Chapter 1481 Dinner and Calm Jonathan [Subscription Request]

The two guards waiting outside the castle following Grand Duke Jonathan had different expressions.

Although the relaxed expressions on their faces were restrained a lot after Gugat appeared, they still looked calm compared to the others present.

Standing behind Grand Duke Jonathan on the right was a flat-headed man with a nunchaku wrapped around his waist and two nail hammers hanging crosswise behind him.

The man had brown slightly curly hair and a flat-headed hairstyle, which made his head look like a neatly trimmed lawn.

He was more than two meters tall, making him a full head taller than the Grand Duke.

Looking around, it was hard not to see him.

What was striking was that his eyebrows and beard on his face were white.

Even his pupils were slightly white.

This made him look a bit weird.

His relatively calm expression made this guy particularly eye-catching.

He did not release any power, but people with discerning eyes could easily feel the confidence of the strong guard.

He only had a piece of armor that was so simple that it could be called crude.

The armor had no patterns, and no traces of runes.

It looked like a plain, low-level light armor.

But the simpler it was, the more mysterious the contrast.

Next to him, or to the left and behind Grand Duke Jonathan, was a woman with a ponytail that was longer than her waist.

The woman was petite, wearing a khaki robe with green vines and red flower patterns on it.

The hood of the robe was pressed under the ponytail.

Although she was petite, she looked very mature.

There were even crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, which represented the years.

Her skin was smooth and white, and it glowed lightly under the magic lights on both sides of the castle.

Her light blue eyes were particularly deep, as if they contained endless thoughts.

Her feet were off the ground, and she was suspended in the air, as tall as the white-bearded man.

If Zong Shen activated [Eye of Magic Sense] at this time, he would be able to see that she was surrounded by lines of magic from the earth and nature systems.

All the element lines formed a loop similar to a magnetic field circle, and she was the center of this loop. There was no doubt that this woman must be a high-level dual-system spellcaster.

Demigod-level spellcasters are well-deserved top-tier.

Their gold content is even better than that of ordinary demigod-level warriors.

Moreover, most demigod-level spellcasters comprehend the divine will rules of the elemental system.

Although it may be a commonplace, divine will is divine will after all.

Originally, the rank of demigod meant that one foot had stepped into the threshold of God.

The two of them were like two door gods, firmly standing beside Grand Duke Jonathan and giving him enough confidence.

Zong Shen and Grand Duke Jonathan looked at each other for a few seconds.

Then Grand Duke Jonathan, who was standing not far away, suddenly laughed heartily.

"Welcome to the powerful chosen son of heaven, Rosen."

"Today's dinner is prepared for you. I hope we can have a friendly and meaningful conversation."

He took the lead and walked to Zong Shen with his men behind him.

Rosen was a pseudonym that Zong had made up before.

Anyway, the name is just a code name when it comes to the outside world. It doesn't matter whether it is true or false.

"I am also honored to be invited by His Excellency the Duke."

Zong Shen smiled, polite and graceful.

However, he still did not put Grand Duke Jonathan on a high level in his words.

Before this, Grand Duke Jonathan would be dissatisfied with Zong Shen's arrogance, but now he has no opinion on it.

The atmosphere between the two sides actually felt a little harmonious.

"Please come in."

Grand Duke Jonathan did not say much and smiled back, making a gesture to invite him in.

He glanced at Gugat calmly.

Everyone then walked into the castle.

The temporary castle was still a little lacking in grade and area.

But although it is small, it has everything.

The layout and design that should be there are basically all available here.

Including study, reception room, banquet hall and temporary command post, etc.

The real function of the castle is not a residence, but a battle fortress with military function.

It's just because it is often built in a dangerous place or in the core of the region.

So it is usually used as the daily residence of the lord, and it is also a place to show power and majesty.

In short, the castle is a functional building with explosive practicality.

Building a castle is still time-consuming and laborious. Even in this world with extraordinary power, those castles covering a large area also take a lot of time to build.

Some family castles that have been passed down for a long time have even been repeatedly built by several generations.

Without wasting time, Grand Duke Jonathan took everyone directly to the banquet hall.

It is located on the second floor of the castle, next to the terrace on the side.

