Chapter 31 31 Stories in a Hodgepodge
Chapter 31 31. A hodgepodge of stories
Lu Yu invited Andrew to dinner, not out of any aristocratic etiquette, but through this meal, he gave a hint to make Andrew associate food with Seris.
And the unfamiliar place name Seris itself is tied to Lu Yu.
As a viscount, Andrew naturally eats well. When he sees food or dishes similar to today's dishes, he will definitely strengthen this association repeatedly.
Andrew ate the food provided by Lu Yu in a whirlwind, and the garlic beef and tomato beef brisket on the plate were swept away.
After he drank the original beef soup and breathed a sigh of satisfaction, he even politely said thank you to Sigrid who came to clean up the dishes.
Eating someone else's meal at someone else's home is equivalent to receiving a favor. If you are a thick-skinned and cold-faced character, you can still keep your mind stable.
But Andrew is a young man... It is hard to say that he will not make a biased mental supplement to what Lu Yu said during the recording process, and it is beneficial to Lu Yu.
This is indeed the case. After Andrew enjoyed a delicious meal provided by Lu Yu, he believed in the existence of Seris.
It was not that Lu Yu's food was delicious enough to change his mind, but that the cooking methods, skills, materials, and ingredients of the food described by Lu Yu were mostly unheard of by them.
"What kind of fish is mandarin fish?"
"What kind of chicken is Dong'an chicken?"
"The requirements of fried double crisps, the perfect control of the heat, and even the number of stir-frying can affect the taste of the dish. Isn't it too exaggerated?"
"Does anyone really pour duck blood on duck meat when eating cooked duck?"
Andrew had already unconsciously started to think along Lu Yu's line of thought.
He swallowed his saliva after just eating, and remembered the purpose of his trip again.
"Did the Marquis write a travel note?" Andrew asked humbly, "Your long journey should have some records, right?"
"The illustrations of monsters, the making and collection of maps along the way..."
Lu Yu interrupted Andrew and put on the arrogant look when he bought a house.
"Yes, but why should I show it to you?"
"Or does the Kingdom of Yas have no rules for respecting the knowledge possessed by other nobles?"
Andrew was silent for a while, and said helplessly: "Under the premise that we cannot prove your noble identity, even if you may be the marquis of the Kingdom of Seris, we cannot give you noble rights."
"So I hope you can cooperate a little and produce some evidence to prove that your long journey really happened."
Lu Yu pretended to be angry, as if this request really offended him.
After a while, he took out maps of different forms under the influence of Andrew's righteousness who was unwilling to give in.
Some were drawn on unknown animal leather, some were drawn on hard paper, and some were wrinkled and broken due to improper preservation.
Lu Yu did not hand over all the maps to Andrew, but let Andrew draw them by himself.
Andrew did not object. This was a treasure that a noble had gone through untold hardships, crossed countless obstacles, and conquered countless monsters.
If he had it himself, he would not easily show it to outsiders. After all, every stroke contained blood and sweat.
After selecting three maps, Andrew took the maps with both hands very carefully, as if they were holy objects blessed by gods.
In the upper right corner of the unknown animal leather, the crooked and not very beautiful words were - Lothric.
According to the mark next to the map, this is a large-scale kingdom capital.
However, due to the rampant epidemic, many people here have a little deformation.
For example, people with skin and bones and skin color like burnt white ash will suddenly react to stress and drill out of the body. Black "pus" are highly aggressive, but weak to fire.
The knights patrolling the city are attacked by unknown forces and become ferocious. They have red eyes and strong desire to attack.
Even if you don't deal with things in the royal city, you will encounter giant lizards covered with crystal clusters and winged crows who can release poison.
Looking at the "strategy" next to the series of monster introductions, Andrew couldn't help but admire Lu Yu.
What monsters are weak and what attributes are written clearly.
With such detailed information, he must have suffered a lot when he passed through the barbaric and chaotic kingdom of Lothric.
Taking out the second map, Andrew saw the unfamiliar name "Gransefa".
It is said that in this Gransefa, there is a place called the Ancient Battlefield of Stars. Monsters will descend every certain period of time, and the local "Sky Riders" can regularly "join in the event" to defeat the star beasts.
It is said that those who defeat more star beasts can also get the title of ancient battlefield hero.
In order to obtain excellent rewards, the Sky Riders Guild who fight against star beasts will even compete with each other to see who can defeat more monsters.
Andrew thought about it, equating Sky Riders with adventurers, and regarded the Ancient Battlefield of Stars as a monster-filled nest like an underground palace.
