Blessed by Abundance, Scourge of Terra

Of course, getting full marks in subjects like language and situation prediction is completely impossible, not even if Wenqu Star himself descended to the mortal world.

However, Kal'tsit was also quite sly. After Huang Cao corrected the test papers against the answer key, he discovered that aside from nearly acing Language and History, her scores in most other subjects hovered around the upper-middle range.

Clearly, even Kal'tsit didn't want to become a beast of burden herself.

But someone remarked: "You not wanting to doesn't mean I can't make you."

"As long as you pass, it proves you're capable. From now on, you'll teach all eight of those subjects!"

After dinner, accompanied by Warfarin, Kal'tsit took a stroll through the center of the territory and casually probed with a few questions.

Perhaps worried that her behavior might be too conspicuous, Kal'tsit only asked a few trivial matters before returning to the room Warfarin had prepared for her.

The room prepared for the servants was not particularly large, but it could be called cozy and luxurious.

Kal'tsit thought to herself, if even the servants' quarters are this extravagant, the master of this castle must have enormous daily expenses.

It was even more comfortable than what most nobles enjoyed, yet she saw no signs of exploitation on this land.

Everyone lived and worked in peace. On her way back to the castle in the evening, Kal'tsit even saw rooms with their doors left unlocked.

But after her daytime observations, she keenly sensed something unusual about the residents living here.

Although the adults all had Originium Infection, the children born to couples were perfectly healthy, showing no signs of the disease.

In truth, it was possible for infected parents to give birth to uninfected offspring.

But the odds were no better than winning the lottery—incredibly slim.

Yet every single person living here was a lottery winner. That was highly abnormal.

Could it be because of that Golden Giant Tree?

Kal'tsit had several reasons for wandering the territory, one of which was to collect fallen leaves from the Golden Tree, then find an opportunity to take them out for study.

But after walking for nearly half an hour, she hadn't spotted a single leaf on the ground.

Even if there were any, they were green, not the glowing golden ones.

Since she had lied this morning about being disfigured, Kal'tsit didn't dare remove the black gauze covering her face even while bathing, and she slept with the black cloth on as well.

Too many people here wanted her dead. She could resurrect, true, but getting stabbed wouldn't be pleasant for anyone.

Besides, resurrection took time, and this territory was developing so rapidly...

Thinking this, Kal'tsit became even more certain that the lord of this land must possess secrets she didn't know.

At the very least, he absolutely could not be a Grass-eating Demon!

With these thoughts, this Immortal, far older than the history of this land itself, lay awake all night.

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Kal'tsit finished the castle's signature breakfast and, with a composed expression, attended the interview.

And this time, she met the master of the castle.

In Kal'tsit's eyes, the man before her looked like a youth just starting out in the world, barely an adult yet dreaming of making his mark.

His face, rich with the features of Yan Country, was handsome yet still held a trace of unpolished, youthful innocence.

His pitch-black pupils were deep and dark, making it impossible for anyone to see what their owner was thinking at that moment.

"Greetings, Your Honorable Lord."

Kal'tsit, dressed in a maid's uniform, bowed with precise, measured movements, her etiquette resembling that of an elegant noblewoman from the Victorian court.

"Madam, your bearing and mannerisms are very much like a Victorian noble. May I ask, how could someone as excellent as you end up in a backwater like Kazdel?"

Huang Cao had originally wanted to go big with this cat, directly exposing her identity on the spot to startle her, but he thought better of it.

Without truly understanding her intentions, revealing all his cards was a very foolish move.

Kal'tsit was an old hand too, spinning stories effortlessly without needing a draft.

"Your Honorable Lord, although I was born into a Victorian noble family, as an illegitimate daughter with no inherited magical talent, I had little value to offer. The only thing of worth I had was my face."

"But a month ago, a sudden fire disfigured me, and I contracted Originium Infection from the disaster. My family unsurprisingly abandoned me, leaving me to fend for myself in the wild. After wandering for a month, I stumbled upon your territory."

"I hope you can grant me a job sufficient to make a living. I will dedicate all the knowledge I possess, including attending to your daily needs."

Although Huang Cao now wanted to crack a few jokes and act unserious, considering that if he did, the nearby vampire would probably bite him hard tonight, he held back.

So he put on a serious face and asked, "Stories all follow this template. I don't care where you came from, but once you're here, you're my subject. The agreement I'm signing with you isn't some company contract. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Kal'tsit nodded in agreement.

As a feudal noble, Huang Cao's words were perfectly appropriate.

Contracts weren't common in this era; agreements were far more binding.

"Your interview is passed. Sign this contract, and from now on, you'll receive a reward of one gold coin per month."

Huang Cao pulled a piece of animal hide from his drawer. Kal'tsit took it, carefully read its contents, and signed her name without any hesitation.

Silkai...

Huang Cao and Warfarin saw the name Kal'tsit had signed on the contract, and both nearly burst out laughing.

There will be another update this afternoon.

### Chapter 31: Earning Guidance from Kaitian Cat

What a name you came up with—if your territory were in Yan Country, this method might not work so well.

"That name is a bit awkward. Change it, or else you could reveal your true name."

"My deepest apologies, respected Lord, but this is my name."

"Do you dare swear that on your parents?" Huang Cao said to the other with a stern expression, not a hint of joking in his tone.

Kal'tsit fell silent. Clearly, she had no intention of taking such an oath, and simply stared back.

Stare~

"I cannot employ someone who won't even reveal their true name."

