Chapter 31: Fusion: Top-Grade Arcana Mithril
“We’ll listen to you, Watson.”
Reynolds nodded to Watson, glanced at Carter, and walked straight out. After all, it was not his subordinates who had committed the crime. His anger just now was just for show.
Carter, who was on the receiving end of the look, secretly cursed him for gloating. He was a bit embarrassed, as he had wanted to take the opportunity to entice Watson, but did not expect his subordinates to commit such a big mistake. Fortunately, the young genius was not angry.
Outside the courtyard stood six burly men dressed as guards.
One of them was a young man in his early twenties. He was lying on the ground, rubbing his ankles with a pale face. His ankles had turned black and blue. Beside him was a round stone and two large pieces of broken white jade stone slabs.
The so-called white jade stone slabs were not made of jade, but a rare mineral called White Jade. This mineral naturally produced a kind of fragrance which could calm the mind of those who smelled it, in addition to having the effect of promoting cultivation. A house made of White Jade could be warm in winter and cool in summer. It was a material loved by many great nobles.
At this moment, Carter looked at the shattered and translucent pieces on the ground. His vision went black, and his body swayed, almost falling down.
Before he came out, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart. If the white jade stone tablet was not severely broken and only broke into two or three pieces, he could still barely use it, but that glimmer of hope had since disappeared without a trace.
“Idiots, are you all pigs?”
Carter pointed at his subordinates and could not help but roar, “Kneel down and apologize to Baron Edward. Don’t even think about taking this month’s pay! Not only this month, you won’t get the next month’s pay either.”
A group of people, especially the guards who fell to the ground, looked aggrieved. They were already very tired from moving such a large slab. Who would have thought that there would be round stones on the ground? They did not do it on purpose, but with mistakes like that, the fine of a months’ wages was light punishment, as opposed to if Carter expelled them from the caravan.
“Baron Edward, we were wrong. Please forgive us.”
“We are really sorry. We were careless.”
A few guards turned their heads and carefully lowered their heads to Edward.
“Forget it. You did not do it on purpose.” Edward waved his hand and walked to the guard who had sprained his ankle. He picked up the round stone under his feet and looked at it. He found that it was very smooth. There was not a single corner on it, and it did not seem to be formed naturally.
Turning his head, Edward glanced at Watson. Back in the courtyard, he saw a few pieces of broken stone on the ground. Some of the edges and corners had been smoothed out, just like that stone.
Feeling his father’s gaze, Watson whistled and turned his small head to the side.
Just now, in order to test whether the weapon condensed by his light-attribute combat aura was sharp enough, he not only hacked at the big stone in the courtyard, but also slashed at the broken stones and either pierced or grinded them. Perhaps a few pieces had accidentally flown out in the process of cutting.
Having roughly guessed the cause of the incident, Edward found that Carter was still reprimanding his subordinates and sighed, “Carter, it has been many years since we last met, and your temper is still as hot-tempered as ever! Alright, they’ve been punished, so let’s not make things difficult for these people anymore. Unfortunately, we can only trouble you to make another trip to Monte Town.”
He did not want to make things difficult for Carter, but he also felt that it was unfortunate. Originally, they could repair the house again within the next two days with those white jade slabs, but aside from having to wait a period of time, they also had to spend more money there. Just thinking about it made him feel annoyed.
“You guys, Baron Edward has already spoken. Didn’t you hear him? Count yourself lucky this time. The next time something similar happens, I will expel all of you from the Lucky Business Group. Hurry up and tidy up this place, then get lost.”
Carter waved his hand impatiently. A few guards quickly acknowledged him. They supported the injured one and were about to turn around and leave.
At this moment.
“Wait.”
Watson walked out. “Uncle Carter, I think it’s just a few stones. It’s a bit too much to punish them for two months’salary.”
Too much?
“Watson, you only say that because you don’t know the value of these white jade stone slabs! White jade can only be found in large mines. It was very troublesome to excavate them back and forth. Monte Town is the only one stocking this within a radius of a few hundred kilometers. It would take two days to go back and forth from here to Monte Town. That’s a total of four days! In addition, a white jade slab is worth ten gold pieces. There’s also the cost of transporting it again, and the money to hire someone to protect it…the total would reach at least a hundred gold coins.”
Carter had a bitter expression on his face. He counted on his fingers, thinking to himself that he could not squander his money like that no matter how rich he was. Watson was a child whose considerations were too simple.
“Then if I can repair these white jade slabs, will you be able to let these people go?” Watson asked.
“Watson, if the white jade slabs could be easily repaired, then Carter wouldn’t be so angry,” Reynolds could not help but interject.
How were the broken stone slabs supposed to be repaired, sticking them bit by bit?
The amount of manpower and resources needed to do that was even more than buying a new stone slab.
