biography of lvan

The news that Odrie was coming back was not something for Ivan to be glad about.Herbert had already told him that when Odrie returned, it would be time for Ivan to take the test.In fact, Ivan hadn't been psychologically prepared to become an accomplice to a swindler yet.When he was halfway through breakfast, Odrie suddenly walked in from outside the door. Most people seemed quite happy to see Odrie's return, and Ivan had no choice but to follow everyone and express his "joyful" mood.

Soon, Ivan understood why Odrie was so popular.Odrie gave everyone a gift.For the butler, it was an extremely beautiful soft silk top hat with a black brim. The butler had long wanted such a top hat to match his black silk-collared formal suit. He had a nice pair of trousers and a pair of leather shoes given to him by Mr. Juan on his birthday. All he lacked was such a top hat to complete the full set of formal attire.

The housekeeper received a silk scarf, the kind often worn by noble ladies, though the color was a bit off. Ivan estimated that it was still quite expensive.Mr. Juan's gift was a walking stick carved from walnut wood. Although it wasn't worth much money, it was carved extremely finely. The little lamb's head on the handle and the circle of maple leaves in the middle were vivid, and there was no excessive decoration besides that. The walking stick hadn't been painted or gilded. It was simply an engraved walking stick for ordinary old people to use.

Mr. Juan was extremely satisfied with the simple and delicate carving work. Indeed, for someone like him who was used to seeing rare treasures, it was a very interesting gift."Where did you buy it?" Mr. Juan asked."From a shepherd in Piton. I bought it with five copper coins," Odrie said."What a nice thing! I haven't seen such exquisite carving skills for many years. It's a pity that the shepherd is in Piton. If he were in the capital, in Luxembourg, or in South Port, he would have become rich long ago," Mr. Juan sighed.

"If he were in the places you mentioned, that shepherd might not be able to carve such a beautiful walking stick either. A shoddy piece of work painted and gilded would also become a walking stick that anyone could hold without losing face. How would others still pay attention to whether the carving is exquisite or not?" Odrie said."Good, good. You're becoming more and more philosophical when you speak," Mr. Juan nodded repeatedly and smiled.

Except for Mr. Juan's gift, which was just a cheap handicraft, what everyone else got were things that were relatively expensive, which they had envied for a long time but were reluctant to buy.Ivan got a model sailboat.It was a Xibai galleon. Such sailboats could often be seen in South Port.The hull was carved from a single piece of pine wood. The gunwales, portholes, the cabins at the stern, the handrails on the deck, and the rudder were all carefully carved out.The sails were made of white silk, and the ropes and various rigging ropes seem

ed to be made of cotton thread coated with gold paint.

The whole ship was decorated with colorful paint, shining brightly and looking extremely beautiful.When Ivan was in South Port, he had seen the same model sailboat. Although he liked it very much, the price was beyond his wildest dreams.Before that model was bought by someone else, Ivan went to look at it almost every day.

He had been envious of it throughout the whole summer.Never had he expected that Odrie would give him such a valuable gift.Ivan was so excited that he forgot to say thanks."I know you like sailboats. I happened to see this model on sale in a store and bought it. I didn't expect that in such a poor place as Piton, there would be such an exquisite model sailboat," Odrie said.

Only then did Ivan realize that he had been terribly rude. If it were during normal classes, such a major blunder would lead to just one outcome: getting a stinging lash on the butt right away. And before going to bed at night, he would have to recount the mistakes he had made during the day while determining the amount of punishment he deserved for himself. If the punishment he set was too light, it would be doubled; if it was too much, Odrie wouldn't be kind enough to remind him.

Thinking of this, Ivan quickly and apprehensively thanked him repeatedly."Sir, how did Ivan study while I was away?" Odrie, clearly not bothered by what was originally a rather bad mistake, turned around and asked Mr. Juan."Quite good. In my opinion, for a child of his age living in France, his Xibai language is good enough," Mr. Juan said.

