Chapter 2

Desinia Castle stood alone on a low cliff by the sea.

Cyrus's bedroom connected to his study and was the largest room in the castle with an ocean view.

When the weather was good, opening the windows revealed a vast blue sky, flocks of seabirds swooping low in search of prey, and a calm sea glittering with silvery light.

Reading by the window or familiarizing himself with the castle's affairs was undoubtedly a pleasure.

So Cyrus had Judas bring over a chair and arrange a small round table, fragrant flowers, and a pot of water steeped with lemon slices.

On the Western Continent, the main beverages were wine and water.

There was no tea or coffee.

Lemons were used as cheap seasonings, and no one had ever heard of steeping them in water to drink.

After Judas tried to stop him, helplessly compromised, and finally agreed,

Cyrus finally got his wish and drank lemonade.

It really had not been easy.

The weather by the sea was always unpredictable and ever-changing.

A light rain had fallen in the morning, but before noon, the wind had already died down, the sun was warm, and the sky was as clear as washed jade.

Cyrus put away the financial statement the old steward had submitted yesterday and could not help sighing.

A noble's wealth mainly came from taxes collected within their territory.

To continue researching alchemy, the old count, Matt Desinia, had deliberately raised taxes. The incoming revenue was quite considerable.

But alchemy was simply too expensive, and the old count's usual habits had been extravagant and wasteful, never frugal.

Thus, by the time the financial report reached Cyrus's hands, it was already facing a severe deficit crisis.

The sound of flapping wings came from beside him.

Two seabirds landed together on the windowsill, grooming each other's feathers. After a brief rest, they immediately flew away again.

Cyrus withdrew his gaze and looked at Judas, who stood quietly beside him. "Do you know Visas?"

"Count, I have lived in Visas since childhood. Of course I know it well."

"Then take me out for a look, Judas."

"Yes."

Judas walked up to Cyrus, said, "Excuse me," then gently held Cyrus beneath the arms and lifted him out of the chair, which was both tall and wide for him.

"..."

Cyrus tried hard to remain calm and keep his expression composed.

He would get used to it. He would get used to it.

He was only six. He was still a baby.

The town of Visas lay more than a kilometer from the coast and was also quite far from Desinia Castle.

Cyrus had the coachman stop the carriage just before it entered the main road leading into town.

He could already see countless low houses in the distance, hawkers calling out their wares, and roads mixed with sewage, mud, and excrement...

Perhaps because it had just rained that morning, the air smelled even more "fresh," and there was almost nowhere clean to place one's feet on the road.

"Count, aren't we going in?"

Seeing that the young count merely stood in the carriage staring at the ground, the coachman gathered his courage and asked.

Cyrus said, "Wait here."

The carriage bore the Desinia crest. It was far too conspicuous.

"Judas, Kelly, let's... walk in."

For the first time, he found the word "walk" exceptionally difficult to say.

"Would you like me to carry you, Count?" Judas asked.

Cyrus paused, then silently held out both arms. "Sorry for the trouble, Judas."

A trace of amusement flashed through Judas's eyes. "It is my duty, my lord."

He carried Cyrus into town, with Kelly following behind.

The town was fairly lively.

Most of the stalls on either side simply placed their goods on the ground or atop stones.

A few who cared about cleanliness would spread out a piece of burlap.

The more upscale ones set wooden tables outside their shopfronts.

So-called shopfronts were merely living spaces cleared out to pile up merchandise, crude and disorderly.

Cyrus looked around.

The most commonly sold goods at the market were black bread, rye wine, dried beans, onions, and other cheap vegetables, along with some tools, ornaments, and similar items.

It was not until they had nearly crossed half the market that he spotted two pork stalls. Even from far away, he could smell the heavy, rank stench of the meat.

They lived by the sea, yet there were no stalls selling fish.

This was because on the Western Continent, fish cost even more than pork, and only nobles could afford it.

Fishing boats were expensive to build, and the weather at sea could change at any moment. Violent winds and towering waves might arise in the next instant.

Most importantly, improperly handled fish had a nauseatingly strong fishy smell, and few people were willing to eat it.

