While Claire delivered her impassioned speech, Robin listened carefully from below, raising his arm and shouting along with the crowd.
After the speech ended, Robin returned home feeling restless. He felt as though hot blood was boiling inside him, a fire that had begun the moment Claire started speaking and had yet to die down.
"What's wrong? You've been like this ever since you came back." Robin's wife, Linda, could tell that something was weighing on her husband's mind.
Robin glanced at his beautiful wife, gently took her hands, and said softly, "Nothing. Maybe it's just too hot today. I'm feeling a little restless."
"Do you think I don't know you?" Linda clasped Robin's hands tightly. "I'll support whatever you want to do. Are you thinking of serving the Viscount? I think he seems pretty good too..."
"Don't say that. We agreed before that we wouldn't risk our lives for nobles anymore." Robin interrupted his wife.
Linda fell silent for a while before replying, "All right. No matter what decision you make, I'll listen to you."
That night, Robin felt a fire burning in his heart, as if it would burn through his chest and spill outside. Before falling asleep, he thought again of what Claire had said earlier.
"But relying on me alone isn't realistic... I hope you can join me in building the home that belongs to us. Are you willing?"
Robin suddenly woke from his dream. Though he could not remember what he had dreamed about, he vaguely recalled seeing the Viscount in it. At that moment, he felt that he had to do something!
So he turned over.
"What's wrong?" Linda had also been awakened.
Robin remained silent. After a long while, he finally spoke.
"I'm going to the Baronial Manor."
With that, he got up, put on his finest clothes, opened the door, and walked out.
"It's only four in the morning. You can sleep a little longer..." Linda called after him.
But Robin, already outside, could no longer hear her. Even if he had, he would not have been able to suppress the choice in his heart. The hot blood within him had completely ignited. Robin felt that this would be the most correct decision he had ever made, without question!
"Young master, someone has come to apply for the clerk position."
Claire had just come down from the sixth floor when he heard Regan say that.
"Bring him over. Prepare breakfast for him too. We'll conduct the interview in the dining room." With that, Claire went to wash up.
In the dining room, Robin sat before the food, looking somewhat uneasy. He had seen plenty in his life, but he had never encountered food like this before. Its fragrance kept drifting into his nose, making his mouth water uncontrollably.
But Claire had not arrived yet, and Robin was too embarrassed to begin eating first. He could only stare at the table full of delicacies and swallow his saliva.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Robin looked up. The moment he saw Claire, he immediately rose to his feet.
"Greetings, Lord Viscount!"
Claire returned a friendly smile. "Have a seat."
Once they were seated, Claire noticed the dark circles beneath Robin's eyes and asked first, "You don't look very well, sir."
Robin scratched his head awkwardly. He had squatted outside the Baronial Manor for two or three hours before Regan woke up. "Thank you for your concern, Lord Viscount, but I'm fine. Your speech yesterday was simply too inspiring. I couldn't sleep, which is why I look so worn out."
"Oh." Claire nodded. "Eat first. We can talk while you eat."
"O-Okay!" Robin looked nervous, but he still picked up his utensils and began working on the food before him.
The instant the meat entered his mouth, Robin's eyes widened. It was so delicious—far better than any food he had eaten before!
After hurriedly stuffing several more pieces of meat into his mouth, Robin finally remembered why he had come.
He straightened himself and said seriously, "Lord Viscount, I came to apply for the clerk position listed in the notice you issued earlier."
"Mm. Do you meet the requirements listed there?" Claire asked.
"Of course. I can read and write, and not only do I know arithmetic, I was once an accountant. I believe I can meet your needs for a clerk."
An accountant? Claire's eyes lit up. He had not expected Nafu City to have such a capable person.
However, he did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "Since you met the requirements for the clerk position, why didn't you come for an interview when I first posted the notice?"
Robin fell silent for a while, reluctant to speak.
"It's fine. I was just asking. It doesn't matter if you don't want to say," Claire said.
"It's not that. It's just a little difficult to talk about." Robin explained, "I used to be an accountant in the Earl of Lijin's territory. To be honest, my family lived quite well there. We weren't extravagantly wealthy, but we lived far better than most people. However, the Earl of Lijin repeatedly issued decrees demanding taxes, causing many people in the territory to die miserably. I couldn't bear it, so I resigned from that position and wandered all the way here. From then on, I swore that even if I starved to death, I would never serve another noble."
"Then why did you suddenly change your mind? I'm also one of the nobles you speak of."
"You're different, Lord Viscount." A light shone in Robin's eyes. "The first thing you did after returning was reduce taxes. I was moved at the time, but I remembered the oath I had made, so I didn't come then. But your speech yesterday struck every word straight into my heart. You said that relying on yourself alone wasn't realistic and that you needed our help. You even asked whether we were willing to help you.
"I thought about it for a long time. You were right—relying on you alone would be very difficult. So I'm willing to become your support, just as you said yesterday, and build the home that belongs to us together."
"Aren't you afraid I'm just a noble who knows how to tell lies?" Claire asked with a narrowed smile.
Robin grew agitated. "No! Those nobles who sit high above us can't even be bothered to lie to ordinary people. But you're different. Since you returned to the barony, everyone's lives have truly improved. I'm Yuna's neighbor, and before you came in, I heard her say that you helped cure her mother. All of this proves that you are a truly good lord who loves his people like his own children."
Claire smiled, stood up, walked over to Robin, and extended his right hand.
Robin froze for a moment, then extended his own right hand and shook Claire's.
Claire said softly, "Then... welcome aboard! I now appoint you as the Tax Official of Griffin Barony!"
Robin's face filled with excitement when he heard that. He had only wanted to help Claire as a source of support, yet he had actually become the Tax Official?!
Though shocked, he still instinctively dropped to one knee and said gratefully, "Thank you, Lord Viscount!"
Claire smiled, turned to Regan, and said, "Now we have enough people, don't we? I'll leave him to you. It's time to start investigating that administrator."
As he spoke, a glint of red flashed in Claire's eyes. "Find out exactly how much money he embezzled!"
At night, five days had passed since the last trade. As usual, Claire lay in a recliner on the top floor, gazing through the glass window at the deep blue moon outside.
He habitually opened the trading panel. It was like in his previous life—when there was nothing to do, he would still instinctively check his phone screen to see whether anyone had messaged him.
But unlike before, the trading panel had changed this time. A Trade Point, which normally only appeared once a week, had miraculously appeared already.
Claire sat bolt upright from the recliner in surprise. The interval has shortened...
What caused it?! Claire's mind raced. The only change during this period was that I advanced to Intermediate Mage, and my spiritual power increased greatly. Could spiritual power be the key to condensing Trade Points? When I traded cultivation techniques with Chen Han before, he said he could only trade once a year. So perhaps his spiritual power wasn't strong enough, which was why the interval was so long.
No matter how much he thought about it, Claire could not determine whether his guess was correct. There was simply too little information. Still, it was a good thing that the interval for obtaining Trade Points had shortened.
Claire did not trade immediately. Since the interval had become shorter and he did not currently need anything urgently, he might as well wait until next time and save up two Trade Points. If he encountered someone worth establishing a fixed trade with, he could also add them as a friend.
Thanks to "Juechen Yushi" and "Guangxi Lu Clan" for the two monthly tickets!!!!
Before you continue