Chapter 562: Chapter 337: Feast of the Presentation

Early the next morning.

Losa was awakened from his meditation by the commotion in the yard.

At this stage, the effectiveness of his meditation was becoming increasingly limited, but any improvement was better than none, and after all, meditation could substitute for sleep.

He opened the window to take a look.

He saw Elmer spreading the horse feed out to dry in the corner of the yard, probably to prevent it from getting moldy or to reduce its moisture content — quite fitting for someone who used to be a stableman.

Last night, it was Losa who brought Elmer back.

This wasn’t difficult to do; Turin City, after all, is predominantly a city of the Saluzzo Family. Although their share might not even be half, with their intelligence network developed over years, finding Elmer was a breeze.

Elmer raised a smiling face and said, “Good morning, Centurion.”

Losa quipped, “A Centurion with only one subordinate, huh?”

Centurion, as the name suggests, should command a hundred men, but in reality, it’s merely a naming tradition from the Roman era and has long lost its original meaning.

Many Roman traditions are preserved among the Wolf Race.

For instance, the first Wolf Lord is regarded as the ancestor of the Romans, one of the twin brothers raised by a she-wolf, Romulus.

To this day, in the Apennine Peninsula, there are many murals and sculptures of the she-wolf nursing infants, although scholars often use these as proof to accuse the Wolf Race of being a bunch of patricidal beasts. (According to legend, Romulus killed his twin brother in a fight for the throne, becoming the first King of Rome).

But the Wolf Race obviously doesn’t take offense at this.

Not to mention the mythological ages, even now, for wealth, power, and inheritance, fratricidal conflicts abound. It’s more common than you think, just next door in France, where not a year passes without the death of a few dukes or heirs to the King, which is a rare occurrence.

Elmer laughed and flattered, “Since the Centurion has earned the young lady’s esteem, it’s only a matter of time before you rise swiftly through the ranks.”

The position of the family’s Clan Leader is generally hereditary, barring significant upheaval. Valentina is almost certainly the future Clan Leader of the Saluzzo Family, so Elmer’s words aren’t off the mark.

“Elmer, since you’ve gained Losa Centurion’s esteem, it’s only a matter of time before you rise swiftly through the ranks too.”

Losa imitated his tone with a tease, picked up a jacket, and leapt out of the attic window.

This time, Losa confidently patted Elmer on the shoulder: “No need to be so formal with me, we used to be partners after all. Even though our statuses have changed, we’re still partners.”

Elmer paused in surprise.

Elmer, who was skilled at reading people, saw that these were Losa’s sincere words, and couldn’t help but feel a warm sensation in his heart.

Perhaps his past relationship with Losa had been good, but in reality, their friendship was quite limited. In their kind of fringe circle, they would call each other brothers, but when the time came, stepping over each other’s heads to rise up wouldn’t cause the slightest hesitation.

After rising up, acting high and mighty and insulting former companions were common occurrences.

The system notification sounded: “You have gained the recognition of a new Four-Star Attendant, Elmer Truval, and you can choose at any time to carry him away from the combat record world.”

Losa murmured quietly, “Damn.”

“So what should I call you in the future?”

“Just like before is fine.”

“So Losa, what task do we have today?”

“Clean up the room, air out the sheets and bedding—except for the young lady’s.”

“Just that?”

“Of course, the family pays you, not for you to steal wages.”

Elmer’s face turned red as he retorted, “I! I know! Of course I know, I didn’t plan on slacking off, but is it really just cleaning the room?”

“What else? Do we have to take over a few spots in Bologna or guard a base to be doing real work? Elmer, those are things rookies on the streets do!”

Elmer was speechless, then argued, “I was just thinking for your sake. You’ve only just gained the young lady’s attention; shouldn’t you be making some achievements? Perhaps if the young lady is pleased, she might impart the family secrets to you.”

Saluzzo’s family secrets?

Sorry, Chelina practically knows them all; if he really wanted to learn, he wouldn’t need Valentina’s teaching.

Besides, Losa couldn’t learn them anyway.

He wasn’t truly of the Saluzzo Wolf Race; Chelina could use the Saluzzo secrets because her Basilicata Family, being traditional allies with Saluzzo, frequently intermarried, blending their bloodlines.

Losa waved his hand: “No need, I already know the Throat Choking Hand, and there’s nothing else necessary to learn.”

He patted Elmer on the shoulder again: “Work hard, clean the room well, and I’ll teach you a few tricks tonight.”

“Really?”

Elmer was full of disbelief.

“No, I’m joking; I was planning to teach you a few tricks whether you cleaned or not, since you’re the only corner under my charge.”

Elmer opened his mouth.