The servants, each having received gifts that satisfied them, happily returned to their respective positions. The housekeeper soon brought out a plate of fragrant deep-fried lamb legs from the kitchen, which had been prepared for Odrie all along.Herbert never came to the living room to eat. Mr. Juan had a poor appetite and didn't like greasy food. Ivan had his own extremely strict diet. Eating random things had been one of the main reasons his butt had suffered before.

The breakfast time was extended.Obviously, Odrie, who was tired from the long journey, was really hungry.There was never any conversation at Mr. Juan's dining table. Ivan didn't know whether this was to get him into the habit or if it had always been that way. When he was with Aunt Jenny before, mealtimes were always the liveliest.

After filling their stomachs, Mr. Juan and Odrie went back to the lounge. The butler went to prepare strong tea as instructed. Clearly, Mr. Juan and Odrie were going to have a long talk.Ivan had nothing to do, so he went to the backyard alone to practice shooting.The backyard had originally been a lush green lawn, with a marble hall built in the middle. Inside the hall were a table and several armchairs. It had been a rather leisurely place, but the autumn wind brought a bit of a chill, so it became a place that people seldom visited.

Herbert took a liking to this place. He set up several targets on the lawn. The distant ones were seventy or eighty meters away from the hall, and the nearby ones were twenty or thirty meters away.On the table in the middle of the hall was a box full of crossbow bolts.Those crossbow bolts were specially made, only about four inches long. The heads were made of refined steel, triangular in shape and extremely sharp, and they could even penetrate armor at close range.

Ivan picked up three crossbow bolts from the box. The triple-shot was the only shooting skill that he hadn't mastered proficiently yet. Among the three arrows, there was always one with a relatively large deviation. He could still hit the target within thirty meters, but if it was a bit farther away, it was inevitable that the arrow would miss the target.

Ivan started practicing on his own. Perhaps because he had something on his mind, his performance today wasn't good. Throughout the whole noon, not a single arrow hit the bullseye.Just when Ivan was gradually starting to feel bored, the butler called him from a distance to go back inside the house.

Apparently, Mr. Juan and Odrie had finished their conversation.Entering the lounge, a strong aroma of tea wafted over. Ivan had heard that this beverage originated from Tor and came from an even more eastern place, perhaps the country of Chira that Mr. Juan had visited.

Even in Tor, this beverage wasn't produced in large quantities, and even less of it could be transported to France. Therefore, tea had become a beverage that only a few people could afford to enjoy.Ivan had tasted it before, and the taste wasn't that great. If he could choose freely, he would rather drink milk.

Both Mr. Juan and Odrie liked drinking tea, but only when there were important matters to discuss would Mr. Juan ask the butler to prepare this beverage."Sit down," Mr. Juan ordered.Ivan carefully complied with Juan's order.The thick animal furs were warm and soft. On a chilly autumn day, sitting on such a chair and sinking his body into the expensive furs was the most comfortable thing.Because of this, Ivan gradually calmed down.

"You've been here for four months. We've taught you everything that should be taught, and both Mr. Juan and I are quite satisfied with this. However, just because you've learned the courses we taught you doesn't mean that you're really capable of fulfilling the role you're about to take on. We won't know until we test you," Odrie said.As she spoke, Odrie took out an invitation card, the kind of top-notch invitation card. On the cover, which was wrapped in bright yellow silk, the content of the invitation was written in an extremely neat decorative script.

On the back of the invitation card was painted a noble coat of arms - a shield and two flowers. Ivan's knowledge of heraldry wasn't enough for him to tell at a glance which noble family in the kingdom the coat of arms originated from. All he knew was that there had once been a powerful regional governor in that family, so a shield was placed on the coat of arms.

However, who could tell which family it was? In France, even a noble who had once been the lord of a small city like Laier could somehow add a shield mark to his family's coat of arms. Such coats of arms were really too common in France.

"Baron Lipper of Piton will hold a grand ball the day after tomorrow to celebrate his wonderful twenty years of marriage. He has invited all the nobles he can invite," Odrie said.She handed the invitation card to Ivan.

