Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 821 - 704: The Banquet and the Sudden Turn

Chapter 821: Chapter 704: The Banquet and the Sudden Turn

The bright moon hung high, stars filling the sky.

Buffalo, Long Island Manor.

Surrounded by dense forests and clear rivers, the Galliot family’s castle, "White Swan Castle," as pure white and dreamy as a fairy tale, was already brilliantly lit, with every corner filled with a joyful atmosphere.

The demonized plant hanging wind chime and alchemy lamps powered by improved "magnetic ore" jointly constituted the castle’s lighting system. In an era where even the royal palace mainly used gas lamps, whale oil, and candles, this was an unimaginable luxury for ordinary people.

It can be said that every ray of light reflected the brilliance of the Golden Lion.

Although tomorrow is the official welcome ball attended by governors of various territories, garrison officers, members of parliament, and big merchants... all prominent figures of the Kingdom New Continent, today’s small private feast hosted by the Galliot family was already sufficiently grand.

In addition to the four core members of the family, Aiven, Olivia, Anita, and Angie, being fully present.

The three main officers of the Marquis’s Army, Robert, William, and Baldwin; several civilian officials led by Hawkins; Boris, the first mate of the Storm Horn, Boatswain Gary; and Jasmine, the sister’s trusted lieutenant and chief navigator, Commander of the Sky Knights Granny, and more, with over a dozen core retainers of the Galliot family were also present.

On the guests’ side were Queen Livena, chief lady-in-waiting Linda, a group of distinguished entourage, and two Great Knights.

At a long oak table covered with a pure white cotton tablecloth, the host and guests sat down according to dining etiquette.

Clap! Clap!

After pulling out the chair for Livena and helping her to her seat, Aiven sat at the end of the long table furthest from the door, gently clapped his hands to signal the start of the banquet, then turned to introduce to her:

"Your Majesty, just in terms of abundance of produce, the New Continent indeed surpasses the homeland, and Hesi has meticulously designed a menu for your seven-day stay that won’t repeat itself, ensuring your trip is worthwhile."

The pride in his words for his virtuous helper evidently exceeded even the abundance of the New Continent’s produce.

Livena’s eyes flickered slightly, and her hands involuntarily clasped:

"Oh, I look forward to it, Count Galliot."

In accordance with social etiquette, Livena, dressed in a purple evening gown revealing her fair shoulders, sat in the first position to Aiven’s right. And Olivia, who attended as the mistress of the Galliot family and was equally radiant, sat at the other end of the long table, facing Aiven.

Retainers and guests intermingled, the banquet was more than just a meal, table socializing was the main focus. The subordinates on both sides expanded their understanding of each other, enabling smoother interactions in all aspects in the future.

This was also one of the main purposes of this private feast.

Unfortunately, Milan, who brought Apsuya home to meet the family, had not returned yet, missing the chance to closely contact the kingdom’s core power circle.

The housekeeper Midorra and "Night Spirit" maid chief Sarah were fully responsible for the banquet proceedings, and though both very clever with not much deep understanding of human society, they did not show any stage fright at all.

Jingle, jingle, jingle...

Gently shaking the silver bell in her hand, Midorra signaled the start of the banquet, and beautiful Night Spirit maids entered in single file.

Today, Olivia decided on two main types of aperitifs, which guests could choose freely, one being New Continent’s specialty maple beer and the other a rainbow cocktail from Buffalo.

As for the primary category of white wine among aperitifs, the girls decisively passed it up, naturally due to the indescribable production process, whether it’s red or white grapes...

"This colorful liquor is truly beautiful, and quite delicious."

Livena tasted a sip of the rainbow cocktail made with white rum, coconut liqueur, mint liqueur, orange juice, grenadine syrup, ice, and orange slices, finding it sweet and sour and very appetizing.

"Buffalo is rich in liquor and fruit, and this beverage made from a mix of drinks, alcohol, and fruit juice is called a cocktail. If Your Majesty likes it, we can have the ladies-in-waiting learn from our family’s chef."

They didn’t discuss any national affairs at the table; Livena’s itinerary in the New Continent was seven days, and there was no rush. Aiven, on the other hand, was more curious about royal gossip:

"After Queen Isabella abdicated, does she still live in St. James’s Palace?"

"Mother has gone to study with Grandpa, and for the kingdom to replace Hilus, apart from comprehensive national and military strength, the strength at the Titled Knight level is the most crucial.

However, Grandpa believes my aptitude is better than Mother’s, and my disposition surpasses that of my genius sister, making me the most likely in the royal family to advance to a title. Plus, Anne and I have agreed to become some of the few female Titled Knights in the history of Tulip, right, Anne?"

Also dressed in a gorgeous gown with her emerald green hair styled up, adding a touch of charming allure, Anita sat opposite Livena and, after setting down her emptied glass of maple beer, softly exhaled a sweet breath of alcohol:

"Of course, but I might get there ahead of you, Vina."

If Livena’s ability to advance to Tier 4 still depended on elusive luck, Anita, with Aiven’s backing, had virtually secured an early ticket to the Titled Knight tier.

