Chapter 36

With a doubtful heart, she waited in the room for half an hour. The bedroom door opened again, and a young man with black hair and black eyes walked in.

"Little sister, you're back." A warm smile spread across Gordon's face, making Xiona feel an urge to cry for some reason.

This was her home, and this was her brother.

Compared to the weak and pale appearance he had when they last parted, Gordon seemed almost transformed in Xiona's eyes. His eyes sparkled with intelligence, and his every move exuded an unshakeable confidence, as if nothing in the world could challenge him.

Seeing Xiona standing there in a daze, Gordon patted her head, "What's wrong, little sister? Are you so excited to see your long-missed brother that you're about to cry?"

"Who misses you day and night?" Xiona lightly wiped her eyes, a faint blush appearing on her face. "By the way, what about Sir Esemude?"

Gordon shrugged, saying helplessly, "Just a boring noble trying to establish a connection. No one cared about us when we were down and out, but now that our life has improved, they come knocking. I've already sent him away."

Xiona didn't press further. She glanced at the luxurious bedroom, her gaze lingering on the pink princess bed. "Brother, what's going on here?"

"Your new bedroom. Don't you like it?"

"I mean, where did you get so much money to completely renovate the house, buy expensive furniture, and hire several servants? I remember when I left, you only had less than one gold coin for food."

"This is a story with a thrilling process and a heartwarming ending." Gordon smiled and sat on the princess bed, then patted the space beside him, indicating for Xiona to sit down with him.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Xiona sat down next to her brother as instructed.

Then, Gordon detailed everything that had happened over the past period to Xiona.

"The mage who dueled at Platinum Square yesterday was really you!" Xiona recalled the conversation between the two adventurers, realizing it wasn't just her imagination but a real event.

"Of course, too bad you weren't there."

"But you shouldn't be spending money so recklessly. Renovating this house must have cost at least a few hundred gold coins. If we saved the money, we could have paid off the 3000 gold coin debt sooner."

It seemed Xiona still lacked a clear understanding of their financial situation. Gordon felt it was necessary to dispel her small-farmer mindset. He moved his lips, reciting the command for the dimensional bag, and one by one, shiny metal coins fell onto the bed with a clinking sound.

"These are... platinum coins!" Xiona couldn't believe her eyes.

As the largest denomination of currency in the Ferelden Empire, one platinum coin was worth a hundred gold coins. To prevent counterfeiting, each platinum coin was infused with a bit of Bahamut's divine power by the priests of the Platinum Temple. This currency was generally not circulated in the market but used for large transactions.

Gordon took out fifteen of these precious coins from his dimensional bag at once.

This substantial sum came from Olgro, the generous fifth-circle mage who paid a large amount to save his student, Hao Lin. This payment brought Gordon's repayment progress to halfway.

Besides these gleaming platinum coins, Xiona was further shocked. She held the ledger Gordon handed her and asked, "Brother, the magic shop you run with others makes nearly fifty gold coins in profit each day after taxes?"

"Of course, it's clearly written in black and white in the ledger. And if we manage it well, the income will continue to increase."

Xiona was stunned for a moment, accepting the reality that their family had finally escaped poverty and become wealthy, all thanks to Gordon's efforts.

"Alright, let's go have dinner. You should try Bade's cooking. I know you must be tired of the cold, hard rations you had in the wild." Gordon knew it would take some time for Xiona to adapt to the new life, so he led her to the living room.

The dinner was sumptuous, with roasted pork chops, pickled sausages, mushroom fish soup, salt-baked pheasant, and cherry and strawberry pies. Gordon even broke his usual rule and opened a bottle of rose champagne.

Although mages generally avoid alcohol to maintain a clear mind, this didn't mean Gordon had a poor tolerance. He finished more than half the bottle of champagne but only felt a slight buzz. Xiona, however, was already dazed and fell onto the table.

Looking at his little sister, who was as drowsy as a kitten, Gordon shook his head helplessly and walked over to pick her up. Fortunately, the girl was light, and Gordon had cast a Bull's Strength spell on himself, so even as a mage not known for strength, he could carry her in a princess carry.

