"Sir, we're here!" Zach, Jeffery's chief guard, announced.
"This shouldn't take..." Aquila's mouth fell open as she saw the thick, tall wooden walls and soldiers patrolling the alure. Even the watchtowers were manned. This structure did not match what she had in mind.
"Is that Golden Fragrant Corn?" Jeffery, who stood by her side, gasped. His voice made her lower her gaze to the lush fields, and disbelief struck her again. How could a farm produce such a yield in this poor, abandoned barony?!
Wasn't this the same town that was ruled by Baron James Ashbourne, the man who was the topic of every noble family in the wasteland? The noble families had already excluded the Ashbournes, as not only did they not have a gold-ranked knight for over three decades, but they also had a bad reputation.
The farmers were busy harvesting the corn, and a cloud of golden mist had formed over the farmlands. Jeffery, Aquila, and their men could perceive the delicious scent of Golden Fragrant Corn.
"When did this poor barony begin to grow gold from the ground?" Zach, the chief guard, said with an envious gleam in his eyes. If this farm belonged to his lord, he would be the target of most wealthy families, as they would gladly give him their daughters in marriage to gain access to his lord. Not only that, but he would also be filthy rich.
He leaned closer to Jeffery. "My Lord, this place belongs to you, right?"
"Of course it does," Aquila replied when she saw the distressed expression on Jeffery's face.
As they were about to return to the carriage before the people spotted them, Jeffery saw the herders on their way back with a herd of Moonlit Starhorn cattle. Upon seeing the cattle and the Sterling Bulls behind them, he blinked several times in disbelief. What was going on?
Weren't these the silver-ranked livestock he had heard of during his stay in the high plains? It was said that only high-class nobles like counts, marquises, dukes, and rich merchants could afford to train or buy the products of these livestock. The worth of this barony had just risen by several folds with the appearance of the maize and cattle. Forget being a baron; Jeffery was sure he could buy the title of a viscount if he had all these.
"Let's go." He entered the carriage when the herders began to look at them. Upon reaching the gates, the soldiers stopped them. Their eyes were emotionless as they gazed at Zach, who tried to threaten them by releasing a bit of his silver-ranked aura.
"Who are you?"
All of a sudden, a thick, reverberating voice rang out from behind, causing Zach to turn. He saw a tall, muscular man approaching, who could be likened to a bear. The man wore an enviable gambeson with metal vambraces, boots with metal attachments, and a thick coat with fur padding at the shoulders. A shield the size of a door and the height of an adult was on his back, and a spear was firmly gripped in his large hands.
Zach frowned. "I'm Zach, chief guard and guardian of Lord Jeffery Ashbourne, the rightful lord of this land!"
His voice carried far. In the next moment, all the soldiers around him adopted a defensive stance, with their shields before them and their spears above the shields. Their eyes were cold, ready to enact Alec's orders.
The men around Zach wanted to draw their swords, but with spears pointing at them from all sides, they chickened out. They were just farm guards who had fought thieves and sometimes wild beasts. They had never faced a true, battle-hardened army.
"An Ashbourne?" Alec said softly.
Jeffery opened the window and looked at Alec. "Tell your current lord that Baron James Ashbourne's third son is here."
Alec scoffed and revealed a little smile, shocking his men. For the first time in a month, he actually smiled, but this smile might not be for Jeffery's good.
…
Jeffery and Aquila sat in the dining room. Aquila looked at him. "When did your father build this?"
"He didn't. If he had, my mother wouldn't have chosen to live with her family."
Aquila frowned deeply. "So who built it? Your father's sons are dead, and only the bastards are left. You did a good job erasing the other bastards, but that cripple was exempt."
As Aquila uttered the last word, the double door swung open, and three maids entered. They had prepared a meal with the corn. They placed the meals on the table and left.
Aquila showed a disgusted expression when she saw that the meals weren't served with silverware, and the hollowware wasn't ceramic but wooden. "What rubbish is this? Do they want to poison me?"
Jeffery had the same expression, but when he saw the soft gleam on the surface of the milk, he was compelled to take a sip. That sip transformed into voracious gulping.
In no time, he finished it and decided to take a spoonful of the shimmering golden corn. As he chewed, his expression brightened, and he adjusted himself and began to eat. Aquila looked at him with wide eyes.
"Jeffery, stop eating that! I said, Stop eating!" she yelled, and Jeffery wiped his mouth. "Taste it before you yell."
Under Jeffery's persuasion, Aquila finally took a sip, and her eyes went wide. It seemed like everything she had consumed before this was rubbish. She felt a comforting sensation throughout her body, causing her to let out a joyful moan of satisfaction.
"With this, your father and I will be the richest in the entire wasteland. Even richer than Count William Tigris if we play our cards right." Jeffery's words painted a bright future in Aquila's mind, a future where nobles in the high plains would clamor for her like flies.
Before she could fully indulge in her dreams, the doors swung open once again, and two men walked in.
Upon seeing the young gray-haired man, Jeffery froze in shock. "Y... You're..."