The guards looked at each other, then looked at Watson in surprise. However, compared to the two merchants, their eyes were filled with gratitude. They had not expected the young master of that family to speak up for them. What a good person. Of course, if they knew that the stone that had caused them to fall was Watson’s doing, they would not have thought so.
“It’s Alright, Uncle Reynolds. I have a way.”
Watson faced Reynolds, who didn’t believe him, and smiled shyly.
“This…”
“It’s alright, Reynolds. Let him try!” Edward said, stroking his chin. Compared to his two merchant friends, he knew Watson better. With all those magical abilities Watson had, perhaps he really did have a way if he said it so confidently.
“Alright then.”
Reynolds sighed. Beside him, Carter did not have any expectations either.
“System, fuse it for me.”
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Watson walked to the white jade fragments on the ground, pointed at the largest fragment that was no larger than a fist, and activated the system’s ability.
A ray of light flashed, and all the crushed stones on the ground collided in front of him. Some of them were not white jade, but ordinary stones.
[Congratulations, Master! You have successfully fused a Silver-tier ore: Arcana Mithril.]
[Silver-tier Arcana Mithril]
[Effect: able to condense the elements of heaven and earth. When carried around, it can increase a cultivator’s cultivation speed by 50%. It is very durable and can resist the attack of a Silver-tier powerhouse.]
[Additional effect: resizing (has good ductility, its volume can change by ten times)]
“Not bad.”
Watson looked at the shining metal plate that was one meter in radius and clapped his hands in satisfaction.
He turned his head and saw a few guards looking at him as if he was a monster, they were mumbling things like “What kind of magic is this?” and “The stone plate that we originally moved was five times bigger than this. This small piece is not enough to build a house.”.
“Oh no, I almost forgot that this thing will become smaller after fusion. I’ll fuse it again.”
Watson slapped his forehead and was about to continue the fusion. There were many stones everywhere. After fusing a large number of ordinary stones together, he believed that they were able to become good materials too. However, before he could do anything, Carter had already grabbed him tightly, with his eyes emitting a green light.
“Watson, Wait a minute. If I’m not mistaken, this piece that you fused with magic should be the legendary Arcana Mithril! Let’s discuss. Can you can sell me a small piece later?”
Chapter 32: Turning Stone Into Gold
“It’s Arcana Mithril.”
Edward gasped.
Watson had mastered a magic that could fuse things together and change their quality. It was not a secret at their home, but he just did not expect Watson’s magic to be so powerful.
Although the name white jade had a good reputation, it was actually an Iron-tier mineral. Its texture was also very brittle, and it could not be compared to Arcana Mithril. Arcana Mithril was the metal that some powerful mages used to make magic staffs. It had a natural conductivity to magic elements, and the magic staffs made with it were several times more powerful than those of the same level. It could also speed up cultivation, making for an irresistible temptation.
Because of its special functions and the fact that it was difficult to extract, the mithril mines in the kingdom had been completely exploited many years ago. A few large mines were now controlled by the royal family, and outsiders could not touch them. That alone made it clear how precious that metal was.
If palm-sized Arcana Mithril could be sold for ten gold pieces, one could imagine the price of a piece the size of a door. It could be sold for hundreds of thousands of gold, and if a finished weapon was made, the price could be dozens of times higher. It was no surprise that Carter’s eyes were almost glued to it and he refused to move.
“If Uncle Carter likes it, it’s okay to give this metal to you.”Watson scratched his head.
Using the system, he could clearly see the effect of this piece of Arcana Mithril. His training speed was increased by 50% . It sounded good, but as long as he fused it, he could become stronger. He did not need to train at all. In his eyes, it was just a piece of iron with exceptional durability.
“Give it to me?”
Carter sucked in a breath of cold air. He almost rolled his eyes and fell to the ground. He said, “Reynolds, pinch me to see if I’m dreaming?”
Slap!
A hard slap landed on Carter’s face, making him spin a couple of times. Reynolds stared at the whole piece of Arcana Mithril with jealousy. What kind of good deed did Carter Do? How could he be so lucky? That was a whole piece of Arcana Mithril, it was worth several thousand gold coins, which was equivalent to half of his savings.
Being hit by Reynolds, Carter was not angry. Instead, he held the heavy Arcana Mithril in his hands and rubbed his chubby face on it. “The Arcana Mithril is mine, hehe.”
The more Reynolds looked at it, the angrier he got. He wanted to kick Carter’s butt again.
At this time, Watson looked at him. “Uncle Reynolds, if you want this Arcana Mithril, I can make one for you! But to fuse the Arcana Mithril, you need a white jade slab that was as big as before. Also, I have a condition.”
Hearing this, Reynolds’ heart was burning with passion. He hurriedly asked, “What condition?”
“Don’t be so hard on those guards for what happened.”
