Chapter 306 - Diplomatic Dilemma

"Thank you, Lord, for your generous invitation. However, the matter has arisen suddenly, and we have not prepared gifts. May we be granted half a day’s grace to make preparations?" the half-person chief employed a delaying tactic."Fine, at noon today, I’ll be waiting for you in the manor with a banquet prepared. We’ll meet again then," Gaven agreed readily and then turned and left briskly.

As he walked, he pondered if any of his subordinates were suitable for diplomatic duties.

Surely he couldn’t always attend to such matters personally in the future.

But after some thought, he couldn’t come up with anyone.

Since taking over Weizemay Manor, he seemed to have acquired quite a few subordinates, but upon closer inspection, none were actually normal.

The only presentable one was the maiden priestess Anna, but her nature was too naive and unsuitable for this kind of work.

Well, he could only take it one step at a time.

Gaven had left in a clear-cut manner, leaving the demi-humans in a bit of a quandary.

The demi-human leader looked at the other five companions and said, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"

"What thoughts could we have? Like you, we have only just arrived here, and our information about this place is still from last summer."

"So do we accept the invitation or not?"

"Of course, we must. If what the other party has said is true, and we do not attend, we will have to find a new place for our summer dwelling this year."

"But Weizemay Manor is now famously known as Ghost Manor, and it’s said to be haunted. Who knows if the issues there have been completely resolved."

"They should have been resolved. Didn’t you see how thoughtfully they scheduled the meeting for noon? They didn’t set it in the evening or at midnight."

"Let’s do this: we’ll make multiple preparations. Hold off on the matter of summer dwelling changes for our vessels, and there’s no harm in discussing it further once we’ve thoroughly ascertained the situation here.

We’ll split into two groups. One will follow me to the manor to keep the appointment and investigate,

while the other will be led by Erica on her own. You mentioned having friends among the Fae Race here, right? They should be very clear about the situation in this area."

The demi-human leader quickly made a decision.

Erica’s petite face displayed resignation as she spread her hands and said, "I can only try. You all know how the Fae Race shuns the world. In the past, they have sought me out. Trying to find them is a great challenge; whether they still reside here is another question altogether!"

"Regardless, let’s first give it a try," the demi-human leader said, after a moment’s thought, he added, "The rest of you, come with me to prepare the gifts, and let’s not be late for the appointment. In a while, someone go to Priest Anlanca’s place to procure more Holy Water. Nevermind, I will go there personally. It would be best if we could have Priest Anlanca accompany us." Follow current novels on ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt

Even though Gaven had arranged the banquet for noon, the demi-humans remained apprehensive about Weizemay Manor’s haunted reputation.

Despite their stature being only half that of humans, these demi-humans were exceptionally efficient in their actions.

They quickly assembled a small cart of river fish, each longer than their bodies, and set off for Weizemay Manor—still six in number, though the druid named Erica was replaced by a priest named Anlanca.

"Wait a minute!" As they were about to reach the entrance to Weizemay Manor, the priest named Anlanca suddenly called for a halt.

"What’s wrong? Is there something amiss with the manor?"

"Could it still be haunted here?"

"But it’s broad daylight!"

The other five demi-humans, startled, asked in unison.

"No, don’t guess wildly," the demi-human priestess shook her head and said, "I think I feel the divine presence of my lord. There might be a congregant here. If that’s the case, you need not worry about ghostly matters anymore. You guys walk slowly behind; I’ll go ahead and check."

"A follower of Ilmater? If that’s true, then this is the best news I’ve heard today."

"Priestess, please go ahead."

The other demi-humans couldn’t help but reveal a bit of joy on their faces.

Compared to dealing with ghosts, they would rather interact with living people, even unsavory characters would be fine.

As long as their greedy desires were satisfied, they wouldn’t persecute them, unlike ghosts, who were utterly unreasonable.

The Priestess Anlanca, who had hurried to the entrance of Weizemay Manor, couldn’t help but cry out in surprise, "Indeed, a congregant! Good day, miss. The red string of Ilmater binds you and me."

Anna, who had been pulled out by Gaven to act as a greeter, was just as flustered and did not expect to encounter a follower of Ilmater here. She hurriedly responded, "Good day, madam. The red string of Ilmater binds you and me."

The joy on Anna’s round face was impossible to conceal.

Ilmater, one of the three holy gods, may not have the loudest name, but his teachings were certainly the most gentle, imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice, and the most likely to lead people towards goodness. Those attracted by such teachings were invariably pure and kind-hearted people.

Even though the pair were strangers, merely through their connection as priestesses of Ilmater, they immediately took a liking to each other, creating a great deal of trust.

Two women—one tall, one short; one large, one small; one old, one young—differing in both height and age, chatted away like old acquaintances, or rather, like family members reunited after many years.

That thought which Gaven had previously dismissed resurfaced once again.

Anna, it seemed, was more suitable for diplomatic work than he had thought.

Occupied with the idea that diplomats should be skilled in all manners of statecraft and capable of solving any issue alone, I forgot that earning trust is indeed the most crucial aspect. Anna’s simplicity is not a shortcoming but rather can become her greatest strength.

