Around 7:30 in the morning, Sedona City was already bustling. Many commoners had already left for work. Aside from a few dazed-looking refugees, it was the start of another day of striving.
"Read all about it! Get the details on Sedona City's first-ever auction, all right here!" A boy shouted at the top of his lungs. The newspaper office printed two thousand copies today. It was a great day to rake in the copper coins.
"The City Lord is hiring! Large numbers of workers needed to dig ditches! Monthly salary of seventy copper coins! Those interested, sign up at the labor office!"
"The City Lord has issued a new policy for the people! Newly arrived refugees can enjoy a low-price rent discount for the first three months!"
"Children aged six to fourteen who can't read can go to school! Enjoy a full waiver on tuition fees for the first year!"
"..."
The newsboys were shouting all over the place early in the morning, calling out the rough headlines from the papers to attract customers.
"What's all that shouting outside so early in the morning?" Patrick's face was dark as he ripped the blanket off his head. He yelled at the door, "Go out there and make those wailing, howling commoners shut up!"
Creeaak...
The door opened, and his knight entered holding a rolled-up newspaper. His expression was grim. "My lord, those people outside are from the City Lord's Mansion. Someone tried to chase them off earlier and was arrested."
They were staying in a hotel located right next to the main avenue. Newsboys like them were only supposed to shout on the main avenue, not disturb the residential areas. This was a strict requirement from Lucas.
However, newsboys could sign delivery agreements with people in the residential areas, delivering the paper to their door every day, much like a postman back on Earth.
Many nobles and merchants were staying in hotels along the main avenue. Some, finding the newsboys too noisy, had sent men to drive them away, only to be arrested by the patrolling guards and taken in for education.
"Damn it! This godforsaken, broken-down place!" Patrick yelled, gritting his teeth, looking exactly like someone with severe morning rage.
"My lord, I think you should see this." The knight handed over the paper. He knew his lord's words didn't match his heart; just last night, he had been endlessly praising how magical this city was.
"What is this?" Patrick sat up, frowning as he took the paper and began to read, his lips moving unconsciously. "Auction to be held tonight at 8 PM, first floor of the Drunken Night. Entry by invitation only... Auction items include: a 14-millimeter pink pearl, tea with an annual production of only one pound..."
The front page listed all sorts of auction items, every one of them a top-tier product. Patrick found himself coveting several of them.
"My lord, will you be attending tonight?" The knight asked cautiously.
"Go get me an invitation," Patrick said with a wave of his hand. An event for nobles like an auction? How could he not go?
"Yes, sir." The knight breathed a sigh of relief. The invitation wouldn't be hard to get; he'd heard you could acquire one for a bit of money.
The knight left, but Patrick stared at the paper, a little lost in thought. This "newspaper" was completely new to him. Compared to the other unique things about Sedona City he'd seen yesterday, this paper was no less impressive.
...
In the city, Dahlia and Elisa were walking along the main avenue, having come out for an early morning stroll.
"Elisa, your identity was exposed?" Dahlia asked, her voice muffled as she chewed on a meat bun. "How did you get exposed?"
She had been shocked to see Elisa's true face at the castle last night. Hadn't she kept it hidden before she left? How had she reappeared in the castle just a few months later, revealing her elven features?
"Mm, it was when I went to rescue the other elves..." Elisa briefly explained what had happened.
"Wow! So His Excellency Lucas was the hero saving the damsel in distress!" Dahlia's eyes lit up, and her lips quirked. She jabbed Elisa in the side with her elbow, teasing, "So? Did you feel your heart flutter?"
"What fluttering feeling?" Elisa froze, a trace of panic flashing in her eyes.
"Your feelings for His Excellency Lucas, of course! He rescued you so heroically, and you didn't feel anything?" Seeing the elf's flustered look, Dahlia thought it was quite fun to tease her.
"N-no. You're overthinking it," Elisa hesitated, then quickly shook her head.
"Elisa, you hesitated! You just hesitated!" Dahlia's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't tell me you actually have feelings for His Excellency Lucas?"
"O-of course not," Elisa said, even more hesitantly. She was thinking about how Lucas had rushed to save her, how he usually looked out for her, and how he was spending a fortune on crystal glass to build up her reputation.
"It seems you've also been 'poisoned' by His Excellency Lucas," Dahlia sighed and began walking forward, her voice tinged with resignation. "First there was Catherine, now there's you, Elisa. His Excellency Lucas is really in high demand."
"Y-you... stop talking nonsense!" Elisa stomped her foot, her face red with embarrassment, and hurried to catch up.
"Am I wrong?" Dahlia gave the elf a peculiar look. This elegant, aloof elf was acting like a flustered girl, blushing just from a few words. It looked like she was another one with a secret crush on His Excellency Lucas.
"You are too talking nonsense!" Elisa pouted. Lately, she didn't know why, but she'd found herself paying more attention to Lord Lucas's every move. She'd even thought about buying that notebook from Amelia. Besides, even if she did like Lord Lucas, she wasn't the type to ever admit it.
"Fine, I'm talking nonsense. Let's hurry to the Drunken Night. I'm the guest auctioneer tonight, you know." Dahlia waved her hand. She was the auctioneer for tonight's event and needed to go familiarize herself with the procedures.
"Paper, newspaper!... Ladies, care to buy a paper?" A newsboy held out a newspaper to Dahlia and Elisa.
"A newspaper?" Dahlia was stunned. This thing hadn't existed the last time she left Sedona City.
"We'll take two." Elisa pulled out a steel coin and bought two copies, handing one to Dahlia. She enjoyed reading the paper in her free time.
"Elisa, what is this newspaper?" Dahlia took the paper and began to read, growing more and more amazed.
"A newspaper is a channel for getting information quickly." Elisa tucked her own paper under her arm and dragged Dahlia forward, who was walking with her head buried in the paper, to keep her from falling.
"Wow! His Excellency Lucas is simply brilliant! Especially this 'advertisement'—what a genius idea!" Dahlia exclaimed when she read an exciting part, her admiration for Lucas growing by the second.
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