“Don’t worry. Leave this matter to me.” Reynolds waved his hand at the few guards who were standing to the side, “Quickly go. Get Someone to bring over another white jade slab. This time, be careful. If you do a good job, you won’t have to pay that two months’ fine! Even if Carter still wants to punish you, I will pay double the price to help you make up for it.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The guards left happily. They didn’t know what Arcana Mithril was, but seeing the two merchants so excited, it was obviously a good thing. Plus, their wages did not have to be deducted, so they were even more grateful to Watson, this young master was not only kind-hearted but also capable. He would definitely have a bright future.
After arranging all that, Reynolds thought of something and looked at Edward with some embarrassment. “Edward, I’m sorry. These white jade slabs were meant for you to build a house. It’s all my fault…”
“It doesn’t matter. Two white jade slabs have already been broken. We can’t expand them anyway. We might as well take this opportunity to fuse the white jade slabs into Arcana Mithril! I remember buying sixteen white jade slabs from you this time. I’ll give you two of them as gifts. As for the remaining fourteen, if they can be fused into Arcana Mithril, please help me sell them in the Monte Town.”
Edward put his hand on Reynolds’ shoulder. He was indeed rich, but he was not a fool.
He had just saved up a few thousand gold coins at home. Each of that mithril was worth several thousand gold coins. If he sold them all, he would become a millionaire. As long as Watson’s magic did not lose its ability and could be done on repeat, it would not matter even if he melted the gold coins and used them instead of white jade to build a house.
…
“The stone tablet is here, please make way.”
“This is the Arcana Mithril. I heard that bringing a small piece with you can double the cultivation speed of a cultivator! If it is built into a house, the cultivation speed can be increased even more. It can even be used as a mode of cultivation when you lie down and sleep.”
More than ten guards surrounded the sixteen pieces of silver in front of the courtyard gate. They sized up the one-meter-wide metal blocks and secretly swallowed their saliva.
With the precedent of getting fired for stealing eggs, none of them dared to show their greed. Besides, Watson had helped them out of kindness earlier, so they respected the young master more than the two big businessmen. Whoever dared to steal these two pieces of ore plates would have to face the wrath.
“Edward, let’s talk about it. Can you give me a few more pieces of Arcane Mithril?”Carter was beside Edward, trying to persuade him.
“I’ll give you six pieces at most. The remaining ten pieces will be sold in our name.” Edward glanced at him. He usually made babies with Catherine at that time, so he was quite unhappy to be harassed by two fat guys at that moment.
“Okay, okay, okay. I don’t want too much. Give me four pieces and give Reynolds two pieces.” Carter laughed so hard that he couldn’t close his mouth. Reynolds’ angry voice came from the side, “Why would you want four pieces? Your Lucky Business Group doesn’t have as much money as Travelling Wing Business Group. You don’t seem at all afraid of overeating with those four pieces. Just give us the four dollars.”
Everyone knew that Arcana Mithril was a highly profitable metal. As long as they went back and refined it into something, they could earn back ten times their money. Such a good bargain could not possibly be given to Carter for free.
“I said four. First come, first served, understand?”
“Hehe, it’s useless to tell me this! My bottom line is three pieces per person. I’m asking you if you agree?”
“Will you fight with me if I don’t agree?”
“Those are your words!”
…
The two merchants grabbed each other’s collars, blowing their beards and glaring at each other. They were about to fight, but the guards beside them were not surprised. If they had the chance to get their hands on the Arcana Mithril, the guards would certainly be more excited than the merchant.
“Okay, okay. We can’t expand the house these days anyway! If you want to fight, do it somewhere else. I’ll go back and rest.” Edward waved his hand and was about to walk into the courtyard.
“Father, wait a minute.”
At this moment, Watson pulled his sleeve. Edward turned his head and saw Watson’s eyes twinkling. He said hesitantly, “Father, what if I say that I have a way to expand the house?”
“What? You have a way?”Edward’s face changed.
Watson had a way when the white jade broke and had since come up with another way to expand the house. Could Watson at least save his father some dignity after the man could not even think of anything?
Could Watson’s way be by fusing a large number of white jade slabs into Arcana Mithril, and then using the Arcana Mithril to build the house? Aside from the fact that the family could not be that extravagant, there were not that many white jade slabs to begin with.
“I do have a crude idea.”
Watson nodded and pointed at the big stones in the yard not far away from him, which had been used to test his combat aura earlier. He then started the fusion.
With a whoosh, the size of the big stones shrunk by ten times, and when they were combined, they turned into crystal clear ores that were similar to white jade stones.
“Dad, Look, you can use ordinary stones to fuse similar ores, and you can have as many as you want. As long as your two uncles’ men go around and collect more stones, we can start work very soon.”
Edward’s mouth twitched, but he did not say anything. It was not that he had not thought of such a simple reason, but he did not dare to think about it. Watson could use white jade because white jade was an Iron-tier treasure. It was far too exaggerated for Watson to turn ordinary stones into treasures.
