Chapter 467: Marry First, Love Later
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Feynapotter Kingdom, Jeffery Territory.
After finishing teaching Freya vocabulary, Hobert suddenly remembered something very important. He returned to his room, set up a simple altar, and recited the Evernight Goddess's honored name:
"More sublime than the starry sky, more enduring than eternity, Black Evernight Goddess, you are the Lady of Crimson, the Mother Concealment, the Empress of Misfortune and Horror, the Mistress of Repose and Silence.
"Your devout believer begs for your gaze;
"Begging you to help me eliminate misfortune!"
A surge of tranquil power descended. Although the sun was shining brightly outside, the room felt as silent as deep night.
A piece of sealing wax near the altar suddenly floated onto it. The wax, about the thickness of a finger and half the length of a candle, softened and turned into a red liquid within seconds.
The liquid formed letters, which eventually composed a sentence: That is misfortune, but it is also a reward for you. There will be another such misfortune.
Then the tranquil power disappeared, giving Hobert the feeling that the 'other party has logged off'.
He pondered for a moment, and it seemed to be the case. He had twice entered the wrong 'room', but both times he had gained quite a bit.
The first time, he had basically trapped Gale and his subordinates in a conference room. The second time, although he hadn't found the 'Vice Admiral Dusk', he had managed to mark the 'Admiral of Blood' with the oil painting.
And he had also obtained a clue about the suspected 'Vice Admiral Dusk', but this clue was given by the 'Admiral of Blood', so he had to take it to the 'Nation of Disorder' to disinfect it before using it.
Well, let's just take it as a reward. Although both battles were quite dangerous, his gains were also considerable.
Hobert also thought that next time he prayed to the Evernight Goddess, he should prepare a bowl of fine sand next to the altar, so that when She wanted to communicate, She wouldn't have to find something suitable on the spot.
After cleaning up the altar, Hobert received a letter from 'Vice Admiral Iceberg'. Edwina first apologized for her misjudgment, and at the same time encouraged Hobert not to be discouraged. She would continue to monitor the 'Vice Admiral Dusk's' whereabouts and notify Hobert immediately if there was any news.
Hobert felt that Edwina's tone was very much like a teacher encouraging a student who had just experienced a setback, which made him a little unsure of his position.
At the end of the letter was the transaction regarding the charms. Edwina said that because Hobert was buying in bulk, he could pay 50 gold Lire per piece.
Along with the letter was a package containing forty neat brass charms.
The metal corresponding to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom is brass, which is not as expensive as the gold corresponding to the Eternal Blazing Sun.
Hobert found a wooden box and prepaid 2,000 gold Lire and 2,000 gold pounds to Edwina.
Hobert had to give this 2,000 pounds, because it was the intelligence fee for the entire 'Admiral of Blood' pirate group. If he could hunt down the 'Admiral of Blood', this amount of money would be nothing.
For the next three days, Hobert assisted Dophis in preparing for the wedding. During this time, he first completed the transaction for Emlyn's potion through 'The Fool'.
After the potion was distributed to the construction site, it prevented many people from worsening their conditions or even losing their ability to work.
The potions for treating colds and chills were not enough, while the potions for treating diarrhea were not needed as much.
So Hobert placed another order with Emlyn, asking for 200 portions of medicine for treating colds and 300 portions of medicine for treating severe chills. This order was worth 180 pounds in total, which was deducted from the 1,000 pounds.
Hobert had just placed the order when he completed a transaction with 'Little Sun', or rather, Little Sun repaid his debt.
For the 'Hammer of Provocation' and the expenses at the last Tarot Gathering, 'Little Sun' once again paid 'The Emperor' a total of 17 Sequence 8-level main ingredients of 5 kinds.
These main ingredients were basically the same as last time, with only one new material that had not been seen before.
Hobert wrote another letter to 'Vice Admiral Iceberg', asking what this material was, and also asked about several Beyonder ingredients seized from the dockyard island, so as to have a clear understanding.
Now Hobert only had the materials seized from the Demonic Wolf of Fog and a few others that he was not very clear about. He knew what the main ingredients were for the other materials.
Hobert had been too busy to hunt the Demonic Wolf of Fog recently, so he could only let it jump around for a few more days, and deal with it when he was not so busy.
In addition, Hobert received 7,990 pounds through 'The Fool' from Alger through his channels, after Alger left 15%.
After deducting the reward to 'Vice Admiral Iceberg', there was still 5,990 pounds. The bulk of the proceeds from this operation was still with Hobert.
During these three days, Hobert unloaded all the building materials from the 'Nation of Disorder' at night on the construction sites that needed them.