Gently opening the invitation, Ivan first noticed the line at the bottom."Baron Lipper Belt Bernie, the governor of Piton and the loyal servant of His Majesty the King, cordially invites Lord Kewell Egrete Juan...""Lord Kewell Egrete Juan?" Ivan read the name in confusion. Could this be his new identity?"Any questions?" Odrie asked."Is this my new identity?" Ivan asked directly."Haha, no, Kewell Egrete Juan is my name," Mr. Juan said with a smile beside him.

"Lord Kewell Egrete Juan?" Ivan clearly still didn't quite understand."Mr. Juan's public identity is Lord Kewell Egrete Juan, a great navigator and naturalist. Mr. Juan is also a close friend of the High Priest. The title of lord was awarded to commend Mr. Juan for his outstanding contributions in diplomacy," Odrie further explained.All of this was absolutely unimaginable for Ivan. He knew that Odrie wouldn't deceive him about such a trifle. Mr. Juan's identity must be real, and the title of lord must have been personally awarded by His Majesty the King.

But it was really astonishing. A commoner noble, although this title was the lowest among the nobles, without a fief and not being hereditary, the number of people with this title in France was pitifully small. Only the most outstanding people could enjoy this enviable title.

In the entire southern region, Ivan had only heard of two commoner nobles. Besides Mr. Juan, the other one was Mr. Porig Lipper, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Federation in South Port and a companion who had gone through thick and thin with Mr. Juan."Mr. Juan, are you the same as Mr. Porig Lipper, a commoner noble?" Ivan asked in surprise.

"It's a bit different. My noble title can be inherited," Juan said. "I bought a foreign noble title and a certificate of a fiefdom from a declining Otto noble. That piece of land had already fallen into the hands of the Tor people and thus became worthless, but it was quite useful for me. In this way, my identity became that of a bankrupt hereditary noble who had fled to France. I also managed to obtain a lordship title. Having a noble title makes many things much easier to handle. Thus, the lordship title can be inherited. Of course, inheriting this title requires paying a considerable sum of money to His Majesty the King. But it's still worth it.""Do you know that Baron Lipper?" Ivan asked.

"I've never heard of this person," Juan said."Baron Lipper is a hereditary noble living in Piton. His ancestors made military achievements in the war and were promoted to nobles. It was a military merit lordship that could be inherited. In the first few generations, his ancestors were all very hardworking and thus were highly regarded. They were once ordered to guard Halleck Castle, and that's where the shield in the coat of arms came from.

"Baron Lipper really loves to talk about that ancestor and has recounted his ancestors over and over again. However, they were still lords. Those achievements didn't bring a higher status to their family until one of their idle and charming ancestors seduced a duke's daughter, and then this family gradually became more fortunate."After three generations of efforts, they reached the position of baron. However, the descendants after that were obviously quite satisfied with this status and thus no outstanding figures have emerged. Now they have become one of those idle nobles.

"In Piton, Baron Lipper owns more than thirty mu of land beside his manor as his fiefdom. It seems that the harvest is not so good. It's already quite good that he can afford to pay the annual tax for this title. So I guess not many nobles will grace his ball with their presence." Odrie introduced in detail everything he knew."Is it okay as long as I'm not recognized when attending the ball?" Ivan asked.

"No, that's not enough. We've spent so much energy training you to make you quickly accepted in the noble social circle. You have to be truly popular, not just not be recognized. As far as I know, after the ball, Baron Lipper will hold a banquet. The guests invited to the banquet are the people he truly admires. You have to gain Baron Lipper's approval. The invitation to the banquet is the real proof of your success. You must get invited," Odrie said.

"Get invited? How is that possible? I'm just a newly known stranger. Nobles won't easily invite strangers they are not familiar with," Ivan said anxiously."Yes, that's exactly where the biggest difficulty lies. It is precisely because this matter is quite difficult that it's used as a test for you. Because I have great confidence in you. As long as you are willing to do it, you can easily attract everyone's attention. So I hope you can prove that you are the best, not just be satisfied with not being recognized by others," Juan said slowly, and his words were quite inspiring. "As long as you do it seriously and don't be too reserved, you will surely be able to achieve all this.