Even the legendary great philosopher of that kingdom, who had spent his entire life researching ways to turn stone into gold, was only average at best.
Carter and Reynolds, who were fighting on the side, stopped fighting at this moment. They used their hands to smooth the creases on each other’s clothes.
According to Watson, if there was an inexhaustible supply of stones, there would be an endless supply of white jade stone slabs, and Arcana Mithril could also be produced continuously. Was there a need to hurry if they had plenty of opportunities to do such business in the future?
Chapter 33: Fusing Ten Houses Into One Mansion
“Do you really think that there are people in this world who are born with everything?”
Three miles away from Watson’s house, a guard was sweating profusely. He was leaning against a tree to cool himself off and avoid the scorching sun in the sky.
There were three similar guards sitting beside him. Two of them had even taken off their upper body clothes and wrapped them around their waists, revealing their strong muscles.
In front of them, more than twenty long carriages were parked quietly. They were filled with items, not treasures or medicinal herbs, but rocks. Some farmers who passed by had strange expressions on their faces when they saw the sheer amount of tattered items in the carriages. They did not even think to look twice.
It was precisely because the items were not valuable that the guards were able to relax and rest.
At this moment, another guard heard their compatriot’s questions and said, “I don’t know if there are people in this world who are born with knowledge. I only know people should never be compared with one another. Some people are born rich, some are poor, and their talents are the same. If someone who is blessed by the heavens works hard for a year, he will be able to do something that we will never be able to do in our lifetime.”
“That’s right. Even if I work hard for my entire life, I will still not be able to compare to young master Watson.”
The guard who spoke first sighed.
He was the youth who had sprained his ankle in the merchant group two days ago. His name was Gordo.
He was a Bronze-tier warrior at the tender age of 20 and was considered talented amongst the many guards of the merchant group. Gordo’s dream was to one day successfully advance to Silver-tier and be respected by others. He was initially escorting the merchant group at that time, and did not pay much attention when he heard that the Garry family had produced a young Silver-tier warrior.
Many farmers were uncultured in that poor and remote place at the border. They might even mistake a Bronze-tier warrior for a Silver-tier warrior.
The result was undoubtedly a great shock to him.
Regardless of whether Watson really was a Silver-tier warrior, the mere fact that he had mastered the rare light-attribute combat aura made Gordo extremely envious. There was no need to mention what had happened after that. He had been reprimanded by the boss for spraining his ankle, and Watson had protected him. The scene of turning waste into treasure, where those materials were fused together to improve their quality, was still lingered in his mind.
Gordo’s idol had originally been the kingdom’s only Diamond-tier sword saint, but it had since changed to Watson.
He had been pestering Watson for the past two days, hoping that Watson would become his master and teach him how to learn light-attribute combat aura. Although Watson was a child, he was still a Silver-tier warrior, and strength represented status in that world. Unfortunately, Watson had not agreed to it, so he could only settle for the next best thing by helping gather the stones and attempt to make sure that Watson acknowledged him.
This was already the third trip on the third day. The stones he dragged out were at least a few thousand kilograms. Although there were no large mountains nearby, there were more than ten small mounds. If all of them were mined, there would be at least a hundred thousand kilograms of stones.
“Let’s go. If we go back late, the boss might get angry again! Moreover, looking at the time, Young Master Watson will be able to build the house today. If we go late, we won’t be able to see it.”
After resting enough, everyone got up and returned to the surroundings of the carriage. Gordo curled his lips and was the last to stand up.
The term ‘young master’ was usually used by servants to address their master, and he was the one who called Watson first. The others only learned it after hearing him call that way. Carter and Reynolds were both jealous and helpless with the way the guards treated Watson as their master. Even the two of them wanted to curry favor with Watson, not to mention their subordinates.
At this moment, they were standing in the courtyard. Each of them stood behind Watson and was holding a fan to fan him.
“Young Master, this is the first time I’ve seen such a strange method of building a house. What exactly are you going to do?”
In the courtyard in front of them, there were seven additional houses made of stone bricks and tiles, other than the original three-story building of the Watson family. Because the courtyard had been demolished two days ago, the eight individual houses were still able to fit in, the reason why so many houses were built in two days was not only because the stone materials that Watson had fused with the stones were strong and neat to handle, but also because the guards built them randomly instead of building a foundation.
Carter did not quite understand why so many weak and independent houses had to be built. If they were to be used for living, Watson was not old enough to leave his parents’ house. Carter did not think that they were to be prepared for merchants who had come from afar either, since there was no point building houses for people who did not stay there for long.
“Don’t worry, you’ll know what I’m going to do soon! Once Gordo and the others come back and several thousand kilograms of stones are fused, two more houses’ walls can be produced. As for the roof, just continue to build it with the courtyard fence that has been demolished. We can finally start once ten houses are assembled.”