Also, Bishop Simpson led a team to Jeffery Territory. He not only brought many bishops and priests, but also brought two 'Druid' teams.
'Druid' is not only the name of Sequence 5 of the 'Planter' pathway, but also the official extraordinary being title of the Earth Mother Church.
In ancient times, this name represented the messengers of the forest, the warriors who defended all life, which was very in line with the Earth Mother Church's official Beyonders.
These two Druid teams were both elite, including 2 Sequence 6s and 4 Sequence 7s, as well as several 'low sequence' Beyonders.
But Hobert had been quite busy recently and couldn't spare time to fight demons, so he could only put this matter aside for the time being.
In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday, and Fors could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Her new book was finally finished. It had to be said that this was the fastest book she had ever written.
If it weren't for Hobert's urging, she wouldn't have known that she could complete a novel in a month.
Arriving at Hobert's study, Fors quickly handed the manuscript to Hobert, because she had to contact the publisher, proofread it many times, and typeset it. There were still many processes waiting.
Hobert briefly looked at the manuscript and said to Freya, who was beside him: "I have something to talk to Miss Fors about. Please close the door for me."
Freya nodded and closed the door when she went out.
Fors sat opposite Hobert, leisurely drinking tea: "Is there anything you are not satisfied with in the plot?"
"No, I want to talk to you about something else." Hobert took out a red invitation from the drawer. This invitation was very exquisite. The outermost layer was silk, and the inside was hard cardboard. When opened, it was the content of the invitation: "This is the wedding invitation I have chosen."
Christian had already sent out the invitations from Feynapotter City. The invitations designed by Hobert were prepared to invite some of his friends and subordinates and residents in the territory to attend the wedding.
In the Feynapotter Kingdom, red invitations are not popular, because most of them are followers of the Earth Mother, so they mostly use green, which symbolizes vitality, or yellow, which symbolizes harvest, and even white, which symbolizes holiness, are used by many people.
When the invitation designer handed Hobert a white sample, Hobert almost threw it in the other person's face.
Fors was a little unnatural: "Invi, invitation?"
She had always been a little evasive about the wedding: "Hobert, I don't think we need to make it too grand, after all, after all…"
After all, we are just contract couples.
"This is exactly what I want to talk to you about." Hobert smiled: "I think we should all follow our true inner thoughts and make choices, don't you think?"
Fors didn't quite understand what Hobert meant.
Hobert took a deep breath, concealing his slight nervousness: "Miss Fors, I want to say that through this period of time together, I have developed enough affection for you and would like to officially become your boyfriend and fiancé, not just the so-called contract relationship."
Fors looked surprised: Is this Hobert's confession? I just came to send a manuscript, how did I receive a confession? What to do? What to do now?
Fors was a little nervous and a little shy. Her pretty face was slightly red, and a few strands of hair fell down, making her shyness very cute.
"I hope we can all follow our inner feelings." Hobert continued to guide: "You don't dislike me either, do you?"
Fors straightened her back, stood up and sat down again, picked up the cup and put it down, and finally nodded slightly.
Hobert smiled and stood up, came behind Fors, his hand just hanging on Fors's shoulder: "Then listen to me, I will pay you the remaining 'contract couple' remuneration in a while, and then we will end this contract.
"Next, please continue to live in the lord's mansion and help your boyfriend, Baron Hobert, deal with those nobles and wealthy businessmen who are always trying to arrange marriages.
"And our wedding is an important part of achieving this goal. As long as I get married, those barons and wealthy businessmen will completely give up.
"As for our wedding, not only will it be held, but it will also be a grand event, so that our relatives and friends can all attend!"
As Hobert spoke, he leaned down, put his face on Fors's shoulder, very close to Fors, and at the same time his hands hung naturally on her chest.
Such intimate behavior was a bit uncomfortable for Fors at first, but she did not avoid or push Hobert away, because they had already had a lot of intimate behavior.
Listening to Hobert's voice in her ear, that little bit of discomfort gradually disappeared.
Fors grabbed Hobert's wandering hand: "But, but, this is still too fast. We only confirmed our relationship today, and we are getting married in half a month. I, I always feel a little unacceptable."
Hobert smiled: "So, you agreed to my confession just now?"
Fors looked at Hobert with three points of annoyance and three points of smile, and said nothing.
Everything is self-evident.
Hobert saw that this delicate and glossy face with healthy skin was right in front of him, and he kissed it.
Fors dodged: "I, I'm not ready yet."
"Does this still need to be prepared? Then are you ready now?"
"Con, considered ready."
Pa da~
Hobert was so unpromising that he almost kissed out the saliva.
Fors hid in Hobert's arms, enjoying this moment of sweetness. She had described so many love scenes before that she was almost numb, but now she felt that love was really such a sweet feeling.
