bookbashuk Chapter 143 Banquet Invitation
Chapter 143 Banquet Invitation
Chapter 143 Banquet Invitation
Upon the completion of the castle, Dui held another banquet.
And it was an even bigger banquet than the last one.
Besides the dwarf craftsmen and villagers from the foot of the mountain, others also participated in the banquet.
Dui also invited Lord Bard of Vale, Beorn of Anduin Valley, Elrond of the Valley and his twin sons Elrohir and Elradan, Kael'burne and Galadriel of Loreen and their wife, Princess Arwen of the Twilight Star, and Thrandui of the Woodland Kingdom.
Ross Gobert's Brown Robe Darrigus, Tom in the Old Woods, and Goldenberry.
Dui also sent an invitation to the Thorin Oak Shield on Lonely Hill.
Of course, Bilbo didn't forget either.
In addition, Dui also sent invitations to the mayor and the owner of the Prancing Horse Inn from the neighboring town of Buri.
Dui invited guests to virtually every place with a Filo net connecting to the fireplace.
The only one they couldn't contact was Gandalf.
Since acquiring his flying broomstick, Gandalf has become even more elusive, and no one knows where he is.
This banquet was not only to celebrate the establishment of the castle, but also to formally declare to the outside world the ownership of Windrise Peak and the surrounding territory.
On the day the banquet was held,
The top of Fengyun Peak was unusually lively.
The villagers of Hogsmeade, down in the mountains, dressed in their finest clothes and arrived at Hogwarts Castle early in the morning, each doing their part to prepare for the dinner.
Hogsmeade Village is now completely different; in just a few months, the number of villagers has increased to over a thousand.
Moreover, this number was already screened by the village chief Luke, who eliminated all the thugs, petty thieves, and robbers from those who came to seek refuge.
Otherwise, the population of Hogsmeade would at least double.
A rather luxurious carriage was speeding along the main road from Buri Town to Windrise Peak.
When the carriage went out, it was accompanied by a coachman, a servant, and a small squad of militiamen on horseback as guards.
Inside the carriage sat Graeme Tendr-Latch, the mayor of Bree.
And Mr. Butterfly Chrysanthemum, the owner of the Leap Horse Inn who hitched a ride with us.
Mayor Ratchet's ancestors were nobles, and although they no longer hold the noble title, they still take pride in their noble lineage.
The Lucky family has lived in Brie for generations and has absolute dominance over the town.
Mr. Butterfly, the owner of the Leap Horse Inn, may seem like just an innkeeper, but his family has run the town's only inn for generations. Travelers, merchants, knights-errant, bards, dwarves, and even elves from all over the world would stop here.
In addition to running inns, providing accommodation, and selling food and wine, they also engaged in various information trading.
It also holds a significant position in the town of Buri.
That's how I was able to hitch a ride in the mayor's carriage and attend Duir's banquet together.
"Mr. Butterflower, you've had the most contact with Wizard Duir. Do you know what kind of person he is?"
With a large pregnant belly and a prosperous-looking face, Mayor Lachi asked the innkeeper who was traveling with him with some unease.
Mayor Lach and Dui had only met once, when the Lonely Mountain Expedition passed through Buri Town and Dui personally awarded him a gold medal for defeating the Ancient Tomb Corpse Demon.
This was originally something that Mayor Lach would not have cared much about.
He didn't care as long as it didn't affect his rule over Brietown.
Until a little over a year ago, Amonsurtar reappeared on Windrise Peak and became the territory of the black-robed wizard Duir.
He took it a little more seriously.
After all, Fengyun Peak is not far from Buli Town. The appearance of a tall tower there and its new owner might affect Buli Town, especially his status.
Uneasy, he sent men to investigate the situation after Amonsurta appeared.
Upon learning that the master of Amonsur Tower—the black-robed wizard Duir—had not stayed at Windcloud Peak for long, he continued eastward.
He breathed a sigh of relief, concluding that although the black-robed wizard knew some strange spells, he wasn't worth taking too seriously.
Until half a year ago, a group of villagers from the east came and lived at the foot of Fengyunding Mountain. They claimed to be villagers who had been rescued by the black-robed wizard Duir and came to seek refuge.
This caught his attention again.
In particular, his old rival Luke was suppressed by him, and then he took his family and left Buri Town to join the villagers, and even became the village chief.
Mayor Luke just sneered, thinking that Luke was just throwing caution to the wind, running away from the bustling town of Buri to the foot of the destitute Windrise Mountain, becoming a village chief of a bunch of peasants, with no hope at all.
However, his gloating didn't last long. When the black-robed wizard returned to Windcloud Peak with a giant dragon and accepted Luke and the villagers as his subjects.
He began to feel uneasy.
That was a wizard who possessed a giant dragon!
Now that he has accepted his subjects and become the lord of Fengyun Peak, he will inevitably divide up his territory.
But Bree Town is too close to Windcloud Peak. What if that wizard included Bree Town in his territory as well?
What should he do as the town mayor?
To surrender or to surrender?
As for resistance? Don't be ridiculous, it's a dragon!
