The Brown Family's Troubles (4k)

The weeding was soon finished.

The old man led the young man back to the family estate.

When he faced his young descendant, the affection on his face was undisguised, and his wrinkles smoothed out.

Once he looked away from Bai Luo and faced the butler and the group of administrators, he became haughty and indifferent again.

They had been waiting in the estate's entrance hall for a long time.

"Lord Miu'an, Young Master Roman has sent word."

After greeting him, the butler got straight to business. The message had arrived some time ago, but the old man had instructed them beforehand not to disturb him, so they could only wait there and speak once he returned.

"That doesn't sound like good news."

From the subtle change in the butler's expression and the tension in his mind and soul, signs of bad news were becoming apparent.

Besides, if it were good news, the butler would have said it outright, without needing to prepare him or wait.

"Speak," the old man urged impatiently.

"Wig Brown is dead. Sealed Artifact 3-0771 is missing. The Pinecone Chamber of Commerce in Black Pine City is suspected," the butler said quickly, keeping it as brief as possible.

"What do the diviner advisers say?" the old man asked.

The family employed a group of diviners who usually handled paperwork and correspondence. Their premonitions and the subconscious reactions of their embodied fate were useful, and at crucial moments they could also use divination to actively obtain information.

"3-0771 itself is difficult to divine. And Black Pine City is in chaos, with quite a few forces involved. Our diviners aren't strong enough. Their results are either vague or plainly wrong," the butler explained.

"Chaos? What chaos could there be in Black Pine City?" The old man frowned.

In a place like Black Pine City, even Wig Brown could do as he pleased.

This was supposed to be a simple task for the good-for-nothing Roman. With Cynthia accompanying him, it should have been as easy as a trip.

"A candidate in Black Pine City got a perfect score. The Education Bureau has already intervened and disclosed the news early this morning, drawing considerable attention. The academies and the North Province administration may all be watching."

The butler had previously assumed the old man already knew. Only now, when asked about the matter, did he hastily add the information.

After all, no mistake could possibly be Lord Miu'an's fault. If Lord Miu'an did not know, the blame lay with the butler for failing to report promptly. Those were the rules.

The old man had spent the whole day with his grandson Bai Luo and indeed had paid no attention to the province's myriad affairs, leaving him somewhat behind on the news.

In Bai Luo's presence, he surprisingly did not blame the butler. He said calmly:

"Troubles always come in bunches... Did Roman say how he planned to handle it?"

"Young Master Roman intends to ask the Pine Nut Chamber of Commerce for Sealed Artifact 3-0771. Lady Cynthia did not object," the butler said.

The corners of the old man's mouth rose as though he were smiling, but it was not approval. He was so angry he laughed:

"Ask for it... Like a thug. Completely improper. Bai Luo, see that? That's how your third uncle does things. Don't learn from him."

Bai Luo had been watching silently from the side. Though he did not entirely understand what was wrong with asking for it, he recognized his grandfather's anger and merely nodded without interrupting.

"When the time comes, there'll be a mess everywhere... I'm old, and I still have to make the trip myself."

The old man sighed.

He had three sons and two daughters. His eldest daughter Cynthia and third son Roman had stayed with him in Northern Plains Province, and both had ordinary magical talent.

His second daughter, however, had exceptional magical talent. She had married into the Ilia Family in the capital and given birth to Bai Luo, but propriety and custom made it difficult for her to return often. Bai Luo had come back unaccompanied this time as well.

His eldest son had died young.

His second son had put down roots in Southeast Hurricane Province, working with the family's other branches to advance their magic potion business, and could not attend to matters here.

With two direct descendants, Roman and Cynthia, there was ordinarily enough help to run everything in North Plains Province. After all, many things did not need to be done personally. Their wealth and Miu'an Brown's name could clear the way, while peripheral members provided support and connections were woven together. All in all, they had enough to manage.

But when something required someone "trustworthy" to handle it, such as Wig Brown, or a certain level of strength, such as Sealed Artifact 3-0771, they were stretched thin.

Even the butler could not be allowed to know the full picture, nor could he be trusted completely. Outsiders did not share their blood; they could be controlled, but not trusted.

That was also why the old man favored Bai Luo.

Such a vast enterprise had to be left to a descendant capable of taking it over.

Perhaps things would improve once Roman grew older and more mature, and Cynthia married.

"Grandfather, are you going to Black Pine City? I'll go with you," Bai Luo said.

