Treasure Falling from the Sky

Barbecuing was the oldest method of cooking. There was a saying here: "No roast, no feast." Without roasted meat, it did not count as a banquet.

The coachmen and hunters had followed Frederick through the forest for several days, so naturally the young Master had to treat them to a meal.

Although the rabbits and pheasants had been caught by the hunters, and Ah Fu had crouched by the fire to roast them, Baron Weissen had personally handled the spices. The "guests" were overwhelmed by the honor.

There was no shortage of herbs in the forest. Picking a little of each and crushing them into a green paste made it look somewhat like Orc's Fate. All they had to do was smear it over the meat before roasting.

After lunch, everyone crossed a stone bridge and arrived on the other side of the river.

Along the banks of the Swabian Rezat River, a tributary of the Main River, more than a dozen watermills stood in a row. Their enormous waterwheels turned with creaks and groans.

The wheat in the fields had only been harvested last month, and carts carrying wheat and flour filled the space before the mills.

Farther away stood carpentry and blacksmithing workshops. The waterwheels could drive the carpenters' saws, lathes, drills, and other equipment, as well as the blacksmiths' ore-crushing pestles, forging hammers, bellows, grinding wheels, and other tools.

Most of this row of water-powered workshops belonged to the Weissen Family, while the rest belonged to the family's vassals.

Frederick told the coachmen and hunters to go home first, then said to his steward, "Ah Fu, let's take a look inside the mills."

The mills were one of the Weissen Family's main sources of income. Besides wheat, they also ground beans and other grains.

The two entered the nearest mill. Seeing his superior arrive, the manager hurried over with a broad smile, but Frederick waved him away and told him to get back to work.

The mill was deafening. Its moving parts produced piercing noises through friction, and even oil did little to help.

Frederick stood to one side and watched quietly. The waterwheel's main shaft served as the power source, driving the millstones while also powering a sieve woven from horsehair and a wind-driven machine that separated particles of different weights.

As he watched, he thought to himself that it was time to bring out something that could make money. With current conditions, they could produce a barely usable version, and the market was huge. It could become the family's cash cow.

Before long, hurried hoofbeats stopped outside the mill. A mage of sixteen or seventeen rushed inside.

He was in such a hurry that the wand in his hand nearly knocked over a worker carrying wheat.

Frederick frowned. Jürgen was the descendant of a knight under the Weissen Family and one of the most outstanding young mages in the territory. He was usually quite steady. Why was he so panicked today?

Jürgen came to Frederick's side and said in a low voice, "Master, please hurry to the docks at Treuchtlingen. A great many guests have arrived there."

Treuchtlingen was a small town eight kilometers southwest of Weissenburg. It stood beside the Altmühl River, a tributary of the Danube River, and was only a short trip by land.

Frederick asked, "Where are these guests from?"

"Constantinople," Jürgen replied. "This spring, Constantinople fell into civil unrest. Scholars from the university and libraries fled the city. Many of them came along the Danube River, and it looks like they brought a great deal with them."

Frederick nearly jumped at the news. He immediately said, "Go to the estate by Brombach Lake at once and have them prepare to receive guests!"

"This matter must be handled properly. If anything goes wrong, you will answer for it yourself."

Brombach Lake lay among the mountains more than ten kilometers north of Weissenburg. It was five or six kilometers long and two or three kilometers wide, with a water route leading directly to it. A sizable Weissen Family estate stood beside the lake.

When Frederick's father had still been alive, he would hunt there with his vassals every autumn.

No matter which world one lived in, talent was always in shortest supply.

Last year's war had not only taken Frederick's father. The eleven knights who had gone to war with him had never returned either. The defensive forces of Wessen Territory were now extremely depleted. Only the old knight Franz, who had remained behind, and rising talents such as Jürgen, Lothar, and Andrei were holding things together.

The territory's future development would require all kinds of talent. Whether they trained their own people or recruited from outside, they could never have too many.

Frederick had recently considered going to the university in Munich to the south to find scholars to teach Jürgen and the others—and himself as well.

Now things were perfect. A whole group of scholars had arrived, and they were from Constantinople, a place with a strong academic atmosphere. If Frederick failed to keep them, he might as well bash his head against a block of frozen tofu.

Frederick could ride. After finding two horses with Ah Fu, they galloped toward Treuchtlingen. The journey of more than eight kilometers took little time.

The docks outside the town were in chaos. Frederick was startled when he arrived.

There were plenty of mills along this stretch of the Altmühl River as well, and many cargo boats were already docked there to transport wheat and flour. Now, a massive fleet had arrived and directly blocked the waterway.

The old knight Franz was stationed at Treuchtlingen. At the moment, he was speaking with an elderly man.

The old man looked exceptionally intelligent. He had a large beard, held a wand in his hand, wore a dark robe, and had a purple belt around his waist.

"Master," Ah Fu whispered beside Frederick, "among the scholars of Constantinople, only sages recognized by the court are qualified to wear purple belts."

Frederick nodded and immediately stepped forward to introduce himself. "I am Baron Frederick von Weissen, lord of this land. Welcome, Your Excellency Sage."

After returning Frederick's greeting, the old man said in accented Rhenish, "I am Manuel of Constantinople University. We are like duckweed without roots, and humbly ask to rest in your lands for a while."

When Frederick looked at Manuel, he saw exhaustion all over the man's face. The robed people aboard the ships were much the same. They had likely not enjoyed proper rest for a long time.

He asked, "Your Excellency Manuel, how many people are there in your group?"

Manuel hesitated before answering, "We have thirty-six scholars from the university and libraries, seventy-two professors, and two hundred and fifty-six students. Most of the fifty ships are loaded with books transported from Constantinople."

Frederick nodded, then turned solemnly to Ah Fu and Franz. "Immediately arrange food and lodging for Your Excellency Manuel and the others. Make sure everyone eats well and sleeps well. If anything is lacking, bring it from Weissenburg at once."

Treuchtlingen had only a little over a thousand residents, while the visitors numbered more than three hundred. Receiving them would indeed be troublesome.

At present, the only place capable of housing so many people at once was the Church of Light's church.

"Your Excellency Manuel," Frederick said with a bitter smile, "would it be acceptable for you to stay in the church tonight?"

Manuel hesitated. The Church of Light in the Rhine Alliance region belonged to a different faction from the church in Constantinople, and there was conflict between them.

They had been unable to find a place to settle along the way. First, the middle and lower reaches of the Danube River were a region of mixed farming and nomadic peoples, and the locals did not respect scholars. Second, Vienna, the first Big City they encountered along the route, had refused to take them in because of church factionalism.

Ah Fu noticed the other party's hesitation and said to Frederick, "Master, why not have the guests squeeze into the courthouse and town hall separately?"

Frederick slapped his forehead. Those two places were indeed quite large, and they were close enough to look after each other. He immediately asked Manuel, "What do you think, Your Excellency?"

Manuel breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement.

Both sides began to get busy. Franz went to prepare the accommodations and arrange people to make dinner. Ah Fu went directly to the riverside mills to buy flour, while also sending people door to door to purchase sausages.