Wealth in the Castle

Mountain Forest Castle was as lively as ever, though in just half a day, the owner of the castle had changed.

Luo Ning had dinner with the guards who came from Mountain Forest Town. This was their stage victory.

Although the soup, side dishes, and bread made by the chef were much worse than those at Wushan Castle, Luo Ning, who had been eating dried meat and dry bread for days, still happily ate several bowls.

The guards below were even more so.

The food on the road had already been quite good for them, not to mention the soup and dishes at the dinner.

The dinner lasted for about an hour. After it was completely dark, Luo Ning took a refreshing bath and moved into the cleaned-up small building.

This small building was entirely made of wood and had three levels: upper, middle, and lower.

The top level was an attic, usually used to store unused clothes or tools. The middle level was a luxurious bedroom, and the bottom level was the living room and a place for the servants to rest.

Luo Ning stayed in the largest room on the second floor, which was relatively clean after the servants tidied it up.

At this moment, he was sitting in the study outside the bedroom, the lit candle illuminating the entire room.

Although the light was not as soft as an incandescent lamp from Earth, it was enough for him to see every word in the books clearly.

In front of him were two books, or rather, Battle Technique manuals—Flame Slash and Fire Fist Bombardment.

Luo Ning glanced at them roughly. They were both Battle Techniques suitable for Intermediate Knights to cultivate.

Among them, Flame Slash should be the Blaze Attack move used by Prinster.

Fire Fist Bombardment was a bit more difficult to learn, so Prinster probably hadn't mastered it, or perhaps he had mastered it but didn't have a chance to use it.

These two Battle Technique manuals were quite useful for Luo Ning, as one of his attributes was Fire.

"Knock knock knock~" The door was knocked.

"Come in."

The manservant Chahar walked in. "Good evening, master."

He came to the table and respectfully reported his work: "I have completed the task you assigned."

Saying this, he took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it over.

"That was fast!"

The parchment felt fine and smooth to the touch, but there was also a faint fishy smell.

Luo Ning frowned slightly. Although the smell wasn't pleasant, he had read many books over the past few days and had gotten used to it.

Luo Ning had no difficulty reading the text from the other world. It recorded:

Money: 58 Gold Coins, 349 Silver Coins, 8466 Copper Coins
Grain: 18856 jin of Barley, 16230 jin of Wheat, 1000 jin of Flour, 500 jin of Dried Meat, 30 jin of Fine Salt, 136 jin of Coarse Salt, 320 jin of Gasha Salt, 280 jin of Butter
Beer: 26 bottles of High-Quality Beer, 138 bottles of Medium-Quality Beer, 5 barrels of Sour Beer
Horses: 1 Excellent Warhorse, 3 Ordinary Warhorses, 19 Ordinary Horses, 3 Foals, 5 Carriages
Cattle and Sheep: 4 Dairy Cows, 1 Male Dairy Cow, 1 Small Dairy Cow, 10 Female Black Water Buffalo, 1 Male Black Water Buffalo, 3 Calves, 126 Goats
Weapons: 3 Full Sets of Armor, 23 Iron Spears, 6 Knight's Swords, 12 Poor Quality Longswords, 8 Longbows, 356 Arrows
Hides and Furs: 56 Sheepskins, 13 Cowhides
Fabric: 87 rolls of Linen, 54 rolls of Woolen Fabric

Luo Ning carefully read the items listed on the parchment, and the smile on his face grew wider the more he read.

No wonder so many people dreamed of conquering a castle; the gains were simply too tempting!

"Prinster pledged allegiance to Resen of Sain Territory, so many things must have been given to Sain Territory. I didn't expect Mountain Forest Castle to still have so much!"

"Yes, master, this grain is enough for us to eat for a year!"

Chahar was incredibly excited when counting the wealth; he felt as if he had struck it rich.

"And it's almost September. I heard that Mountain Forest Town still has a batch of barley to harvest. By then, we will have a large amount of fresh barley again."

Although Luo Ning usually ate more wheat flour, barley was also an important grain.

It could not only be used as a ration but also as an important material for brewing beer, making malt sugar, and barley tea. In addition, the black bread made from its bran was a guarantee of survival for many people.

"There's no need to worry about grain in the castle."

Luo Ning had originally planned to go out and buy grain, but now it seemed more than sufficient.

As for the money.

Adding the money seized from the castle, Luo Ning now had 589 gold. Even if he used it to buy five Magic Crystal Stones, he would still have a deposit of over eighty gold coins.

