Weil stood before a bronze mirror, uncharacteristically adjusting his collar.
Today, he wasn't wearing his usual silver-white knight armor, but instead, one of his few civilian outfits.
Gray-blue trousers, black leather boots with silver buckles, and a dark cloak draped over his shoulders.
He looked spirited, and, as his mother would say, "dressed like a good-for-nothing noble from the South."
At fifteen, he was already the Red Tide Territory's youngest high-tier elite Knight, serving as Lord Louis's personal guard for three years.
This position gave him considerable influence among the various legions, yet last night, for the first ti, he asked Lord Louis for a day off.
He stamred vaguely, and Lord Louis rely showed an ambiguous smile before approving it directly.
At the door, his mother, with a basket on her back, was putting on her cloak while instructing, "I'm going to the fish farm to help gut fish today, so I won't be back to cook lunch. You'll have to sort yourself out."
Weil nodded profusely, "Got it, got it!"
As soon as he stepped out the door, her familiar nagging voice ca from behind him: "You're fifteen years old, how can you still be so fidgety!"
Weil pretended not to hear, quickened his pace, and hurried towards the market outside the Craftsn's District.
Today was the Spring Festival, the Red Tide Territory's liveliest spring festival, and one of the few all-encompassing celebrations of the year.
Even though it was morning, it was already bustling with people. Red cloth and colorful ribbons adorned the wooden pillars and stalls, the air was filled with the aroma of stewed beef ribs, children chased windmills, and a lively atmosphere perated everywhere.
And in the bustling market outside the Industrial District, Lilia was already waiting for him in front of a stall.
She was a year older than Weil and beca an Apprentice Knight at the sa ti as him. Now, she was already a mid-tier Formal Knight.
Although she didn't possess Weil's astonishing talent, she was still one of the top talents among the younger generation in the Red Tide Territory.
Unlike her imposing deanor on the training ground, today she wore only a clean, light-gray long dress, with a neatly tied belt at her waist and her hair pulled back in a half-ponytail. Her features were clear, and her temperant was even brighter.
Weil's steps halted, and he suddenly felt a bit awkward, stamring, "Good... good morning."
Lilia looked at him and smiled softly, "Good morning."
That smile seed to dispel the last trace of chill in the spring cold.
This year's Spring Festival was different. Due to the large population in the Red Tide Territory, and various areas performing their respective duties, the main city no longer uniformly organized festivals.
Instead, they rely issued basic regulations and delegated the specific planning to various communities, industry guilds, and villages to spontaneously organize celebrations, which both relieved logistical ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) pressure and showcased the creativity of the populace.
And the area where Weil and Lilia were located happened to be the celebration organized by the Craftsn's Guild of the Industrial District.
Therefore, the festival stalls here appeared particularly robust.
All the stalls were handcrafted by carpenters and blacksmiths, sturdy enough to serve as temporary fortresses. Rows of ovens lined the roadside, and several bare-chested strong n sweat profusely as they flipped ribs and whole fish on iron grates, the firelight and cooking smoke intertwining to create a fiery festive atmosphere.
There were also people who had made their own trebuchet-style pot-throwing gas, which the children played with great delight.
Every detail exuded the ingenuity and ruggedness of craftsn.
Weil, while eating greasy charcoal-grilled beef skewers, followed Lilia through the bustling Craftsn's Street.
The air was mixed with the slls of sawdust, grease, hot iron, and charcoal. Furnaces on both sides of the street roared, and hamrs pounded in succession, like an unending tal symphony.
Rows of stalls were filled with gleaming blade blanks, lustrous iron ingots, uniquely shaped tools, and faintly glowing crystals, the entire district exuding a practical yet romantic atmosphere.
Just as they were enjoying their stroll, a sudden commotion erupted ahead. A large crowd ford a circle, erupting in continuous cheers.
"What's happening?" Weil asked a middle-aged man carrying an iron pot beside him, while still chewing.
"You don't know? It's the Sword Forging Competition! They only have three hours to forge on-site, to see who can forge a sword both quickly and well!" The man added mysteriously, "I heard Lord Louis himself ca up with the idea."
Weil raised an eyebrow, imdiately finding it interesting, after all, anything Lord Louis ca up with was bound to be good.
The host on stage was Mike, the president of the Red Tide Craftsn's Guild. His voice was booming as he directed and explained, "Three teams, fair competition, unified materials, skill above all!"
Sparks flew on stage, and it seed the competition had been going on for a while.
The first team was the Three Brothers Workshop, with clear division of labor, focusing on "segnted steel folding."
They operated like a precisely running assembly machine, refining pig iron into sword blanks within a few tens of minutes.
