After half an hour, Velin fell into thought, considering whether to take over the griffon breeding ranch.
The ranch itself was excellent, but its history was rather complicated.
Eight hundred years ago, Miwes Spensers, finance minister under Grotly Silvis, the twenty-second king of the Ilia Kingdom, founded the White Tower Griffon Ranch.
Three hundred years later, the White Tower Griffon Ranch fell into the hands of Colsy Cavis, finance minister under Congrev Silvis, the twenty-third king of the Ilia Kingdom.
Two hundred years after that, it became the property of Montas Dileister, the newly appointed finance minister.
A hundred years ago, it was acquired by Ismael Asterix, Babula's grandfather.
In just eight hundred years, the White Tower Griffon Ranch had changed owners four times.
At a glance, it merely looked like the normal transfer of property, nothing particularly unusual. But anyone with even a slight understanding of history could see the hidden pattern.
Thus, among the kingdom's upper ranks, the White Tower Griffon Ranch was also known as the Cursed Ranch. Whichever finance minister's family took over the griffon ranch would fall when the throne changed hands.
Yet every generation of finance ministers refused to believe such superstition and insisted on proving to the world that their family's fortune could suppress the Cursed Ranch.
As for whether the royal family had been pulling strings behind the scenes, that was impossible to know.
However, in Velin's view, those families had fallen solely because they had backed the wrong side and were purged by the new king.
Still, some things were better believed than dismissed. After considering it for a while, Velin prepared to refuse outright.
"Lord Velin, according to my grandfather's wishes, the White Tower Griffon Ranch only costs one Gold Coin," Babula said first, sensing the shift in Velin's mood.