Watson waved his hand, his expression calm.
He had been using ordinary stone as fusion materials for the past few days. Because he was afraid that the fused items would be too good, and that it would cause the two merchants to be unable to move, he had fused a silver jade that was a little stronger than white jade. Silver jade was between Iron- and Bronze-tier ores. The surface of the stone seemed to be made of gold and had a lustrous texture, which sparkled when placed in the sunlight.
These days, Watson’s brothers and sisters were very curious about the way the family expanded the house. The eldest brother and Scarlet helped out frequently, which was very normal. However, the sixth sibling Margaret and bedridden fifth sibling Peter would sometimes look down through the window.
They had heard that their father, Edward, had made a fortune on chicken eggs and wanted to splurge, which was understandable, but why was it their youngest sibling Watson who was in charge of supervising them?
In the evening, Gordo and the others returned with more than 20 carts of large stones. When they returned, someone handed them water bottles. Watson walked directly to the 20 carts and started the system fusion.
Pieces of silver jade slabs that were a few meters in circumference were forged and carried down by the guards. Around the original eight houses, two more houses were spliced together. These two houses were solid silver jade slabs on the outside and supported by wooden strips on the inside, the windows and stairs were omitted, and there was no furniture.
From the outside, these houses were more gorgeous than Watson’s original small wooden house. However, they did not have a foundation. It was not a big deal if they were hit by a storm, but if they were hit by an earthquake, the buildings would definitely collapse very quickly.
“Young Master, now that we have gathered ten houses, you should at least tell us what you want to do, right?”
Reynolds was trying to outdo Carter, and the speed at which he waved the fan for Watson began increasing.
Big businessmen like them were usually served by others. When did they ever serve anyone else? Because he had been waving the fan for an entire afternoon, Reynolds’ hands were almost numb. He was still enduring, because Carter was still by his side. At that point, he no longer wanted to best Carter for a few stone slabs: what he wanted was Watson’s favor and the greater benefits that came with it.
“Alright, we can begin.”
Watson nodded and extended his right hand towards the ten houses.
The surrounding guards drank water as they wiped the sweat off their faces. Their eyes were filled with curiosity. They also wanted to know what this mysterious young master was going to do.
“System, Fuse.”
Facing the ten houses, Watson spat out two words and closed his eyes. This was the first time he had fused with such a huge object like a house. He did not know what effect it would have.
Bang!
As the sound faded, the ten houses suddenly shook and turned into a huge light that collided with each other. The intersection point happened to be the wooden house that Watson had originally lived in. A dazzling huge ball of light appeared, and everyone closed their eyes to avoid it. After the light dissipated and everyone reopened their eyes, everyone was dumbfounded.
The original ten houses had already disappeared in front of them. What appeared before everyone was a building, and no one knew whether that building should be called a mansion or a castle. It covered an area of several kilometers and had a total of four floors. One could see the spacious corridors and rooms inside it through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A conservative estimate of the number of rooms would be around a hundred.
Chapter 34: Messengers From the Imperial City
“This is too shocking. Even Monte Town’s mayor doesn’t have this big a house!”
A guard from Lucky Business Group who had seen the mayor’s house was practically staring at the mansion in front of him.
“Not only can he fuse ores, he can even fuse houses too. Is there anything in this world that the young master can’t do?” another guard lamented.
He finally understood why Watson wanted to build ten houses. It turned out that they were used as materials for fusion. The houses that they had built previously looked quite impressive on the outside, but the foundation was actually not very solid. However, they did not doubt the sturdiness of the mansion in front of them.
The black walls that flickered with a faint luster gave people a majestic feeling. There were a few vines wrapped around them, which diluted the heavy feeling and brought a hint of vitality. Through the bright windows, one could also see the murals hanging on the walls, other than the bedrooms. There were also some exquisite porcelain pieces placed on the ground.
The guard dared to guarantee that the houses that were originally built by everyone did not even have glass, let alone murals and porcelain pieces. When he thought of this, he felt very regretful. Why did he not have the talent for magic when he was born? Could he have done such an amazing thing if he was a mage instead of a warrior?
At this moment, the guards were not only amazed at the magic of Watson’s magic, they were also amazed at his taste. After all, anyone could do a fusion of houses, but to fuse it into a low-key, elegant, spacious and luxurious residence was not something that an ordinary person could do.
The pear tree door covered with veins, and the two doorknobs carved into the shape of a lion in front of the door, were the epitome of detail.
[Silver-tier Blackmoon Castle]
[Effect: forged from bronze-tier black jade ore. Cultivation speed increased by 30% if cultivated inside the home. At the same time, you can sleep faster and feel more at ease.]
[Special Effect: domain (if any creature enters the castle with hostility, they will be suppressed. The strength of professionals below silver-tier will be reduced by 50%)]
“This isn’t only a place to live; it’s also a super-large-scale magic tool!”
