OBS Chapter 741 I heard Griffith sold his groin
Chapter 741 I heard Griffith sold his groin
The Heldran neighborhood, located in Wyndam, is the largest area in the city with a large migrant population. The core reason for this is that the vast majority of the residents in the neighborhood originally had the blood and origin of Midland.
These individuals either joined the Blackwatch or joined organizations affiliated with the official system, such as the Heldran Merchant Guild, and through this change of identity, they successfully obtained Heldran citizenship.
At that time, official identity documents in Midland were not yet widely available throughout the region. The only proof of identity for most people in the settlement was the identity document issued by the Heldran government. This meant that in the official records of both countries, these people were uniformly registered as Heldran citizens, and their original Midland identity was completely concealed and could not be verified.
In the heart of the settlement, besides the Heldran Embassy in Midland and various other offices belonging to Heldran, there is also a state-run restaurant called Coal Ball Restaurant.
This restaurant is directly operated by the Heldran government and primarily serves all residents of the settlement, providing them with daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is the most vibrant and lively place in the entire settlement.
The restaurant is always filled with the noise of people. People come and go, picking up food and chatting in the gaps between the tables and chairs. Two portraits are neatly displayed in a prominent position on the wall. The main subject of the paintings is two little ducks, namely the deceased Coal Ball I and the current Coal Ball II. These two portraits have become the most iconic decorations in the restaurant, and are glanced at by countless diners every day.
“Recently, Griffiths has become so popular that no one can match him.”
At a wooden table, a diner put a piece of bacon from his fork into his mouth, chewed slowly, and then brought up this topic. His voice cut through the surrounding noise and reached the ears of the person at the next table.
“Griffiths, what new moves has he made? For weeks, all the newspapers in Midland have been filled with news about him.”
Another diner leaned forward slightly and took over the conversation, clearly interested in the story behind the name.
"It is widely rumored that he has once again won a victory on the battlefield, breaking through a fortress guarded by 5,000 enemy soldiers with only 500 men. The fortress is strategically crucial. After taking it, Midland's main force will soon be able to advance to Dordore."
"With such combat capabilities, he truly deserves to be called a top-notch general."
After hearing the description, the diner immediately expressed his heartfelt appreciation, his tone full of agreement.
"A strongman? He's not even close. The Yoda general he fought was Aten, who was known as a idiot in the army. That Yoda general had no fighting spirit. The moment the Band of the Hawk's forces entered the fortress, he chose to abandon the city and flee. If Aten had been able to hold his position and command, the Band of the Hawk's meager strength would not have made it so easy to take the fortress."
Another diner immediately retorted, his tone clearly disdainful.
“What you said is indeed true. However, the core significance of this victory does not lie in the process of the battle, but in the subsequent rewards. This kid was just knighted a month ago, and now he will be personally conferred the title of Earl by King Midland.”
After these words were spoken, the noisy conversation around the table fell silent for a moment. All the diners who heard the news showed expressions of shock. Such a speed of promotion was extremely rare in the entire history of Midland. The difficulty of advancing to a noble rank was far greater than that of promotion within the military. Not to mention commoners, even nobles would struggle their entire lives to reach the rank of earl, yet Griffith had easily obtained it in a short period of time.
"Having successfully been promoted to earl, in which region of the kingdom is the fiefdom granted to him by the king located?"
Suppressing their surprise, someone immediately pressed for the most crucial information.
"This time, the title of Earl is conferred, but there is no actual fiefdom; the title of Earl is not granted."
"So that's how it is. I understand now. The kingdom couldn't possibly offer such a generous reward."
The diner who was the first to express his feelings instantly sounded more relieved, and most of his previous shock dissipated.
In the midst of the discussion, a diner suddenly remembered something, stood up, and asked:
"By the way, wasn't the last count the one the king bestowed the title upon our Lord Hohenzollern?"
“That’s right, it’s Lord Hohenzollern. Going back further, the last time a count was conferred was by our King John. Speaking of which, King Midland is really stingy when it comes to bestowing titles. Our King was promoted from knight to count, and he held out in the border woodlands for three whole years. The fief he finally received was still within the territory occupied by the Yodas, and he had no real control over it.”
“Even without a fiefdom, it is clear that Griffiths has become the most trusted confidant of the King of Midland. This favor far surpasses that of most officials in the court.”
