novellaaa Chapter 169 Dandelion Dance
Chapter 169 Dandelion Dance
Chapter 169 Dandelion Dance
This dark-skinned Yvette may seem carefree on the surface, but he secretly colludes with the Peacock's people. There must be a lot of shady dealings going on in this so-called troupe.
It's a den of thieves!
Geb felt it necessary to have a deeper conversation with Yvette—but not now. Yvette had invited Geb to watch the rehearsal this evening; it was only morning now.
The theater doors were tightly shut, and there wasn't much of a person around. Gebu circled the area to familiarize himself with the layout, then spent two copper coins to hire a carriage and traveled back to the lower city, to the place where he had parted ways with the swordswoman.
Along the way, Gebu chatted briefly with the coachman. The Rose Queen of this city was currently negotiating at Shanhaiguan, leaving her eldest daughter, Princess Xilian, to oversee the kingdom in the Hundred Flowers Palace.
"What kind of person is Princess Hilian?" Gebu asked.
"Her Highness was a renowned beauty in her youth. People say she inherited the looks of her grandmother, Queen Senri."
"When she was young? How old was the princess?"
"Let me see—the city just celebrated her thirtieth birthday two years ago. To celebrate her beloved daughter's birthday, the Queen planted countless Holy Blood Roses all over the city. The scenery—tsk tsk, the flowers were beautiful, and the woman was even more beautiful," the coachman said, his words filled with envy.
Gebu was taken aback. He always subconsciously associated the word "princess" with young girls—he never expected it to be a young woman.
"So, Princess Hilian will inherit the throne?"
"That's true, but the princess isn't married yet. There's a rumor that she doesn't like men at all—hey, what does that have to do with us, don't you think, sir?"
"Yeah, let's just have some fun," Gebu casually agreed. "Go on, I'll give you a tip, as promised."
"Alright! Guest, have you heard what happened in Bishop Tissant's salon—"
After listening to the coachman's gossip all the way, Gebu gained a better understanding of the new kingdom and the situation of Matiana.
Of course, one could only believe half of what this man said. Gebu wasn't particularly interested in these upper-class anecdotes, as they didn't help his current situation—he only remembered a few important names.
The current Rose Queen, Potia: a shrewd and capable female monarch in her fifties, is currently participating in peace talks at Shanhaiguan.
Princess Hilian, the heir to the throne: A proud princess, thirty-two years old, who oversees the kingdom at the Palace of Flowers.
Cardinal Tissant of the Church of the Rose Kingdom: In his forties, he is very young for a cardinal, and is said to love socializing and art.
Sigh, these are all people of high status. Gebu thought to himself. He wondered when he would be able to sit at the same table as these people.
It wasn't that Goblin belittled himself; he firmly believed that his abilities were no less than any of theirs, but that his origins were simply too unfortunate.
I climbed my way up from a fringe goblin to this point, where I can now sit at the tables of royalty and nobility.
Lost in thought, the carriage stopped. Gebu gave the coachman an extra two copper coins as a tip, then got off. He noticed that the woman with the knife hadn't noticed him and was still waiting in the same spot, so he looked somewhat uneasily at the entrance of the quack medicine shop.
Gebu got playful and sneaked behind the woman with the sword.
"What are you doing!"
"Damn it, Buck!" The woman was startled and instinctively drew her sword, waving it at Geb.
She looked closely and saw a halfling with a smug expression in front of her.
,
"Your whistle is terrible," Gebu teased. "I've been out for ages, and you still haven't noticed?"
"Didn't you say you'd be back soon? Why are you taking so long?" The swordswoman brandished her sword at Gebu, feigning threat. "If you do this again, I'm going back by myself and I'm not going to care about you anymore!"
"It's a long story—the shopkeeper showed me around the city," Gebu said, looking up at the sky. "It's almost noon, let's go back and rest. We need to recharge for tonight's events."
"What, you're not going to the brothel anymore?" the woman with the knife asked, puzzled.
"Tsk tsk, you're pretty impatient," Gebu chuckled. "I'm going back to sleep. If you really want to go, I won't stop you."
"#You f***ing————"
"Just kidding, just kidding. Put your sword away." Gebu waved his hand. "I've changed my mind. It'll be better to go to the Silver Moon Corridor at night, when there are more people, so we can hide ourselves. Wandering around the brothel at this time will attract too much attention."
"So, what about finding help?"
