When the morning came, the old steward, Hill, personally wheeled the breakfast cart into the study. Upon entering, he saw the young master of the family standing on the staircase in front of the bookshelf, engrossed in a thick volume on astrology.
It seemed the young master had not slept all night, although he appeared slightly fatigued, his spirits seemed quite good. However, he appeared rather dirty... Did he spend the entire night rolling around in those ledgers?
Furthermore, he had removed an ancient sword from the wall and placed it on the desk... Alas, that was an antique once wielded by their ancestors.
The old steward sighed, immediately summoning someone to attend to the young master's grooming.
After finishing breakfast, Duwei stretched lazily. "Have the people who came with me from Yanjing been settled in for the night?"
"Of course, they are lodged behind the castle. Your escort knights have been integrated into the castle's guard as per family protocol... Forgive my presumption, esteemed young master, but it seems you recruited a knight on the road, and moreover, brought back a captive. I intended to house the knight in the castle for rest, but she declined... because you also brought back a prisoner. I have confined the captive to the castle dungeon. Last night, the female knight and her entourage stayed in the rooms above the dungeon."
"Very well." Duwei sighed. "So, what shall I do during the day... Continue poring over these accounts? I imagine it will take at least three or four days to finish... That sounds dreadfully boring, Hill. I must find something to occupy my time."
Three or four days? If you finish within ten days, that would be impressive.
The old steward thought to himself but remained respectfully composed. "Yes. You are the master here. All the people in the castle are your servants, and your will shall be the ultimate authority. As for these accounts, there's no rush to finish them immediately. They are just the records of the past year. I believe if you find yourself with some spare time in the future, it might be more beneficial to inspect one or two of the family's estates. Perhaps that would be more productive than perusing these tedious ledgers."
Duwei smiled and raised an eyebrow. "That's a good suggestion, Hill. What shall I do today? Is there any entertainment here?"
"Well..." The old steward looked a bit troubled. "You know, the level of activity here cannot be compared to Yanjing. The nearest town is a day's ride away, even on horseback. As for activities within the castle, there isn't much to pass the time on ordinary days. However, the surrounding scenery is quite pleasant. If you're interested, you could ride out with your knights into the woods for some hunting. Though there might not be much game this season, it's still a decent option for a change of scenery."
Duwei nodded, lifting the cup of red tea in front of him for a sip, then suddenly felt a stir in his heart. "The guy I brought back... there shouldn't be any issues, right? I mean, I have the authority here to..."
"You mean law enforcement? Good heavens... Young master, this is the Roland Plain! The entire plain belongs to the Roland family! Here, as long as you don't commit treason against the Empire, besides that, the will of the Roland family is the law! And you, right now, are the highest-ranking person of the Roland family in this castle."
"Very well." Duwei stood up, and a maid immediately approached with a long leather coat, intending to help Duwei put it on. Duwei glanced at the garment made of some unknown animal fur and shook his head. "The weather is still warm, no need for these... Oh, right, Hill, I need one or two attendants by my side. I prefer to have people I'm familiar with... Let Mad come over, I still prefer having him with me. As for the others, have you integrated the twenty knights I brought from Yanjing into the castle guard? Good, I'll make some time today to visit them and inspect the castle guard. Um... one last thing. My childhood mentor was a renowned astrologer, the distinguished scholar Mr. Rosiat. Under his guidance, I developed a keen interest in astrology. During my stay in the castle, I'll need to use the room at the top of the White Tower."
"The White Tower's top..." The old steward hesitated, his expression troubled. "Well... young master, perhaps you are unaware, but there has always been a prohibition in the family. Except for the patriarch, no one else is allowed to ascend to the top of the White Tower."
"Oh?" Duwei's eyes brightened. "Is that so?"
He showed no signs of disappointment; instead, there was a hint of anticipation in his heart... Well, since it's off-limits, there must be some relics left behind by Saimel? Perhaps there will be some discoveries.
As for... not being allowed in? Well, if the front door is closed, I'll find another way in, won't I?
"Very well. Then, I have a few items that I need you to have someone procure for me." Duwei finished speaking, picked up a goose feather quill from the desk, and quickly wrote down a few items on a piece of paper.
These were some things he had come up with last night that he needed for studying astrology.
To study astrology, he would need at least a telescope, preferably an astronomical telescope. However, such a thing didn't exist in this world, so it seemed he would have to make one himself.