The chatter continued when a diner suddenly let out a cold snort, his tone full of disdain.
"He's just a traitor, what's so great about him? I've read about it in the newspapers. Griffith was originally from Blackwatch. The military provided him with food and clothing and gave him a foothold, but in the end, they raised such a traitorous ingrate."
Which newspaper article are you referring to?
The diners nearby immediately pressed for confirmation of the source of the information.
"It was the Southern United Daily News, which clearly recorded this incident."
"Is such news really credible? I've always heard that many of the sources for the Southern United Daily are deliberately fabricated false information."
"Not only that, the newspaper also published that when Griffith was a mercenary, he even went to Governor Dordore's army to sell his ass for money. Such content is absurd to the extreme."
"It's incomprehensible that anyone would choose to believe such an outrageous fabrication."
The discussions in the restaurant continued, while at the same time, a solemn investiture ceremony was underway in the council chamber of the Midland Palace.
The civil officials and generals in the court stood on the left and right sides of the hall, in neat rows with solemn expressions. King Midland stood on the high platform, facing Griffith, who was kneeling on one knee in front of him, and carried out the process of bestowing the title of Earl.
The king's voice echoed steadily in the council chamber, and every word of the investiture was clearly heard by everyone present.
"Griffith, with your outstanding military talent, you have led your troops to achieve numerous victories, making indelible contributions to the expansion of the Kingdom of Midland's territory. Today, in the name of the King of Midland, I formally confer upon you the title of Court Earl, granting you all the honors and privileges corresponding to an earl. I hope that you will continue to be loyal to the country and contribute your strength to the stability and prosperity of the kingdom."
Griffith remained kneeling, listening attentively to the king's words of investiture, making no unnecessary movements, only showing obedience to royal authority.
Throughout the entire investiture ceremony, Count Yuris, standing in the ranks of civil officials, maintained a terribly gloomy expression, radiating an oppressive aura that clashed with the solemn atmosphere around him.
His emotions were churning. When the king knighted Griffith, he already felt that this was against common sense and beyond everyone's understanding. And just one month later, Griffith went directly from knight to earl.
Such a rapid promotion left him with only one absurd guess: only if Griffith was the king's illegitimate son could the king's extraordinary reward be explained.
The investiture ceremony had just ended when Count Yuris turned and left the council chamber without lingering, unwilling to look at Griffith again. His jealousy and resentment were about to break free of his reason.
He walked along the palace corridor, and before he had gone far, he heard several maids talking in hushed tones in the courtyard beside him. Every word they spoke pierced his heart.
"Lord Griffith has just been granted the title of Earl by the King."
"I've already heard about this; the whole palace is talking about it."
"His appearance was so outstanding, his beauty and elegance even surpassed that of us women. Even I couldn't help but feel jealous."
"You don't know, but he is also the strongest swordsman in the entire kingdom. His nobility, confidence, and dignity far surpass those of all the nobles in the royal palace."
"It is unfair to compare him with the ministers in the court. They all appear vulgar and rude in his presence, and there is no comparison between them."
The maids' conversation continued to reach his ears, and Count Yuris's body began to tremble with anger. He could no longer suppress his rage and suddenly stopped in his tracks, shouting at the maids.
"Hey! You guys, stop discussing this!"
Hearing the reprimand, several maids turned around immediately. Seeing Count Yuris's ferocious expression, they turned pale with fright, bowed their heads repeatedly, and apologized profusely to him.
"We did not mean to gossip, please forgive us, Your Excellency."
After apologizing, the group didn't dare linger and hurriedly turned and fled the corridor, disappearing around the corner.
Count Yuris watched the direction the maid had fled, gritting his teeth as his discontent grew stronger.
"It's absurd that a mercenary of such low birth could receive such favor."
He stood there, trying to calm the turbulent emotions in his heart and regain his composure, when a voice came from beside him.
"Count Euryss".
Count Yuris slowly turned around and looked in the direction from which the voice came. The person who came was none other than young Hoss, the scribe by the king's side.
Young Hoss stood still, looking calmly at Count Yuris, and spoke his thoughts.
“By yelling at a few maids, you are not solving any problems at all. Before long, news of your scolding of the maids will spread throughout the palace. This situation will only cause greater damage to your personal reputation.”