[Three Hundred Gold Coins]

[Three Hundred Gold Coins]

At daybreak, the old steward Hill personally wheeled a breakfast cart into the study. When he pushed open the door, he saw the young master of the family standing on the ladder before the bookshelves, engrossed in a thick book on astrology.

It looked as though the young master had not slept all night. Though his face showed a trace of fatigue, he still seemed to be in good spirits. It was just that his clothes were rather too dirty... Could he have spent the whole night rolling around in those account books?

And one of the short swords mounted on the wall had been taken down and placed on the desk... Sigh, that was an antique once used by their ancestors.

The old steward sighed and immediately summoned someone to help the young master wash and dress.

After breakfast, Du Wei stretched. "Have the people who came with me from the Imperial Capital been settled in properly?"

"Of course. They are staying behind the castle. Your guard knights have been incorporated into the castle guard according to family regulations... Forgive my presumption, respected young master, but it seems you recruited a knight on the road—and a female knight, at that. I had intended to arrange for her to rest in the castle, but she refused... because you also brought back a prisoner from the road. I do not know how that prisoner offended you, but I have arranged for her to be locked in the castle dungeon. Last night, that female knight and her attendant stayed in the rooms above the dungeon."

"Very good." Du Wei sighed. "Then what am I supposed to do during the day... keep reading these accounts? I think it would take at least three or four days to finish them all... That would be far too boring, Hill. I need to find something to do."

Three or four days? It would be impressive if you finished them in ten.

The old steward thought to himself, though his face remained respectful. "Yes. You are the master here. Everyone in the entire castle is your servant. Here, your will shall be carried out to the fullest. As for these accounts, there is no need to rush to finish them at once. They are merely the accounts from the past year, after all. I do think that when you have time in the future, you might spare a little of your precious time to inspect one or two of the family's estates. That may be more useful than reading these dull account books."

Du Wei smiled and raised his brows. "Good advice, Hill, very good advice! So what should I do today? Is there... anything to do here?"

"Uh..." The old steward looked troubled. "You know that this place cannot compare to the Imperial Capital in prosperity. The nearest town is a full day's journey there and back, even on horseback. As for the castle, there are usually no activities to pass the time. Still, the scenery around here is quite pleasant. If you are interested, you can ride out with your knights and hunt in the woods. There may not be much game in this season, but going for a stroll would still be a fine choice."

Du Wei nodded. He lifted the red tea before him and took a sip, then suddenly had a thought. "That person I captured... there will not be any trouble, will there? I mean, do I have the authority here to..."

"You mean the authority to enforce the law? My heavens... Young master, this is Roland Plain! The entire plain belongs to the Roland Family! Here, so long as you do nothing treasonous against the Empire, the wishes of the Roland Family are the law! And you are currently the highest-ranking member of the Roland Family in this castle."

"All right." Du Wei rose to his feet. A maid at his side immediately approached with a long fur coat, intending to help him put it on. Du Wei glanced at the garment, made from the fur of some unknown beast, and shook his head. "The weather is still so warm. There is no need for this... Oh, right, Hill. I need one or two attendants at my side. I prefer people I know well. Mm... Send Made over. I still prefer having him follow me. As for the rest, have you incorporated the twenty knights I brought from the Imperial Capital into the castle guard? Very good, then. I will also take some time today to see them and inspect the warriors of the castle guard while I am at it. Uh... one last thing. My childhood tutor was the famous astrologer, the renowned old scholar Mr. Rosiat. Under his guidance, I developed a keen interest in astrology. While I am staying in the castle, I want to use the room at the top of the White Tower."

"The White Tower... the top floor..." The old steward opened his mouth, a troubled expression appearing on his face. "This... Young master, perhaps you do not know, but the family has always had a prohibition: no one except the family head is permitted to climb the White Tower."

"Oh?" Du Wei's eyes lit up. "Is that so?"

He was not disappointed in the slightest. Instead, anticipation rose in his heart... Hmm, since it was a forbidden place, perhaps Semel had left behind some relics inside? There might even be something to discover.

As for... not being allowed in? If I cannot go openly, can't I just sneak up there?

"All right. Then there are a few things I need you to send someone out to purchase for me." After saying this, Du Wei took a quill pen from the table and swiftly scribbled several items onto a sheet of paper.

They were all things he had thought of the previous night that would be needed for studying astrology.

To study the stars, he would at least need a telescope, preferably an astronomical telescope. But such a thing did not exist in this world, so it seemed he would have to make one himself.