"Brother?" Xiona's black gem-like eyes were misty. Even though she was drunk, she realized she was in Gordon's arms, and her already flushed cheeks turned even redder. She didn't dare to meet Gordon's eyes and buried her head in his chest, tightly hugging his neck with both hands.

Gordon could only smile helplessly at his sister's ostrich-like attitude. Xiona's body, tightly pressed against his, made their contact even more intimate. He could clearly feel the soft and supple sensation—her little pigeons had developed quite well.

However, she was still his sister, and although Gordon felt a bit strange, he had no other thoughts.

After settling Xiona, Gordon left her room.

The rose champagne had a low alcohol content but a strong aftereffect. Gordon knew it wasn't suitable to conduct arcane research tonight. Fortunately, after yesterday's duel, Priest Jack had offered to terminate Gordon's contract as a tomb guardian, freeing up a lot of time for him.

Of course, this wasn't without conditions. Gordon had to serve the Dawn Temple once without harming his interests or putting his life at risk.

According to Priest Jack, Gordon's displayed abilities were too valuable to be wasted as a mere tomb guardian. He could serve Lady Meridia in other ways.

Gordon went to the study, took out "Dasson's Notes on Shaping Spells," and casually flipped through it, dispelling the alcohol and passing the long night.

By midnight, drowsiness overcame him. He first went to the magic laboratory to check on Ado and Al's work, then put the two wind spirits, who had worked all day, back into his ring, preparing to return to his room to rest.

In the quiet night, the corridor echoed with a clear and melodious song.

It was a narrative poem called "In the Name of the Father": To resist the Noscent invasion, the knight father left his daughter to fight on the front lines and died in battle. Later, the daughter grew up, wielding the sword left by her father, and became an excellent warrior, avenging her father and ultimately slaying her enemy.

This poem, primarily describing the bond between father and daughter, was set to music by the famous dragon-blooded bard "Green Flute" Manning and widely sung across the continent.

Following the sound of the song, Gordon took a few more steps and turned the corner of the stairs, where a poignant scene unfolded.

Xiona, wearing a thin nightgown, stood in front of her father's portrait. She held her hands to her heart, singing the poem intently. Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a silver outline around Xiona's delicate figure.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Xiona stopped singing and looked at Gordon, "Brother."

"What's wrong?"

The girl wiped away two tears and smiled, "Nothing, I just suddenly thought of Dad and the poem he taught me."

Although Gordon had already integrated the memories of his previous owner, as a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "a person who has traveled through time or dimensions"), he was still a separate individual, so he couldn't empathize with Xiona's feelings for her parents. At this moment, Gordon found himself at a loss for words.

"Don't worry about me, it's fine." Xiona shook her head understandingly, "I'm just so happy. Since the day our parents passed away, I've never been this happy. Brother, you're really capable. I believe you can not only change the family's fate but also achieve greater success in the future. You will win back the land for the Freeman family and become a mage lord. Only then will you fulfill Father's wish—to continue the Freeman family's glory."

"Hey, little sister, you're thinking too much." Gordon was at a loss, seeing the hopeful look in her eyes.

Winning back the land? Easier said than done.

The Ferelden Platinum Empire had been established for over six hundred years, long past the glorious days of territorial expansion. The national borders were largely stable. The last large-scale land grant by the emperor was over forty years ago, when the Noscent invaders were defeated. The Freeman family became a land-grant noble at that time. However, the land they received was north of the Anduin Wall, a fertile but constantly threatened area by the tundra orcs.

"How is that thinking too much!" Xiona was a bit angry at Gordon's lack of ambition. "Brother, you're a mage. When you reach the sixth circle, you will need to build your own magic tower, which is a necessary condition for further arcane research and advancement. How can you do that without your own land?"

Xiona was right. Gordon, who aimed to become a legendary mage, would definitely need a magic tower. He might even build his own floating city in the future.

Although setting overly high goals isn't a good thing, making a detailed plan for the future is necessary.

"Got it, I'll work hard to win a fertile and rich land for the Freeman family." Gordon affectionately ruffled Xiona's hair.

"Don't treat me like a child," Xiona lightly swatted Gordon's hand, her eyes suddenly serious. "Brother, when we become strong, we will take revenge ourselves. In the name of Father Ronald Freeman, we will end the dirty life of the orc warlord Ugru Ironclaw with our own hands."