Liam was sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree in the front yard, holding a book about history in his hand.
The Book of the Dead in the left eye was turning silently, and the content was about the characteristics, pros and cons of various magics.
The little skeleton sat next to him, swinging his little feet, holding an apple and eating it with gusto.
The midday wind blew, making the leaves rustle. The hot wind could not bring anyone cool.
Liam tugged on his collar, closed the book, and prepared to get up to pour a glass of water.
Just then, I found that the little skeleton had left without knowing it, leaving only half an uneaten apple.
"This little Happy is getting more and more picky." Liam felt that it was necessary to popularize the importance of food to him.
I picked up the apple and took a bite. The sweet juice immediately spread in my mouth.
"Yeah, it's quite delicious." Liam changed into a comfortable position and leaned on the bench, looking forward unconsciously.
A small group of people were walking along the path under the shade of the trees. The leader was the director of the orphanage. The old man behind him looked like he was wearing a high-ranking nobleman's clothing. Following them were boys and girls in formal clothes.
We, Jiao Li are among them.
"The noble master who came to adopt a child." Liam was very familiar with the scene in front of him, so he didn't take it to heart and took a bite of the apple.
The people who come to adopt children have different statuses. Some are commoners, some are knights, and there are some nobles, but they are not common. Moreover, there are even fewer who are received by the dean in person.
"Could it be a viscount?" Liam thought of talking to Jiao Li about Baron Morandi a few days ago. The person who received the Baron was only the head nurse, and the dean did not even come forward.
"The Viscount...has become a true aristocrat."
The Kingdom of Berg was only established a hundred and sixty years ago. Except for the "Battle of Bulgaria" before the founding of the country, no major battles took place. In other words, those who want to become a viscount must have outstanding military exploits or strong strength.
And the person in front of him doesn't look like "strong" in any way. From this point of view, then this Viscount must be a descendant of the conquest that year, and has the qualifications to be hereditary.
Hereditary status cannot be obtained casually in any era. This qualification must be rewarded by the king, and military merit is required to obtain the reward.
No matter how you look at it, Lord Viscount's ancestors are not ordinary people. At least they are recorded in the history of the kingdom.
With a prominent family, even if the family declines, this relationship with the kingdom will play an unexpected role in many cases.
Especially the kings of this generation are gentle to the world and adopt many incentive policies for the descendants of heroes. Under the general trend and the people's will, they have not only consolidated the country but also gained the hearts of the people.
As a man of two generations, Liam attaches great importance to the starting point. Ordinary people's lifelong efforts are not as easy as the nobles' taking one step.
The platform not only broadens our horizons, it also represents the right to choose.
Liam wants to obtain more resources and get rid of the power of being manipulated. It is a good choice to rise to the upper echelons of the kingdom. At least people pay more attention to the life and death of the royal family than the beggars who starve to death on the street.
Thinking of this, Liam decided to give it a try. This was an opportunity. If it was an opportunity, he should try to seize it.
After finishing the apple in several mouthfuls and throwing the core into the trash can, Liam tidied up his appearance and walked towards the living room.
.....
Viscount Joshua sat on top, Dean Kurabi sat next to him, and opposite them were nine energetic young people.
Joshua glanced at each of them one by one with his cloudy eyes, and there was always a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, giving people a kind and amiable feeling.
"Children, you are all so outstanding, how should I choose? It's really annoying." Joshua did not have the arrogance of the Viscount, but was very humorous.
"Sir, I know swordsmanship and can fight for you in the future." A young man proudly held up his chest.
"Sir, I know how to play piano and chess. I can play music for you and play chess with you to relieve your boredom." A beautiful girl saluted with a cultured attitude.
Teenagers and girls try their best to show off their strengths or put each other down to show their differences.
During this period, Joshua was always smiling and silent, while his cloudy eyes stared at the equally silent girl.
"Child, what's your name?" Suddenly, Joshua interrupted the argument, got up from his seat, and asked a young girl with his waist bent.
"Jiao Li." Jiao Li was a little surprised. Why did this noble man ask himself?
"Jiao Li...well, what a good name. My first wife was also named Jiao Li. She was a quiet and beautiful lady, like a lotus blooming quietly in a lotus pond, pure and elegant." Joshua fell into it.
With the wonderful memories, the wrinkles on my face have relaxed, and I feel like I have become several years younger.
"My child, are you willing to be my daughter? Become the great Dame Joshua, become the owner of 70,000 acres of land and 30,000 people, and then become one of the decision-makers of the kingdom?"
What an attractive offer, what a noble status, what a generous Viscount.
Boys and girls have imagined how much land, population, and property a viscount would own. They used their limited brains to exaggerate as much as possible, and the reality was even more disturbing.
Envy, jealousy, unwillingness and other emotions flooded Jiao Li unreservedly through her eyes. They still couldn't understand why this quiet guy could always attract the attention of big shots. She was like a needle, piercing everyone's heart.
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, Viscount, I... I'm not qualified and I let you down." Jiao Li leaned forward and resolutely refused.
"Bang!" Kurabi slapped the table and stood up. "Jiao Li, what's the matter with you kid? You refused me over and over again. Do you want to be with the maids who wash clothes by the river? You fight to your death every day for your livelihood.
You're so busy that you can't save much money in a month? Now that you have a bright future ahead of you, why don't you get the idea?"
Jiao Li was obviously frightened by the dean's sudden fury. She took a few steps back, her body trembling a little.
"You don't know what's good and what's wrong. You really think you're a lotus flower. It's disgusting." The girl who claimed to know how to play the piano sneered coldly.