This world did have glass, and the craftsmanship of its mirrors was highly advanced. With a little research, he should be able to produce a crude telescope.

Actually... sigh, telescopes had little use in this world. They were mainly used for military purposes in war. But this world had magic! If a magician cast an Eagle Eye spell, the effect would be far better than a telescope.

Sigh, magic, magic! It seemed he still had to find a way to learn magic.

With that thought, Du Wei immediately stood up. "It seems I need to spare some time today to visit my prisoner in the dungeon."

After Du Wei left the study, the old steward quickly sent for Made as Du Wei had instructed.

The former stableman looked rather dejected. After all, he had served as "Chief Steward" all along the journey, commanding twenty cavalrymen, and that feeling had been quite satisfying. But the moment they arrived at the castle, those guard cavalrymen had immediately been incorporated into the castle guard and stationed in a small barracks to the left outside the castle. Meanwhile, his title of "Chief Steward" had instantly left him a commander without an army.

He carried the title of chief steward, yet did not even have a single subordinate.

The old steward here appeared to be an elder of the Roland Family. How could Made dare to challenge his authority? After sleeping in his room all night with a heavy heart, Made had begun worrying about his future... The young master had not summoned him to attend him last night. Could he have forgotten about me?

Thus, the moment he heard Du Wei had summoned him in the morning, Made came running at full speed. His hurried appearance displeased the old steward Hill, who cared greatly about decorum, but Made did not care. When he rushed into the castle hall and saw Du Wei standing there, he hurried over, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around Du Wei.

"Oh, my master, I am your loyal servant Made! What are your orders?"

Du Wei could see that Made was somewhat at a loss. After all, in this place, Made was the only one who could be considered his confidant. As for the others... well, Ruolin barely counted as half of one.

Du Wei did not hurry to meet the magician locked in the dungeon. Instead, he first issued an order: from this day onward, no one was to enter the study without his permission!

The old steward said nothing about this strange order and simply carried it out.

Afterward, Du Wei led his people to the barracks outside the castle. Three hundred private soldiers of the Roland Family were stationed there, including one hundred cavalrymen organized into five squads of twenty. They took turns patrolling around the castle each day. The twenty guard knights Du Wei had brought from the Imperial Capital had conveniently formed the sixth squad. After changing their equipment in the barracks, they immediately came to greet Du Wei.

Du Wei had already spoken with Made along the way. Then he had Made choose six men as his personal attendants. These six had all been observed by Made throughout the journey and deemed fairly loyal and diligent in their duties. Without a word, the six cavalrymen immediately removed their armor, changed into lighter clothing, mounted their horses, and left the barracks.

Their comrades watched them depart with envious expressions... Sigh, they would be serving at the master's side. Perhaps one day, if the master took a liking to them, they might get the chance to rise in rank.

It had to be said that after leaving the stifling count's residence in the Imperial Capital and arriving at this castle in Roland territory, life was quite enjoyable.

At the very least, Du Wei held the highest status here, and this noble lifestyle was rather pleasant as well. When he went out, servants immediately led over a gentle, fine horse. Its saddle and bridle were both exquisite, top-quality goods. He had heard that, in order to please Du Wei, Made had personally selected this horse. The former stableman truly had a sharp eye for horses.

Over the course of the morning, Du Wei took his six attendants around the woods outside the castle twice, before finally choosing a spot.

At the edge of the forest, somewhat farther from the castle, there was a small stream, a tributary of a tributary of the Emerald River—the Roland River. The water flowed gently, and after inspecting the surroundings, they found no signs of large wild beasts. Du Wei immediately made his decision: he would build a wooden cabin here.

This would be his first magic laboratory—though he was not yet a magician and had been judged to possess no talent for learning magic, Du Wei was not worried about that.

There would always be a way.

After marking down the location, Du Wei led the others around to look at a few more places.

This young master's behavior truly seemed quite strange.

Throughout the morning, aside from inspecting the surrounding forest, he had gone around chatting with the castle servants. And the first people he received were actually the castle's gardener and flower keeper!

Afterward, the young master produced another list and instructed the gardener and flower keeper to prepare several strange flowers, grasses, and plants according to its contents. The list soon fell into the hands of the old steward Hill. He said nothing and immediately set about carrying it out.

By evening, Du Wei finally had time to visit the prisoner in the dungeon.

After two days and two nights of suffering, that magician must have had more than enough, right? Would he be willing to submit now?

Du Wei returned to the castle with great confidence, but the first person to come looking for him was the old butler, Hill.