Watson looked at the castle that was one floor higher than before. There was a conical dome on both sides of the castle, and he sighed in his heart.
The castle was not unfamiliar to the people of the Middle Ages, but that was only for the higher-ups. Only the royal family and the great nobles could afford to live in a castle. The Miles Manor that Watson had seen before was just a group of bungalows.
“Alright, the castle is finished. Next, it’s time to build the chicken coops. Everyone, follow me! If it’s fast, it’ll be completed in another week. I’ll treat everyone to live in the castle for the next few days and have the best bread and meat to eat.”
Watson looked at the manor a few times, turned around, and waved his small hand.
The castle was not enough. According to his ideals, his family should adopt the same layout as the Miles Manor. The family’s chicken farm should be surrounded by walls, and it would be best if they also surrounded ten acres of farmland. That way, it would be difficult for anyone to break in. Unfortunately, at least ten kilometers of a wall was needed in order to accomplish that. It amounted to a large number of stones, and they still needed those guards to carry them.
“Yes, Young Master!”
All the guards smiled, exposed their arms, and walked out in a mighty manner.
They were so obedient not only because they would be able to enjoy good food and drink, but also because they wanted to see what Watson would do next.
…
Time flew by, and soon, a week had passed.
There were many things to do these few days. The merchants under Carter and Reynolds would each transport rocks during the morning, noon, and evening. They would transport three times a day, emptying the rocks in the nearby hills. If that was not enough, they would go to the nearby farms and ask for it as plenty of farms had hundreds or thousands of large rocks. If it really did not work, these guards would even take out a few copper coins.
After a while, the nearby farms all learned of the news that the Watson family was expanding, and some skeptical people even secretly went to take a look.
It just so happened that a week had passed and the bright moon hung in the sky.
Two figures, one tall and one short, came from the middle of the kingdom and appeared on a hill one kilometer away from the Watson family.
There were many hills at the border, so if the farmland here was more than a hundred acres, it would mostly be terraced fields. Even the Misty Forest grew at the foot of a mountain range.
The mountain range where Misty Forest was located was called Dragonspine Snow Mountain. It got its name because the snow did not melt all year round, and it was shaped like a long dragon lying on its stomach. The snow mountain was ten thousand meters tall, and there were countless dangerous magical beasts on it. After crossing it, one would arrive at an extremely cold place, that was the territory of the Winter Kingdom.
And to the east of Watson’s house, more than a hundred miles away was the border count’s territory, who was in charge of the border. There were a hundred thousand barren mountains outside, and beyond the hundred thousand barren mountains was the Thorn Empire.
The Holy Dragon Kingdom was located in the center of the continent, surrounded by a country on each side. The Holy Dragon Kingdom, which occupied the most fertile land in the center, was always somewhat estranged from other countries. The friction with the Thorn Empire had been greater in the past two years, and had it not been for the natural dangers surrounding the Holy Dragon Kingdom, the kingdom would have been destroyed long ago.
“Sigh, in less than half a year, it will be winter in March! The continuous snowstorms in the past few months will affect the harvest. There are also powerful magical beasts running out of the dense fog forest to steal things and wreak havoc. In addition, the soldiers of the empire are eyeing us from the east. Fortunately, the count at the border is known as His Majesty’s chief mage. Although his rank is not high, he is deeply trusted by His Majesty. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to clean up this mess.”
The person who spoke was a green-robed young man with pointed boots, two small wings, and a feathered helmet.
Beside him stood a young woman. The white feathers on the helmet fluttered in the wind. That was the symbol of a messenger.
“Stop complaining. This time, the Imperial City received intelligence that the empire’s soldiers are getting restless. They asked us to come and inform the border count to increase our vigilance! At the same time, they also asked us to search for some local intelligence and report back.” The corners of the young woman’s mouth curled up, she revealed a bright smile. “So, have you found any interesting news in the vicinity recently?”
As messengers, their job was to pass on information, go to certain places to gather materials, and report on the situation there, such as whether the taxes were reasonable, whether the border guards were loyal, or whether there were hidden geniuses. All sorts of things were reported, as it was conducive to the control of the country by the higher-ups.
“If we want to talk about interesting stuff, we did find two! There was a Miles Manor near here. A few days ago, the owner of the manor was killed, but no one in the manor went to the law enforcers. Instead, they all said that it was good that he died,” the male messenger said.
The female messenger seemed indifferent and replied calmly, “Since no one cares about them after they died, they must have done too many bad things in their lives! Let me ask you, does this Miles have any nobility title?”
“No, he’s just an ordinary landlord. He doesn’t even have a wife.”
“Then it’s fine. A few people like him die every year. Even if we do manage them, they’re not under our control. Is there anything else?”
