She also sat down and picked up a menu from the side and handed it over.
"Order."
"I'm sure you're all starving."
Xia Yibing took it, but didn't look at the menu. She stared at Heidi: "You surprised me a little, Miss Heidi... Did Nianlun send you to monitor us?"
It was impossible for her to be kind to Heidi.
Regardless of whether this was a honeymoon or Hitzfeld wanted to take her on an adventure, this was time for just the two of them to be alone.
outsider?
What does it feel like when outsiders come to disturb you?
If Robo and his group could calm Xia Yibing's anger by saying, "They have their own research projects, and Robo himself promised not to interfere with them," then Heidi, who is an absolute troublemaker and a big troublemaker in every way, certainly shouldn't expect to get any respect.
"Correct."
Heidi admitted.
"It's just me."
"What makes you think you have the right to spy on us?"
"Let me correct you. It's not surveillance, it's protection."
"Same here—what makes you think you're qualified to protect us?"
"It seems that Chief Imaer has a deep prejudice against the Tree People..." Heidi sighed, "Is this a good thing? You obviously guessed that your partner would need me."
"Need you? Why—"
"Because I am a 'Ice Orchid'."
Heidi said in a calm tone.
"..."
"..."
Xia Yibing and Hitzfeld were speechless for a long time.
Ice orchid...
She’s referring to… the legendary plant called Ice Orchid, which can bloom gorgeous purple-red flowers even in extremely cold conditions and only grows on the tops of snowy mountains?
Xia Yibing still knew Bing Lanluo, and she finally realized that if this guy was really Bing Lanluo in disguise, then it seemed that they really needed her!
There is no reason, just because she is an Ice Orchid, and according to legend, Ice Orchids can sense blizzards - they always bloom after the most severe cold wave!
Considering what a hellish place the Cursed Ice Lake is, with this guy as a guide and warning, the safety factor should be greatly increased, right?
Xia Yibing was not unable to distinguish the pros and cons. Compared with the world of two people, she was of course more concerned about Hitzfeld's safety. She immediately put on a stern face and changed her tone: "So... then why didn't I see your luggage?"
That's enough...
Hitzfeld grabbed the menu and began to order.
On the other side, Xia Yibing had already started chatting with Heidi.
"You told me to leave Jordan alone before, what was the reason?"
"Jordan has a shady background," Heidi said. "I have evidence that he has received money from at least ten chambers of commerce."
"Are you afraid that eradicating him will lead to the collapse of the existing order?"
Xia Yibing raised an eyebrow.
Does this tree man understand these principles?
It really overturned her impression of these antiques.
"I graduated from Dream City on track and received all the higher education you can think of."
Heidi frowned.
"Please don't treat me like a roadside tree, or a silly tree warrior."
"Well, Heidi."
Hitzfeld interrupted, "I want to know about you and His Majesty the Annual Ring's rescue of Rob Murphy."
"Robo mentioned to me that it was about seven years ago... That means the Tree People went there seven years ago... Is it convenient to talk about these things?"
"If you want to know, I'll tell you."
Heidi nodded.
"But wait until you're done eating."
"I'm almost starving myself~"
--------
According to the 2k standard, it is indeed three-in-one (guilty
The inside of my left wrist is starting to hurt a little. Is this occupational disease finally coming?
I hope it can be postponed...
Chapter 17: Past Events on Icefield (Two in One)
At the upscale restaurant, Bailey's Lamb House, Hitzfeld is working on the menu.
From the name of the restaurant, you should know that the specialty here is lamb, and it is indeed not cheap. A simple black pepper lamb chop with rice costs 88 yuan, while a more upscale and delicious hand-torn lamb chop will cost over 300 yuan.
88 Goli is equivalent to nearly a thousand copper becquerels, and this... Heidi didn't say how many thousands of becquerels she earned per week, so Hitzfeld was still conservative and only ordered two lamb chops with rice for the two of them.
In the middle, I felt something rubbing against my leg. I looked down and saw Lily, who was looking anxiously at me.