The second team consisted of a silver-haired old master and his grand-disciple, focusing on the ancient thod of "edge quenching."
Their movents were steady and elegant, like performing an ancient musical piece. The charcoal fire reflected in their focused eyes, inspiring respect.
The third team was the most eye-catching: the young female blacksmith Sai and her mother, one old and one young, one calm and one fiery.
The swords they forged had unique shapes and uneven edges, exuding a sharp brilliance, drawing gasps of admiration.
Weil and Lilia stood on the outer circle of the crowd, watching with great interest.
"This kind of competition," Lilia whispered with a chuckle, "is even more intense than our Knight Camp's horsemanship competition."
Weil nodded while chewing on his at skewer, his eyes never leaving the forge, and his ears carefully listening to Mike's professional comntary. He found these intricacies of craftsmanship quite fascinating.
As the forging entered its final stage, Mike casually scanned the crowd, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he shouted loudly:
"Oh?! Isn't that Knight Weil, Lord Louis's personal guard? Why isn't he with Lord Louis today? How about coming up to be the sword-tester?"
Everyone imdiately looked over, and countless curious gazes focused on Weil's face. His face instantly flushed, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
Lilia covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, pushing him, "Go on!"
"I, I..." Weil stamred a few excuses, but facing the laughter from around him and Lilia's encouraging gaze, he finally gritted his teeth and walked onto the stage.
"I—I'll just test it once."
So, under everyone's gaze, he ran to the three newly forged swords, and the test subject was a wild boar carcass made into a thick leather target.
The sword from the Three Brothers Workshop was heavy and sturdy, but it felt a bit dull when cutting. The long sword from the old master and his disciple, however, was swift and decisive. With one cut, the hide was ripped and the flesh was torn, incredibly sharp.
When it was the young female blacksmith Sai's sword's turn, the audience was full of anticipation, but midway through the cut, with a "click," the blade suddenly snapped. Steam rose from the break, and Sai froze on the spot, her eyes instantly welling up.
The entire venue fell silent for a mont, and the scene was slightly awkward.
Weil looked at the broken sword, standing still for a mont, unsure of what to do.
anwhile, Lilia below the stage couldn't stop laughing, bending over with laughter, desperately covering her mouth.
Finally, President Mike announced the results of the competition: "The ancient thod of edge quenching by the old master and his disciple takes first place! They are awarded a Sun Gear Badge from the Craftsn's Guild!"
The entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause, and even Sai forced herself to cheer and salute the old master.
The competition concluded, and Weil lightly jumped off the stage, his ears still burning.
He walked back to Lilia's side, and she winked at him, chuckling, "You looked quite handso cutting, too."
The two exchanged a smile, turned, and left the bustling Craftsn's Street, heading towards the celebration square not far away.
On the west side of the square, as the drums and gongs sounded, the crowd cheered, and colorful ribbons flew.
That area was incredibly lively, encircled by crowds, children screaming with excitent, and adults laughing together.
This was one of the most popular entertainnts of the Spring Festival: the civilian obstacle course race.
The course consisted of mud pit stepping stones, a rolling log bridge, a bouncing vine wall, a rope traverse, and more. The difficulty was not low, testing both physical strength and skill.
Most of the participants were ordinary children and young people from Red Tide City, but there were also a few young craftsn who took off their aprons to compete. The atmosphere was incredibly lively, with continuous laughter.
A round little boy, a chubby one, had just jumped onto the first stepping stone when he lost his balance and imdiately fell into the mud pit with a "plop," covered in mud from head to toe, which made the onlookers burst into laughter.
But he stubbornly climbed up, jumped again, fell again, and gritted his teeth to complete the entire course, earning a round of applause.
Lilia clapped her hands, laughing so hard she was bent over, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes.
Weil, standing beside her, also couldn't help but smile, a spark of eagerness appearing in his eyes.
"This competition is really interesting," he murmured.
At this mont, the host stood on a high platform, holding a gaphone and teasing, "Oh, this obstacle isn't sothing just anyone can pass! Are there any Knight Lords who want to try? Why don't you let us commoners see your 'lightness skill'?"
A burst of laughter erupted from below the stage.
The host was actually just joking. It was well known that this was a festival event for commoners, and by rule, Knights were not encouraged to participate.
Because such a level of difficulty would be too easy for Knights, and also to maintain the independence of the commoners' festival.
But Weil was so engrossed at the mont that he couldn't resist.
He raised his hand high, blushing, and asked, "Can I try—without going on the podium?"
The host was stunned, seemingly not expecting a Knight to actually respond. When he saw the young man's face clearly, his expression imdiately turned peculiar.