“There is indeed one more thing. Should I say it’s strange, or should I say that it’s difficult to ascertain the truth? In short, it’s very troublesome.”
The male messenger looked around and carefully lowered his voice, “I heard from the farmers nearby that a down and out baron named Edward has recently earned a lot of money and is using this money to expand his house! It’s said that the castle he built is even more magnificent than the houses of the great nobles. It’s comparable to the royal palace. Because the overall structure of the mansion is crescent-shaped, it looks like a black crescent moon from the mountain during the day. That’s why people call it the Blackmoon Castle!”
“What do you mean it’s comparable to the royal palace? It’s just the delusion of a country bumpkin who hasn’t seen the world. Don’t tell me you’re the same as a country bumpkin who hasn’t seen the world? Forget it, stop talking. It looks like there’s nothing interesting around here. Let’s hurry up and send a letter to count at the border. Let’s hurry back…”
As she spoke, the female messenger began to stride down the hill when she stopped halfway.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing the female messenger’s wide-open mouth, the male messenger could not help but ask.
Raising her hand, the female messenger pointed not far ahead, her fingers trembling non-stop. “It’s the royal palace!”
In the distance, there was a tall building that stretched far and wide. It was surrounded by a wall that was ten kilometers long and more than two meters tall. There were also short spears stuck on top of it. The black wall reflected the bright moonlight, and the faint roar of a giant beast could be heard, leaving them utterly shocked.
The male messenger looked over and felt that this castle was too gorgeous. It was comparable to ten manors combined. Although it was not as grand as the royal palace, it was still shocking to see such a huge thing appear in this place. Of course, he was more dissatisfied than surprised.
“And you just said that I was ignorant. Look, this Blackmoon Castle really does exist, doesn’t it?
Chapter 35: Watson’s Ambition
A banquet was being held in Blackmoon Castle. There were more than 30 people sitting in the huge hall.
Edward and Catherine sat at the head of the table. Next to them were Watson and the two big businessmen. Behind them were their elder brothers and sisters, as well as the guards of the two caravans and the six farmers from Miles Manor. During that time, wine glasses were exchanged, and it was very lively.
“Young Master Watson, everything is done. We will set off tomorrow! Sigh, if it was possible, I’d really like to stay here for a longer period of time.”
Carter raised his wine glass and gave Watson a toast while lamenting.
“Yes, this is the first time I’m staying in such a large castle! There are hundreds of rooms, and I sleep in one every day. It’ll be different for every day of the year.”
Reynolds looked around and said.
One could live comfortably in Blackmoon Castle as well as eat good meat and bread every day. The group of guards were so happy that they did not even think about going home. They treated that place as heaven. If not for the fact that the business group still had a lot of things to deal with in Monte Town, Reynolds would have wanted to stay here for a few years and enjoy the treatment of a great noble.
“Uncles, don’t worry. This is your second home. You can stay here as long as you want.”
Watson smiled. Using fruit juice instead of wine, he accompanied the two merchants to have a drink.
The two merchants hurriedly thanked him and said, “We’ll come again when we have the chance.” They praised Watson for being sensible. Beside them, Watson’s third and fourth siblings looked at each other as if they had made an important decision, then said in unison, “When you two merchants leave, can you bring us along?”
They had witnessed the development of their family over the past few days. Edward was busy expanding his house, while his elder brother was in charge of teaching Watson. Other than his fifth and sixth siblings, who did not go downstairs, their seventh sibling, Scarlet would occasionally follow the guards out to hunt. Each person had something to do except for Zeke and Zenoah. It had already been their duty to sell the eggs of the Pentacolor Fragrant Chicken. Now that they had a merchant to do it for them, they were bored out of their minds.
Because they had eaten quite a few eggs and had consumed the Seven Treasures Glazed Ginseng, their strength had increased to 2000 catties. During the past two days when they had nothing to do, they followed Vincent and learned how to train their combat aura, but it did not take long for them to give up.
It was not that they did not have talent, but they were just not interested to train. Their main interest was doing business. Since the two merchants were here, they decided to follow the two merchants to Monte Town to learn some advanced business methods. With that, they would be able to better manage their family businesses in the future.
“You guys want to go to Monte Town? You’re more than welcome. With the help of these two little brothers, our Travelling Wind Business Group will definitely develop better.” Reynolds’ eyes lit up when he heard that. He had been fretting over how to build a good relationship with Watson and win against Carter when the opportunity presented itself right there.
Zeke and Zenoah were Watson’s older brothers. As long as he became friends with these two, he wouldn’t have to worry about Watson not taking care of him a little more.
“How shameless can you be, Reynolds? Who said that these two little brothers must join your Travelling Wind Business Group? It’s obviously better to join our Lucky Business Group. Young Masters Zeke and Zenoah, you are free to choose. Who do you want to follow?”
Carter put down his wine glass heavily and pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.
