Chapter 183: Carrying the Bride and Showing Off
The biggest festival of the year in Borotosh was the Winter Snow Festival.
As the lord here, Yu Mo was expected to host a banquet and invite nobles from all around the territory.
The previous lord had a taste for luxury, and each Winter Snow Festival banquet was extravagant, using up half a year’s worth of Borotosh’s tax revenue over three days of festivities.
In Yu Mo’s view, this was far too wasteful.
This year, he did not invite the nobles from the surrounding area.
No matter how much criticism he received from those nobles, Yu Mo ignored it.
But this year, the ordinary citizens of Borotosh enjoyed a good Winter Snow Festival.
The gold originally meant for the banquet was converted into food and winter supplies, which were delivered door-to-door by the knights of Magburg several days in advance.
Yu Mo even arranged for a few of the most difficult and stubborn members of the Star Society to go along and help with the deliveries.
“Teacher, those few are the ones most insistent on building a grand temple and least willing to interact with people. Are you sure it’s a good idea to have them go together on such a task?” Amos asked with concern.
He spent most of his time assisting his teacher in managing the members of the Star Society and was well aware of the difficult personalities of those highly capable but unruly individuals.
Having them deliver goods to commoners could lead to trouble if they got impatient.
Yu Mo, holding a quill and writing in a thick book, replied, “If you don’t understand, just wait and see if there are any changes in them after a while. Amos, you still need more practice.”
Although Yu Mo’s tone wasn’t scolding, it was enough to make Amos feel pressured.
Peruth, who was sitting next to him reading, chuckled softly, “Was Eloren this harsh with his students too?”
He put down his book and looked at the uneasy Amos, embodying a steadier teacher figure than Yu Mo: “Teacher Eloren’s arrangement is quite fitting; his goal is to reform those individuals.”
“I’ve only been here a few days, but I can already see that most people here are poor and pitiable, yet they remain as honest as this land itself.”
“When people in hardship thank you, tearfully smiling with gratitude, how would that make you feel? And when countless such people look at you gratefully, seeing you as a good person, what then?”
“Almost everyone is shaped by their environment; few can do wrong in a setting where they’re surrounded by gratitude, love, and expectations.”
Amos thought of the junior magicians that Teacher had assigned to various places.
The magicians working in experimental fields, factories, hospitals, and schools were initially unwilling, but lately, none of them had been clamoring to leave.
After Amos departed, Yu Mo glanced at the cardinal, who had patiently offered a gentle and thorough explanation.
“You’re truly patient.”
“Haha, only because he’s Eloren’s student do I have enough patience for this.”
Peruth stopped pretending to read his dull book and moved closer to see what Yu Mo was writing.
“You’re revising the laws,” Peruth observed, leaning in. “That’s quite the undertaking.”
It was indeed a massive project. Yu Mo had begun revising them shortly after arriving in this world, gradually adding, removing, and modifying according to its circumstances.
After all this time, there was still a small portion left unfinished. But for a set of laws, no amount of care and rigor could be excessive.
“This will be the new law of the future,” Yu Mo said, his tone calm yet resolute.
Peruth gazed at his serious expression and suddenly asked in a low voice, “Does Eloren want to become emperor?”
“If that’s your goal, I can help you achieve it…”
He leaned in slowly, his hair falling onto Yu Mo’s open book.
Yu Mo lifted the back of his hand to push aside the strands of light-colored hair, keeping them from smudging the still-wet ink.
“I won’t become emperor, but this new law will still be used.”
“Eloren, do you know? You’re quite strange. I often don’t understand why you do what you do, or what your intentions are.”
Yu Mo put down his quill, tilting his head to place a gentle kiss at the corner of his lips. “You have plenty of time to explore your questions; no need to rush.”
Peruth sighed and rested his head on Yu Mo’s shoulder. “Eloren, you’re always busy.”
“Tomorrow is the Winter Snow Festival. My dear Eloren, could you spare a little time for me?”