The leader of Gransefa is very good. At least he can integrate the living forces in the entire area to fight monsters together to prevent them from constantly breeding, expanding borders, and invading human borders.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of Yas... His Majesty the Third has not taken any action on the East Territory so far.
Damn those treacherous lords!
Unlike the first two maps, the third map seems to be an island.
This island is not big. If Lu Yu drew the proportions correctly, it would be the size of a manor.
"La... Laye?"
...
After leaving Lu Yu's rented house, Andrew looked at the sunset gradually sinking into the horizon, and suddenly felt that life was like a dream.
He rode slowly to the residence of his teacher, Old Drake, in the palace. He saw the teacher teaching his brothers and sisters. He did not interrupt the class, but waited for the teacher to ring the small bell at hand to signal the end of get out of class before he entered the room.
Old Drake saw Andrew coming and smiled warmly.
"Did you go?"
Andrew nodded: "I did."
"Where is the map? Did you see it?"
"I saw it."
Old Drake showed a confident look that everything was within my calculations.
He lay in the rocking chair and laughed: "Cheaters are always impatient, and foxes can't hide their tails."
"You are kind-hearted, so you certainly didn't hang him, but you should let the servants drag him through the streets, right?"
"Teacher..."
Andrew's timidity made Old Drake frown slightly. He fumbled for the crutches beside him, pounded them on the ground, and asked majestically: "Did you let him go?"
Andrew shook his head.
Old Drake's expression eased a little. He thought Andrew had punished Lu Yu, and now he was thinking whether the punishment was too severe.
This student of his was good in everything, but too kind.
Andrew took out the notes he had recorded today, handed them to Old Drake, and found a monocle for him to wear.
"What is this?" Old Drake was puzzled and flipped through it with trembling hands.
"Teacher, I think..."
"I think..."
"Lu Yu is not lying. He is really a nobleman and a marquis of the Kingdom of Seris."
"He did not sell the map to me, but took it back quickly after I admired it."
"I have seen those maps. They are very detailed. Even the characteristics and weaknesses of the monsters encountered during the journey are marked one by one."
"Some local customs and practices are also recorded in them, including grand festivals, local food, etc."
Old Drake was stunned. His first reaction was that Andrew, a young boy, was deceived by a cunning liar again.
But when he began to read Andrew's notes, he was quickly attracted.
Andrew recorded many customs, festivals, and food in the Kingdom of Seris in too much detail.
The festivals were accurate to the date of the month, the dishes were accurate to the ingredients and cooking skills, and the special celebration ceremonies of the local races were introduced...
The units and conversion methods used were different from those of the countries surrounding the Kingdom of Yas.
Old Drake, who already had one foot buried in the earth, had seen countless liars in his life. They used sweet words and made elaborate lies to defraud money and trust from others.
His old age and experience made it easy for him to see through the purpose behind the lies and flattery.
However, at this moment, facing the records Andrew handed over to him, he was a little shaken.
The fake noble Lu Yu gradually became real under this description of the Kingdom of Seris.
No one can make up such a huge amount of information.
The content involved is too huge, even the most outstanding playwright cannot write it perfectly on the spot.
However, Old Drake read the records of Seris over and over again, but could not find too many faults.
He did not make a hasty judgment, because it could also be that Lu Yu himself was an outstanding playwright, and he made up a non-existent country to enrich his non-existent noble character image through this country.
Looking at the oil stains on the paper, Old Drake frowned.
"Did you have dinner at his house?"
Andrew nodded hurriedly.
Old Drake was silent for a long time and asked, "Is it delicious?"
Andrew quickly replied, "It's delicious, really delicious, especially the tomato beef brisket, which is stewed too soft and juicy... My chef should be fired. He only stews the same ingredients randomly!"
Old Drake's wrinkled face twitched.
"Is it a trick of a liar, or do the Seres love to show off their cooking skills, or are the Seres... really picky about food?"
He temporarily put aside his doubts about Lu Yu and decided to see what happened next.
"Lothric..."
"Gransefa..."
"R'lyeh?"
Without exception, they were all place names that Old Drake had never heard of.
Carefully examining the monsters described in them, as well as the local details, and searching through the documents of surrounding countries, no similar content could be found.
High-intensity thinking made Old Drake surrounded by magic.
A breeze blew into the quiet room, brushing across the paper, making a rustling sound, interrupting Old Drake's thoughts.
He lay back in his chair tiredly, looking at the ceiling with a dazed look in his eyes.
"Did the Seris people from far away really come here?"