"Your Excellency Viscount, it would be a disaster to have this kind of thing, don't you think so?" The young man who knew swordsmanship recommended himself at the right time.
Viscount Joshua remained silent. He kept staring at the girl in front of him. The smile at the corner of his mouth became weaker and weaker. There seemed to be something hidden in those cloudy eyes.
"My child, there are not many turning points in life. If you cannot grasp it, you will regret it..." Joshua advised again.
"Your Excellency the Viscount, Your Excellency the Principal, dear friends, please don't be angry." At this time, a relaxed voice came from outside. Facing the sunshine, the man came slowly.
The visitor saluted the dean and the viscount respectfully, and then smiled at the nervous Jiao Li, telling them not to be afraid.
"Liam, this is not your place, go back." Kurabi scolded him directly without giving him any face.
"Master Dean, I am a member of the orphanage, so I naturally have the right to recommend myself." Liam refuted the other party and turned to face the old Viscount.
"Do you have any requirements for your adopted son?"
Joshua looked carefully at the ignorant boy in front of him, with a kind smile on his face, "The requirements are not too high, just be good at both civil and military affairs, and be able to govern and secure the country. All you need is both."
Liam was taken aback.
Joshua sneered secretly, I asked not to mention the Haowog Orphanage, but all the orphanages on the entire continent may not have suitable candidates.
"You mean... you chose me?" Liam asked, pointing to himself.
"???" Joshua was a little confused. Did the kid in front of him have a broken head?
Kurabi frowned. Liam was too ignorant. The Viscount's meaning was very obvious. The other party either didn't understand or pretended to be stupid. Either way, it was a slap in his face. "
Liam, get out of here right away."
"Dear Lord Viscount, I am familiar with the general history of the kingdom and the general history of the continent. I have also dabbled in unofficial history. I know a thing or two about astronomy and geography. In terms of fighting ability, I can easily take care of that little guy who has learned swordsmanship." Liam spoke eloquently.
talk.
"When it comes to running a country and ensuring peace, the prosperity of a kingdom is nothing more than three things: people, army, and domain. Only by enriching the people can we strengthen the army, and by strengthening the army can we expand. To expand, we need to appease the people. To appease the people is to stabilize the army, and to stabilize the army is to stabilize the country.
From this point of view, the people are the foundation of the empire. If the people are strong, the country will be strong, and if the people are weak, the country will be weak. Therefore, the foundation of governing a country is to govern the people."
Hearing these words, Joshua was stunned for a moment. This little man in front of him, who had never even walked out of the orphanage a few times, actually had such a vision. Regardless of whether these words were right or wrong, it was just this unique insight.
He is already several levels above his peers.
Liam sneered secretly, he has been a keyboard warrior for more than ten years, and talking nonsense is the basic operation. It doesn't matter how true he is, but he wants to fool you like a bad pen.
"You... adoption is often about fate..." Joshua felt he was wrong, but he couldn't back down and was ready to use other ways to deal with it.
"Eye?" Liam sneered secretly. The old guy in front of him was avoiding it. Could it be that he was different from this group of people?
The difference? Could it be...
In a daze, Liam seemed to have thought of something, and he quietly mobilized the little magic power in his body.
"Curtain!"
Silently, deep in the pupil of his right eye, two black and white groups slowly rotated, and his vision became colorful.
In an instant, Liam lifted the curtain, his strength broke out in cold sweat, and the doubts in his heart disappeared, replaced by the stone that weighed on his heart became a little heavier again.
"Let's do it." Kurabi suddenly said: "Since Liam is so good, His Excellency the Viscount will not be able to bear to let go. Jiao Li and His Excellency the Viscount are very attached to each other, so the two of them will stay with His Excellency the Viscount..."
"Your Excellency, Viscount Joshua!" Liam interrupted the principal rudely, with a confident smile on his face, "What do you think of me?"
Joshua ignored the other party's words and kept staring at Jiao Li with his cloudy eyes.
"You are excellent, but..."
"Please take a good look at me. Looking at the other person when speaking is not the most basic etiquette for a nobleman."
The cover of the 'Demon Sealing Reversal Ritual' had a small opening deliberately opened.
Joshua frowned slightly, looking away from Jiao Li and towards the rude young man.
He froze on the spot, and then his body couldn't stop trembling. Even the smile hanging on the corner of his mouth lost control at some point and became ferocious, crazy, and hysterical.
"Do you think I am qualified to be your adopted son?" Liam said humbly, lowering his head so that the other party would not notice the fear in his eyes.
"...Yes...I think there is no one more suitable than you...my dear...child..." Joshua raised his hand to grab the guy in front of him.
But he forced himself to calm down, and his face returned to a kind look.
"Then may I venture to make a request?"
"Can."
"I am a selfish person and never like to share with others. So, please don't miss this guy named Jiao Li anymore."
Joshua looked at Liam, then at Jiao Li, who looked shocked, and nodded. "Okay."
"Then, let's go, father." Liam stepped forward to help Joshua.
"Liam, you..." Jiao Li stopped in front of the two of them, her voice trembling.
"Ms. Jiao Li, there is something that I have been holding in my heart for a long time. Now that I have to leave, I have to say it." Liam looked at the other party, his brown pupils as cold as the cold wind in winter, "Do you think
In my opinion, love is just a joke. A woman like you will only make me sick, like a fly in a water glass. So, please don't bother me again in the future. It's best not to have any contact with you until we die.
"
People in the world only think that swords can hurt people, but they don’t know that the word love hurts people even more. Swords hurt people’s flesh, but love penetrates deep into the bones.
Tears flowed from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. Her heart felt like falling into an abyss at this moment...