Chapter 39
"Is that what you're wearing?" Jiang Fei looked at Arran with a raised eyebrow .
"What's wrong with it?" Arran asked .
He was wearing a simple brown linen robe, and although it was nothing like the crimson silk dress Jiang Fei was wearing, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it . It was comfortable and clean, and it was something that would attract no unwanted attention .
"Nothing," Jiang Fei said with a frown, "if you're planning to spend the day on a farm . "
Arran sighed, then went back inside . Some moments later he emerged from the cottage once more, this time wearing a black silk robe with red embroidery . It was one of the finer robes Master Zhao had left him in the void bag, and wearing it made Arran feel like a monkey in a wedding dress .
"Much better," Jiang Fei said, smiling brightly . "Dressed like this, you could almost trick me into thinking you're handsome . "
Arran scowled, but he kept his mouth shut . Some moments later, they set off together .
Lord Jiang's estate was large enough that even the walk to the gate took several miles . As usual, there was barely a sign of any other people in the estate .
When they finally reached the gate, they found it protected by a dozen guards . They had passed by the gate before, and although he did not recognize any of the guards there today, the guards clearly knew who they were .
"Young master, young mistress," one of the men said, bowing respectfully, "will you be taking a trip outside the estate today?"
Jiang Fei nodded . "We'll spend the day in Silvermere . We should return by nightfall . "
The guards opened the gate, and moments later, Arran and Jiang Fei set foot outside the estate for the first time in months .
A few hundred paces from the gate they found a crowd of people gathered around a shrine . When they approached, the people stared at them with looks of reverence, bowing deeply .
Arran nodded back, although the sight confused him . "What are they doing?" he asked Jiang Fei in a hushed voice .
"They're here to pay their respects to Uncle Bear," she whispered back . "Since we came from the estate, they must think we're important . "
Arran smiled politely as they passed the crowd, but inside, he could not help but feel uncomfortable . Ever since he had left Fulai City he had tried to keep a low profile, yet now, hundreds of people were staring at him and Jiang Fei .
The road leading away from the estate was lined with trees, and beyond the trees, Arran saw several large gated mansions . While the mansions looked massive and well-built, they lacked any eye-catching ornaments, almost as if their builders had deliberately tried not to draw too much attention .
"These mansions belong to some of the larger branches of the Jiang Clan," Jiang Fei explained . "It's where their envoys to Uncle Bear stay . " With a slight smile, she added, "They wouldn't dare build anything too ostentatious for fear of offending Uncle Bear . "
They continued along the road as it meandered through the hills, slowly moving downward . After a while they reached a bend in the road, and once they passed it, Arran could see a large valley ahead of them .
Arran immediately knew that this was Silvermere, and he was astonished at the size of the city . At the center of the valley lay a vast lake, its surface shining silver in the bright light of the sun . From the edge of the lake fanned out thousands upon thousands of buildings, completely filling the valley .
Compared to this, he thought, Fulai City could barely be considered a village .
"It's big, isn't it?" Jiang Fei said . Her voice was subdued, and Arran could tell that she was as awestruck by the sight as he was .
They spent the next few hours exploring the city together, walking through the cobbled streets and occasionally stopping to drink tea at some of the city's many tea shops, or to buy dumplings and sweets at the food stalls that stood on the sides of most of the city's streets .
Occasionally they drew stares from the people passing them, and several times strangers bowed to them . Arran eventually realized that word of them being Lord Jiang's guests had already spread to the city, but although the attention made him uncomfortable, he did his best to ignore it .
After several hours of walking through the city center, Arran began to notice that Jiang Fei's eyes were repeatedly drawn to the many clothing stores in the city's center .
"If you want, you can go shopping for a bit," he said .
"What about you?" Jiang Fei asked . She gave Arran a wary look, then sighed deeply . "You just want to go get more toys, don't you?"
"I do have some things to buy," Arran replied . He had already spotted a number of weaponsmiths and armorers along the way, and although he enjoyed spending time with Jiang Fei, he was eager to spend some of his gold .
Jiang Fei sighed again, then glanced at the clothing store next to them . "I suppose we could…"
They agreed to meet in the city square two hours later, and just like that, Arran was free to finally buy the weapons and armor he wanted .
Eagerly, he set off to buy some of the many things he wanted .
His first purchase was a large ironwood bow with a heavy draw . It was easily the finest bow Arran had ever held, and he paid a small fortune for it despite the shopkeeper giving him a large discount — apparently, word of Arran being a guest of Lord Jiang had spread among the shopkeepers, too .
Next, he visited several armorers, eventually finding an excellent leather coat with mail armor and steel plates sewn into it . It was heavy enough that most people would have struggled just to walk while wearing it, but after Arran's training with Lord Jiang, it barely even hindered him .
Finally, he went looking for a good sword, to replace the one his father had left him . After entering several weaponsmiths' stores, he was disappointed to find that although their weapons were good enough, all the swords they sold were just too light for him .
He kept searching, and after some time, he noticed a small weaponsmith's shop . The shop itself didn't seem particularly noteworthy, but the few pieces he could see in the shop window immediately drew his attention .
When he stepped inside, he felt some excitement upon seeing the weapons that were on display . With just a glance, he could tell that the weapons here were far better than anything he had found so far .
The shopkeeper welcomed him calmly, without the fawning and flattering the previous ones had shown him when they recognized him as Lord Jiang's guest .
Arran spent some time perusing the weapons on display, but although the craftsmanship was exceptional, he did not find anything that suited him . Again, he found that everything was just too light for his Essence-strengthened arms .
"How much for this one?" he asked, holding up a particularly well-made sword that was long and flexible . He didn't want it for himself, but it seemed like it would be perfect for Jiang Fei .
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