Glass did exist in this world, and the craftsmanship of mirrors here was very high. With a little research, he could probably make a rudimentary telescope.
Actually... sigh, the use of a telescope in this world is quite limited because it's mainly used for military purposes. But in this world, there's magic! With a mage casting "Hawkeye," the effect is far better than that of a telescope.
Sigh, magic, magic! It seems I'll have to find a way to learn magic.
With that in mind, Duwei stood up immediately. "It seems I'll need to make some time to visit my prisoner in the dungeon today."
Duwei left the study, and soon the old steward had Mad brought in according to Duwei's orders.
The former stable hand looked a bit dejected. After all, he had been acting as the "chief" all the way, directing twenty cavalrymen on the road. That feeling was quite enjoyable. However, as soon as they arrived at the castle, those guards were immediately integrated into the castle guard and stationed in a small barracks on the left side of the castle outside. And he, as the "chief," immediately became a commander without troops.
Taking on the title of a steward but without a single subordinate under his command.
The old steward here seemed to be an elder figure of the Roland family, so how could I dare to encroach on his authority? After spending a night sleeping in the room, Mad still felt worried about his future... Master didn't let me serve him last night, did he forget about me?
Therefore, when he heard Duwei's summons early in the morning, Mad immediately rushed over. His hurried appearance made the meticulously groomed old steward Hill somewhat displeased, but Mad didn't care. Running into the castle hall, he saw Duwei standing there and hurriedly approached, almost wanting to embrace Duwei.
"Oh, my master, I am your faithful servant, Mad. Do you have any orders?"
Duwei noticed that Mad seemed a bit at a loss. After all, in this place now, Mad was the closest person to him, while others... well, that Irene could barely be considered half.
Duwei didn't rush to visit the magician imprisoned in the dungeon but instead issued a command: from today onwards, no one was allowed to enter the study without his orders!
The old steward didn't say anything about this strange order and complied with it.
Afterwards, Duwei first took his men to the military camp outside the castle. Here were stationed three hundred private soldiers of the Roland family, including one hundred cavalrymen, divided into five cavalry squads of twenty each, patrolling around the castle every day. The twenty guard knights Duwei brought from Yanjing were conveniently formed into the sixth squad. These men changed their equipment in the camp and immediately welcomed Duwei.
Duwei had already conversed with Mad along the way and then had Mad select six people to serve as his personal attendants. These six men were all observed by Mad along the way and were considered relatively loyal and diligent. Without a second word, these six knights took off their armor and put on lighter gear, mounted their horses, and bid farewell to the camp.
Their colleagues looked on with envy as they left... Sigh, after all, being by the master's side, there might be opportunities for promotion if they caught the master's eye one day.
It had to be said that leaving the oppressive Count's mansion in Yanjing and coming to this castle in the Roland family's territory made life quite enjoyable.
At least here, Duwei was the highest-ranking person, and this noble lifestyle was quite enjoyable. When he went out, a servant immediately brought forth a gentle steed, with the saddle and bridle being the finest goods. It was said that to please Duwei, this horse was personally chosen by Mad. The former stable hand indeed had quite a good eye for horses.
For the rest of the morning, Duwei took his six attendants for a stroll in the woods outside the castle. Eventually, he selected a spot.
At the edge of the forest, a little further from the castle, there was a stream, a tributary of the Emerald River (Roland River). The water flowed gently, and upon inspection of the surroundings, there were no signs of large wild beasts. Duwei immediately made a decision: he would build a cabin here.
This would be his first magical laboratory—although he wasn't a magician yet, and he had been deemed to lack the talent for learning magic, Duwei wasn't worried about that.
There would be a way.
After marking the location, Duwei led his men around to survey the area.
The young master's behavior indeed seemed quite peculiar.
During this morning, apart from inspecting the surrounding woods, he spent his time chatting with the castle servants. And the first person he received was surprisingly the castle's gardeners and florists!
Later, the young master drew up a list, instructing the gardeners and florists to prepare some strange flowers and plants according to the list. This list quickly fell into the hands of the old steward, Hill, who didn't say anything but immediately complied.
By evening, Duwei finally had some free time to visit the prisoner in the dungeon.
After enduring two days and nights of torture, that magician should have had enough suffering by now. Let's see if he's willing to submit.
