There were not many large cities in the Phoenix Duchy and after walking for a day, the team had only gone past a few slightly larger estates. They had not even seen any small towns like Deep Forest Town.
Resting four times along the way and eating some dry rations, Aini was in a better condition than expected and did not delay their progress.
Nightfall approached, and the Nut Mercenary increased their speed.
"Mr. Aini, there is a castle twenty kilometers ahead. Is it fine to rest there for the night?" Flamenco sought the opinion of Aini.
"You’re the one who knows the way. I won’t interfere with your plan," Aini replied coolly.
Saleen did not say anything as he pretended to not have heard what Flamenco said. He and Aini were carrying a lot of gemstones on them and it was hard to trust the Nut Mercenary entirely. However, the two of them had their ways of hiding the gemstones out of the Nut Mercenary’s sight without them noticing, and this had stopped them from harboring any evil thoughts.
If Saleen started showing his anxiety, they would definitely catch on.
The team immediately turned north and sped off, entering a small path. The two sides were no longer farmland and were lined with dense forest. The branches on the two ends extended above the road and the sky seemed to have darkened.
Twenty kilometers took the team less than thirty minutes to travel, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the castle.
This was an old castle with a distinct Fourth Dynasty style. It had a tall peak and an elegant stone statue. There were no battlements on the castle and instead, there were v-shaped teeth-like openings at the top. It had even kept the barbette of the magic cannons.
During the Fourth Dynasty, only a marquis could have owned a castle like this.
There were many goshawks flying in the sky overhead. Saleen lifted his head but couldn’t make out the details of the eagle. At the front of the castle, Javelin was talking affably to two other guards who were fully clad in armor. It seemed the two of them knew each other.
Saleen thought: The Nut Mercenary must have decided to rest at this place long ago. Discussing it with Aini was only a formality.
"Baron Cook is my friend," Flamenco explained. He had brought Aini and the others here to rest to ensure their safety. Even though this place was far away from the border, it was still desolate. If they decided to camp outside, it would be troublesome if they met with any bandits.
Entering the castle, it was arranged nothing like the crudely designed castles in Sikeqinya, nor was it as gloomy and cramped as the ones in the Taggulasi Empire. Lining the wide corridors were many stone rooms that could accommodate four soldiers each, and it was spacious enough that it didn’t seem like a battle fortification.
In the hall of the castle, Baron Cook was there to accept Flamenco and the others.
"Old friend! How long you have not visited me!" Baron Cook was well-built and the silk he was wearing could not hide his muscles. He was thirty years old and in his prime. As he spoke, he gave Flamenco a big hug, seemingly not afraid that Flamenco’s armor would pierce through his expensive silk robes.
Saleen could not help but think of Viscount Gugger, as he was of the same age and was equally energetic.
Only after Baron Cook and Flamenco had exchanged greetings did they acknowledge Saleen’s presence. "Saleen, I’m so sorry. Here I was busy catching up with my old friend."
"Baron, your wealth is astonishing!" Saleen was direct. This castle was far too lavish for a baron like him.
Baron Cook was not embarrassed. He laughed candidly and said, "Saleen, you must be from Sikeqinya."
"How did you know?" Saleen was surprised. Truthfully, Baron Cook was a little impolite. Since the others had entered the hall, he had not asked Flamenco for any introductions and had only focused on catching up with Flamenco himself.
"Because you would have be clueless about the small secrets we have here. I did not buy this castle with a lot of money. Actually, it was more of a gift," Baron Cook said smugly.
"Such a thing exists!" Saleen looked at the interior of the hall. It had the same style of the castle, so evidently, it had not been redecorated after that. He was not entirely clueless about the wealthy and could at least differentiate the good from the bad.
"It was merely a stunt by the lords. All of this is nothing to a mage." Baron Cook stopped at an appropriate place and did not make fun of Saleen’s superficial knowledge.
Aini stood in the corner laughing to himself. He was very aware of what was happening. It was merely a case of two willing parties, and was common in big families.
Baron Cook was a cheerful person and it seemed like he was skilled in combat. If these had been times of war and he had led an army to fight alongside the emperor, his promotions would have been astounding. It was a pity, however, that the mainland had enjoyed peace for too long, and the low-grade wealthy like him and Viscount Gugger could only find means of currying favor with the higher-ups or living out their days.
The inside of the castle was spacious, and a dozen guests were nothing compared to the thousands of soldiers it could hold. After they had settled down into their rooms and everyone had freshened themselves up, the night banquet began.
The night banquet was an eye opener for Saleen. Even though they were still in Phoenix Duchy, there were many practices of the rich that were the same as those of the Qin Empire’s. There were little metal cutleries on the table and even the bowl for the soup was made out of porcelain more delicate than jade. Large crystal chandeliers hung above the dining hall. These decorative crystals had no developmental value or were made from magic crystals that had already been expended. Even so, the three crystal chandeliers had cost more than a thousand gold coins all together. The expensive lighting perfectly completmented the elegant handpainted ceiling.