"Young Master, I have already dispatched people to procure everything required on the lists you drew up today."

"So quickly?" Du Wei was both pleased and delighted.

"Of course. This is the Rowling Family's territory; your orders are our sacred duty. As soon as you handed me those lists, I immediately sent riders on fast horses to purchase the items in the surrounding towns. The goods are already on their way back. There is only one small problem..."

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid you do not have enough money." The butler answered without changing expression.

"..." Du Wei was rather taken aback. "Money?"

"It is like this." The old butler's face remained calm, yet that very calm expression and tone made Du Wei feel a surge of irritation. There was clearly a trace of concealed gloating in the old man's eyes. "Young Master, since you have not yet come of age, the Patriarch has decreed that, apart from your daily food, clothing, and necessities, you may draw three hundred gold coins from the family each month for your personal expenses. Three hundred gold coins a month is the limit of the funds you may use. Anything beyond that must be deducted from next month's allowance."

"..." Du Wei found himself speechless.

Money? Du Wei had never imagined that he, the eldest son of a dignified count, would run into trouble over such a trifling amount of money.

The old butler swiftly took a monocle from his pocket and put it over his left eye, then pulled out the list Du Wei had written today and began to read. "Four pieces of high-grade crystal, twenty glass mirrors, one refining furnace, half a cartload of coal. From the gardener, you purchased a bag of Golden Scale Flower seeds, a bag of Arrow Orchid seeds, and a large bottle of Jialuo Black Rose pollen... In addition, there is a complete set of the finest floral tools. From the groundskeeper, you purchased two Tiger-Striped Broadleaf trees, one hundred clover plants, and also..."

The old butler rapidly finished reading the list, then slowly said, "Purchasing these items cost approximately four hundred and twenty gold coins. In other words, not only have you spent this month's allowance, you have even drawn on next month's funds in advance... And I also heard that you intend to build a wooden house beside the stream outside the woods. I have already made an estimate. If we calculate based on constructing a modest two-story wooden building, it will likely cost another three hundred gold coins. Then there are the furnishings and furniture you requested for the wooden house... those will cost roughly another two hundred gold coins. By this calculation, I'm afraid you have already used up all of your money for the next four months."

Du Wei was somewhat at a loss for words.

He realized he had probably miscalculated!

Money!

The eldest son of a dignified count was actually going to run out of money!

But those flowers and plants were essential. They were the most basic raw materials he needed for researching magical potions.

Du Wei looked at the old butler, his face darkening. "Is that so? You are saying that I, my father's eldest son, the person responsible for guarding the family's territorial holdings, can only use a mere three hundred gold coins each month? Did I hear that correctly?"

The old butler's attitude remained respectful. "Yes. Those are the regulations, stated in the letter personally written by the Patriarch. Although the family's holdings bring in tens of thousands of gold coins every month, you must understand... that is public money. You have not yet come of age, have not yet received your own title, and do not yet possess territory of your own, so..."

"So I only get three hundred gold coins a month in pocket money, right?" Du Wei's tone was cold. Then he waved a hand. "Fine, I understand. For the next few months, I probably can't buy things whenever I please, right?"

"I am very sorry, but those are the count's orders. At most, you may draw three months' allowance in advance."

The old butler could see that his young master was unhappy, so he promptly took his leave.

After the old butler withdrew, Du Wei looked at Made beside him. Made immediately said cautiously, "Young Master... I still have the one thousand gold coins you asked me to safeguard. The countess gave them to you before we left the Imperial Capital."

Du Wei sighed. "Sigh, I wondered at the time why Mother had secretly given me such a sum of money... Now I understand... Heh, it seems Father was also worried that this fool would run wild on the family estate and squander the ancestral inheritance. So he only gave me the title of caretaker, but would not let me touch the money here."

"Well... we can cut down on some expenses. Actually, three hundred gold coins a month is already quite a lot..." Made stopped himself with commendable awareness, because his young master was thinking.

"...Fine, if that's how it is, then we'll find a way to make some money ourselves." After a brief spell of displeasure, Du Wei quickly came to terms with it... After all, didn't the secret passage Semel had left behind contain quite a bit of treasure beyond that door meant as a smokescreen? If it really came down to it, he could use the money from there.

Still... it seemed his days of exile would not be as carefree and free as he had imagined.

"Come on, let's go take a look at the dungeon." Du Wei waved a hand and said blandly, "Let's hope that mage doesn't refuse me again today. I'm in a very bad mood right now!"