"Keep your men in check. I don't want a conflict." Perry glanced at the figures on the ship, her gaze lingering on the man in the ornate robes. She turned and entered her tent, her indifferent voice drifting back, "Send the invitation. Be polite."
The human noble wasn't wearing armor. That meant he wasn't here for war, she thought. Now, we'll just see if he dares to accept my invitation.
"Yes!" Sally gritted her teeth, her monkey tail lashing.
Without needing Sally's command, the beastkin knights all instinctively backed away, giving the soldiers room to form their perimeter. Those long modao were just too intimidating.
Beyond intimidation, there was a sense of inferiority. The beastkin knights wore mismatched, cobbled-together black iron armor over their beast-pelt clothing. Their weapons were a motley assortment of axes, spears, and more. In contrast, Lucas's soldiers wore gleaming, refined-steel armor over neat linen uniforms, and all carried the same modao. The beastkin looked like a ragtag militia in comparison.
Clank, clank, clank...
Lucas disembarked, flanked by Ayesha and Mina. Camilla, Chris, and the others followed close behind.
"Master," James immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Welcome, Lord Lucas," Martin added, also bowing. He let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw Camilla.
"City Lord Martin, we meet again," Lucas said calmly. His gaze swept over the female beastkin standing to the side. Her expression isn't exactly friendly.
How could Sally be friendly? Didn't she see this human noble was flanked by two beautiful female beastkin? Her very first impression was that this noble was a lecher.
And if that weren't enough, the armor on those two was even better than what her Princess wore. It was a bitter irony. They, the free beastkin, were worse equipped than those who served a human. And this noble himself... his robes were so ornate, he looked more like a prince than the actual princes of the Valtoria Kingdom.
"Oh, yes! This is... from the beastkin tribe..." Martin quickly tried to make introductions, only to trail off awkwardly, realizing he didn't know her name.
"I am Sally," she cut in. "The Pr... ahem... the Chief's Captain of the Guard." Sally coughed, having almost let it slip.
"Lucas." Lucas nodded. He gave her ears a curious glance—they were semi-circular—and his eyes flickered down toward her rear, wondering about her tail.
"..." Sally's eyes narrowed, and she glared at Lucas, her left hand instinctively moving to cover her backside. This only worsened her opinion of him.
"Master, she's a monkey-kin," Mina whispered, though her hand moved to rest on the knife at her hip.
"Oh." Lucas understood. It was his first time seeing a monkey-kin. This was mainly because he rarely visited the workshops or construction sites; otherwise, he would have known Sedona City had monkey-kin of its own.
"Lord Lucas, my chief invites you to a banquet tonight," Sally said coldly. She was fully prepared for him to refuse, at which point she would turn and leave.
"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected them to be so hasty. He looked at Sally's cold expression and said gently, "I accept."
"Ah? You accept?" Sally was stunned. She stared blankly at him, her eyes flashing with disbelief. He just... agreed? Just like that? No hesitation? No questions? This was completely outside her expectations.
"Is there a problem?" Lucas frowned. Her reaction was odd.
Mina's eyes narrowed, and her knife was already half-drawn. Sally's strange reaction made her suspect a trap.
"The banquet... is in our camp," Sally stressed, staring intently at his face, trying to see any sign of hesitation.
"That is fine." Lucas nodded calmly. He understood her reaction now. Did she think I discriminate against beastkin? Or that I'm afraid of them?
"Good. We will await Lord Lucas tonight," Sally said stiffly. She turned and strode back to the camp.
"Master, she's so weird," Ayesha said bluntly. "It's just a banquet. Why make such a big fuss?"
"..." Sally hadn't gotten far. Hearing the ox-horned girl's comment, her steps quickened.
"Lord Lucas, please, come into the city and rest," Martin quickly invited.
"Very well." Lucas nodded and began walking toward the city gate. "Lord Martin," He asked as they walked, "Has the wheat been planted?"
"It has been. And right now, everyone is planting the pasture grass seeds you provided, Lord Lucas," Martin replied cheerfully. This past winter was perilous, but they'd made it through safely. He now held Lucas in extremely high regard.
"The pasture should be ready for its first cutting, then?" Lucas asked calmly. It was a high-quality seed he'd brought from Earth, and with grass's natural tenacity, a month was plenty of time.
"We've already taken the first cutting. It's drying in storage now," Martin said with a smile. He had also been shocked by how fast the grass grew.
"Stock up as much as you can. In a few days, flocks of sheep will be stopping at Riverden City daily to resupply on fodder." Lucas thought of Sedona City's rate of meat consumption; they needed a supply of several sheep per day.
"Understood." Martin nodded vigorously. James had already explained this; Lucas would be purchasing the fodder.
Although the fodder wouldn't make him rich, it was still a new line of business—far better than the nothing they'd had before. Besides, the salt trade alone had already alleviated most of Riverden City's crises.
"I will also be sending agents to purchase that fodder," Lucas continued. "Sedona City's warhorses and draft horses require massive amounts of high-quality feed."
"More agents to purchase it?" Martin was stunned for a moment, then brightened. "Excellent! I will have everyone store as much fodder as possible."
He wasn't a greedy man; he was already satisfied. As long as his people didn't starve, he had achieved something he once thought impossible.
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