For commoners, selling fish was not worthwhile at all.

Cyrus committed his observations to memory.

Not far away, a handsome young man with brown hair and brown eyes moved repeatedly between three or four stalls. His clothes were old but still reasonably clean and neat.

He usually approached when a stall owner was selling goods or had already finished selling them.

The rest of the time, he stood quietly to one side.

Cyrus asked in confusion, "What is he doing?"

"I'll go ask, my lord."

Before Cyrus could react, Judas had already handed him over to Kelly to continue carrying and headed toward one of the stalls the youth had been visiting.

Kelly was shorter than Judas but sturdier, with strong arms that held him securely.

But because she was a woman, Cyrus grew uncomfortable. He shifted slightly and said, "Put me down, Kelly. I'm too heavy."

"You are not heavy at all. You are too light. You should eat more."

Kelly could not help thinking of the young count's appetite. It seemed to have grown much smaller ever since he recovered from his illness.

"You've gotten thinner!"

Cyrus discreetly glanced at his slightly rounded belly, chubby arms, and legs... and declined to comment on Kelly's heartfelt concern.

Before long, Judas returned.

"The youth is called Gibran Kino."

"The stall owners said he is very good at arithmetic. When they sell goods, he helps them check whether they calculated the prices incorrectly. He earns tips this way to support himself and his younger brother."

"How much can he earn?"

"One copper coin."

Judas could not help adding, "Most people in the market know him. Only stall owners with good business ask him to help check their accounts. Three or four is already the most, and they do not need him every time."

Besides, the Visas market only opened once every ten days.

The number of copper coins Gibran Kino could earn was limited.

Three types of currency circulated on the Western Continent.

One gold coin equaled one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equaled one hundred copper coins.

Usually, one silver coin was enough to cover a commoner's household expenses for a month.

Cyrus looked toward the youth and happened to meet his brown eyes.

After a moment, the youth expressionlessly looked away. Seeing a stall owner beckon to him, he quickly walked over.

Cyrus also withdrew his gaze. "What is farther inside?"

They were currently on the outskirts of the town.

Judas replied, "Taverns, clothing shops, shoe shops..."

Cyrus did not plan to continue looking.

"Let's go back."

"Yes, Count," Judas said softly.

Gibran Kino could not help turning his head to watch their departing figures, especially the child being carried in someone's arms. His fair, tender appearance was not something a commoner could raise.

Cloth for making clothes, shoes, and such things were all expensive.

Remembering those beautiful, sweet caramel-colored eyes that had met his earlier, he clicked his tongue and muttered, "...A little noble."

For Cyrus, becoming familiar with Desinia and Visas was the first step toward bringing Par Mountain into his territory.

Par Mountain currently belonged to no territory.

The second step was figuring out how to petition King Gadayat and obtain the land through the king's grant.

The third step was determining how, after obtaining Par Mountain, he could protect the Natural Asphalt mine once it was discovered, given Visas's lack of population, insufficient cavalry, poverty, and backward state, and prevent other lords from taking it.

No matter where one was, a mineral vein was undoubtedly precious and rare.

The coachman cracked his whip and drove the carriage back toward the castle.

Judas and Kelly sat inside the carriage, watching the young count rub his eyes along the bumpy road. He seemed sleepy, and before long, he let out a small yawn, leaned against Judas's arm, and closed his eyes to rest.

Oh, he was so adorable.

Kelly could not help clutching her chest. She could not bear to look away from the young count, his long curly eyelashes, rosy, fair, plump cheeks, and slightly pouting lips pressed against Judas's arm.

Creator God above.

Kelly praised the Creator God for the count's adorable appearance.

It was simply too much.

[ Ding. ]

Cyrus saw that the reputation value in the upper-right corner of the system interface had increased again, rising from 11 points to 12.

Breaking from zero into double digits had been entirely due to the servants in the castle. Their contributions had been invaluable.

He tapped the white building icon.

A little stick figure pulling a search bar appeared—[The Omniscient Library provides professional books. Please enter the title or content of the book.]