The overall layout is still very spacious, but it is not a large banquet hall, and the number of people that can be accommodated does not exceed 50.

A stage is reserved for performances during the meal.

Two chairs were placed at the main seat, and even the tabletop was widened.

This meant that Grand Duke Jonathan placed Zong Shen on an equal footing with himself.

Zong Shen observed silently, sneering in his heart.

Comparing the strategy module, he knew that this was Grand Duke Jonathan trying to convey goodwill to him.

The guests and the guests took their seats one after another. Zong Shen and Jonathan took the main seat together, he sat on the left and the latter sat on the right.

Rexxar and others also sat down according to the seats on the left.

Beside Grand Duke Jonathan sat Fei'er Hei Youlan.

Plates were placed on the banquet table.

As everyone sat down, the meals began to be served.

As usual, they were served by a special maid.

Zong Shen enjoyed his dinner as usual.

It can be seen that Grand Duke Jonathan also put a lot of thought into this dinner.

All he could see were orange and purple dishes.

Even the quality of the main dish reached the golden epic level.

This is a rare high-level delicacy with a short-term bonus.

Not only are the materials required all of the sixth level, but it also has a high requirement for the cooking skills of the chef.

It is no exaggeration to say that high-level chefs are indispensable talents.

Of course, truly high-level dishes usually bring two kinds of bonuses.

The first is a small amount of permanent gain, and the second is a temporary gain with a significant increase.

And those low-level dishes and drinks only have temporary gains.

Just that main dish alone, after eating, you can get a permanent increase of 10 points in the four major attributes, and an additional 5 points of body strength, which is equivalent to an alternative armor value, making the body more resilient.

There is an upper limit to the permanent gain obtained by eating this dish.

But as long as it involves attribute enhancement, even 1 point is very precious.

Zong Shen ate quietly, occasionally raising a glass to chat with Grand Duke Jonathan.

Both parties tacitly did not talk about Prince Carter and the giant city of Luntax.

It was not until the dinner process was halfway through and the bowls began to be filled with thick soup that Zong Shen just talked about business.

"Thank you for the Duke's hospitality."

"We had many misunderstandings before, and there were some small and medium-sized conflicts."

"Now it seems that those conflicts are just the wrong flowers born from misunderstandings."

"Today I will abide by the contract and refer to the redemption rules of the nobles to release His Highness Carter."

Zong Shen took the initiative to stand up and toast a glass of wine.

The corner of Grand Duke Jonathan's mouth twitched, revealing a meaningful smile.

After the two sides clinked glasses, Zong Shen raised his hand and opened a small dimension channel in the open space next to the banquet.

Two fully armed soldiers "escorted" Prince Carter out.

Prince Carter, who had been imprisoned for a period of time, was in good condition.

His face was ruddy and his clothes were neat.

But there was a trace of fear in his eyes when he looked at Zong Shen after walking out of the dimension channel.

In fact, Zong Shen had never abused him.

Of course, some necessary deterrence was also an unavoidable process.

Otherwise, according to Carter's temperament, he would not be imprisoned obediently.

In terms of food and drink, Zong Shen never treated him badly.

He also built a small manor for him in the small dimension world.

At this time, Prince Carter, who came out, first glanced at Zong Shen, and then looked at Grand Duke Jonathan.

His eyes, which were originally filled with fear, suddenly lit up, and he hurried to the side of the Grand Duke.

"Uncle Jonathan!"

"Did you redeem me?"

It is common for nobles to be captured and then redeemed.

The other party has a family and roots ahead.

In order to squeeze out more value, the winner rarely kills.

After being captured, the other party's family or relatives will be asked to pay a high ransom.

As for those small nobles and knights without background, they will either surrender or become slaves after being captured.

It is also possible to be killed directly if you are unlucky.

In any case, there are many ways to squeeze out the value of a person as a trophy in the Endless Continent.

Grand Duke Jonathan was slightly relieved when he saw Carter, and then became stern.

Before awakening, he would still be concerned about the superficial dignity to prevent others from suspecting.

After awakening, it doesn't matter. He is surrounded by his own people, and Zong Shen is the son of heaven.

So he shouted loudly.

