Chapter 538: Chapter 48: The First Impression Is Very Important

Sharing a meal with a companion’s family wasn’t a first for The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps.

The last similar scene was when they met Eleanor’s brother, Ludwig, who invited everyone for a meal during their first meeting; Eleanor ended up ordering an array of exorbitantly priced dishes, a classic case of ripping off her brother.

Even so, the expensive dishes prepared by the high-end hotels within the Holy Solomon Empire for the Divine Luo Nobles, in terms of luxury or variety, could not compare to the banquet set before them now.

Many of the dishes on the table were unrecognizable to them; they could barely tell which was meat, which was seafood, and which were vegetables… As for the specific ingredients, they had no idea.

“Nora, sister,” Mia whispered, sitting next to Nora, “What’s that red meat?”

“That’s roasted slices of a fire polyp,” Nora replied.

“What’s a fire polyp?” Mia continued to inquire.

“A fire polyp is a type of Extraordinary Creatures from the sea,” Nora said with a smile. “They only grow near underwater volcanic vents, absorbing the earth’s thermal energy to maintain their spiritual growth.”

“Isn’t it very difficult to find underwater volcanoes?” Mia was astonished. “How did you manage to catch so many?”

Nora was conflicted; she felt she couldn’t explain it too directly to Mia, lest the child’s immature worldview and values be corrupted by the adults’ sordid money matters.

So, after pondering for a moment, she delicately explained:

“Mia, do you know about Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica?”

“Ah, I know!” Mia said. Because the Master from the Constantinople Thieves Guild mentioned in his letter that her baby swaddle was embroidered with the surname Sinquemani, said to be an ancient noble surname of the Sicily Kingdom, “They’re southern islands, right?”

“Yes. The people living on these islands are nicknamed ‘Sea Folk’ on the mainland, meaning they have formidable skills in swimming and diving, and can easily remember the nearby ocean currents and hydrographic conditions. These fire polyps are all caught by them.”

Nora cleverly omitted the key role played by money in this situation, explaining instead that the sea folk hired for their diving skills caught so many fire polyps.

“Then, Sister Nora, do I also have Sea Folk blood?” Mia blinked curiously.

This made Nora even more conflicted. The term ‘Sea Folk’ wasn’t very flattering; in Latin it carries connotations of ‘pirate’, ‘vile’, and ‘exiled’. She could only force a smile and say:

“Not exactly, Sea Folk are generally people of the lower social class. Didn’t you say your surname was held by the nobles? Nobles over there usually don’t refer to themselves as ‘Sea Folk’.”

“Oh,” Mia said. “So I am a noble then?”

Nora: …

The Mediterranean islands today had long been occupied by the Normans, who established the Sicily Kingdom known for its rampant piracy. As for those ancient Sicilian nobles, it’s likely they were all slaughtered by the Norman Court of Palermo.

Of course, she couldn’t directly explain to Mia that “your family is probably all dead, and thus your surname has fallen into obscurity and you can’t be considered noble.” Instead, she could only pat Mia on the head and smile:

“Mia, heroes are not honored for their bloodline, but bloodlines are honored for their heroes.”

Mia: ???

She suddenly felt a bit disheartened. No wonder Rasul had suggested she and Miel not join Nora and Eleanor. Those two sisters spoke in such esoteric terms that Mia just couldn’t understand. “You must know what you are fighting for,” and “The bloodline is honored by the hero’s glory”—what on earth did that even mean!!

Mia listlessly closed her mouth, just in time to see Nora’s parents, accompanied by Kapaxilin, walk in from outside the box.

Everyone promptly stood up to greet them. Last time, with Eleanor’s Ludwig being of the same generation, they could laugh and joke around; however, this time it was Nora’s elder parents, and the proper respects had to be paid.

Marcus smiled, telling everyone there was no need for such formalities and gestured for them to retake their seats. His gaze swept the room and he was somewhat surprised to find the proportion of females present… a bit high?

Indeed, after the information on The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps had been sent over by his family, Marcus, who was on vacation, had reviewed it on the same day. However, he had mainly looked over Aske’s file and glanced at the information for Nora’s best friend, Eleanor, breezing over everyone else.

Of course, even if he had read through all the material carefully, there were some things that wouldn’t have come to light without witnessing them in person—this Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps was actually entirely comprised of beautiful girls. It was simply outrageous.

As Marcus, the husband, thought this to himself, Li Xiliya, his wife, naturally arrived at the same notion. But she did not question the rationale of “why a mercenary group would have a majority of women.” What she cared about was “why would this young man recruit so many women around him.”

That is, she questioned Aske’s character.

If her daughter’s boyfriend was constantly surrounded by a flock of women, then the likelihood of infidelity would greatly increase… Not cheat? If you’re not going to cheat, why bring so many beautiful girls into your group?

Nora saw a slight change in her parent’s expressions and, without even needing to read their minds further, guessed that they had surely thought of some dangerous notions. She hastily launched into the prearranged plan and activated the Thought Implant ability.

Thus, this thought flashed through the couple’s minds:

According to the Church Court’s claims, the members of The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps had great potential. This potential for high growth led them to be collectively assessed by Raphael as an unprecedented R4 level.

That is to say, “all being beautiful girls” was not a common trait of The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps members; the most important shared quality was the “potential for high strength growth,” the so-called “bright future,” which defined this mercenary corps.

And for a mercenary corps, recruiting “incredibly promising” combatant talent was only natural, wasn’t it? As for why they were all women… how many R4s could there be in the world? If these R4 talents happened to all be women, would you not recruit them?

Having been led to this conclusion, Marcus and Li Xiliya’s expressions eased again.

Phew, crisis averted.

Nora quietly breathed a sigh of relief and looked up again, only to see Medea eyeing her with interest.

In the Mind Realm, a secretive tendril of thought reached out—Medea has sent you a communication request.

“What’s the matter?” Nora accepted the communication.

“Did you just activate the Thought Implant ability?” Medea cut to the chase.

“Yes, to leave Aske with a good impression on them,” Nora answered smoothly.

“Is that so?” Medea was noncommittal. “How do they view Aske now?”

“They think he’s excellent,” Nora said confidently with a slight smile. She added:

“A suitable son-in-law for the Lixini Family.”