Chapter 65 Audience's Mate Selection Criteria
In the West District of Backlund, at Jack Kelly's mansion, six o'clock in the evening.

"Old Blue, hahahaha, you're killing me with laughter. What happened to your beard? Did you lose it? Who shaved it?"

The man who was speaking had a strong voice, gray hair and light wrinkles on his face. You could tell that he had a handsome appearance when he was young. He was dressed in formal attire, but he didn't care about the etiquette of entertaining guests. The old butler who was waiting at the dining table had a little pain in his forehead, and the maids who brought various meals were a little surprised, but their movements were still steady.

Old Blue used his knife and fork to cut a piece of steak drizzled with black pepper sauce, chewing it with big mouthfuls while responding:
"Old Jack, after all these years, you still don't look like an aristocrat. Be careful. The old butler might not be able to stand it and change your employer tomorrow..."

"Noble style? Emperor Roselle's words are so vivid... However, no matter how barbaric or undignified I may be, I am still a proper noble... Hey, some nobles, they sold their land and houses, but kept their dignity, what is left? Come on, try that dish, um, I made it myself..."

Old Blue ignored the black roast lamb chop that Old Jack had cooked himself, and waved his cutlery quickly at the other dishes, still speaking clearly:
"Land. Land used to maintain its value, but now... the Corn Laws have been repealed. It's not easy, is it?"

Old Jack smiled and said, "I'm not one of those old-school nobles who are proud of owning land and value dignity above all else. As for me, I value land, but I don't want dignity! Haha, I'm really glad that I could spend some time in Tingen with you, old Swain, and other old friends... It made me see a lot of things clearly and avoid too many traps..."

Old Bru paused for a moment, picked up the exquisite soup bowl, took a big sip of the creamy soup, and said jokingly:

"This is hard for little Jack, who was sent to us to do hard work... It's also hard for Jackb. Nowadays, the nobles are socializing. If you don't have dignity, how can you enter that circle?"

Jacob, who was sitting next to him, smiled bitterly and said, "Father Blue, you know, I wanted to go to Tingen...but my eldest brother got there first! Who wants to be a noble? You are right, there are indeed not many nobles who would invite me, but this makes it quieter. If there were a bunch of ball invitations...the scene would be scary just to think about it..."

Old Jack laughed happily and said, "Yes, who wants to inherit this baronial title? I got it for free back then..."

Old Blue looked at the Baron and his son, and continued to eat and drink, saying:
"Jacob is getting old, right? Where's your partner? Didn't she come last time? What about this time?"

Jacob was a little embarrassed, and Old Jack laughed:
"There are still a long line of wealthy merchants who want to marry into the family... You know, those merchants have made enough money and just want a respectable status. After all, my family is a hereditary baron..."

"Hey, what did Jacob say? He has someone in his heart, and it was love at first sight... What's the most dazzling gem? Do you want to spend your whole life with it?"

The second half of the sentence was obviously directed at old Jack's youngest son, but old Blue couldn't pretend he didn't hear it.

His left hand shook, and the fork holding the fried dragon bone fish fell into the plate with a clinking sound.

Old Blue turned his head and stared at Jacob. He saw that the young man was a little thin, with blue hair and a delicate face. Old Blue was a little flustered. Well, he was handsome, but not enough... No matter how handsome he was, it was not enough...

Jacob shook his head and said helplessly and with emotion:

"Father! You are talking nonsense again... I have never seen such a beautiful and dazzling lady, no, a young lady... Father, a few days ago I was invited to attend the ball held by Viscount Grallint, and saw 'Backlund's most dazzling gem' for the first time. That beautiful and innocent young lady made the foggy day in Backlund become glorious..."

Old Bruce wiped his mouth with a napkin and said calmly:

"Old Jack, don't push all the socializing to Jacob. Even I know who that lady is referring to..."

"Jacob, since you call me dad, I'm telling you straight away... find a rich merchant's daughter and start a family as soon as possible, don't even think about anything else." "Dad! I don't have any thoughts in that regard at all! I just admire beautiful things when I see them... I don't even dare to get close to her, and I don't want to... Well, just like what Emperor Roselle said, 'You can only watch from a distance, and never have the slightest thought of blasphemy'..."

"..."

Russell, it's you again... Are there any poetry collections from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, that you haven't copied? Can Chinese poetry become popular here... This is a forced translation...

Miss Justice...

Can the audience get married? Who can they like? Well, maybe a clown, they can't see through the clown's expression; maybe someone with secret authority, they can't read the heart of someone who hides himself...

Besides, they know what you are thinking as soon as they meet you... Never mind, their masks are pretty thick and they can go crazy easily...

When will the ability of the "audience" be reduced...

"The gem refers to a lady?" Old Jack was a little puzzled, and smiled and said:
"It seems that I have indeed been away from aristocratic social life for a long time. Haha, I hope the aristocratic circle will no longer remember me. Well, it's time to retire... Old Blue, when are you going back to Tingen? This time, I'll go back with you..."

The old butler standing next to him shuddered, and hurriedly signaled the maids and butlers to leave. He also walked out of the restaurant and closed the door.

Jacob next to him seemed to have known his father's decision for a long time. He showed no surprise and looked at Old Blue.

Old Blue looked at Old Jack, whose expression had become serious, smiled and said:

"The life of a noble is over. Why go back to Tingen? What for? To retire? Instead of going south, go north?"

Old Jack sighed and said:

"It's just for retirement... Backlund, this foggy weather is too unfriendly to old bones like us. I'd rather go back to Tingen and stay with you and old Swain. Hmm, is the dock bar okay? No one dares to cause trouble, right?"

Old Bruce took off his napkin, put it on the table, leaned back in his high-back chair, and said with a relaxed look:

"It's OK. Some time ago, an 'instigator' came and caused a lot of trouble... Unfortunately, we didn't catch him. He's a bit slippery... Tingen is still a bit messy now, but it should be better than Backlund."

"Instigator...assassin?" Old Jack barely recalled the extraordinary information he had read in his early years and said it out loud.

——Only Old Jack, Old Blue, and Jacob were present. The first two were previous Punishers. Jacob had long known about the existence of Extraordinary and had always wanted to become one...

“That’s perfect. I’ll go back to Tingen and help you catch him!” Old Jack was a little excited. He was a Sequence 9 “Sailor” and had been a punisher in Tingen in his early years. Because his brother who inherited the baron title suddenly passed away, he had to return to Backlund and became an old Union Jack nobleman, but he was still an irritable old pigeon at heart.

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(End of this chapter)