 I can give you a suggestion. Don't be eager to show yourself to the baron. You have to show your talent to everyone present, make everyone attracted to you, make the baron notice you himself, and make him come to you. Understand?"

"Talent? I don't have any talent," Ivan said in confusion."No, you have talent. When I first saw you, I noticed this. Odrie and Herbert can also prove this. And in these four months, we've been trying our best to cultivate you in this aspect. You are refined in manner, gentle in temperament, not arrogant, eager to learn, and now with extensive knowledge. That's enough. That is the talent that can attract anyone," Juan said."Yes, you just have to make all the people present admit and accept you as you made us accept you. It's really simple for you," Odrie also chimed in.

Hearing Mr. Juan and Odrie say so in unison, Ivan seemed to gain a bit of confidence.Taking a thick stack of materials back to his room, Ivan didn't want to waste a single minute and immediately began to read them carefully.

Throughout this whole month, Odrie had obviously put in a great deal of effort to collect everything about Baron Lipper that could be found and write it all down in these materials.Ivan patiently analyzed what kind of person Baron Lipper was according to the methods Odrie had taught him before.

It could be seen from the materials that Baron Lipper was a person with a strong noble air. Although his family didn't have much property, the baron still insisted on maintaining that meaningless noble facade.The baron had only two relatively valuable properties. One was the ancestral residence, from which one could see the prosperity of the family in the past. But now it had long declined. Maintaining such a large mansion required a lot of money.

 If it were Ivan himself, he would have sold this residence long ago. That would have been a considerable income. He could then invest the money from selling the residence in South Port, and it wouldn't take many years to buy it back if necessary.

However, the baron obviously had never considered such a thing. The only way he could save money was to claim that he was in poor health and thus live in a villa on the outskirts of Piton all year round, leaving only a few family members to guard the empty old residence. Only when there was a ball or something important happened could this empty old residence be put to use.

The villa on the outskirts was the baron's real home. If there was any doubt about how strapped the baron's family was, there was almost no question. Among those materials was a list of the baron's family's food purchases for a month. It was almost all vegetables, and only on Sundays was there an occasional meat dish.It could be imagined that for such a family, organizing a ball and then a banquet was really no easy feat.

Ivan had always been puzzled by such stupid behavior of putting on a false front. The baron was not an exception. There were many such impoverished nobles in France. Many of them had nothing but an empty title left by their ancestors and hardly any property. Although they didn't have to live on borrowed money, their lives were definitely not enjoyable. Some who were willing to swallow their pride went to work as private secretaries for wealthy upper-class nobles. On the one hand, they maintained their ancestral business, and on the other hand, they waited for the opportunity to make a comeback.

However, most of them preferred to endure the hard days while still refusing to let go of that meaningless noble dignity.The baron was definitely one of these people. However, although life was hard, the baron obviously thought that his married life was quite happy.The baroness was originally the daughter of another impoverished noble family. These impoverished nobles seemed to have become a special class. They were neither willing to marry commoners nor was it easy for them to marry into wealthy families.If they married commoners, no matter how rich their in-laws were, they would feel disgraced.

And when it came to marrying into wealthy families, not only might wealthy families look down on them, but the wedding itself was the real problem. The weddings of wealthy noble families were extremely grand and luxurious, far beyond what impoverished nobles could afford. Even giving a decent gift could bankrupt those impoverished nobles.Therefore, the ideal marriage partners for impoverished nobles were also impoverished nobles.The baron's marriage was clearly what was called a match made in heaven.

The couple had deep affection for each other, so spending twenty years together became a memorable anniversary worth celebrating.However, it could be imagined what kind of people would show up at that time. It would probably be a big showcase of the impoverished nobles in the southern part of France.If the baron and his wife had any most precious property, it would have to be their daughter.

The materials mentioned that the baron had an eighteen-year-old daughter. It seemed that in addition to celebrating the twenty years the couple had spent together, choosing a suitable candidate among the children of many impoverished nobles was also an important reason for this ball.The materials had detailed descriptions of the baron's personal preferences, tastes, and temper.Like most impoverished nobles, the baron was knowledgeable. Impoverished noble families didn't have extra money for them.