“Hey, don’t cry like some old lady.”

Losa cursed with a smile and hurriedly pushed the door open and left.

Elmer’s talent wasn’t actually bad; what he lacked was background and bloodline. After all, he was also a Four-Star Attendant. If his strength was fully developed, he could barely reach Centurion Level.

Elmer didn’t ask Losa what he was going to do because a Centurion’s activities didn’t need to be explained to a small corner leader, even if Losa was going to the University of Turin to date some student girl; it was none of his business.

He resolutely picked up the broom in his hand and started sweeping.

…

Today, Losa wore a black soft hat and wrapped himself in a long coat that could hide his tail to conceal his Wolf Race traits. In the Apennines, this was a very common outfit.

Some of the Wolf Race didn’t want to be noticed by ordinary people, so they would disguise themselves like this; and ordinary people often hoped that by dressing this way, outsiders might mistakenly think they were of Wolf Race origin and wouldn’t provoke them easily.

If you added a pocket watch and held a pipe, it would be a typical fashion trend among the upper residents of the Apennines.

Today in Turin City, the sky was clear, and the sun was bright.

The bustling crowd took advantage of this rare good weather in winter to flock to the streets.

There were quite a few travelers from France and Germanic.

Although many people thought that the chimney-filled, cloud-covered, foul-smelling air scenes of London, Paris, and the Ruhr Area were the epitome of civilization’s glory, while Northern Apennines were just outlying countryside.

But people’s lungs and throats often choose what is more practical.

At Sea God Square, people sang and danced joyously.

What festival is today?

Losa pondered for a moment and then realized, “Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the day commemorating the presentation of the young Holy Mother to the Holy Hall). I’m quite the incompetent Holy Son.”

He joked in his heart, but naturally wouldn’t say such blasphemous words out loud. In the Apennine Peninsula, although the Church Influence has been greatly diminished, its widespread faith among people still remained.

Losa walked, stopped, and observed the festivities before him.

Though it’s a religious festival, the religious atmosphere compared to the Middle Ages has thinned to almost nothing.

It was like Halloween: in the Middle Ages, just a simple little festival; during All Hallows’ Eve, Losa and his soldiers would even be sleeping soundly at homes and barracks.

It was merely a simple ceremony held in churches to commemorate the patron saints of various places.

Now it has become a wild mass of festivities.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

If saints knew they could still entertain their descendants, presumably they’d be quite pleased.

“Make way, make way!”

Amidst a surge of exclaims, sighs, and cheers.

Large carriages wobbled as they struggled to advance through the dense crowds, pulled by horses with shoulder heights over two meters, larger than even giant horses like Eclipses.

On the roadside, city guards maintained order, waving batons and loudly shouting reprimands.

Losa heard low growls.

Amidst the crowd, relying on his powerful physique and perception, he moved through gaps and reached forward, catching a pickpocket’s hand reaching into his pocket and rescuing an unlucky soul about to be trampled underfoot. Finally, he came to the front of the carriage.

Only then did he discover that beneath the enormous red cloth were giant beast cages, with iron bars thicker than a person’s arm, containing a half-crouching giant.

Heavy chains bound the giant’s feet, and a spiked collar, rusted and some even embedded into the giant’s skin.

These mountain giants from Northern Europe had extremely strong life force. In classical times, they were widely used on battlefields, but with the advent of powerful firearms and Magic Artifacts, these large targets gradually fell out of favor.

Seemingly aware of Losa’s gaze, the giant’s numb eyes glanced at him and showed no hint of vitality.

In this cage deemed “massive,” he had no space to sit up straight, lie down, or stretch. He could only bend over, semi-squatted inside, like a beast being watched by people.

As this heavy carriage passed, the animals in the following carriages were ordinary beasts like tigers and lions.

A finely dressed man stood on the last carriage, shouting loudly, “Tonight, at the circus performance in Sea God Square, there will be a spectacular show of Dragon Rider slaying giants. Tickets are limited, first come, first served!”

What nonsense Dragon Rider.

Losa muttered under his breath.

With his perception, if there truly were any Dragon Species appearing in Turin City, unless their bloodlines were so thin they almost didn’t count, it couldn’t escape his notice—it’s merely beasts similar to fierce-looking dragons.

Above, a flock of pigeons flapped their wings and flew away.

Pushing through the crowd, Losa internally felt a sense of solitude.

On a day like this, if Prajna and the others were by his side, he would probably be very happy.

No wonder Wang Wei said, “Every holiday makes one miss loved ones more.”

He pondered for a moment, deciding to go against the crowd to find Lavinia—if Lavinia rejected his invitation, he’d have no choice but to go back to Elmer.

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