Ambition

The following days were calm and uneventful. Renard stayed in the castle, making plans for his upcoming trip, while his lackeys diligently completed the tasks he assigned them.

"Ding! Reward: Fifty dinars for helping the tenant farmers in the territory overcome the cold winter."

Following the crisp system notification, Renard stopped writing with his quill and once again projected his consciousness into his mind. The number sixty-eight was clearly displayed in the lower right corner of the System Mall.

This was the second task he had completed, or rather, the second task his lackeys had completed for him. Although the task progress was a bit slow, the results were satisfactory.

Selina attended to him from the side. Seeing her young master lost in thought again, a knowing smile appeared on her face. Thinking about the good deeds her young master had been doing lately, her heart was filled with warmth. She thought to herself, Although my young master's temperament has changed drastically, it's a good thing for the territory.

Then, she became nervous again. Looking at the map spread on the table, her face was full of worry.

Renard's nine lackeys were equally worried because they found that the tasks assigned by their young master were becoming increasingly bizarre, and the direct consequence was that the task difficulty was rising infinitely.

"Help Mr. McCarthy clear the sewer on Vanilla Street?" Ben held the note in his hand, almost crying. Most importantly, it was marked with a reminder: You must complete this personally.

In fact, all the notes Renard handed out to his lackeys had this prominent line written on them.

Tommy stealthily glanced at the note in Ben's hand and couldn't help but show pity. He then opened the note in his own hand, and his eyes instantly went blank: "Clean the garbage dump in the slums?"

"Pfft!" Lackey Raleigh couldn't help but laugh, but seeing the murderous glares from his companions, he forcefully held it back.

A cold smile played on Tommy's lips. He pointed to a line of small text at the bottom of the note and said, "Young Master Renard asked me to choose three people to complete the task together."

Raleigh: "..."

Regardless of how unwilling the lackeys were, the great cleanup campaign of Saint Brieuc Fortress proceeded vigorously.

The residents didn't know what had gotten into these guys who used to bully and oppress them, but they were happy to see them rolling around in the foul-smelling, muddy sewers, feeling a sense of revenge.

Baron Hamilton also felt relieved. Renard not bringing his lackeys to cause trouble in the countryside had already put him at ease. Now that he was helping with good deeds, his confidence grew even more. It seemed this son wasn't entirely useless.

It's just that...

Thinking of the report from his subordinate, Baron Hamilton couldn't help but frown. "He actually wants to go out adventuring?"

Bennett stood beside him with a faint smile. "Saying it's adventuring is a bit of an exaggeration. It seems he wants to clear out the monsters around the territory. This is a good thing. It shows that the young master is starting to take his responsibilities seriously and cares about the safety of the territory."

"Mm!" Baron Hamilton felt that what he said made sense. His frown gradually relaxed, and a gratified smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Good, these are the noble qualities a qualified lord should possess."

Saint Brieuc Fortress was close to the Ambrisset Mountains, with many monsters around that could never be completely eradicated. It was a major concern for him.

Although he didn't believe Renard's actions would be effective, having the intention was enough.

After finishing his current business, Baron Hamilton sipped his tea. "The tea from the East, though bitter, has a unique sweetness when you savor it. It's ten thousand times better than milk tea. No wonder it's so popular among those Nobles in the Royal Capital."

He took two sips, a look of enjoyment on his face, but it quickly returned to calm. "My Duncan Family owns fifty thousand square kilometers of land in the Barren Land. We are close to the coast and should be vigorously developing maritime trade. Unfortunately, the person above has no vision."

Bennett bowed slightly, strongly agreeing with this statement. "Maritime trade would indeed bring the Duncan Family immeasurable wealth. It's a pity that Duke Edmond is engrossed in martial arts and has no interest in doing business."

Baron Hamilton couldn't help but sigh and look out the window. All he could see were dilapidated houses, muddy streets, and raggedly dressed poor people. He was moved. "If I were the Grand Duke, the Barren Land wouldn't look like this."

Although his voice was soft, his words were filled with confidence. Before he took over Saint Brieuc Fortress, it was just a dilapidated village with only a few dozen households at most.

Now, the permanent population was over two thousand. Including the merchants who came for trade and the mercenaries passing through, the scale was three thousand people.

If this were the north of a prosperous kingdom, such achievements might not be worth boasting about. But this was the desolate south, a place that made people's faces turn pale at the mention of the Barren Land. Such accomplishments were enough to make one proud.

Bennett did not reply. As an old man who had served two generations of lords, he knew which words to respond to and which not to.

After a long silence, Baron Hamilton sighed slightly and asked, "Have the taxes to be paid to the Grand Duke been prepared?"

"They've been ready for a long time." Bennett took out a piece of paper and recited its contents like a family treasure. "Ten gold coins, twenty thousand catties of grass and grain, five oxen, two dairy cows, ten sheep, two sets of armor, ten Longswords, two spears..."

As Baron Hamilton listened to the report, his expression grew worse and worse, finally turning as black as the bottom of a pot. He sighed deeply and waved his hand. "Find a time to send it over."

Bennett bowed slightly, respectfully placed the paper on the desk, and turned to leave the room.

Baron Hamilton sat back on the sofa, holding the paper in his hand, his eyes fixed on the numbers. These numbers were like sharp blades, cutting into his flesh.

He angrily slammed the table and roared, "Damn trash, parasites."

In fact, in this era, which resembled medieval Europe, lords were completely left to their own devices, at least in the nascent Kingdom of Arthur.

This meant that lords and nobles did not have to pay any taxes to the king, only express their loyalty. However, they could not avoid being exploited by their direct superiors.

Baron Hamilton's direct superior was the current master of the Duncan Family – Duke Edmond.

Of course, the noble Duke Edmond would not force his subordinates to pay taxes. You could choose not to pay, as long as you could fight against his private army of three thousand men.

Baron Hamilton clenched his fists. He really wanted to have a showdown with his short-sighted and arrogant cousin, but thinking of his own small force of a few dozen weak soldiers, he immediately dismissed this foolish idea.

His face showed dejection. The feeling of unfulfilled ambition was maddeningly unbearable. He picked up the mirror on the desk and looked at his temples, where many white hairs had already grown. "Sigh!"

A silent sigh, containing who knew how much bitterness and helplessness.