It was normal for Reynolds to take this opportunity to build a good relationship with Watson. However, did he have to be so brazen as to act as though Carter did not exist?
Zeke and Zenoah looked at each other, revealing a sly smile.
“I want to go to the Lucky Business Group (Travelling Wind Business Group)!”
Zeke had chosen the Lucky Business Group, while Zenoah had chosen the Travelling Wind Business Group. The two brothers had telepathy, and they always synced with each other regardless of what they did. On that occasion, there was a rare disagreement.
Watson watched from the side and nodded to himself. These two brothers were really smart.
If they chose the same group, the other merchant would definitely be unhappy. It would be better for each of them to choose one. This way, they would be able to help the two merchants fight. After all, on the surface, the merchants groups were the ones in charge of teaching them. If, after a year, Zeke or Zenoah were to be outclassed because they weren’t skilled enough, it was the merchant that would lose their reputation.
“Good, good, good. Then Zeke will follow our Lucky Business Group! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely impart all my knowledge to you within a year at most,” Carter hurriedly said.
“Little Brother Zeke, don’t worry. If you follow the Travelling Wind Business Group, I guarantee that you won’t be inferior to your brother in terms of business-mindedness after a year.” Reynolds also said the same thing.
Those who could become great merchants were obviously intelligent people. After thinking for a moment, they understood what Zeke and Zenoah’s intentions were. However, they did not really mind, as it would still be beneficial to them.
“Reynolds, speaking it all you’re good it. The total assets of the Travelling Wind Business Group that you spent ten years to build are not as much as my assets. You better not overestimate yourself!”
“Carter, you’re the one who’s all big talk, isn’t that right? We’ll see what the result is like.”
Carter and Reynolds looked at each other. Their gazes collided in mid-air, creating an invisible spark. There was a faint sign that they were about to start a fight.
Such scenes happened a few times a day, and Watson was tired of watching it. In order to let his ears rest for a while, he stood up and said, “Everyone, eat slowly. I drank too much fruit juice. I need to go to the toilet first.”
After he finished speaking, he left the hall. Behind him came the sound of two businessmen arguing with each other, accompanied by the sound of slapping the table.
After leaving the mansion, Watson turned his head to look at the majestic castle that stood in the darkness. The corners of his mouth curled up, “Third and fourth brothers are going out to study. During this period of time, I’ll use the money I earned to expand the house once more! I also have to quickly recruit people. A few hundred bedrooms are not good to be left empty.”
Who would have thought a month ago that the family would develop to that extent? Even Watson did not expect it.
He had one ambition, and that was to expand the scope of the castle. With the castle as the center, there was Miles Manor to the east, boundary stones to the west, and Misty Forest to the north, he would annex all the nearby farms and would build a town more prosperous than Monte Town.
He did not tell his family about this idea. Otherwise, even his father, Edward, who was the most resilient, would be shocked to death when he heard it.
In the past, Watson only wanted to feed his family and let them live a better life. That simple desire had since changed. He wanted his family to become the largest town at the border and never again be bullied by anyone.
…
Outside the fence near the chicken farm.
Two messengers from Imperial City were lying on top of the fence, secretly looking inside.
“Am I seeing things? This family actually has Pentacolor Fragrant Chickens.”
Through the short spears and barbed wire erected on the fence, the female messengers discovered that behind the fence was a breeding farm, which was divided into two by a high fence. On the left side of the fence, five Pentacolor Fragrant Chickens.were pacing about, and the stone-built chicken coop was filled with colorful eggs. It was like a treasure trove. On the other side of the fence, the breeding farm was empty, and no one could see what was being raised.
“Only the great nobles are qualified to raise Pentacolor Fragrant Chickens. Five chickens… could it be that some great noble came to the border to develop? Why haven’t I heard about this? I must report this to the higher-ups.”
The female messenger’s eyes were burning, and she reached out to wipe the wall, “And this wall, it seems to be a Bronze-tier ore, black jade. How much does it cost to build a wall that is ten miles long using Bronze-tier ores? Even the border count who is in charge of the border is not that wealthy.”
The male messenger’s words came from behind, “I heard that this place was originally the territory of a poor baron. Perhaps it isn’t that a great noble migrated here, but that the baron made a fortune.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. How could a poor baron make a fortune? Even if he made a fortune, how could he build such a magnificent castle in such a short time?”
The female messenger had a look of disbelief on her face. She felt that someone had pulled her calf and asked, “Why? Do you think what I said is wrong?”
There was no sound. The feeling of her calf being pulled became stronger and stronger.
“What are you doing?”
The female messenger turned her head angrily and found the male messenger lying on the wall. He had a pale face and was trembling as he pointed at the ground below.
Under the wall, a little golden lion was pacing slowly. It was baring its teeth at the two of them, with its body emitting the terrifying aura of a Gold-tier magical beast.