Dudian was somewhat tempted. The monthly salary of a knight was quite high. It was estimated to be more than the combined monthly salaries of the Jura couple. Most importantly, being able to hold a nominal position as a knight in the establishment of the Ryan family, with just this status alone, could make the vast majority of commoners look up to him.
However, he didn't agree immediately. He understood that the higher the reward, the more dangerous the scavenging outside the Great Wall would be. Although he had heard from that Fino that they only scavenged in the safe areas swept by the Hunters, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be other dangers. Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a high reward.
"I'll think about it," Dudian pondered.
Fulin Ryan smiled slightly and said, "Whenever you've made up your mind, you're always welcome to join. Besides, I suppose you haven't found a place to live during this period. If you don't mind, there are still a few vacant houses in our Ryan family."
Dudian politely declined, "Thank you for your kindness. I'll be going on a mission in seven days. I'll go back home to visit my parents during this time and won't be staying in the commercial district for now."
"All right. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me."
"I will."
After the conversation, Fulin Ryan left and went to the center of the banquet to chat with other nobles.
Not long after Fulin Ryan left, several other nobles came to Dudian one after another and talked with him. However, the conditions they proposed were not much different from those of Fulin Ryan, and Dudian politely declined them one by one.
At this time, the banquet was halfway through. Suddenly, the melodious music stopped, and a loud round of applause was heard. All the nobles who were chatting or eating and drinking in the hall looked over.
The one clapping was a middle-aged nobleman in his forties. He was tall and had a plump belly. Seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, he showed a gentlemanly and modest smile on his face and said, "Welcome, everyone, to the Eighth Anniversary Gathering of the Establishment of the Mellon Consortium. I hope you all have a great time. Also, today happens to be the birthday of my little daughter, Melsaya. I hope all of you here can send my little daughter a blessing. Thank you!"
As he spoke, from behind a high platform leading to the second floor in the center of the hall, a girl in a deep red dress slowly walked out. She was about twelve or thirteen years old, with a delicate face and an understated makeup. She stood there gracefully and bowed slightly, saying, "Greetings, all uncles and aunts."
A warm round of applause immediately rang out among the nobles present.
Dudian's heart stirred. After returning to the accommodation, he had inquired about it. The Mellon Consortium was composed of more than a dozen noble families of different sizes. Among them, there were only two nobles with the power of final decision, namely the Mel family and the Blom family. And this girl was obviously from the Mel family. He had heard the name of this family when he was in the Meishan Orphanage.
Moreover, the Knight of Light who judged the alchemist in the desert three years ago, claiming to be Melk, was also apparently a member of the Mel family.
From this, it could be seen how extensive the influence of the Mel family was.
"This is a humble gift prepared by our Blanc family for Miss Saya..." At this time, a young man among the nobles spoke up. He held a delicate red gift box in his hand and gently opened it. Inside were a pair of snow-white silk gloves, exquisitely crafted.
Melsaya's eyes lit up slightly on the steps above and said, "This must be the work of Master Shirley. Thank you. I like it very much."
The young man smiled confidently and handed the gift box to the servant who came to collect the gift.
At this time, other nobles presented their gifts one after another and added words of congratulations.
"Miss Saya," a young man in a tan gentleman's suit in the crowd smiled and said, "I've always heard that you like poetry. I specially asked Master Teza to write a little poem. I hope you'll like it."
"Poetry?" Melsaya's eyes brightened, and she looked delighted.
The young man smiled slightly, put on an air of elegance, and chanted softly, "There are tears you shed on the stone. That hesitant gaze is filled with that evening. Who revealed the sadness in your heart..."
A moment later, after finishing the poem, he said, "This poem is called 'The Sadness of a Maiden' and is dedicated to Miss Saya."
The whole hall immediately burst into warm applause, and some nobles even cheered loudly on the spot.
Melsaya showed a happy smile on her face and said, "Truly worthy of being a poem by Master Teza. I like it very much and am deeply touched. Thank you!"
...
...
By the windowsill, Dudian listened to those cheers and felt a bit helpless. He didn't have anything with him. He hoped that those people wouldn't notice him, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.
"If worst comes to worst, I can just take out that poem that my sister used to recite all the time and fudge my way through," Dudian thought secretly. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure running through the manor outside the windowsill. His heart skipped a beat, and he cursed himself for being stupid. Since he had nothing to give as a gift, why didn't he just sneak away?
He looked at those nobles. At the moment, their attention was all focused on Melsaya above. This was a rare opportunity. He immediately pushed open the window and looked outside. It was about two meters high. Without hesitation, he flipped out of the window, landed as nimbly as a cat, and then pulled the window down. He quickly left along the path outside.
To avoid encountering servants, Dudian went around to a more secluded place. There wasn't much light here. At the moment, only the light of the stars and the moon was shining down, casting a cold glow on the stone path. There were neatly trimmed ornamental trees around. Before long, he saw a small pavilion. He thought that he could go and sit there and wait until the banquet was almost over before going back. Anyway, he was a minor figure and wouldn't attract too much attention.
Rustle~!
Suddenly, there was the sound of leaves being shaken.
Dudian's face changed slightly, and he shouted in a low voice, "Who's there!"
There was a moment of silence around, but Dudian knew that it definitely wasn't the sound of the wind just now. After all, having gone through three years of scavenger training, if he still couldn't distinguish between the sound of an object touching the leaves and the wind touching the leaves, he would have been eliminated in the practical major exam long ago.
"Come out. I know you're there!" Dudian said coldly.
After a while, a slender figure emerged from behind a tree that was trimmed into a round ball. Dudian looked by the light of the moon and was immediately stunned. It was actually a girl about his age, and judging from her clothes, she seemed to be the figure he had caught a glimpse of earlier.
Dudian let out a sigh of relief and said, "Come out. I have no ill intentions. We're all here to avoid the limelight. I won't inform on you, and you'd better not inform on me either. Otherwise, it won't be good for either of us."
The girl was wearing a white floral dress. She had been a bit nervous at first, but when she heard Dudian's words, she couldn't help but be surprised and said, "Avoid the limelight? Aren't you sent by my father to call me back?"
Dudian knew she had misunderstood and shrugged, "Of course not. I don't even know you."
The girl looked at him and seemed to realize that she had thought too much. She let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest, saying, "You scared me. By the way, you said avoid the limelight. What limelight are you avoiding? Do you have enemies?"
Dudian said irritably, "What enemies could I have? Aren't we all here to avoid the situation because we didn't bring any gifts?"
"Ah?" The girl seemed to suspect that she had misheard. Suddenly, she thought of something and couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, right. Which family are you from? Don't you know that today is Miss Mel's birthday?"
"Don't you not know either?" Dudian shrugged. "As for my identity, it's better to keep it a secret."
The girl walked along the stone path to the side of the pavilion and immediately saw Dudian's attire clearly. She was surprised and said, "That uniform of yours. Are you actually a scavenger?"
Dudian's face immediately darkened, and he said with a straight face, "That's right. But you'd better not go around spreading it. I won't tell others about you either. This is fair."
"I won't tell," the girl giggled. "My name is Jenny. What's your name?"
Dudian thought for a moment and said, "Dudian."