"But you may address me in another way," Kal'tsit said flatly.

Huang Cao stroked his chin. "Pretty sharp. Fine, from now on I'll call you Kaitian Cat. It's got the 'Kai' sound anyway, close enough."

Kaitian Cat? A flicker of daze passed over Kal'tsit's face.

Because in her memory, there was once a woman who often used "old man" as a catchphrase and called her that too.

"If that's how you'd like to address me, then it's fitting enough, Lord."

Kal'tsit yielded in the end. This youth before her was clearly no easy mark to fool.

But fortunately, she had ample experience dealing with such people.

In the endless passage of years, most of the people she'd encountered were far harder to handle than this youth.

At least on the surface, Huang Cao didn't play dirty tricks.

"Still, you must have seen my results. Though I know a fair bit due to my family background, there are still some subjects I'm not good at. So can I teach history and math?"

"I won't have you teaching people directly. With the territory's current finances, my subjects can't yet afford the education systems of Victoria or Yan Country."

"You'll be in charge of teaching the teachers who haven't become teachers yet. They'll spread it out and teach the others. For now, thirty teachers have been assigned to you."

"I trust that a well-traveled Kaitian Cat like you also knows how to use some machinery, and your Sarkaz is quite good..."

"Life is the foundation of everything. As much as I'd like to let these brats truly experience what exams are, the most urgent matter right now is generating income for the territory. Otherwise, we'll go bankrupt next year."

Let the young Sarkaz recognize their nation's script, read basic texts, and operate engineering machinery according to manuals.

Because the territory was too small and resources too scarce, Huang Cao couldn't pull off anything like a ten-year plan. But if ten years wouldn't work, what about a hundred?

Each generation of Sarkaz has its own mission.

The Sarkaz who followed Huang Cao to the territory ten years ago were the first generation.

Their mission was to create conditions for their descendants to survive on, not to make the territory prosperous in a short time.

The second generation's mission was to make the territory stronger, but still not to make it prosperous, because the previous generation hadn't yet created the conditions for them to obtain rich spiritual nourishment.

Besides, how could Huang Cao create conditions for the second generation?

After all, if he couldn't get money, the territory would go bankrupt next year. Where would the funds come from to focus on education?

In this day and age, having books to read and a place to work was already good enough. No room for picking and choosing.

As for the third generation... that was too far off. If the territory's income stabilized, a basic education system could be established within fifty years, and they could truly start climbing the tech tree.

When the future civil war between the two kings broke out, Huang Cao planned to make a big move, using the opportunity to overthrow both siblings!

A joke?!

If Theresia could become the Demon King, why couldn't I?

A territory was, after all, just a territory. Neither in scale nor culture could it compare to a nation.

Though Huang Cao didn't know how to manage a country right now, whatever—he'd grab the position first.

After all, with no room to fall, any move was an improvement.

Truth be told, if he could, Huang Cao didn't want to get involved in the future civil war.

War was so boring; peace and comfort were the way to go.

But the future war in Kazdel was a clash of ideals. No Sarkaz could stand aside.

With so many Sarkaz subjects, even if Huang Cao didn't want to pick a side, the tide of history wouldn't care about his opinion.

So rather than being swept along, it was better to become a third party and win this war brilliantly!

"One more thing! I'm short on architectural talent. Kaitian Cat, when you have free time, help me design a castle. I feel this place is still too shabby. In the future, I want to build a palace even bigger than the Demon King's Palace."

Huang Cao sighed, looking at his office with a melancholy expression.

It really was a bit shabby. The floor was stone, not fragrant redwood.

It didn't suit his noble status at all!

Warfarin rolled her eyes from the side. "You still haven't given up on your castle. How much money have you spent on it already?"

"I don't care. Being a noble means enjoying life! How can I do that without a big house?"

"Very well, Master Huang. I'll do my best to find time to perfect your living quarters."

Kal'tsit inclined her body slightly—she had now more or less figured out the youth's personality.

Irreverent yet unexpectedly reliable, though the secrets surrounding him remained an impenetrable fog.

All in all, Kal'tsit felt she had settled down under this youth's command for now...

That evening, the two restless souls held another banquet to welcome Kal'tsit's arrival.

Only...

"Lord, is this what you call having no money?"

Kal'tsit held gilded chopsticks and cutlery in her hands, her eyes fixed on the dazzling array of delicacies spread across the table, her tone tinged with doubt.

The aroma of the food was unusually refined—the seasonings used were clearly no ordinary fare.

"Hm... Hm?"

"Aren't these just common seasonings?" Huang Cao asked, puzzled, as he sent a piece of tender, juicy steak into his mouth.

Under the dim lamplight, Kal'tsit's expression soured.

"You may not realize this, but outside, pepper is currently priced almost the same as pure gold, and only a handful of nobles can indulge in it freely."

"Doesn't anyone grow the stuff?"

"Not every piece of land is as fertile and free from calamities as your territory. Elsewhere, even growing grain is a struggle—who has the time to cultivate seasonings that can't fill a stomach?"

Damn it. I've wasted ten years of prime money-making time!

Huang Cao felt his heart bleed on the spot.

"Warfarin, why didn't you tell me seasonings were this expensive outside?"

Warfarin shook her head helplessly. "Did you think the food I ate before was normal? Was I supposed to dip my blood in seasonings too?"

Kal'tsit was equally astonished. The soil here was so rich—how had these two never thought of this path to wealth?