The cardinal was a very “considerate” and “understanding” lover.
He knew how many things Eloren had to handle and that he was a man with a plan, so his “complaint” was simply a hope to share an uninterrupted dinner with Eloren during the Winter Snow Festival.
But that morning, Eloren, who usually disappeared early, stayed to have breakfast with him. He didn’t go to the factories or mines outside the city, nor did he retreat to his study to handle official matters.
The knights and students who usually accompanied him daily were absent, and he was dressed in the simplest clothing, with a hat typical of the northern region. He held out his hand.
“Come, it’s time for us to go out.”
…
This was the most festive Winter Snow Festival near Magburg in years.
On the streets, servants from the castle were cooking hot soup for people, offering a free meal to everyone.
Larger open spaces were packed with people, filled with all sorts of small stalls.
Before Yu Mo’s arrival, the previous lord used every pretext to gather money, with particularly heavy taxes on trade.
After Yu Mo arrived, he abolished many unreasonable taxes, and the marketplace had become much livelier.
Especially on a festival day like today, some of the street stalls were so numerous that pedestrians could barely find a path through.
Yu Mo didn’t seem like he’d fit in among these humble, chaotic stalls, but he was actually quite interested in them.
Peruth watched him crouch down by a street stall, carefully examining the items, and followed suit, crouching beside him.
“Do you like this necklace made from hand-carved stones?”
“It’s unique.” Yu Mo, his face mostly covered by a scarf, picked up a necklace to look at it closely.
He eventually chose one and placed it in Peruth’s hand. “This amber color resembles your eyes. It’s beautiful.”
As Yu Mo gave this inexpensive gift to the cardinal, Amos happened to be nearby.
Earlier that morning, the lord had instructed them to take the day off and enjoy themselves.
Amos, taking advantage of the rare chance to relax, was wandering the market, snacking and looking for gifts he could bring back to the capital for Makin and Charli.
And then he saw this scene.
He noticed the undisguised joy on the cardinal’s face as he received the gift, smiling as if it were worth less than the necklace itself.
Amos couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed with his teacher. His teacher was wealthy and a powerful magician; shouldn’t he give the cardinal something more valuable?
And the cardinal—could he really be so easily satisfied?
The two figures moved through the stalls, and Amos snuck a glance again, catching his teacher casually holding the cardinal’s hand.
In the lively market, no one but Amos noticed the two people walking hand in hand.
From afar, a gentle melody drifted over. An elderly man, dressed in a new coat, sat under the eaves basking in the sun, playing a traditional northern fiddle.
Around him, people were seated, squatting and relaxing, all with content smiles.
Yu Mo stopped near the elderly man. Peruth joined him as they listened to two pieces of music.
A group of people approached from the other side, a young man carrying a girl with flushed cheeks through the crowd.
“Every year during the Winter Snow Festival, there are weddings, but this year seems especially plentiful.”
“Yeah, with the new lord, everyone feels at ease and dares to get married now.”
The people squatting to listen to the music began to clap and cheer, and the elderly fiddler smiled, switching to a more festive and cheerful tune.
In the past, the local lord would collect hefty marriage taxes from those getting married, and some lords even exercised their “right of the first night” through unspoken rules.
After Yu Mo arrived, he abolished all of this, leading to a significant increase in weddings this year during the Winter Snow Festival.
As they walked down the street, they spotted several pairs of newlyweds. The groom was carrying the bride on his back, and everyone wore bright, joyful smiles.
These smiles were as bright as the sun above, making the cold winds of Magburg feel gentle and warm today.
“Is it customary here for the groom to carry the bride home?” the cardinal asked, having watched several simple weddings with interest.
“I’m not entirely sure either,” Yu Mo admitted, as he wasn’t too familiar with the local customs.
A nearby bystander, soaking up the sun, enthusiastically explained, “The groom carries the bride through the streets of the town; the more streets they walk through, the better. It’s a kind of display—‘Look at how beautiful my bride is!’ It’s also a test for the groom; if he isn’t strong enough, he won’t be able to carry her far.”
