From the moment he took his first step, he slipped up, and Hudson's pride as a time-traveller vanished.
Indeed, there are plenty of smart people in the world. Luckily, he caught his mistake early, otherwise, he would have suffered greatly in the future.
Perhaps mistaking Hudson's silence for shock, Baron Redman tried to comfort him. "Don't be discouraged. At your age, it's already quite good that you've come this far," he said.
In reality, no matter how outstanding the performance, it cannot fool those who are paying attention. However, most of the time, people choose to feign ignorance.
"Your ambition to gain fame from this incident is understandable, but stepping on Laisol so harshly was too much. He is, after all, your younger brother."
Sibling rivalry is indeed cruel to any father.
Despite Baron Redman's severe punishments for Laisol, it is because he is upset that Laisol is not living up to his potential. In his heart, Baron Redman still cares for this son.
Hesitating for a moment, Hudson then asked somewhat uncertainly, "But Father, didn't you say that a good noble should always consider maximizing profits?
Laisol is not only obnoxious but also irredeemably stupid. Allowing such a fool to enter the nobility would be disgraceful to the clan. I was just making use of this waste!"
Being kind to enemies is tantamount to being cruel to oneself. Although the hatred belonged to the original owner, he has to inherit this hatred since he inherited the original owner's identity.
Humanity's annihilation is too cruel; Baron Redman would never agree. Therefore, Hudson should take advantage of the situation and cut off Laisol's future.
As a result of this incident, Laisol's future development would undoubtedly be affected. It would be difficult for him to venture out before the storm subsided.
Taking this opportunity to step on him would push him down further, and help Hudson gain more reputation. Laisol's future would become even bleaker.
Nobles have their own way of doing things. No one would like someone with a ruined reputation, especially not a man without a title like Laisol; nobody would accept him.
How can one talk about a future without entering their circle?
Unless Laisol is a practicing genius who stands at the pinnacle of the continent all at once. However, this is almost impossible. The resources in the house are limited and all his siblings are targeting them!
Even a genius would be obliterated in the passage of time, not to mention that he is not a super-genius.
Perhaps being provoked, Baron Redman stared at Hudson. After a long time, he thoughtfully said, "Hudson, your ideas are too radical for your age.
There's nothing wrong with being utilitarian, but you must have a heart that controls utilitarianism and not lose the real you within it.
While in the world of nobility, there is no right or wrong, only advantages and disadvantages; there are many smart people in the world and being too cunning can lead to self-inflicted harm. You should learn to settle and hide your abilities.
Well, you may leave now. Finish reading the books in the bookstore tower and then reconsider this matter."
Baron Redman swept away, leaving a baffled Hudson standing there, torn between crying and laughing.
Conscience of heaven and earth, he just said those words to pretend. As for scheming against Laisol, it was just going with the flow.
Since their relationship was already at a low point and such an incident occurred, if he didn't even fight back, wouldn't it raise suspicions? After all, he's just a sixteen-year-old boy.
"Settle down and hide your abilities"? Isn't that obvious? If he wasn't cautious about causing too much change and attracting attention, he could lay low forever.
Ambition is built on a foundation of power. Having lived through two lifetimes, Hudson hasn't gained many advantages, but he has indeed learned to be flexible.
The Golden Finger has not arrived yet, so he was just an ordinary person with more memories. How could he be arrogant in this world where the law of the jungle prevails?
If the original person wasn't a poor student who hated studying, he would have gone to the bookstore tower a long time ago. Baron Redman's order served as a perfect excuse for him.
Stepping into the "Bookstore Tower" with vague memories, Hudson was quickly disappointed. Instead of a mountain of books, all he found were carefully preserved sheepskin scrolls.
At one point, Hudson even contemplated making his fortune by producing paper. However, this impractical idea was quickly discarded.
Not to mention that the paper-making process is complicated and is not something he can pull off with his limited knowledge. The key is that his position dictates his thoughts. Being in the noble class, he had to consider issues from the perspective of the Noble Consortium.
The invention of paper could reduce the cost of spreading knowledge and facilitate cultural and knowledge dissemination. But does the Noble Consortium need this?
The answer is obviously: No.
Sheepskin scrolls are expensive to produce and are not conducive to the spread of knowledge, which is certainly a disadvantage. But looking at it from another perspective, this is also an advantage.
From the Noble Consortium's perspective, it is preferred that knowledge is monopolized by them. The higher the cost of spreading cultural knowledge, the better it is for maintaining this monopoly system, and the more beneficial it is for the rule of the Noble Consortium.
As a beneficiary of this system, betraying one's own class is definitely not an option. No matter how important money is, nothing is more important than life.
Picking up a scroll of continental history, Hudson couldn't help but read it with interest. Unfortunately, the content was vague and skimming over a lot of information, a lot of it being hearsay.
There was no way around it. Although the Koslow Clan has a thousand-year legacy, they are still minor nobility and do not have the ability to gather information from the whole continent.
The main reason the Koslow Clan has preserved up till now, Hudson believes, is due to their ability to reproduce. Just looking at Baron Redman, it's obvious that the Koslow Clan has been gifted in sowing their seeds.
Thanks to the clan's distinguished tradition, besides the eldest son who inherits the family business, when the other sons come of age, they set out with a set of knightly equipment and a few attendants.
A cruel survival mode best shapes people. Although most of the clan members fall along the way, there are still a lucky few who break out and make a name for themselves, either through their war accomplishments or alliance marriages.
Accumulated over generations, there is no scarcity of minor nobility under the Koslow Clan banner, making it one of the most populous clans in the Empire.
Just because there are a lot of people doesn't mean there is more power, but populations do make survival more likely. Even if an heir dies out, someone else would quickly fill the vacancy, avoiding the tragedy of the Empire forcefully reclaiming lands due to the lack of an heir.
By operating in this manner and slowly permeating one area after another, the Koslow Clan would eventually rise to the top, even without any standout characters.
Of course, the prerequisite is maintaining a high birthrate. Otherwise, in this world where war frequently erupts, who knows what tomorrow will bring? A single war might disinherit a thousand years of accumulation.