Strolling around the endless garden for two laps, Rowan felt utterly refreshed in body and mind, marveling at how wonderful it felt to be filthy rich.
As the capital of Kul Tiras, Alliance Square in Boralus was prime real estate where every inch of land was worth a fortune; being able to buy such a massive seaside mansion here showed the Norwington family's immense financial power. As the eldest son of the Norwington family, Rowan already felt he could picture his luxurious aristocratic life to come.
Yet on second thought, he was a transmigrator after all; he could not afford to be without ambition.
"Jenny, do you know which room my father is in?" Rowan asked the young maid who was feeding the goldfish by the garden fountain.
Jenny's face flushed red, for she found the young master especially different today.
Especially his eyes, which were exceptionally vibrant.
Under normal circumstances, the young master would never even have given her the time of day.
"The lord and my lady are in the council chamber," Alyssa replied, pointing toward the domed attic on the north side of the garden.
Rowan nodded, heading toward the council chamber in the direction Alyssa pointed.
"Has Lord Stormsong gone mad? They actually refuse to bless our ships. Without those wind runes, how are the Norwington family's ships supposed to put to sea?" Aldrius impatiently flipped through the reports on the table, most of which detailed how the Norwington family's various shipyards were suffering this year due to a shortage of wind-type runes.
A noblewoman in a blue-and-white long dress placed a cup of clear tea on Aldrius's right side, gently comforting him. "A great family like the Norwington family isn't run on shipyards alone. In recent years, Lord Stormsong has constantly driven up the price of wind runes, and our shipyards have been operating at a loss for a long time. We should focus our efforts on the mining and grain businesses instead."
"Building the most powerful naval fleet for the Kingdom of Kul Tiras is my dream. Otherwise, what am I spending millions of gold coins for every year?" Aldrius loosened his monocle, then picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and continued grumbling. "Cut the ore trade supply quota to Ashvane Munitions by fifty percent. I want to see just how long Lady Ashvane and Lord Stormsong can hold out against me."
Elena took the teacup from Aldrius's hand, snuggled into his arms, and whispered, "Alright, alright. Instead of saying these angry words, you'd better consider our second-child plan. Rowan is already this old, and his illness still hasn't been cured. If we don't hurry, who is going to inherit such a huge family estate?"
The lady made a reasonable point, and Aldrius nodded slightly in agreement. Yet thinking of the exhaustion from the previous night, his expression shifted slightly as he pressed his aging lower back with his right hand and said sheepishly, "My lady, how about we discuss this matter tomorrow?"
Elena gave Aldrius a sidelong glance. "You've only lasted a few days, and I can see you're not in a hurry at all."
Aldrius smiled awkwardly and forcefully changed the subject. "Let me look at these documents again."
"Ahem." Rowan stood at the doorway and gave a light cough.
Seeing that her son was back, Elena hurriedly stood up from her husband's lap and asked with concern, "Rowan, where did you go to play today? I heard Jaina came back today; I wonder if you saw her."
"I saw her, Mother. I met her at Tradewinds Market," Rowan replied.
Hearing her son's series of clear responses, Elena suddenly froze in place, while Lord Stormsong-Correction: Lord Aldrius gave a start and leaped up from his chair with a jolt.
Elena walked over to Rowan, gently stroked her son's forehead and short hair, and said in disbelief, "Rowan, you... what has happened to you?"
"Mother, please stop looking at me like I'm a fool. There is a high probability that I might be cured, and I've remembered quite a bit about my childhood as well," Rowan answered earnestly.
Even though she was a mother from another world, Rowan could still clearly feel the maternal love radiating from Elena. Perhaps due to his memories, Rowan felt no sense of rejection toward the parents before him.
Aldrius could not conceal the excitement in his heart; he ran over, swept Rowan up in a bear hug, and shouted excitedly, "Rowan, eight years! You've finally recovered. Your father knew you would get better, which is why I never planned on having another son. You have no idea-I even had your brother's name picked out."