The two hugged like this for a while, and Hobert continued the topic just now: "We can hold this wedding well, and we can get married first and then fall in love."
"But, but, if we find that we are not suitable for each other in the future, then we will have to get divorced?"
"We won't get divorced." Hobert, who was already prepared, smiled: "We can continue to be 'contract couples'."
Fors also smiled, which meant that no matter what, she would spend the rest of her life with the man in front of her?
But the proposal of "getting married first and then falling in love" was very novel, which made Fors a little tempted.
Next, they began to discuss who to invite to the wedding.
"Xio must be invited, and I will also invite her to be my bridesmaid." Fors said: "I really want to invite Teacher Dorian, but I don't know if he is willing to attend?"
Hobert said: "You can send him an invitation and briefly introduce me in the letter. It's up to him whether he comes or not."
Fors also said: "I originally wanted to invite my friends from the medical school and some writer friends, but they are all ordinary people and I can't bring them to Feynapotter, so I can only forget it.
"And I have already broken contact with my relatives, so I won't bother them. But I can send an invitation to my father, but only send one, because our wedding will be over when we reach the Southern Continent.
"Well, the key is that I don't want him to appear at my wedding either."
Fors let out a long breath, feeling that this matter was too heavy.
Hobert said: "Then why not invite the members of the Justice League to attend the wedding?"
Fors nodded: "Okay."
After discussing this matter, they discussed the new book and going to see the publisher.
Hobert had already asked Dophis to contact the publisher in advance. The two returned to their rooms, changed into more formal clothes, and then used 'Travel' to come to Spring Publishing House in Feynapotter City.
The scale of this publishing house can rank in the top three in the entire Northern Continent, and most of the best-selling novels in the Feynapotter Kingdom are also published by this publishing house.
Because Dophis had greeted them in advance, the two waited for a while before meeting Mr. Gordon, the editor-in-chief.
This was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing black-rimmed glasses. The office was a bit messy, but his desk was relatively clean.
He looked through the manuscript for more than an hour before saying: "Miss Fors, your writing is still very good, but this kind of biographical book is not very popular now, please be prepared."
Before Fors could say anything, Hobert asked first: "If we sign a contract with your company, how many copies does your company plan to print?"
"Three thousand copies." Mr. Gordon smiled: "If it weren't for Mr. Dophis's instructions, we would only be willing to print one thousand copies at most, because the Jeffery Town that appears in this book is really not very famous.
"Mr. Hobert, to be honest, we would have printed more two months ago, but now, people's attention to you has sharply decreased."
Hobert did not make any explanations, but simply asked: "If we want to self-publish, how much does it cost to pay for a book?"
Mr. Gordon was slightly stunned before saying: "It depends on what kind of material you use."
"Medium to high grade."
"About one silver Solas."
Hobert said decisively, "Then let's self-publish."
Gordon, of course, wouldn't refuse: "May I ask how many thousands of copies you want to print?"
"Sixty thousand copies!"
"Six…" Gordon thought he had misheard: "Mr. Hobert, haven't I explained it clearly enough?"
Fors also tugged at Hobert's sleeve, indicating that Hobert was printing too many.
Hobert winked at Fors, indicating that he knew what he was doing: "I'll pay for it, you print the books, don't ask anything else, okay?"
Gordon opened his mouth several times before saying: "Of course, that's fine."
Leaving Fors to sign the contract, Hobert "went to the bank" and quickly withdrew 6,000 gold Lire.
Before noon, the contract was signed. Hobert overpaid 500 gold Lire, requesting Mr. Gordon to have the books printed before the 28th and sent to bookstores all over the country.
In this cooperation, Hobert was the financier, and his requests would naturally be met as much as possible.
After leaving the publishing house, Fors said: "This is the first time I've come to a publishing house to spend money."
Hobert laughed: "This isn't called spending money, it's called investing, or rather, advertising."
He took a deep breath: "Now that we're in Feynapotter, let's go shopping and spend some money."
The money he earned before was all spent on the construction of the territory, and he should spend some of it elsewhere, otherwise, he would quickly lose motivation to earn money.
In Feynapotter, it's nothing more than eating and buying clothes.
Although Hobert was also a noble, he didn't have any noble consciousness. Fors also didn't like luxury goods very much, so the two of them basically bought things at the department stores that the middle class liked to go to.
After shopping for half a day, they only spent 16 gold Lire, which made Hobert sigh that he was really getting carried away. This was equivalent to twelve or thirteen pounds in cash, and now he didn't feel any psychological pressure when spending it.