The Anna I knew in my previous life was also not someone who could be easily defeated by setbacks. On the contrary, she possessed an indomitable spirit. Even amidst adversities, she never forgot her true nature nor abandoned her kindness, which is precisely what makes her so captivating.

In this life, due to my own selfish desires, I took her under my wing too soon, and my overprotectiveness may have deprived her of opportunities to grow, at least in terms of her character development.

This is my mistake, and my perception must be adjusted. I can’t let a raw gemstone gather dust beside me; instead, I need to enable her to shine brightly and carve out her own new path.

"Lady Estelle, Miss Amanda, it’s truly wonderful to see you both again. We have been indignant about your plight, wondering how such good people could fail to receive their due rewards. Now it appears we lamented a bit too soon," Avery, the Half-Person Chief, said with relief as he saw the lady and the young miss of the Weizemay Manor.

Previously, those who had dealt most with them were not Kolonfer, but Estelle.

Kolonfer spent the majority of the year in Sambia, selling wine, while Estelle managed the vineyard most of the time.

Estelle’s gentleness was well-known, and they had benefited from her care more than once.

"We must thank Mr. Gaven for that," Estelle said with a tender smile. "He rescued us from an endless nightmare and gave us a new lease on life. From that moment on, we decided to serve by his side as handmaidens. You can trust Mr. Gaven as you trust me.

He has been recognized by Mr. Darnell. If you had arrived two days earlier, you might have met Mr. Darnell. He and Miss Regina have formally started collaborating with us to produce this year’s new wine."

I hadn’t expected Estelle to be such a master of social interaction.

With just a few sentences, she downplayed their unfortunate experience and highlighted Gaven’s role and their relationship.

Especially the last sentence, which was intended to emphasize Gaven’s credibility.

Though it bordered on name-dropping, it was indeed effective.

The fame of both Darnell and Regina far surpassed that of Gaven’s.

Hearing these two names, especially Darnell’s, a look of sudden realization crossed the faces of the demi-humans.

If the renowned Mr. Darnell of the Just Hammer fame personally handled it, then the issues of the Weizemay Manor really wouldn’t be problems anymore.

Avery apologized to Gaven with a guilty face, "Lord, I am truly sorry. We should not have questioned your sincerity. These catches from the fishery are our way of apologizing; please accept them."

"I’ll accept the gift, but there’s no need for an apology. In situations where you are uncertain and uninformed, caution is a means of survival, especially when you represent not only yourself but your clanspeople as well."

Gaven replied with a smile, "Thornspike, take the gifts. Fill their cart with wild boars and hares as our reciprocation."

"Yes, Lord," Thornspike responded in a muffled voice.

A dozen thick green vines drooped down, and with a flick at the tails of the fish, they were hoisted up.

Then a couple of wild boars and seven or eight plump hares slid down, stuffing the demi-humans’ cart to the brim.

The demi-humans, taken aback, stared open-mouthed at the towering tree; what they had thought was a flagpole was actually a Treant.

On its branches hung a large quantity of game that had yet to be processed.

Gaven explained with a smile: "No need to panic; this is one of our companions. Despite his size, he is very gentle by nature."

Although they approached with goodwill, it was still essential to demonstrate their strength—it would ensure greater control over the discourse.

"I apologize; we did not expect to encounter a Treant here. We were taken aback by something quite ordinary," Avery hastily said. "Thank you for your generous reciprocation, my Lord; we will gladly accept it."

"I have already prepared a feast, please come inside," Gaven finally stepped aside from the manor’s entrance.

"After you, Lord," the demi-humans said, following Gaven as they took in the sights of Weizemay Manor.

Signs of decay and dilapidation were still visible everywhere.

However, some areas had been completely transformed. It was evident that this was not achieved through simple patching up, but through the efforts of Mending and the Complete Repair Technique.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes.

The parties had grown familiar with one another, and Gaven broached the main topic, "I’ve found the long-term employment contract you signed with Weizemay Manor and have studied it carefully. On the whole, it’s quite fair.

If you agree, we can continue to follow this contract. You will assist us in managing and harvesting the grapes, and in return, we will compensate you with half-finished wine."

"We have no objections to this arrangement," Avery replied promptly, having obviously discussed it beforehand.

The partnership with Weizemay Manor was meant to be long-term. To demand a higher price, especially during the special circumstances of the vineyard’s reopening, would demonstrate short-sightedness.

If they did so, Weizemay Manor could simply hire a large number of laborers from outside, leaving them behind, which would significantly impact their way of living.

No place was better suited for their summer refuge and recuperation than Yewen Pond and the Three Rivers Region.

Avery hesitated before adding, "However, about those crops on the riverbank..."

"They’re crudely farmed, right?" Gaven said, knowing what they desired before the chief could continue, "You can keep all the harvest from that crop, but I have one condition to add."

The joy on the demi-humans’ faces froze instantly; everyone dreads the word ’but.’ They braced themselves and said, "Please, Lord, go ahead."