In particular, he once witnessed the dragon fly to the Chet Forest near Buri Town, burn the branches of several towering ancient trees with a burst of dragon flame, and then flap its huge wings, uprooting the giant trees and flying towards the top of Wind Cloud.
The enormous dragon body, exuding a powerful aura, and its wings that blotted out the sky, almost scared him to death.
Then he lost all will to resist.
The innkeeper, Huang Youju, had a pretty good idea of what Mayor Lachi was thinking.
He shook his head and said, "Mayor, you're putting me in a difficult position. Although I've met Lord Duir a few times, we haven't had an in-depth conversation, so how can I offer an evaluation?"
"However, in my opinion, Lord Duir is a very kind and benevolent lord. I heard that he only collects 1% of the taxes from the people of his territory, and all of these taxes are used for the villagers themselves, without touching a single penny."
Mayor Lachi looked incredulous upon hearing this.
Not collecting any taxes? How is that possible!
Isn't this doing charity?
"Then how does he maintain the castle? And what about all the entertainment and banquets?" Mayor Lucky asked, somewhat incredulously.
The innkeeper, Butterfly Chrysanthemum, shook her head, her face full of envy and admiration. "Mayor, you don't know this, but it's said that when Lord Duir subdued the dragon on Lonely Mountain, he also obtained the dragon's treasure—a treasure as high as a mountain!"
"With so much treasure, any one of it is priceless. Even if you squandered it for several lifetimes, you still couldn't spend it all! So Lord Duir doesn't need the tax revenue from his subjects."
"A treasure as high as a mountain!" Mayor Rachi stared in disbelief, swallowing hard as he imagined such a treasure.
"With so many treasures, Lord Duir, aren't you afraid someone will steal them?"
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"Who dares to steal it?" The innkeeper, Butter Chrysanthemum, glanced at him sideways. "Those treasures are guarded by dragons. Who has the ability to steal a single gold coin right under a dragon's nose?"
Mayor Lach immediately recalled the terrifying image of the giant dragon and quickly shook his head.
Unless you're insane, who would dare to face a dragon?
Just then, the coachman's voice rang out from outside the carriage: "Mayor, we've arrived at Hogsmeade Village!"
Upon hearing this, the conversation inside the carriage immediately ceased.
Mayor Ratched and innkeeper Butterfly both looked out the car window at the same time.
Then you see a wide, flat road that branches off from the east-west avenue and extends northward through a village.
The village is nestled against a lake, surrounded by vast, fertile fields cultivated with grains and vegetables.
The village is surrounded by high stone walls, and the main road through the village is lined with various shops and taverns, making it look more like a small town than a village.
The village was very clean, without a trace of filth, and there was a trash can every so often along both sides of the road.
There are even public toilets and public bathhouses.
There are also people in the village who are responsible for cleaning the streets, and their wages come from that 1% tax.
At this time, most of the villagers had gone to the castle on the mountain to help out, leaving only some of the younger and older people in the village, preparing to attend the banquet in the evening.
An elderly man in charge of the village gate, seeing the horse-drawn carriage approaching from the main road, along with its accompanying militia, remained calm.
He got up and went outside the village, bowing to the town mayor inside the carriage.
"Sir, are you here for the banquet?"
The servant in the carriage immediately jumped down, handed an invitation to the gatekeeper, and said, "Our master is the mayor of Buri Town. He has been invited by Lord Duir to attend the banquet."
Upon seeing the invitation, the old man immediately became enthusiastic, "So it's the town mayor! Please come in!"
They then opened the gate, allowing the carriage party to enter the village.
Looking at the village from inside the carriage, Mayor Lucky's eyes showed shock and a hint of envy. He couldn't help but say sourly, "It seems Luke is really lucky to have run into such a lord."
Although Mayor Lucky was obsessed with power, he could still see the future of Hogsmeade Village, with such a powerful lord protecting it.
It is likely that more and more people will come here to settle down in the future.
It might not only surpass Buri Town, but it could even become a city-state.
The carriage passed through the village and arrived at the large lake behind the village. The first thing that came into view was a stone bridge spanning the lake. The stone bridge was built by the dwarves and was both sturdy and beautiful. It was the only way to Wind and Cloud Peak.
Looking at the vast lake in front of them, Mayor Lachi and innkeeper Huang Youju were once again awestruck.
When they were young, they also came here, but it was a long swamp, which was called Mosquito Swamp because it was dangerous and full of mosquitoes.
I never imagined it would be transformed into a large lake. I wonder how such a massive project was accomplished?
Under the azure sky, the lake surface is like a giant mirror, reflecting the entire Fengyun Peak.
Looking at the reflection on the lake, a magnificent castle stands atop the mountain, with the highest tower, Amonsur Tower, soaring into the sky.
Under the sun's rays, the two tall gold and silver trees shimmered with dazzling brilliance, bathing the castle in a golden and silver glow, making it appear sacred and solemn.
Whether it was the town mayor and innkeeper inside the carriage, or the coachman and militiamen outside, everyone gaped in astonishment.
Have they stumbled upon a fairyland?