"Asshole."

"If you hadn't trampled on our agreement with the Lancaster family at will, how could the giant city of Luntax fall?!"

The sudden scolding made Prince Carter startled.

His face was red and white, and he subconsciously wanted to refute, but before he could open his mouth, Grand Duke Jonathan, who had already stood up, slapped him twice.

The crisp sound of slapping his face echoed in the banquet hall.

Everyone fell silent at the same time.

Zong Shen also watched this good show with interest.

What a play of a father beating his son.

But it was a one-man show, because Prince Carter didn't know that he was Grand Duke Jonathan's child.

Moreover, before this, although Grand Duke Jonathan always regarded himself as an elder in front of him, he was also a powerful duke with amazing prestige.

But he still maintained due respect for him.

But the current change made him feel unexpected.

Prince Carter subconsciously wanted to get angry, but his imprisonment life made his temper restrained.

And he knew that now was not the time to get angry.

If he offended Grand Duke Jonathan, who would be willing to redeem him?

He suppressed his resentment and lowered his head.

"Sorry... I'm sorry, Uncle Jonathan."

Seeing this, Grand Duke Jonathan's expression remained stern, but he didn't say anything more.

He turned to look at Zong Shen and forced a new smile.

"As you wish, the relevant population and troops have been prepared."

"It's in an open space next to the camp."

"When the dinner is over, the handover can be done at any time."

Grand Duke Jonathan's mentality has indeed become much calmer during this period.

From a reckless "old guy" to an old fox.

Zong Shen nodded, without even looking at Prince Carter, and continued to eat.

During the meal, there were also dancers who showed their dancing postures on the stage of the banquet hall.

After about an hour, the banquet was completely over.

Zong Shen didn't say anything nonsense, and led people to follow Grand Duke Jonathan to the handover location.

As for Prince Carter, the waste, he had long forgotten it.

It's like a bitten sugarcane, only the dregs are left.

For Grand Duke Jonathan after his awakening, his ability has expanded, and he has long been unwilling to serve Prince Carter, his youngest son, to take the throne.

In reality, Prince Carter's ability is indeed insufficient.

He is not even as good as any of Jonathan's middle and upper-level officers.

His level is simply a scumbag among scumbags.

If it weren't for his status as a prince, Carter would be worthless.

Zong Shen would naturally have no interest in him.

The two sides had obtained the intervention of the system contract and concluded clear exchange conditions.

With Prince Carter as the bargaining chip, Zong Shen will be able to get the following from Grand Duke Jonathan:

[20 million people with a proper male-female ratio, aged between 16 and 45 years old]

[1.2 million soldiers, including the corresponding knights]

[A 5,000-man craftsman group, the craftsmen in which must at least be apprentices, and there must be no less than 50 senior craftsmen, any type of technology is acceptable]

[20,000 third-level spellcasters]

[At least 1,000 dragon spellcasters, including no less than 200 sixth-level archmages, and 3 seventh-level magicians as the finale]

[4 sixth-level space archmages]

...

These are all the exchange conditions.

It can be seen that Zong Shen exchanged all population.

Including ordinary population, craftsmen, soldiers and spellcasters.

This is also one of his reserve plans to further enrich the population of the territory.

After all, there are not many opportunities to gain a large population without war.

Zong still attaches great importance to this.

Grand Duke Jonathan rode a group of majestic military horses in front.

Zong Shen and others followed behind.

It didn't take long to arrive at the construction site for temporary resettlement of the population.

It occupies a large area there, and it is densely packed with tents.

Inside are the soldiers and spellcasters selected in advance, and outside are ordinary people.

Since the total number has reached more than 20 million, the area is really not small.

It will probably take a lot of effort and materials just for temporary resettlement.

Zong Shen activated the strategy module to quickly verify and screen, confirming that Grand Duke Jonathan did not do anything tricky among the population. It seems that he seems to understand the power of loyalty, and there are no spies among so many people.

Grand Duke Jonathan, who suddenly became smart, made Zong Shen look at him with admiration.

Standing in front of the resettlement area, Grand Duke Jonathan reined in his horse and said.

"This is the population that was agreed to be handed over."

...(End of this chapter)