Aldrius and Elena were moved to tears, taking turns hugging Rowan. Rowan was thus carried back and forth, the embrace lasting for half an hour.
As the emotional and excited mood gradually subsided, Aldrius rubbed the top of Rowan's head and said with gratification, "Child, I still find it hard to believe you've recovered. Think back-how was it that you jumped off the ship in the first place?"
Rowan frowned slightly and answered truthfully, "When I was test-firing the broadside cannons, the recoil of the artillery blew me flying, and I slammed into a cabin pillar. I didn't fall into the sea by accident."
"???" Aldrius wore a bewildered expression. Daelin was definitely going to take the blame for this; the man had even lied to him, claiming his son had fallen into the sea by accident.
When his son was eight years old, he had visited the flagship of the Kul Tiras Fleet, and not a single soldier had been guarding the entire vessel. They had simply stood by and watched his son run into the gun deck to test-fire a broadside cannon. It was simply a disgrace to the Kul Tiras Fleet.
That old slickster Daelin-if he doesn't give me his daughter as a daughter-in-law, I'll never let him off the hook for this. My precious son, you've suffered these past eight years. Though Aldrius said that on the outside, inside he wanted to hang Rowan up and beat him.
This foolish boy was simply a master at courting death; you dared to sneak into the gun deck to test-fire a broadside cannon at only eight years old? If that wasn't asking for a beating, what was it?
Yet to avoid turning his son back into a simpleton with another beating, Aldrius suppressed his inner impulse, put on a benevolent expression, and said, "Son, since you've already recovered, tomorrow I'll send you to the Naval Academy. You're sixteen years old now; when your father was sixteen, he was already a sergeant who had executed five pirates. You need to work hard."
"I'm not going to be a soldier, Father. I feel I'm much better suited to be a mage or a Paladin-just don't make me go fight pirates face-to-face," Rowan stated honestly.
Ever since he had seen those wounded soldiers who had been attacked by pirates, Rowan felt he still needed to properly plan out his future path.
Now he was nothing more than an ordinary young man. If he truly went to the battlefield, even if Rowan didn't fear combat, his chances of survival would be less than fifty percent.
Hearing Rowan give this reply, Aldrius nodded with satisfaction, then his expression shifted and he said sternly, "Have some backbone! Although the Norwington family is a mercantile family, generations of our family have produced naval generals. Take your father here-I was also a renowned commander during the Second War. During the naval interception battle at Southshore, I was the commander of the Second Fleet. For someone of your tender age to lack such a sense of honor makes me, as the head of the family, deeply grieved."
Rowan said with a wronged expression, "Father, didn't I just say I want to become a mage and a Paladin? Why are you so insistent on making me enlist? I don't like the Warrior class."
"In any case, you must go to the Military Academy now," Aldrius insisted stubbornly.
You foolish boy, if you don't go to the Military Academy, how are you going to woo Jaina? That girl Jaina has been smart since she was a little kid and is cute as well. Instead of going to win her over to be my daughter-in-law, what are you doing wanting to be a mage and a Paladin?
"I'm not going," Rowan's attitude was surprisingly unyielding.
This was definitely not out of fear of death, but rather because Rowan had a long-term plan for his own future. Looking across the entire history of Azeroth, every powerful savior was a mage above all else.
Rhonin, Khadgar, Jaina, and Medivh-which of them wasn't a mage?
Aldrius looked at his stubborn-looking son, and his anger flared up, yet constrained by the fact that his son had only just recovered his wits, he said tactfully, "If you aren't going to the Military Academy, could it be that you want to go to my shipyard and get my ships out to sea?"
"Who knows, maybe I really can do it?" The corners of Rowan's mouth curled up.
As an engineering nerd from the Earth era, dynamics was a subject he could not have been more familiar with. Wasn't it just getting a ship to move? Father, it is time to let you witness the true power of science.
Before you continue