Baron of Red Maple's Invitation

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At the Giant Stone City Mage Association, Donald had been immersed in the library for three full days. During these three days, he had only briefly attended to his physiological needs, such as eating, and replaced sleep with meditation to record as much knowledge from the collection as possible.

The majority of the content focused on world history, the strength levels of various professionals, and introductions to the gods.

In just three days, Donald's understanding of this world surpassed the seventeen years of memories he had inherited from his predecessor. After all, the original Donald was merely a youth from a fallen noble family, not a professional; how could he have ever seen these precious, mage-exclusive collections?

On the morning of the fourth day, under the slightly concerned gaze of his teacher, Messer, Donald finally stretched his slightly aching shoulders and walked out of the library, feeling satisfied yet harboring a hint of regret. He wished he could pack up every single book in there and take them with him.

"It's a pity time is limited. I have to go receive the two manors I purchased today, otherwise, I would really like to stay here forever."

Once he took over the manors, he would have many affairs to handle personally. He likely wouldn't have much time to return to the Mage Association in the future, which was why he had seized these three days to ignore the spell incantations that the other apprentices were studying and instead absorb as much comprehensive knowledge as possible to lay a solid foundation for the future.

Besides, with the Book of Truth in his hands, he wouldn't be as defenseless as those apprentices when facing danger.

After bidding farewell to his teacher, Messer, who held him in high regard, and the other two mages, and exchanging greetings with the attendant William, Donald left the Mage Association.

As expected, the steward, Code, was worried about his young master, but since he had to manage affairs at home, he had taken turns sending Clinton and the other two, along with the coachman, to wait outside the association every day. As soon as Donald emerged, they hurried to greet him.

"To the Noble Council Administration Office!"

Without saying much, Donald boarded the carriage and instructed the coachman to set off.

Upon seeing Sir Jesse again, the man immediately stepped forward to welcome him with enthusiasm.

"Donald, you've come at just the right time! The survey results are complete. Now, as long as the contract is signed, those two manors will officially belong to you! I'll send someone to invite the Goddess's priest right away!"

Hearing this, Donald couldn't help but laugh heartily, disregarding any noble decorum. At this moment, he found the man's somewhat affected posture and flamboyant attire much more pleasing to the eye.

"Thank you so much, Jesse! Once the manor is built, you will be the first guest I invite!"

Such a form of address proved that the two had initially established a friendship; usually, nobles addressed each other by their titles or ranks when they met.

Regarding the enfeoffment of nobles, acts of allegiance, and the transfer of property such as manors, it was only legal if witnessed by high-ranking figures such as upper-tier nobles, royal representatives, or servants of the gods. Purchasing a manor wasn't quite as complicated, but since Sir Jesse, as the official in charge, lacked the status to act as a witness, the common practice for local nobles was to invite a prestigious local lord or a member of the clergy to bear witness.

Unlike other countries on the continent, the Kingdom of Selt was currently a monotheistic nation. From the monarch down to the commoners, everyone worshipped only one true god: the Goddess of Agriculture. Of course, there were many pan-theists or non-believers, but the Goddess of Agriculture was a benevolent and tolerant deity who did not view one as a heretic simply for not worshipping her.

As the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture, which was legally permitted to spread its faith in the kingdom, its structure was relatively loose compared to the churches in other countries on the continent where religious disputes were intense. Furthermore, the church had little ambition for secular power, which was the primary reason the Selt royal family could accept the Goddess of Agriculture.

One must know that the Selt royal family, formerly a branch of the enfeoffed nobles under the ancient magic empire of Bannai, did not have a very good impression of the churches of the gods, which had caused the collapse and fragmentation of their great empire.

After the time it took to eat a meal, a young priest from the local Temple of the Goddess of Agriculture was led in by an attendant.

"Jesse, what business do you have calling me over again? Speak quickly; the Bishop still has church affairs for me to attend to!"

This clergyman was a handsome young man, but his manner of speaking was extremely arrogant; one could tell at a glance that he must have come from a noble background.

However, he did have the capital for such pride. Although young, he was already an assistant deacon under the temple bishop, holding a status far higher than that of an ordinary local noble.

It was said that he had also come down from the royal capital to "gild" his resume, but he was faring much better than Jesse, who was an illegitimate child. The fact that he could come to witness this manor transaction was solely due to his good friendship with Sir Jesse.

"Don't be impatient. Let me introduce you. This is the future Knight of the Merlin Family, and he is the one purchasing the manors this time. Donald, this is my friend from the royal capital, Martin. He is the only son of Marquis Sadi of the court and is currently an assistant deacon to the Bishop of the Giant Stone City temple!"

"It is an honor to meet you!"

Donald bowed first. He didn't need to be overly humble toward the heir of a court marquis, but since the other party was a member of the church, he had to maintain a considerable degree of respect.

Initially, Priest Martin had looked down on a rural noble like Donald. The identity of an heir to a hereditary knight barely warranted his attention, but since the other party hadn't officially received his title yet, it was unclear if he could inherit it smoothly. However, upon catching sight of the blank badge worn on the other party's chest, his expression faltered, and he immediately put on a warm, smiling face.