Then add a serving of "high-end dog food".
What the hell...dog food is only high-end? And they dare to sell it for 98?
After Hitzfeld finished ordering, he realized - wouldn't the food we eat be worse than that of dogs?
"I told you not to save money for me."
Fortunately, Heidi was not short of money. After taking the menu and seeing that she ordered these "junk", she simply crossed them out and replaced them with a super-large lamb chops for three people.
"You can order less..." Hitzfeld was a little frightened, "I don't have a big appetite... and I just got out of the car, it's not suitable for me to eat too much meat, right?"
"If you can't finish it, just take it away." Heidi looked at her strangely and smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who likes to waste or deliberately show off in front of friends. This kind of consumption is really not expensive for me."
"What exactly do you do?" Xia Yibing lowered her head suddenly and asked her as if discussing a secret. "High-level agents in the library may not even get this salary. Especially in the northern towns where the economy is poor. I remember that you make at most 2000 Becks a week?"
The weekly salary was 2000 becquerels, and the monthly salary barely exceeded 6000 becquerels. And the meal Heidi invited cost almost 11000 becquerels!
Xia Yibing usually didn't dare to eat so luxuriously, and she really couldn't help but ask, why are the library operators at Trielred so well-off now?
"The salary from the library is definitely not enough." Heidi sent the menu to the front desk, and said as she came back and sat down, "I get 1800 to 1900 a week, which is already quite a lot."
"What about your meal?"
"Oh, of course I have more than one salary." Heidi nodded, and took out a small notebook from somewhere. After opening it, she read out in a flat voice: "In January this year, I received a sum of money from the Pike Chamber of Commerce. They said that someone was going to target them recently, and asked me to help check the scene... Then in February, the Slo Chamber of Commerce asked me to help escort the goods to the Glacier Riverbank, which is not far away, and they were willing to pay me 1 Goli."
"More recently, in March, people from the Deli Chamber of Commerce and the Yongsong Chamber of Commerce had a fight. The newly appointed government official tried his best but couldn't settle it, so he ended up offering me 3 Goli to help him."
"In May, the Yongsong Chamber of Commerce and the Silu Chamber of Commerce had a fight over the quota for the second half of the year. This time, they resorted to real swords and guns. I reluctantly settled the matter first, and then asked them and the government officials to each charge a certain amount of errand fees."
"Snap!" The notebook closed.
"That's about it." Heidi nodded. "Look, then how can I be short of money?"
Wow, are you eating from three places together?
Hitzfeld was stunned by her statement. Although Heidi said it in a nice way, wasn't this actually just collecting protection money?
It's just that protection fees are usually collected from only one family, but Heidi collected them from three families, one of which was even a government official! She was asking for official fees as well!
"That's how it is in the North." Heidi looked out the window casually. "Everything has value, everything makes sense... If you can do something that others can't do, then you can make money from it. That's the value here."
"It sounds nice, but it's actually just bribery..." Xia Yibing frowned tightly, "Is Trierred so chaotic now...?"
"Not now, Sheriff, it has always been like this." Heidi corrected her, "It was like this before Prince Naris came here to govern. The Chamber of Commerce is entrenched here, and this place was built on the basis of the Chamber of Commerce in the early years. Don't expect the people here to be simple and honest."
"It's running pretty well, isn't it?" She turned to look at Hitzfeld, "People can eat well, sleep well, and when they are short of money, they can go to the Chamber of Commerce to work for a few days. After getting the money, they can quit their jobs and enjoy themselves. This is much better than those places plagued by evil disasters."
That's true...but...
Hitzfeld put his hand on his lips and stroked them twice, but ultimately did not refute.
Having experienced the examples of Dai Lin and the Light of Savior, she knew very well that many things could not be easily changed just because one did not like them.
Take Heidi herself for example. Just because she accepted bribes and did some shady things outside of her job duties, does that mean she deserves to die, be removed from her position and exiled?