Isn't this the high-tier Knight next to Lord Louis?
"This, this isn't... never mind, never mind!" The host laughed and waved his hand, "Let register your na, just this once as an exception!
Everyone, what do you say, welco or not?!"
The crowd imdiately cheered, "Welco!" "Let the Knights roll in the mud too!"
Weil took off his outer garnt, tightened his cuffs, and stood at the starting line. With each breath, the imposing aura from the training ground could no longer be contained.
As the drumbeat fell, he leaped forward, his jumps on the stepping stones quick, accurate, and stable; he flew across the rolling log bridge; he pushed off the vine wall and flipped over with montum.
The entire course was almost fluid and seamless, completed in one go.
In just over ten seconds, the young man landed like a swallow, dust flying, with hardly a drop of mud on him.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Not only did the children applaud and cheer, but even the stall owners nearby whistled.
Lilia couldn't help but burst out laughing, tears almost streaming down her face from laughter.
As she was laughing, she suddenly heard a little girl beside her quietly tugging at her sleeve, looking up and asking:
"Sister, is that your brother?"
Lilia froze, her cheeks instantly turning as red as an apple. She stamred for two seconds, then finally shook her head gently, lowering her voice to answer:
"—He's not my brother."
Weil flipped and landed from the edge of the race track, splashing a few mud spots, and walked towards Lilia with a look of lingering enjoynt.
She still stood on the outer edge of the crowd, her smile unfaded, but her cheeks held an undeniable blush.
"Why is your face so red?" Weil leaned closer, tilting his head and asking softly.
Lilia turned her head away:
"...Your face is red too."
The young man was imdiately speechless, instinctively touching his own face. It was indeed burning hot, probably because he was too excited just now.
"It's nothing, let's go," Lilia broke the brief awkwardness, reminding him, "Lord Louis's banquet is about to begin, we mustn't be late."
The two walked side by side, leaving the bustling Craftsn's Street and heading towards the castle.
As night fell, the Red Tide Main Square was already ablaze with activity.
The festival reached its climax, and the commoners' banquet was brightly lit.
Hundreds of round tables were neatly arranged according to village groups and districts, with a bonfire at the center of each table, illuminating the faces of people sitting around, chatting and laughing.
Roasting at sizzled, stews stead, and the aroma of freshly baked flatbread mixed with laughter, the sll of wine, and singing, rising into the night.
anwhile, outside Red Tide Castle, another grand feast was quietly beginning.
Seated here were the pillars of Red Tide society: legion commanders, representatives of outstanding craftsn, those who had contributed to reforms, and Knight representatives.
Identity and status were temporarily disregarded, replaced by an ordering based on "contribution."
There was no distinction between host and guest at the banquet, allowing for free exchange and joyful toasts. This embodied the "Glory belongs to the builders" spirit advocated by Red Tide.
Weil had changed back into his solemn formal attire, and entered the banquet with the Knight Order, his expression calm.
His age was exceptionally young among the assembled, yet no one questioned his qualification.
The young man sat down steadily, and having been influenced by Lord Louis, his deanor already showed the bearing of a great general.
At another table not far away, Lilia also sat gracefully, dressed in a formal evening gown of a sober color, her gaze inadvertently falling upon Weil.
Their eyes t, and she gently raised her cup, smiling tenderly.
Weil was slightly stunned, then returned the toast. The faint light in his cup shimred, as if a spring breeze had brushed by.
At the end of the platform, at the head seat, Lord Louis sat in the main position, his expression as usual.
He did not say much, only rose and raised his cup after everyone was seated, giving a brief toast:
"Another winter has passed. It is your effort, unity, and vigilance that have brought about this peace and tranquility. Spring has co, and I ask you to continue your efforts this year. The glory of Red Tide belongs to every single person."
Everyone raised their cups in unison, and a thunderous cheer erupted.
Emily and Sif, sitting nearby, also raised their cups in celebration, the lamplight illuminating their bright faces.
But at this mont, Lord Louis's gaze fell upon a certain spot in the hall.
He watched Weil and Lilia, holding hands and whispering.
The young man's expression was calm, the young woman's eyes held a smile. It was a youthful smile, a peaceful sight.
A faint smile appeared on his lips, but it vanished in an instant.
Emily could tell that his subtle smile carried a hidden weight.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
Lord Louis held his wine glass, nodding almost imperceptibly, his voice like a whisper in the cold night:
"—The barbarians have moved south."
The banquet continued to be boisterous as before, bonfires burned high, and laughter never ceased. But beneath this warm spring night, a new storm had arrived.
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