"Knight Donald is truly young and promising. I wonder which mage you are an apprentice to? I've seen quite a few mages here in Giant Stone City when I was with the Bishop!"

"What? Donald, you are actually a mage apprentice?"

Jesse, who didn't know much about the mage system, hadn't noticed that Donald had an extra badge on him when he came for the second time. And Donald hadn't explained it either.

Priest Martin said with a smile:

"Jesse, you are as muddled as ever! Didn't you see that Knight Donald is already wearing the badge of an official mage apprentice?"

This item could not be faked by ordinary people; anyone capable of imitating it would have already passed the test to obtain a real badge and wouldn't need to resort to forgery.

Donald then replied:

"Jesse, there's no need to be surprised. I only obtained my official apprentice status a few days ago. My teacher is Master Messer!"

Martin was startled and said:

"Is it Master Messer, the only Silver Mage in North Shire and a master of alchemy?"

"Yes, it is my good fortune to be able to learn by Master Messer's side!"

At this, both Martin and Jesse couldn't help but gasp in unison, looking at Donald with undisguised envy. Martin was slightly better off; the Archbishop he followed managed the affairs of an entire shire and was himself a Silver-tier powerhouse, so he merely regarded Donald's status with importance. Jesse, however, was extremely envious of Donald's good luck. Fortunately, he had self-awareness and did not let this envy turn into jealousy; instead, he affirmed his decision to fully cultivate a friendship with the other party in the future.

The process of signing the contract was completed quickly. Under the witness of the young priest of the Goddess of Agriculture, Martin, Donald and Sir Jesse signed the contract on behalf of the royal family and the Merlin Family, respectively. Martin also signed his name in the witness section. In this world, there were spells and divine arts that could verify authenticity, so there was no fear of anyone forging documents or contracts.

During this time, Donald had been worried that his Book of Truth would be discovered by the Goddess's priest. However, the spirit of the Book of Truth, sensing his anxiety, transmitted a thought that completely put Donald at ease. It turned out that unless a true god's avatar descended in person, or descended through the body and consciousness of a believer, even a professional of the highest strength would not be able to detect the existence of the Book of Truth, which was a high-level divine artifact. This included professionals such as servants of the gods and priests.

With this, the land of these two manors officially belonged to Donald. As long as he did not violate the laws of the kingdom or defy the gods, even His Majesty the King had no right to take them away.

After Donald symbolically offered fifty Gold Sol as a tribute to the Goddess, Martin left, feeling very satisfied. Before leaving, he specifically extended an invitation to Donald. Naturally, Donald did not refuse, promising that he would definitely invite him to attend a banquet once the manor was built. Then, after bidding farewell to Sir Jesse, Donald took his copy of the contract, drove the carriage out of Giant Stone City, and returned in the direction of Red Maple Town.

As they passed in front of Red Maple Town, Donald suddenly instructed the coachman:

"Go back to the town to pick up the steward, then turn here; we are going to take a look at the manor!"

"Understood, Master!"

The coachman responded, cracked his whip in the air, and drove the carriage back to the old Merlin residence. After picking up the steward, they followed the main road outside Red Maple Town and headed toward the northwest of the town.

Donald's two manors were located northwest of Red Maple Town, bordering the outskirts of the Green Cloak Forest, situated upon a vast stretch of wasteland that had once been a lord's fief.

The carriage bypassed the town without entering, and in just over ten minutes, it arrived directly at the site of the nearest small manor from outside the town limits.

Looking at the scene before him, Donald nodded, feeling reasonably satisfied.

The butler, Code, grabbed a handful of soil and said to his young master with excitement:

"Young Master, although this small manor is overgrown with weeds and has been untended for years, the soil quality is actually quite good—not much different from the farmland near Red Maple Town. As long as we plant crops and tend to them carefully, we will surely have a bountiful harvest next year!"

"Indeed! Sir, my wife also farms an acre of barley for the lord in town, and the harvest was quite good this year. Looking at this land, it's even better than the lord's fields!"

The coachman also stepped down to inspect the manor's soil, arriving at a conclusion that made the butler even happier.

Donald was not particularly worried about the soil quality, as he had his own methods for enriching the earth. The only thing that needed consideration now was the issue of safety; according to Sir Jesse, the reason the previous owners had all eventually chosen to abandon this fertile little manor and let the royal family reclaim it at a low price was that magical beasts from the nearby forest would frequently run out to ravage the crops and scare away the hired hands.

"It seems this place will require some serious construction."

With the Book of Truth as his ultimate cheat, Donald was not worried about building up the manor to defend against magical beasts.

It was a pity that the original structures attached to the manor had all been dismantled by the previous owners in an attempt to recoup some of their costs, leaving Donald with nothing but an old wooden shack that had a large hole in its roof. Fortunately, the markers and fences defining the manor's boundaries had not been torn down as well, which had saved Sir Jesse's men a great deal of trouble during their survey. Otherwise, the manor would not have reached Donald's hands so easily!

However, this was for the best; it would make it easier for him to rebuild from the ground up, forging this place into an impenetrable fortress, as secure as an iron bucket.