Struggle in the Steam Age

"Why did you say that the Viscount Doropia invited us? You must know that we came here secretly, and did not notify the local aristocratic social circle of our arrival. How did they know of my existence and send out invitations under such circumstances? " After returning to the bedroom and lying on the bed after washing, Lawrence asked curiously.

"You didn't keep your itinerary secret after you arrived at the port. In this case, it's not a strange thing for others to know your whereabouts." Nora, who was lying in a baby cradle and holding an adventure novel, sat on the mat contentedly. Rubbing on his body, he said, Lawrence asked for the baby cradle yesterday from the front desk of the hotel. Besides, he also asked for a few pieces of soft fur and velvet cloth. Now it seems that the little puppet is quite satisfied with this temporary berth.

"But this is not in line with the habits of the nobles at all." Lawrence frowned. According to the tradition of the nobles, when a nobleman wants to enter the social circle of a certain area, he should take the initiative to send invitations to everyone and then go to visit , as Lawrence had done the last time he visited the neighbors. In theory, no locals would take the initiative to invite outsiders.

Especially now that Lawrence will not stay here for a long time because he considers that he is only here temporarily this time. In addition, the distance between his own territory and here is indeed a bit far, and there is not much economic connection between the two. So he simply didn't have any plans to communicate with the nobles here.

So in theory, he shouldn't have received this invitation. But on the other hand, this unruly invitation also aroused his curiosity. So Lawrence just thought for a few minutes and made up his mind to go over there to see what the viscount or his aunt wanted to do with him.

"Anyway, you've already made a decision, so what if it doesn't conform to your habits?" Nora naturally heard his decision from Lawrence's words, so she said. "Besides, for the nobles, only interests are eternal. In the face of interests, all kinds of habits can lean back."

"What you said is the truth." Lawrence smiled lightly, sat up and got out of bed, then patted the little puppet's head. "I'll go to the ship to send a few telegrams and go back to ask my father. After all, I only know the name of that aunt now. If we meet tomorrow, I'm worried about making some jokes."

This telegram contact lasted for more than an hour, and the time on the road made him not return to the hotel to sleep until one o'clock in the morning, and by that time Nora had already wrapped herself in the fabric and fell asleep. Early the next morning, Lawrence was woken up by Nora's cold little hands covering her face. When he opened his eyes, he saw Nora's red and green eyes staring at him.

"Okay, I'm up now." After watching Nora fly away, Lawrence sat up with his hands on the bed, then rubbed his eyes and went to the bathroom to wash up. At the same time, he said to Nora on the way: "By the way, help me put Take out the dress I saved with you, and I should wear it formally today."

"Didn't it mean hunting? Is this kind of dress suitable for hunting?" Nora said while taking out Lawrence's previous black dress from the Astral Plane. Considering that the rough conditions on the island and the hot and humid climate are really not suitable for storing such high-end clothes, both Lawrence and Safir put their dresses in the star that is drier and more suitable for storing these clothes. In the interface plane.

I have to say that although those jackals are big, they are absolutely careful in maintaining their clothes. So when Lawrence finished washing and came out of the bathroom, he saw that his well-maintained dress was just put on the bed, and on the floor was a pair of polished leather shoes.

"Of course I'm wearing a dress." Lawrence said to the little doll who ran into the bathroom to dress up while putting on the dress. "According to noble etiquette, this kind of hunting activity is for everyone to go to the host's house to chat first, and then ride a horse or other extraordinary mounts to hunt together. The hunting outfit will be provided by the host."

"However, a more ritualistic type of hunting has recently become popular, where everyone goes out together and then releases the dogs to hunt. The people who participate in the hunt chat while riding on horseback. To be honest, this is not actually a hunting event. , can only be regarded as a social activity under the pretext of hunting."

As far as Lawrence knew, this kind of social activity under the pretext of hunting was mainly popular in the upper class of the White Eagle Federation. Because compared with the traditional aristocrats with extraordinary inheritance within these families, the upstarts who have squeezed into the upper class because of investment in industry and commerce have very average personal combat effectiveness, so they come up with such nondescript hunting activities.

After a simple breakfast, Viscount Doropia's carriage arrived in front of Lawrence's hotel. After a brief communication, Lawrence and Nora boarded the carriage under the guidance of the butler yesterday, and then drove towards the mansion of the Viscount.

"Did you find that there is something wrong with this car." After entering the carriage, Nora looked around the interior of the carriage and said to Lawrence through soul contact. "That is to say—that is to say, this carriage has a particularly weird sense of incongruity, which gives people a strange feeling."

"Your observation is correct." Lawrence gently rubbed the gap between the door and the seat with his left hand and said to the little doll. "This carriage is a standard refurbished old carriage. The place I'm touching now is a bit rough because of the side, and I can clearly feel the graininess of the old leather after repainting. feel."

"As for your sense of incongruity, it's normal. It may be for the sake of simplicity during the renovation. The overall interior of this old carriage has not been changed much, but some additions have been made during the renovation process. The new accessories make it more stylish. But that way, it's easy for someone who knows horses and carriages to see that something's not right."

"Could it be that they are looking down on you?" After hearing Lawrence's words, Nora suddenly began to raise a more conspiracy theory point of view. "Don't forget that your bloodline and status are different from those of ordinary nobles. I'm afraid this is the way the other party uses to mock you secretly."

"The possibility of this is not very high." Lawrence said to Nora after thinking for a while, "If the other party really looks down on me, then just ignore me. After all, we are not nobles from the same country, and we have nothing before. There is a conflict of interest, so normal people would not do such an act of enmity for no reason."

Having said that, Lawrence also took a closer look at the situation in the carriage, and soon he found something interesting and contacted Nora through a soul connection.

"I can probably guess why the other party used this kind of carriage to pick us up." Lawrence's voice sounded from the core of Nora's soul, "Because the other party uses this method to cry for poverty, take a closer look at the butler's The cuffs and neckline. Although it can be seen that he usually takes care of it very seriously, the traces of wear and tear are still here."

You know, for nobles, these butlers are the face of a family. And wearing this kind of worn out old clothes is often only done by the really poor families or the families who want to express something.

"It seems to be the case." Nora replied after casting a serious glance, "You are a rich relative to them now, maybe they are looking for you just for the sake of autumn. As far as they are concerned, you who own land can definitely be regarded as a rich man."