Quarryton was quiet at night, except for the square in the center of the town. At this time, the sky was filled with bonfires. Almost all the people in Quarryton and the villages under its jurisdiction had come to participate in the annual beer festival.
"Today, we are gathered here to wish us a better future!" Billy began his routine speech. In his opinion, this was the most important event of the year.
"Although our children and your husbands may still be fighting in the frontline, all of us in Quarryton will protect them!" Billy was indeed worthy of being the mayor of the town for decades. His words were reasonable and could easily incite the emotions of the townspeople. At the very least, everyone in the square was reminded of their loved ones.
"This year, Quarryton has overcome many difficulties and has …" Billy was still giving his speech, but not many people were listening to him anymore. He had already finished the most important part. The rest of his speech was about the contributions and achievements that Billy had made this year as the mayor. Many commoners had a limited level of education. For example, Locke's family. Locke might have been able to read a few words at the front line, but most of the people couldn't understand what Billy was talking about. The honest commoners couldn't understand the increase of the mines and the improvement of the economy. Not to mention them, even Billy might not know what he was talking about. Billy's speech was given to him by the town administrator. The administrator was appointed by the baron to manage each town. His rank was lower than the mayor, but he was directly under the baron. Billy didn't dare to offend him.
Around the bonfire, except for some of the more honest commoners who were listening to Billy's speech, the rest of the people started their own party. Those who drank drank and those who ate bread ate bread. The beer was free today, but the bread only cost a few copper derahls. For most people who didn't have enough to eat, this was an annual benefit. The shrewd merchants started to sell their goods. Although the shops in Quarryton were closed, there were always one or two that persisted. The annual beer festival was the best opportunity for them to make money.
At this moment, Locke Senior was holding a glass of beer and bragging to the mayor's acquaintances. He was bragging about his son, who had become a squad jarl. The people around him were also a group of honest commoners. To them, the squad jarl was no longer a nobody and was worthy of their flattery. Many of them even took the opportunity to propose marriage. Even if Locke Junior hadn't returned yet, at least the marriage could be arranged.
Although Locke Senior was honest, he wasn't stupid. Of course, he couldn't just agree to it. His daughter and wife were right next to him. How could he handle his son's marriage so casually? On the other hand, the merchants didn't pay much attention to Locke Senior. The rank of a squad jarl was the same as the jarl of the town's garrison squad. At most, he was the same as the village chief. Moreover, he was in charge of military affairs, so he couldn't be compared to the village chief. Moreover, merchants valued profits. It was unknown whether Locke Senior's son could come back alive from the battlefield. Because merchants had money, their status was higher than that of ordinary people, so they didn't care about the father of a squad jarl.
As for the higher-ranking officials in the town, such as the clerk, tax officer, financial officer, and several jarls of the garrison squad, they looked down on a mere squad jarl. Why would they care about a squad jarl whose rank was lower than theirs?
Of course, this was only the opinion of some people. There were also many who went to chat with Locke Senior. For example, there was an official in charge of the forest in the town. He was a smooth and slick person who didn't offend anyone. He was friendly with everyone and had a good reputation. Locke Senior was flattered and toasted him. The forest officer casually chatted with him for a while, which made Locke Senior drunk even faster. Quarryton wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. It was said that there were only five or six squad jarls from the town. The families of these five or six people were at least more distinguished than more than 90% of the families present. It wouldn't take much effort to build a relationship with them. That was what the forest officer thought.
In the end, even the mayor's family sent a relative to toast Locke Senior. There were smart people everywhere, especially those who had been around for so many years.
Faustian was located in the southwest. Unlike Shalor, which was rich in ale, most people here drank beer. The cost of beer was lower than ale, so most people could afford it. Thus, it was more widely spread in Faustian.
The night of Oktoberfest was deep and beautiful, and the people of Quarryton had a wonderful night.
The next morning, the people who were lying on the ground in the middle of the square were awakened by the cold wind. Although there was beer to warm their stomachs and the bonfire burned all night, it was late autumn after all. Even the strongest people couldn't bear it. The cold wind made Locke Senior's waist ache again. He opened his eyes and walked into the town.
Tia and Leah had gone to a relative's house in town last night. They couldn't stand the cold wind for an entire night. Locke Senior thought of his field again as he walked. Working people were like this. Apart from eating three meals a day and taking care of family affairs, all they thought about was their own land.
Under the enthusiastic invitation of a distant relative in town, Locke Senior's family of three walked to the entrance of the town and prepared to go home. Quarryton was very small. Basically, every family would have some kind of relationship with each other for three generations. Locke Senior was now the only child. Tia had a few sisters, but they didn't have much of a relationship with each other. Everyone looked down on this relative who married into the countryside. A mother's status rose because of her son. Locke had made a name for himself in the army, and as a mother, she also benefited from it. Those who looked down on her in the past didn't speak to her so casually now. Although Tia was not used to it, she felt very good about it.
When they walked to the entrance of the town, Locke Senior talked about his land again. He wondered if the guinea pigs he chased away yesterday would come back to steal his family's rice and potatoes today. Tia kept fumbling with the dozens of copper derahls in her arms. These were the earnings she earned from selling eggs last night. She planned to tear off two pieces of cloth to make a new dress for her daughter during the new year. Her daughter had suffered taking care of them all these years, so she had long regarded Lia as her own daughter.
Lia supported her parents. Locke Senior's face was still red, and it was obvious that he had drunk too much last night. Although Tia was hugging her headscarf and wearing a thick linen coat, she was still shivering in the cold. After all, the old couple were getting on in years, so Lia had a lot to worry about.
When the three of them walked to the entrance of the town, a dragon-like black caravan came from afar. The bells hanging on the horses' necks rang. Those who were familiar with the sound would know that it was the baron's caravan. They had returned!
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