It might not even take as long as one or two years.

Pushing the serving cart, the well-trained maids began serving the courses in unison.

Unlike a regular banquet, while there were the usual six main types: appetizers, soup, salad, main course, staple food, dessert, the portions were much larger than normal since the guests at the table were extraordinary.

The appetizers consisted of substantial demonized wild beef tenderloin with confit foie gras, a seafood platter with caviar, and a creamy chicken puff, considered conventional.

The following soups were sea monster clear soup made from the "Sea Demon" giant species cultivated through "artificial meat technology," and a sweet corn soup made with "golden chain" modified product "glass gemstone corn."

Although the craftsmanship might not surpass that of the court chefs, the novelty of the ingredients offered an entirely unique flavor, astonishing all the guests, including Liweina.

"This salad is packed with ingredients."

The New Continent’s specialty Cobb Salad, which includes avocado, blue cheese, bacon, fried chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes, is undoubtedly more appealing to the taste of a Great Knight compared to a light vegetarian salad.

Soon, the banquet reached the main course phase.

Demonized buffalo from the New Continent made into large, aromatic war axe steaks; cheese-baked lobsters with garlic blending into a buttery aroma.

The highlight was the New Continent’s specialty main course, with each person served a roast turkey, inside the turkey was a duck, inside the duck was a chicken, and inside the chicken were sausages and bacon.

For the extraordinary, consuming such a sizeable main course is just a piece of cake, especially since all the ingredients are from demonized creatures transformed through the [Golden Chain], making them standard resources for knight training.

Can you believe that any duck picked from this table was more formidable than a human in its lifetime?

Details hide the devil.

Not only was the dining enjoyable, but the Queen’s entourage couldn’t help but elevate their estimation of the Galliot Clan’s latent power by several levels.

When chatting with the vassals of the Galliot family, their previous aloofness became noticeably subdued.

Taking advantage of the main course being served, Midorra had already commanded the "Night Spirits" to bring out the red wine made by a group of girls for the Queen to sample as the accompaniment.

The yield rate for Cabernet Franc fruit is about 92.5%, with a juice yield rate of approximately 62%, and a wine yield rate of about 90%. Last year, a group of girls used 1000 kilograms of Cabernet Franc, producing roughly 570 kilograms of grape juice, which was eventually fermented into 520 kilograms of top-grade wine.

Finally, 693 bottles of standard 750ml wine were bottled. This particular batch of Cabernet Franc, being the best, with Angie’s witchcraft assistance, resulted in exceptional quality wine, which Aiven ordered to be exclusive and not for sale.

Only the four masters of the Galliot family and Queen Liweina have a share. Even those of high enough status and rank among the Queen’s entourage stretching their necks had no chance to taste a sip.

As the wine swirled in the glass, the sweet aroma lingered at the nose.

Liweina gently sipped, the rosé wine flowed over the tongue; the body was moderate, the flavor fragrant, the acidity palatable, smooth and mellow upon entry, with fragrant grassy flavors accompanied by sweet hints of mulberry and black currant.

After unknowingly finishing the glass of wine, she couldn’t help but exclaim:

"Hmm, truly delicious. Although I have no expertise in wine, I still can’t believe it was Annie and you all who made it.

By the way, I remember the harvesting season for Cabernet Franc lasts until the end of October, right? Why not teach me winemaking too? Wine made with my own hands must be even more delightful!"

Anita, whose taste buds were equally captivated by this unique wine, readily agreed:

"No problem!"

Of course, the materials could not be sourced from the planned 4,000-mu vineyard on Long Island. The land was leveled starting last fall, the saplings were transplanted in late April this year, and there will only be a small yield next year, with productive years between 4-7 years.

Based on the current best-managed vineyard in Buffalo, four years later, the annual yield per mu should be approximately 2,000 kilograms. That will be when Long Island Winery’s premium products hit the market on a large scale.

With the Queen’s personal winemaking as a marketing angle, akin to 20-year or 50-year cask-age, adding a drop to each bottle in the future will instantly double its value!

Oh, did I reveal too much?

Liweina, not overthinking, gleefully high-fived Anita:

"Alright, it’s a deal."

During this time.

Liweina also stood up to raise a glass to Olivia, the hostess who meticulously prepared everything.

However, after Olivia returned Liweina’s toast with impeccable manners, she couldn’t help but furrow her delicate brows slightly when watching Her Majesty the Queen turn back to chat enthusiastically with her own fiancé.

Not waiting for her seasoned Official Wizard’s sixth sense to ponder deeply.

Clang! Clang! Clang!...

A distant, soul-penetrating, resonant bell sound suddenly echoed from the horizon.

A group of people present, possessing the corresponding authority, promptly connected to the [Mind Network] spanning the New Continent.

In the pitch-black southwestern sky, it seemed as though a massive fire had burned through the entire sky, with a brilliant light qi seemingly illuminating half of the night sky in golden-red hues.

It was simply more spectacular than the aurora.

No need to activate Spiritual Vision, the wizards could clearly sense the storm in the Spiritual World.

"A fairly large-scale Spiritual Overflow? Would it occur at this moment?"