Cyrus said, "Seawater solar salt-making."

[Searching for seawater solar salt-making. Please wait... Ding. Search successful: "History of Salt-Making," "Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method and Detailed Illustrations."]

Cyrus selected "Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method and Detailed Illustrations."

[Reading "Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method and Detailed Illustrations" requires an exchange of 20 reputation points.]

When the system asked whether he wished to exchange for it, Cyrus chose no.

He pressed his lips together and slowly opened his eyes.

Judas saw that the young count leaning against him seemed to have not rested well. His soft, tender cheeks puffed out slightly, the corners of his mouth drooped, and he looked somewhat frustrated and unhappy.

Judas could not help gently stroking Cyrus's back as he said, "Count, we are almost at the castle."

Cyrus looked out the carriage window. He could already clearly see the bright red flag flying in the wind above the castle—the Thorn Rose, symbol of the Desinia Family's glory.

Black thorns covered in countless sharp spikes coiled obediently beneath the vivid rose. Deep red and black intertwined, dangerous yet impossible to resist.

Long-established noble families all possessed their own crests, representing identity, power, and status.

Nobles engraved their crests upon everything that could display their status.

For example, the badges they wore, the flags flying over their castles, the carriages they rode when traveling... even the knights' armor bore such marks.

After arriving at the castle, Cyrus went to the study and retrieved a ring of keys.

"Judas, light the kerosene lamp, then follow me."

"Yes, Count."

Their destination was the castle's basement.

It was an underground laboratory the old count had specially arranged because of his obsession with alchemy.

Layer upon layer of stone stairs wound downward. As they stepped on them, they could clearly feel damp moisture seeping into the stone. Moss grew in the cracks, and there was a faint smell of seawater along with the moldy odor of dampness near the base of the walls.

At the end stood a tall iron door secured with a lock.

Cyrus looked at the height of the keyhole, then silently handed the keys to Judas.

Judas accepted them and opened the door.

A sealed-up musty odor rushed out at them.

No one had entered this place since the old count, Matt Desinia, died.

Until today.

After gaining a fairly thorough understanding of what he needed to know, Cyrus decided to put his plan into action.

As preparation for the second step of his plan, he would inherit the old count's legacy and become an alchemist as well, giving himself an explanation for the knowledge and materials he would need for future construction.

What was alchemy?

—Turning things that were not gold into gold, making gold from stones.

—Pursuing medicine and hoping to create the universal elixir, the "Philosopher's Stone."

Put simply, alchemy was a form of "chemical experimentation" focused mainly on metallurgy and medicine.

However, under the influence of feudal theology, alchemy's ultimate goals seemed absurd, laughable, and unrealistic.

Yet it could not be denied that in the course of relentless exploration, some capable people had achieved quite a few results through alchemy, which were put to practical use in related fields.

This only caused countless people to become even more obsessed with and reverent toward alchemy, taking pride in becoming alchemists.

Alchemy could be called the primitive form of chemistry.

In Cyrus's view, medieval alchemy and ancient China's art of elixir refinement had much in common, especially in their pursuit of an "elixir of immortality."

Once the dormant kerosene lamps in the underground laboratory were lit, the pitch-black room finally brightened.

Two long tables stood in the center, covered with strangely shaped equipment and vessels, scattered manuscripts, animal hides, bones, and more.

Iron cabinets lined the surrounding walls, filled with many labeled finished products.

Cyrus made a round of inspection and discovered that many things had spoiled and grown moldy from improper storage, sprouting green fuzz.

He did not quite understand why the old count had built the laboratory underground.

The environment was dark and damp.

Wouldn't staying here for too long make one's eyes go blind?

Cyrus shook his head, deciding to move the laboratory elsewhere.

"Judas, have someone come down and move everything in the room up to the attic—the largest one."

"Yes, my lord."

Cyrus wanted to obtain Par Mountain through a royal grant. First, he needed either merit or a "gift" weighty enough to present to the king.

Cogit Sea lay close at hand, a vast natural treasure trove.

Naturally, the "gift" he had chosen was the Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method.

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