Thinking back to Viscount Gugger’s dining hall, Saleen could not help but think that it had been a pig sty in comparison.
Before the main dishes were the appetizers and all the mercenaries were hungry. In order to get here before the end of the day, everyone had forgone their lunch and had not eaten anything to replenish their strength. The appetizers were gone in an instant, but Saleen had not touched any.
Next up was the alcohol. It was served in a small wine cup meant for gurgling and getting rid of the sweetness in the mouth. The mercenaries were thirsty and had wanted to gulp down the alcohol, but there was none left in their cups.
Saleen, however, focused on the details. If he were to survive in the Qin Empire in the future, he would need to deal with the wealthy. He realized the wealthy in the Qin Empire were very detail oriented, even people who were as easy going as Baron Cook.
The maids were prim and proper. They carried light smiles and were not clumsy, quietly serving the guests. What puzzled Saleen was that even the high-grade maids were dressed in silk.
Once he had built his magic tower, he would want it to be the classiest magic tower in the entire mainland too.
Saleen set his mind to it and gave himself a goal. He had forgotten which grand mage had said it, but a mage’s training was not for the sake of enduring hardships, but for leading a good life. Even though he did not really approve of this, he had had enough of being poor. If he could really become a grand mage or a sorcerer, he would probably not be an upstart either.
Baron Cook was smiling brightly as he chatted with Flamenco and the others. Now that he had found out that Aini was from the Clyde family, he had no intentions of currying favor with him. Firstly, Aini had been sent to the Phoenix Duchy and hence could not have been any important member of the family. Secondly, since Baron Cook had voluntarily left the Qin Empire to be an informant for the emperor, he had already cut all improper ties with the lower houses.
As someone who was determined to be in good favor with the emperor, he would not go and lick anyone else’s boots.
Every dish presented only consisted of a few small bites. Even though Saleen was a mage, he was growing and happily ate everything. After eighteen courses, the last was the soup and sweet wine. They were still in the middle of a mission and thus the mercenaries did not dare drink any hard liquor.
After eating, Saleen did not drink any alcohol but instead made a portion of restorative water for himself. Even though the Nut Mercenary thought that Saleen was ritzy, in their hearts, they admired him. The restorative water that mages produced had no side effects and was much better than the holy water from the Holy See. It was a pity that mages would not waste their magic chords to create restorative water for others.
However, Saleen was not satisfied. If he really became a sorcerer in the future, he would be able to drink magic liquid every day.
That was a Grade 7 magic and even though it had a much shorter shelf life, its effects however were amazing and could even treat persistent ailments. It could drastically improve one’s body condition. Many magic medicines with unique healing properties usually had some magic liquid mixed into them.
What comforted Saleen was that Nailisi had not been brought to the table but rather had been kept in his room and ate alone as she was his maid. That was a good idea and it could save him a lot of trouble in the future.
"Baron."
"Mage, just call me Cook. This is Phoenix Duchy, not the Qin Empire. There aren’t that many rules."
Cook’s words left a good impression on Saleen and Viscount Gugger even seemed pretentious in comparison.
"When I first arrived, I saw many eagles on the castle. I’ve heard that the Qin Empire specializes in rearing these animals. Are these eagles magic beasts?" Although Saleen’s senses were sensitive, he wished to own a magic beast like that too. At least when there were no swordsmen protecting them, he could discover any danger in advance.
"No, those can only be reared by the royals." Baron Cook was confused and immediately spoke a few hushed words to a servant behind him. The servant left the dining hall and called a swordsman, who was fully clad in armor, to the doorway.
According to Qin Empire rules, a baron had to have at least ten armored guards by his side. These guards had to be at his beck and call at any time.
"Master." The guard saluted handsomely. He turned out to be a beautiful female. Her armor had complicated floral patterns fashioned out from its hollow parts, and it was very different from the armors that were made in the Qin Empire. Saleen could tell that it was magic armor, far more expensive than the crystal chandeliers.
"Sijia, go to the tower and take a look at the situation."
"Yes, Master." The female swordswoman named Sijia stood proudly, almost like a peacock. She was not a commoner, and even though she would not inherit anything from her family, since joining the army she had accomplished many feats and there was a definite possibility of her becoming part of the female wealthy.
Sijia hurriedly left the dining hall and passed through the sky garden, heading straight for the tower. The soldier guarding the tower greeted Sijia upon seeing her in a bid to win her over.
"Leader Sijia…"
"Open the door at the top," Sijia replied coldly. At the top floor of the tower, there was a piece of alchemist equipment: a telescope.