Confidently, Duwei returned to the castle with his men, but the first person to find him was the old steward, Hill.
"Master, all the items you listed today have been purchased and are on their way back," Hill said.
"So fast?" Duwei was pleased and surprised.
"Of course, this is the Roland family's territory. Your orders are our duty. After you handed me the lists, I immediately sent people to purchase them from the nearby towns. The items are now on their way back. However, there is a small problem..."
"What is it?"
"Your money might not be enough," the steward replied calmly.
"...Money?" Duwei was a bit taken aback.
"It's like this," the old steward remained calm, but it was precisely this calm expression and tone that made Duwei somewhat annoyed. Because in the steward's eyes, there was a hint of hidden schadenfreude. "Master, because you are not yet of age, the rule set by the patriarch states that aside from your daily expenses, you are allowed to withdraw three hundred gold coins per month from the family funds for your personal use. Three hundred gold coins per month is the limit of your discretionary spending. If you exceed this amount, it will be deducted from the next month's allowance."
Duwei was left speechless.
Money? Duwei hadn't expected that as the eldest son of a count, he would still run into problems over such a trivial amount of money.
The steward swiftly pulled out a monocle from his pocket and placed it over his left eye, then took out the list Duwei had made that day. "Four pieces of top-quality crystal, twenty pieces of glass mirrors, one crucible, half a cart of coal. From the florist, you purchased seeds of the First Gold Scale Flower, seeds of the First Arrow Orchid, and a large bottle of pollen from the House Rosy Black Roses... Additionally, a set of the finest floral tools. From the gardener, you bought two Tiger Skin Broadleaf trees, a hundred clovers, and..."
The steward quickly went through the list, then continued slowly, "The total cost of these items amounts to approximately four hundred and twenty gold coins. This means you have not only exhausted this month's allowance but also preemptively withdrawn from next month's. Furthermore, I heard you intend to build a cabin near the stream in the woods. I've made a rough estimate, and if you plan to construct a two-story wooden house, even if it's not too complex, it will likely require around three hundred gold coins. Additionally, the furnishings and decorations for the cabin, furniture... would cost around two hundred gold coins. Taking all this into account, you've likely spent all the money for the next four months."
Duwei was at a loss for words.
He realized he had probably miscalculated!
Money!
The eldest son of a count, actually running out of money!
But those plants were essential. They were the most basic materials necessary for Duwei's research into alchemy.
Duwei looked at the old steward, his expression darkening. "Is that so? You mean to say that I, the eldest son of my father, responsible for overseeing the family estate, can only use a mere three hundred gold coins per month? Am I hearing correctly?"
The steward's attitude remained respectful. "Yes, that's the rule, as stated in a letter personally written by the Lord Patriarch. Although the family estate generates tens of thousands of gold coins in revenue each month, you must understand... those are public funds. You are not yet of age, have not inherited your own title, nor have your own estate, so..."
"So, I'm limited to a monthly allowance of three hundred gold coins, right?" Duwei's tone was icy, then he waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, I get it. I understand that for the next few months, I probably can't just buy whatever I want, can I?"
"I'm sorry, this is a decree from the Earl. You can only withdraw up to three months' worth of money in advance."
Seeing the displeasure of this young master, the old steward promptly took his leave.
After the steward left, Duwei glanced at Ma De beside him. Ma De immediately spoke cautiously, "Master... I still have the one thousand gold coins you asked me to keep for you. They were given to you by the Countess before we left Yanjing."
Duwei sighed. "Well, I was wondering why Mother would secretly give me such a sum of money... Now I understand... hehe, it seems that Father was also worried that this idiot would cause trouble on the family estate, afraid that I would tarnish the family legacy. So he just gave me the title of overseer but didn't allow me to use the money here."
"We can save some expenses. Actually, three hundred gold coins per month is quite a lot..." Ma De stopped himself there, realizing that his young master was deep in thought.
"All right, since that's the case, we'll figure out a way to make some money on our own." After a brief moment of annoyance, Duwei immediately brightened up... Anyway, behind that door in the secret passage left by Saimer, wasn't there still plenty of treasure? If necessary, he could just use the money there.
But... it seemed that life on this appointed estate wasn't going to be as carefree and liberating as he had imagined.
"Let's go, let's check the dungeon." Duwei waved his hand dismissively and said coolly, "Hopefully, that magician won't refuse me today. My mood isn't great right now!"