As soon as Reialu took his first step, he felt exposed. The confidence he had as a transmigrator vanished in an instant. Indeed, the world is full of clever people; it was fortunate that he realized this in time, or the consequences might have been much worse in the future.
Baron Redman, seeing Reialu's silence, mistook it for a sign of discouragement and offered some comforting words: "Don't be disheartened. The fact that you've achieved this much at your age is already commendable. No matter how brilliant the performance, it is difficult to escape the scrutiny of the observant. Most of the time, people simply choose to turn a blind eye. It's understandable that you wish to make a name for yourself, but stepping on Laesule too harshly might be going too far. After all, he is your brother."
Fraternal strife is a cruel thing for any father. Although Baron Redman was harsh in his punishment of Laesule, it was only because he was disappointed in him; deep down, he still cared for his son.
Reialu hesitated slightly before asking, "But, Father, you once taught me that a competent noble should always pursue maximum profit. Laesule is not only of poor character but also extremely foolish. Allowing someone like him to remain in noble circles would only bring shame to our family. I was merely taking advantage of the situation."
Showing mercy to an enemy is tantamount to cruelty to oneself. Although the original hatred came from his predecessor, having inherited his identity, Reialu was also bound to inherit this enmity. Complete destruction would be too cruel, and Baron Redman would never accept it, so severing Laesule's future prospects seemed like the best option.
This incident had already impacted Laesule's future, and until the storm passed, he would barely be able to leave the house. Reialu intended to use this opportunity to further push him down, gaining fame for himself and ensuring that Laesule's future remained bleak.
The nobility has its own rules, and no one would accept someone with a tarnished reputation, especially someone like Laesule, who has no title. Without even being able to enter the circle, what future could he have? Unless he was a genius who could become the strongest on the continent overnight—but that was almost impossible. The resources in the estate were limited, and all the siblings were eager to compete. Even a genius would struggle to stand out in such competition, let alone Laesule, who was far from a genius.
Baron Redman, stimulated by Reialu's words, stared at him for a long time before slowly saying, "Reialu, your thoughts are too extreme. This is not the mindset you should have at your age. There's nothing wrong with being pragmatic, but you must have a heart that can master pragmatism, not lose yourself in the pursuit of it. In the world of the nobility, there is no right or wrong, only advantages and disadvantages. But there are many clever people, and often cleverness backfires. You must learn to settle down, to hide your strengths."
With that, he swept out of the room, leaving Reialu to smile helplessly. What he had just said was merely to maintain his disguise and to take advantage of Laesule. The two of them were already at odds, so if he did nothing in return, wouldn't that arouse suspicion? After all, he was only a sixteen-year-old boy.
"Settle down," "hide your strengths"—how could he not understand these principles? If he weren't worried about changing too much and attracting unwanted attention, he would have preferred to bide his time indefinitely. Ambition must be built on a foundation of strength. Having lived two lives, he might not have many other virtues, but he had certainly learned patience and the ability to endure.
The golden opportunity had yet to arrive; he was just an ordinary person with some extra memories in a world where the strong devour the weak—how could he dare to become complacent? If the original Reialu hadn't hated reading, he would have long since made his way to the library. Baron Redman's order was the perfect excuse for him.
However, when he entered the "library," he couldn't help but feel disappointed. The mountains of books he had imagined did not appear; instead, what met his eyes were neatly stored parchment scrolls. At one point, he considered getting rich by producing paper, but he quickly abandoned that idea. The papermaking process was complex, and he only had a rough understanding of it, making it impossible to accomplish. More importantly, as a member of the nobility, he had to consider the issue from their perspective.
The emergence of paper might lower the cost of knowledge dissemination, which would benefit cultural diffusion, but was this something the nobility needed? Clearly not. The high cost of parchment limited the spread of knowledge, but it also maintained the nobility's monopoly, helping to consolidate their power.
As a beneficiary of the current system, Reialu understood that he could not betray his class. Wealth was important, but it could not compare to life itself. He picked up a volume of the Continent's History and began to read. However, the content of the book was vague, with many parts glossed over or based on hearsay. Frustrated, he had to continue his search.
The Koslow family had been around for a thousand years, but they were still only a minor noble family, unable to gather comprehensive information on the entire continent. Reialu believed that the family's longevity was primarily due to their fertility. Just looking at Baron Redman, one could see that the Koslow family had always been gifted in terms of reproduction.
Thanks to the family tradition, aside from the eldest son who would inherit the family estate, other sons would set out with knightly equipment and a few retainers once they came of age. The harsh reality of survival was the best way to temper a person. Although most of the family members fell on the path of struggle, there were still the lucky few who stood out, earning titles through military exploits or marriage. Over the generations, the number of minor nobles bearing the Koslow family name had increased, making it one of the most populous families in the empire.
Having a large population doesn't necessarily translate into strength, but it certainly boosts survival capabilities. Even if one branch were to die out, another would soon take its place, ensuring that the family wouldn't lose its land due to a lack of heirs. If they could continue like this, the Koslow family might one day join the ranks of the top nobility. Of course, this was on the condition that their birthrate remained high. In a world plagued by constant warfare, who knew what might come first—tomorrow or an unexpected catastrophe? A single war could wipe out centuries of accumulation.