"There's nothing fun there, and I have serious business to attend to," Miu'an said with a gentle smile.

"There's a strange sealed artifact to retrieve, and some trifling matters involving local powers to deal with. It'll be hard to look after you."

"I don't need you to look after me, Grandfather. I've learned to cast spells. I'm already a mage, and with my 'hat' and 'robe,' not even a Magister can hurt me," Bai Luo insisted.

The magic hat and robe he wore were not decorations, but extremely valuable magical artifacts. Nor were they the only ones. His clothes, accessories, and pocket watch were no ordinary things either.

He could buy at will expensive items that ordinary mages could hardly afford. He had also had these things for a long time and had grown accustomed to using them. It would not be an exaggeration to say he wore a Magister on his person.

And this was not even his full equipment, merely his everyday clothes for coming home.

If necessary, he could also carry a staff and various portable arrays, and add rings, bracelets, and the like.

A mage with virtually limitless money and resources could not be measured by ordinary star ratings. When crops grew in a field, they were always neat and beautiful, while weeds were mostly short and misshapen.

"If you want to go, then go." Miu'an Brown put on an affectionate expression, quite indulgent of his grandson's willfulness.

"Mother told me to help you more. I'm not just going with you; I'll help too," Bai Luo said.

"Help... You've grown up. That's a good thing."

Miu'an smiled.

His second daughter had finally set her sights on what he had built up in Northern Plains Province. That was naturally a good thing.

He had never feared his descendants fighting over and dividing up everything he had. He was old, and it was time for that.

It belonged to his descendants in the first place.

Just like crops in a field, once they ripened, they could not be left to rot in the ground. They had to be harvested, and the land cleared for the next planting.

Seen that way, it was no surprise that Bai Luo had hurried back, looking so attached to his hometown.

Bai Luo continued:

"And I just heard that someone in Black Pine City also got a perfect score."

He looked questioningly at the estate's butler, hoping for more information.

The butler dared not be remiss and immediately added:

"The public announcement said it appears to be the only perfect score in North Plains Province this year."

"Is the person a noble's descendant?" Bai Luo asked.

"That place is very poor, so the person is probably a commoner. I haven't heard that this person has a surname, either." The butler weighed his words. He dared not make a definitive claim, offering only the information and his reasoning, leaving himself some room.

"Grandfather, that sounds like a weed."

He tilted his head. The sudden change of subject left the butler and the others puzzled, unable to quite understand him.

"Let's go. That's private family talk. North Province isn't like the capital. Don't say things like that in front of outsiders."

Miu'an patted Bai Luo's shoulder.

The boy was still immature.

The butler was a weed, the servants were weeds, and the clerks and administrators were weeds too. There was no need to say such things openly and invite needless trouble.

Though the power of his mind and soul domain was enough to make these weeds vanish in an instant and perceive their every subtle thought, that too would be an added expenditure.

If word got out, given the temperament of those commoner mages, even working with them would be unsettling, another source of trouble. And among the mages he dealt with in North Plains Province, there were not many nobles.

Black Pine City, tenth floor of the Pinewood Inn.

Yize had rented the most luxurious suite here for a short stay. Though the Education Bureau was not wealthy, this small expense could not be spared when it came to Xie Yu's safety.

Room 1002 was to be used for Xie Yu's interview.

After staying at the inn for three days, Yize had thoroughly investigated the building and familiarized himself with every corner. He could also make security arrangements in advance on the top floor, terrace, and in the lobby, making an interview inside the hotel the safest option.

As head of the Inspection Department and the Magister leading the team, Yize knew his way around such matters.

"You can rest and prepare for a bit. Mr. Yize will speak with them first, confirm it's safe, and make some confidentiality arrangements so as few people as possible know where you are." Fry stayed with Xie Yu. "Would you like some water?"

By rights, the boy should have been nervous. Though Xie Yu showed no sign of it, Fry thought the boy was merely keeping a straight face and had to be at least a little nervous inside.

If Fry had been in his place at that age, his heart would surely have been racing.

"Thank you for your concern."

Xie Yu nodded and accepted it, taking only a small sip to moisten his lips.

He did not need to do much to prepare. He only had to tell a story, after all, and he was good at that. He had been good at it with Kaiming, and with Wig Brown too.

However difficult this was, it could not be harder than before.

If there was any preparation to be done, the progress of winning something over had inexplicably begun to advance.