Peruth smiled and thanked the man for his explanation before walking with Yu Mo down a more secluded street, suddenly saying, “Should I carry you, Eloren?”
“Why shouldn’t it be me carrying you?” Yu Mo countered.
“That works too.” The cardinal smiled and gestured invitingly.
Yu Mo adjusted the scarf on his face, half-squatted in front of the cardinal, and silently lifted him onto his back like he was carrying a solid block of iron.
Fortunately, the streets were bustling today, and no one recognized who they were.
Occasionally, someone noticed that these were two large men and cast a curious glance their way, but then they continued on with the festivities.
After walking through five streets, Yu Mo heard the cardinal chuckling helplessly behind him. “Eloren, you really don’t know how to lose.”
Yu Mo stepped into a quiet side street and set him down, taking a moment to catch his breath.
He looked around and placed a hand on Peruth’s shoulder. “Now it’s your turn to carry me.”
Not only did he not shy away from challenges, but he also sought fairness.
A moment later, the cardinal emerged with Yu Mo on his back. Unlike Yu Mo, who had chosen a less crowded street, he headed straight into the busiest one.
They passed by the elderly fiddler again, and Peruth smiled at him. The old man looked over with a smile, happily playing a cheerful tune.
A group of mischievous children were throwing snowflakes, causing pedestrians caught in the crossfire to grumble.
Peruth saw this and deliberately steered into the area where the kids were tossing snowflakes, calling out to them, “Throw more!”
The children, oblivious to the consequences, gathered whatever snow they could find and hurled it enthusiastically.
As Yu Mo found himself bombarded with flying snow, he quickly covered Peruth’s mouth.
Peruth stifled a laugh and quickly ran past the group of children while carrying him.
Yu Mo shook his head, shaking off some of the snowflakes that had collected in his hair, then covered them with his hand and pressed them against Peruth’s neck.
“Hey!”
The cardinal, who usually presented himself with an air of elegance, suddenly felt like a reckless youth again. He took off running, weaving through the lively parade crowd with Yu Mo on his back.
Wherever it was bustling, he headed straight into the crowd. As they passed a young man carrying his bride, he turned his head, squinting playfully, and said, “Friend, you’re too slow.”
Then he confidently dashed past him.
Thanks to the cardinal’s antics, the young men carrying their brides also began to run, each one pushing themselves to go faster.
Meanwhile, the instigator of all this commotion, the cardinal, had already reached another street and slowed down to a leisurely walk.
“Put me down.”
“Don’t be in a hurry; I haven’t seen all the streets around here yet.” Peruth was in high spirits. “Is there anywhere else Eloren wants to see? I can carry you there.”
Yu Mo grabbed the scarf that was covering his face and tightened it.
“Cough, cough! Eloren!”
Suddenly, a group of people approached from ahead. Amos, carrying a bowl of steaming food and chatting with some fellow knights who were also on holiday, spotted his teacher being carried by the cardinal. Even though only Yu Mo’s eyes were visible, he recognized him immediately.
Amos: “…”
He quickly turned to face the wall, his expression blank.
“I didn’t see anything, I didn’t see anything, I didn’t see anything.”
The knights continued discussing the festivities in the royal city when a young knight noticed Amos’s strange behavior. “Amos, what are you doing? Are you casting a spell?”
He then exclaimed in surprise, “Hey! The lord—!”
An older knight slapped him on the back of the head, forcing him to shut up.
The other knights quickly mimicked Amos’s earlier action, turning to face the wall with their purchases from the market in hand.
In this bizarrely quiet atmosphere, Peruth carried Yu Mo away from the street.
Once they were out of sight of the familiar faces, Peruth heard the calm voice behind him say, “Very good.”
The cardinal thought to himself that although Eloren had said it was very good, he felt it might not end well for him.