If she was such a tree person, then Year Ring would definitely not value her and would choose to give her the task of protecting his group.
"You are really perceptive, Countess Hitzfeld..." Heidi noticed her silence and smiled at her with narrowed eyes. "Indeed... When I first came here, I couldn't get used to this situation either."
"I find it incredible. The people here are so ignorant, backward and lazy. They only seek to fill their stomachs and enjoy themselves. They don't have any spiritual needs other than that. On this basis, most of them bribe and collude with the Chamber of Commerce to buy houses and land, and withhold quotas... I felt sick the first time I came here. I felt that this place was even more decadent and corrupt than the most prosperous Firefly Street."
"I have tried to do something to change it, but..."
She paused.
"Anyway, I overestimated my own abilities."
"Look, even a man like Prince Naris can't make Trierred noble. For someone like me... a mere Ice Orchid Treeman, it's really a waste of time for me to think so much."
"That was a tough time, wasn't it?" Xia Yibing propped up her chin and looked at her face. "When everyone in your environment is like that, and they all take money, if you don't take it and you want to be noble, they will attack you."
Heidi said nothing, but smiled more brightly.
"Stop talking about so much useless stuff." She raised her head and poured everyone a glass of lemon liqueur. "The fruit wine in this store tastes good, the alcohol content is not high, and it's not much different from fruit juice. You can try it."
The two of them picked up the cup and took a sip, and three eyes lit up at the same time.
The first sip tastes slightly bitter, but when you exhale through your nose you can smell the rich aroma of lime, and the more you drink it, the sweeter it becomes. This refreshing feeling is almost comparable to sparkling water.
After a while, the dishes arrived. Three large lamb chops were placed on a large tray. If you wanted to eat them properly, you had to abandon etiquette and tear them apart with your hands. They were served with special dipping sauces such as red tomato sauce, black pepper sauce, cheese honey, and green onion powder. The three of them ate until their mouths were full of oil.
Hitzfeld was the first to finish the battle—even though her nutrition had been almost restored and her appetite had increased compared to the beginning, she still didn't eat much, and most of the time she couldn't eat as much as Lily.
But this may also be related to the fact that she ate a lot of bread.
That kind of thin pancake is crispy on one side and soft on the other side. You can dip the torn mutton in the sauce and then wrap it in it to eat. Eating it this way can relieve greasiness.
Xia Yibing and Heidi were much more unrestrained. They barely touched the patties, tearing off a piece of meat and eating it. It took Hitzfeld a meat pie a while for them to finish half a lamb chop, which really amazed her, thinking that Heidi was not lying, she really looked starving.
And isn't she a tree person?
Bing Lanluo, a branch of the tree man, is a plant-born creature. Why does she like to eat meat so much?
Hitzfeld immediately thought of Darent, who loved fried pork chops, but Darent was a wooden man, not a tree man, and he also smoked, which was also a reckless person.
"almost."
After shaking off the last bone, Heidi reached into the metal basin beside her to wash and dry her hands.
"It seems that there is no need to take it away, huh? And then there is the Earl..."
"Yes."
"Let's continue discussing the topic you care about."
This was a window seat, and Hitzfeld looked out the window and could glimpse groups of people spreading out from the station.
There seems to be no one on this floor. It turns out that the consumption is too high.
"Robo Murphy."
She turned around and asked, "He went to the Depp-Valtina Ice Lake seven years ago for his research project?"
"Yes." Heidi nodded. "You should have seen the child, right? Esther Murphy, she is 15 years old this year, and she met him seven years ago."
Does that mean Rob went to Vera Girls' School to retire seven years ago?
Xia Yibing frowned as she ate the meat. She thought that there was at least a reason for Robo to curse the ice lake, but that damn place seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, with no resources and no evil disasters. So why did Nian Lun and Heidi go there seven years ago?
Naturally, she thought of the records left by Villefort.
Batty seemed to have said that he wanted the defector... Solo Lawrence to help advance a special plan.
What kind of special plan is it?