"Hmm—I'm not entirely sure about this yet, but maybe we don't need to find someone ourselves," Gebu said, his eyes flickering. "That big guy we met this morning, what's your relationship with him? Can you trust him?"
"You mean Goliath?" the woman asked. "He's a simple-minded guy, he wouldn't have any ulterior motives."
You can't ask for more from a mercenary.
The woman paused, frowned, and continued, "However, I don't trust that half-elf. Smooth-talking fellows aren't trustworthy."
"I know. But I plan to meet with her," Geb said, then added before the woman protested, "mainly to scout things out. I think we might have a common enemy. If we handle this well, we might not only accomplish what we planned to do here, but also make new friends."
"—You'd better know what you're doing."
"Of course, what kind of goblin would we be without some scheming?" Geb laughed. "Come with me. While I'm chatting with Yvette, you can catch up with that big guy. Best of all, use your Rose Knight charm to get him on our side."
"I'm not good at that kind of thing—" The swordswoman looked troubled.
"Hey, it's not hard at all. Follow me, give me a smile—." Geb gave the knife-wielding woman a bright, toothy, goofy smile.
The swordswoman's face was as cold as ice.
"Eyebrows raised, eyes curved, corners of mouth turned up, revealing eight teeth."
The woman with the sword looked as if a knife was held to her neck, revealing a bitter, fake smile.
"Uh—" Gebu scratched his chin and said, "Why do I feel so unlucky? — Think of something happy, like — hey, there's a gold brick on the ground!"
The woman with the sword widened her eyes, her face showing a look of wild joy.
"Where?!"
"Yes! That's the expression, hold on and don't move!"
Gebu tiptoed, turned the woman's face around, adjusted the angle of her eyebrows, closed her eyelids slightly to hide part of her sclera, and then closed her mouth a little to cover her back teeth.
The woman was incredibly awkward; her face was practically frozen.
Geb nodded in satisfaction.
"That's about it — remember this expression."
"I feel like a tavern waitress—smiling and greeting customers," the woman with the sword said through gritted teeth. "Are you sure this is okay?"
"You don't look like someone who greets guests; you look more like someone who sees people off. Practice in front of the mirror every day. You're the Rose Knight, and you're going to be a public figure. You need to learn to manage your expressions."
"#Let me try to control your mouth first!"
"Hey! Stop it—the female knight is hitting someone!!"
The autumn sun drew an arc across the city sky, and the shadows of the buildings grew longer without anyone noticing.
The golden sunset peeked into the hotel bedroom through the west-facing window, its light falling on his face, and Gebu awoke from his meditation.
The node breakthrough is still in progress and will take some time—this was expected, so the goblin wizard was not annoyed.
After a period of practice, Gebu's temperament became much more peaceful than before. He still felt irritable and impatient, but he could quickly overcome these feelings, calm down, and continue meditating.
The path to wisdom is not only about exploring external knowledge, but also about searching for one's inner self.
Cultivating both inner and outer qualities.
Having knowledge without cultivating character can easily lead to self-doubt or arrogance, swinging from one extreme to the other. One moment you might think you're the best in the world, and the next you might feel like you're nothing at all.
Without knowledge, only mindset leads to the sorrow of having the will but not the power. If vision exceeds ability, nothing can be accomplished.
Geb felt his ambition growing, and seeing an opportunity, he was ready to pounce. Before coming to Martina, he had never considered getting involved with Peacock's rival. But now that the possibility existed, it felt like a huge waste not to explore it.
Unite forces with shared interests to deal with one's enemies.
Yes, that's how it should be done.
Gebu rolled out of bed and met up with Dao Nu outside the hotel before heading to the theater in the harbor district for their appointment.
"Lower the castle's backdrop a bit, yes, it's blocked by a curtain, so the audience can see it! Also, take the flag down—this play is set in the Duchy of Thousand Lakes, not an empire, so why would there be a golden sun and red earthen flag? Details, details, details! Get it!"
"What kind of makeup is this? You're playing a noblewoman, not a tavern prostitute—scrape off the powder and redo it!"
"Skirt too short? That's what the audience loves to see! Cut the neckline wider! What's a grown man like you being shy about?"
"Big guy! My darling, be gentle! This is the only rocking horse we have left. If you break it, the Goat Rider will have to ride your mother on his way out, okay? — What? Your mother's dead? I know your mother's dead —"
I was just kidding! You idiot, you're driving me crazy.