He could now consider the First Purchase Bonus, but Magic Crystal Stones couldn't be bought in Mountain Forest Town.

If he wanted to buy them, he would probably have to make a trip to the nearest Pasture City.

"Mountain Forest Town hasn't found its footing yet, so it's not suitable to go out."

Luo Ning had been in the castle for less than five hours by his calculations. Many things hadn't been done, and he was completely tied up.

As for having others do it, that was even less possible.

The only general, Macken, had to stay by his side. The others weren't strong enough, and if they went out rashly and got robbed, Luo Ning wouldn't know who to cry to.

Besides money, he was most interested in horses, cattle and sheep, and weapons. Their value was much higher than grain.

"These three warhorses were ridden by Prinster and Sain. They were included after being captured," Chahar introduced. "The full sets of armor are basically the same."

Luo Ning nodded. He now had a basic understanding of the wealth of Mountain Forest Castle.

At this moment, he also understood how attractive so much wealth was to an Administrator, and it was no wonder the other party was reluctant to let go.

"Your statistics are very detailed. You did this job beautifully."

Luo Ning placed the parchment in his hand on the table and gave Chahar an appreciative smile. "You worked hard!"

Chahar quickly waved his hand, very humbly. "Master, please don't say that. It is my honor to serve you!"

"Alright, there should be warehouses and cellars in the castle. All these supplies will be managed by you."

Luo Ning began the first step of personnel arrangements. "Work hard, Chahar. From now on, you are the Butler of Mountain Forest Castle."

Chahar was stunned for a moment when he heard this. His dream was to become a Head Butler like Holwart.

Now, he had finally taken the first step in his life – from Manservant to Butler!

Although it was only the Butler of the remote Mountain Forest Castle, he had discovered during this time that following this master, he would definitely have a bright future!

Chahar immediately knelt on one knee on the ground. "The Seven Gods bear witness, Chahar will definitely not fail the trust Master has placed in me!"

"Haha, get up."

Luo Ning raised his hand and at the same time handed over a piece of parchment from the table.

"Prinster's servants cannot be used anymore. I will leave the matter of recruiting new servants to you. This is the salary range table I have set. You can follow this standard."

"Yes, Master!"

Chahar took the parchment and read it carefully.

It divided servants into categories, such as Apprentice Servant, Laborer Servant, Kitchen Chef, Kitchen Hand, Personal Maid, Personal Manservant, Butler, Housekeeper, etc., and provided brief descriptions, while also setting salary ranges.

The highest salary was for the Butler, who was responsible for all management affairs in the castle, but had to maintain a clear boundary with the Maid's living area and life, with a salary of 8 Copper Coins per day.

The salaries of the Housekeeper and Chef were in the second tier, at 6 Copper Coins per day.

The lowest was the Apprentice Servant, with only 1 Copper Coin per day.

"Currently, our castle is not large, and we don't have many people. We are just starting out. The salary I am offering you is 8 Copper Coins per day."

Luo Ning said with a smile, "When our castle expands and we have more people and matters to handle, I will increase your salary."

A Butler of a Baron's castle earning 8 Copper Coins per day, which is an annual income of just over 2 Gold Coins and 6 Silver Coins, is not high but is within the normal range.

But Chahar clearly hadn't expected to receive such treatment.

"Master, you are too generous! I thank you on behalf of the servants who will join the castle and myself!"

"Work hard, Chahar. Improve your management skills in all aspects, and in the future, you will become my Head Butler!"

Luo Ning didn't mind painting a grand picture; after all, everyone felt comfortable hearing it.

"You will determine the number and level of servants, but I have a few requirements in other areas."

"Please speak, Master!"

Luo Ning said, "First, you must ascertain their family backgrounds. If they followed Prinster, especially those who participated in today's betrayal, they are definitely not acceptable!"

"Second, after they are selected, you must observe their words and actions. Those who are irresponsible in their work, lazy, or restless cannot be kept."

"Finally, and most importantly, they must be loyal to me."

Chahar kept these three points firmly in mind. "Master, I remember!"

Luo Ning waved his hand. "Alright, you can go now. Tomorrow, after I have met my subjects, you can start recruiting servants."

Watching Chahar leave his study, Luo Ning stretched.

After a busy day, he could finally have some quiet rest alone.

However, some people were destined not to rest.

For example, David, who should be with Tom right now, searching the homes of those three Professional Knights from Sain Territory in Mountain Forest Town.

He wondered how much property those few people would leave for Luo Ning.