[A tall inn (Affection increased to 10+1, Friend of the Wooden House in effect): Because you entered the king suite, it can no longer ignore a little person like you and has begun paying attention to you.]

[Previously, it thought you were no different from the travelers coming and going every day. Now it seems you are not ordinary, and it somewhat regrets not looking at you more and eavesdropping to find out where you came from sooner.]

This inn building was far too slow on the uptake. It had only just noticed him.

Xie Yu casually made an effort to win it over:

"This inn is so tall and beautiful. It stood out when I saw it from outside, and now that I'm on the top floor, the interior is quite aesthetically pleasing too."

[A beauty-loving wool carpet (Affection increased to 10): Really? Am I aesthetically pleasing?]

[A serene armchair (Affection increased to 10): It's rare to hear praise right in front of outsiders.]

[A tall inn (Affection increased to 16) said proudly: Of course I'm tall. They spent 400,000 gold coins building me and hired dozens of magical building reinforcement specialists to make the soft pinewood harder than steel. My yearly maintenance costs more than 6,000 gold coins, but that's the price of being tall.]

Fry asked, "Why are you praising the Pinewood Inn? Do you need me to chat with you?"

"No, I was just marveling at the greatness of magic. Even a building this tall can be made of wood. Other buildings may be taller, but this pinewood inn gives us the comfort and peace of mind of staying at home," Xie Yu said with feeling.

"Kid, did the Pinewood Inn pay you to advertise it? You're not going to say this stuff in the interview later, are you...?" Even someone as sharp as Fry was a little baffled.

Why was Xie Yu talking about all this random stuff at a time like this?

[A tall inn (Affection increased to 26): You should know, wooden structures are comfortable to live in. They don't have the cold hardness of stone, and the natural elements are relatively mild and nourishing. Unfortunately, many guests lack a discerning eye and hurry past without staying. My vacancy rate is above 50% year-round. What a pity.]

"The interview is happening here, so mentioning the inn is unavoidable. If I give it a sincere compliment or two, maybe our room fee will be waived," Xie Yu said with a smile.

Fry scratched his head, feeling that Xie Yu might still be nervous inside. Perhaps he was just talking to calm himself down, or perhaps he was sensitive about money and liked to save. So Fry reassured him:

"There's no need. We're not short of a few gold coins. You don't need to worry about so much."

[A tall inn (Affection surged to 51): That sounds rather nice. Are you going to be interviewed? Who exactly are you? I like your frankness.]

"I like having more friends. The inn is a friend too," Xie Yu said.

[A tall inn (Affection continued to rise to 61): A friend... You really are a genuine human. It's been a long time since I've seen that beautiful glow on you, and you're staying in the king suite too. This is... so wonderful, so rare.]

Fry heard nothing amiss.

Although in most cases people would have said "the innkeeper is a friend too," there was nothing wrong with what Xie Yu had said.

He simply felt that Xie Yu had too much to worry about, and that they had failed him:

"Under normal circumstances, you really wouldn't need to worry about so much... Don't be nervous. With Lord Yize here, everything will be all right."

Xie Yu looked at Fry and felt that having him here was affecting his performance.

Though he did not know why Fry always thought he was nervous, he could make use of that assumption:

"That's true, I am a little worried. Perhaps I could be alone for a while?"

"Of course." Fry breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Xie Yu was finally back on track. He quietly withdrew, leaving Xie Yu alone in the room.

[He finally left the king suite. The fire element made me feel itchy. I didn't like it. (Affection increased to 66)]

The inn seemed to relax too.

"You can sense the fire element?" Xie Yu asked.

A building actually knows magical terminology and can even sense the fire element on Fry? Could it be a knowledgeable fellow, like the wooden house that loves reading?

[Of course. I'm a magical creation. Many of my structures were reinforced with magic. There are magic arrays and products of spells; it's complicated. The magical work alone cost more than 300,000 gold coins.]

In other words, this enormous inn building was also essentially a product of magic, just like [Dali].

"Since you can sense natural elements, can you see that Magister?" Xie Yu asked.

[He's in the reception room on the first floor, talking with a group of people. They've pushed open the door and will be coming up soon. His aura is very powerful, and he stays awake all night, night after night. He's very good at staying up.]

[Oh, I remember now. For the past two nights, he kept saying the name "Xie Yu" while he was in his room.]

"Saying my name?"

Xie Yu was not surprised. Yize's concern about his affairs was a normal part of his duties.

But it was remarkable that the building had been eavesdropping all along.