era where an ordinary worker could only earn two or three gold crowns a month by working themselves to the bone—was a fortune that allowed a middle-class man to stand tall. Not to mention, he was heavily implying that he was a safe, comfortable government official!
A manipulative prick, huh? Fine, fine, fine.
Elias sneered inwardly. If the boy wanted to make a fool of himself this badly, Elias decided there was no longer any need to hold back today.
“Oh, that is true,” Elias said with a faint smile. In a flat tone, he dropped a bombshell as light as a feather: “I only make 24 gold crowns a month. It is indeed a bit more than you.”
Hiss—
The two girls opposite him immediately sucked in a breath of cold air, letting out gasps of disbelief.
Twenty-four gold crowns! That wasn't just a secure job; it was practically a diamond-encrusted golden meal ticket!
The smarmy smile on George’s face froze instantly.
On the tavern stage, the singer suddenly seemed to go wild. His hands swept violently across the strings of his lute, and the rousing melody swept through the tavern like a storm!
The atmosphere in the hall was instantly pushed to its peak! The singer roared with a raspy voice, leading all the drunken patrons and mercenaries to stomp their heavy leather heels rhythmically against the wooden floor!
The entire tavern floor shook violently, and dust trickled down from the ceiling beams. Amidst this deafening rhythm, the singer’s heart-wrenching roar echoed through the hall:
“He took the sword hilt! Smashed his own chest!”
“With scalding blood! Poured it on cold, hard iron!”
“That thunderous crack! Souls scattered!”
“He smashed himself into a star!”
“Shattered into a thousand homes, that spark of fire in the cold!!!”
“Hey!”
Amidst the noise that nearly blew the roof off the tavern, George, trying to hide the embarrassment of his recent humiliation, suddenly shouted to show off his knowledge to the table.
“This song is about the origin of the Northern Spark Festival! In ancient Northern legends, there was a great knight who sacrificed himself without hesitation to turn into fire, finally dispersing the Eternal Night that shrouded the world! This song tells that myth!”
Hearing this, Elias’s pupils contracted sharply.
He had to admit, while this kid was a bit of a poser and a prick, his bragging had accidentally answered the massive question lurking in the depths of Elias's mind!
Sacrificing himself? Turning into fire?
He couldn't help but recall that eerie dream he had stumbled into, connecting to the depths of the spirit world.
The knight in pitch-black armor. The black-haired girl who had said, “Even if the world freezes over completely, I will become the kindling without hesitation.”
So... that was the original epic of human civilization, a true historical shadow of the Spark Festival’s origin!
Because his spirituality was overflowing and today was the Spark Festival, he must have accidentally connected to the origin of the holiday.
While Elias was lost in thought, a tavern waiter approached with a heavy tray. Several glasses of the pungent Burn-throat were placed on the wooden table.
Seeing these lethal shots of liquor, George’s eyes lit up. He saw the perfect weapon to reclaim his dignity.
He immediately picked up a large, full glass and pushed it directly in front of Elias.
“Mr. Rockland, since we’re so happy today, why don't we two men have a proper drink?”
What was this? Elias snapped back to reality, glancing at the liquor that looked like it could ignite the air, then at George’s ill-intentioned face.
You want to get me drunk so you can take my sister away, is that it?
“Sure.”
“Come on, let’s drink!”
Isn't that perfect? I had the exact same idea!
You like to pose? I'll make you fly!
Rate on N.U.