On the way back, Fors also sighed: "In the extraordinary world, spending hundreds of pounds at a time doesn't feel like much, but in daily life, just spending a few pounds makes me feel like I've spent a fortune."
Hobert smiled: "So, the real world and the extraordinary world are completely like two different worlds!"
Back in the territory, the two of them went about their own business. Hobert continued to busy himself with the preparations for the wedding and the reception of the distinguished guests, while Fors returned to Backlund and once again entered the circus to play the "Magician".
However, now Fors also had a sense of participation in this wedding and would participate in the preparation matters.
Some of the actions of the two people inadvertently were also more intimate than before.
On Sunday morning, Hobert received the first batch of invitation cards. He couldn't wait to write one and bring it to his room.
Then, he entered the "Nation of Disorder" and spread his spirituality to Ethel's star.
...
Feynapotter.
Wearing a waist-cinching court dress that showed off her good figure, Ethel, who was attending a very boring event, smiled as if she was very interested in the event.
Suddenly, her eyes were filled with black, sacred light. Ethel saw the solid figure sitting on the throne made of swords again.
Ethel almost blurted out: Great Creator!
Only to hear the "Creator" say in a solemn voice: "At eight o'clock tonight, one of my blessed will come to you."
Hobert didn't explain much and immediately interrupted the connection.
Ethel was slightly stunned, seeing that everyone around her was normal: The figure of the "Creator" just now could only be seen by me!
Then she resumed her smile, restoring the elegant and somewhat powerful temperament she had before.
This temperament was unique in the Feynapotter royal family because although she was a female member of the royal family, she had actually been on the battlefield, not just spending time in the northern war zone to gain experience.
She quietly asked her adjutant: "What are the arrangements for tonight?"
Having an adjutant by her side was also unique because Ethel really couldn't stand the slow and procrastinating style of those butlers.
The adjutant said: "Earl Ralph is holding a banquet tonight…"
Ethel raised her hand to interrupt: "Help me push it back, just say I suddenly have something urgent to deal with."
"Yes!"
Ethel attached great importance to the blessed of the "Creator". She specifically came to an estate in the suburbs of Feynapotter. This place was not as heavily guarded as the royal palace, nor was it protected by Level 0 Sealed Artifacts.
The key was that the people here were absolutely loyal to Ethel, even if they accidentally captured the blessed, it wouldn't matter.
The information given by the "Creator" was too vague. Ethel could only try her best to prevent this meeting from going wrong.
At 7:58, Ethel, who was waiting alone in the spacious living room, found that the space in front of her had become illusory.
It's "Traveling"! Ethel immediately made a judgment, somewhat vigilantly seeing a man wearing a black crystal mask and a noble cloak coming out of the spirit world.
The two looked at each other, but for Ethel, it was almost impossible to see any information from Hobert.
For Hobert, the Ethel in front of him was similar to the appearance he saw in the "Nation of Disorder", about twenty-four or five years old, with a good appearance and some freckles on her face.
After meeting, the heroic spirit on her body became more and more obvious, and there was also an unquestionable temperament, which still gave Hobert a feeling of "meeting an online friend in real life".
Hobert broke the silence first: "Princess Ethel, hello!"
Ethel was not surprised that the other party knew her identity: "Blessed, hello!"
Hobert smiled: "I came to you to seek your help."
"The 'Creator' sent you?"
Hobert seemed to have suddenly been injected with chicken blood. He pounded his chest with one hand and his back with the other, his arms raised at roughly 45-degree angles: "Praise the Creator!"
Ethel was slightly stunned before realizing that this should be the gesture of praise for the "Creator".
Then Hobert said seriously: "The great 'Creator' certainly wouldn't care about such trivial matters. The merciful 'Creator' only guided me in the direction of solving the problem."
Hobert basically learned from Klein how to use a small account to sing a duet with a large account.
Hobert's performance made Ethel put away her contempt, and unconsciously became serious: "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, please attend my wedding." Hobert handed over the invitation card that he had prepared long ago.
After Hobert's repeated weighing in recent days, this invitation did not have too much danger. After the battle in the Southern Continent, the "Creator" was no longer unknown. Moreover, Ethel had seen the strength of the "Creator".
Hobert believed that even if he exposed his identity as a blessed of the "Creator" here in Ethel, it wouldn't matter. Before he had enough certainty, Ethel would definitely not harm him, at most she would only do some investigation. And Hobert could beat Ethel in the "Nation of Disorder" at any time, so he didn't need to worry too much about her leaking secrets.
This request completely exceeded Ethel's expectations: "Attend the wedding?"
She opened the invitation card and saw Hobert's name. After a brief surprise, she immediately realized that Hobert wanted to use her identity to expand the influence of this wedding.
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