The dark-skinned half-elf wore a fairy costume, her skin showing through the thin gauze—a rather revealing design intended to attract the audience. The half-elf, however, didn't care at all, and like a real flower fairy, she moved around the front and back stages with heavy makeup, busily directing the entire troupe.
Gebu and the swordswoman passed through the narrow passage where the props were piled up. The big orc was carrying a huge prop wooden horse. When he saw the two of them, he was overjoyed and stood there grinning foolishly.
The half-elf Yvette was hurrying after the big man when she didn't notice him stop and bumped into Goliath's fleshy backside with a thud.
"Ouch—what are you doing, you big guy?!" the half-elf complained, rubbing her head. Then, following the orc's gaze, she saw two people. She instantly flashed a bright smile.
"Geb, Dove! You've arrived!"
Geb waved in a friendly gesture, and the swordswoman gave a stiff smile.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm swamped—there's not a single sensible person in this troupe, I'm the only one keeping it going." Yvette rushed up, her short hair bouncing over her shoulders. "Perfect timing, Geb, if you have time, could you go over the lines with me?"
"It would be my pleasure." Geb was just about to ask Yvette to go somewhere quiet to chat alone, and readily agreed.
The swordswoman then said, "I'll go help Goliath move his things. You two can chat."
Geb nodded. Before the halfling could react, Yvette grabbed his arm and pulled Geb into a small room in a corner behind the stage.
This place looked like a room for storing stage props; it was incredibly crowded, with colorful costumes piled up like small mountains in a chaotic mess.
Yvette closed the door, then spread out a few old robes on the floor and sat down.
Seeing the woman's casual manner, Gebu didn't stand on ceremony. He grabbed a few thick, furry clothes to use as chairs and sat opposite Yvette.
The dark-skinned half-elf tugged at the straps of his clothes, adjusted his bra without any hesitation, and then looked up at the halfling.
"So busy—I forgot to introduce myself." The half-elf chuckled mischievously. "This is the Dandelion Dance troupe. I'm the troupe leader, playwright, art director, actor, and director—you know what I mean. It's a small team; we have to do everything ourselves."
"I didn't expect you to choose such an identity as a cover—shouldn't members of the Gray Raven Society be more discreet? Aren't you afraid of becoming famous and being discovered?" Gebu asked.
"Hey, you've got it wrong, Geb," the woman replied with a laugh. "I work for the Queen of the Ravens to keep the troupe afloat—I can't even afford the rent here with just ticket sales! Do you know how high property prices have gone in Martina's? It's outrageous!"
"So you're doing this for your ideals? I admire you. I'm the one who's being vulgar."
"Here, the script—let me tell you about the play—" The woman handed Gebu a stack of papers and gave him a general description of the performance.
This book, *The Cloud Goat's Manual*, is based on the story of a knight named Gerstadt, whose nickname was "The Goat Knight." There are several explanations for the origin of this nickname:
Some say it's because of his signature goatee.
Some say that once, when the knights of Gerstadt were scattered in battle, he drove a herd of giant goats out of a nearby farm, set their rumps on fire, and used them to launch a charge, defeating the enemy in one fell swoop.
Some say that Gerstad once got drunk and went to the sheepfold to masturbate—it's getting more and more outrageous.
This man was originally a knight's squire. When his master died in a duel at a knightly tournament, Gerstadt took over his master's position and avenged him. However, he incurred the enmity of the local nobles and began a life of wandering, traveling the world, upholding justice, and making a name for himself. Ultimately, through his bravery, he joined the army of the Duke of Thousand Lakes, resisted the imperial invasion, earned military merit, won the heart of a beautiful woman, married into the Duke of Thousand Lakes' family, and then succeeded as the lord of Silverwater City.
Win over a beautiful, rich, and successful woman and reach the pinnacle of life.
The Goat Knight then became the Goat Duke—and that's the end of the story.
This show is a typical knight-errant adventure story, with a rather clichéd plot.
Yvette was reciting her lines with great expression, while Geb wasn't really paying attention to the script; he was just helping the half-elf read it aloud without any expression.
After a while, as if realizing something, the half-elf said with some dissatisfaction.
"Hey, Geb, you're being so reluctant—are you not interested?!"
"Oh, no, no," Gebu quickly explained. "The story is quite interesting, and you recited it very well. Drama isn't my forte, though."
"You seem pretty boring. You're not lying to me, are you?" The half-elf's eyes flickered, then he winked at Geb and placed his hand lightly on his chest.
"Or do you want to do something else?"
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