Chapter 28

Next, we will begin discussing the relevant matters.

Gongsun Murong first asked the Grand Duke to choose a type of chicken he had eaten before. He would provide the recipe, taking 20% of the profit, the Grand Duke would take 30%, and the remaining 50% would be given to those who would implement it, which were the Grand Duke's true noble subordinates.

This created a web of interests among everyone.

Gongsun Murong then presented the recipes for spicy duck necks, duck tongues, and other preserved foods, suggesting the Grand Duke give them to the nobles with whom he had a less friendly relationship or who were not very obedient, allowing the Grand Duke to decide who to give them to, to help him win their support.

Gongsun Murong then took out the letter from the mayor of Qishui City, Aurel, and handed it to the Grand Duke. Finally, he presented the chaotic hexagram of Lambert Kipling, also known as the Mike War Pendant.

At this moment, the usually gentle Grand Duke Gers finally became serious, and Lucia also sat up straight. She, too, knew what the Mike War Pendant was.

"The Mike War Pendant, I never thought it would appear in Danghun Lake," Grand Duke Gers murmured, staring at the hexagram in his hand.

He understood the power of this item. The duchy also had reserves of it, which were very useful for dealing with large-scale magical items in war.

Each war pendant of the duchy or the empire had a unique mark, but this one did not. Where did it come from? Why did it appear in Danghun Lake? What is actually beneath Danghun Lake?

The last sentence of Grand Duke Gers' murmur was a bit louder, and Nalasha immediately picked up on it.

"Below the lake are many large caves. My brother Murong and I didn't dare to enter. There was a large monster with many claws with this thing. The monster was just big, not as powerful as the sand beasts in the desert. It couldn't use magical attacks, so my brother Murong and I were able to get this thing. Does it count as military merit?"

Nalasha asked hopefully.

Only with military merit could one become a noble, and only with a noble title could one have a fief, and with a fief, one could build an estate.

A barony required 500 military merits, and now they only had 150.

Gers couldn't figure out what was going on for a moment. After a brief thought, he smiled gently and asked, "Why do you think it can count as military merit? How much military merit do you want?"

Nalasha didn't know how to answer.

But Gongsun Murong said, "It's worth as much military merit as it is. My brother and I will consider whether to participate in such matters in the future, just like merchants who stop selling a product after losing money."

"Alright, alright, I apologize for my hesitation." Gers understood the meaning behind Gongsun Murong's words. If he tried to play politics or downplay the matter and not reward them, their relationship would be purely based on interests, like merchants.

With interests, there would be no sentiment. Without sentiment, there would be no burden of betrayal.

This was a strong stance, making people uncomfortable.

But it was also a straightforward approach, leaving no room for criticism, as they had come from the desert.

"Grandfather, Lucia still needs to practice water magic. Lucia just learned it and isn't proficient yet," Lucia said at this moment. Usually, she called him grandpa, but now she called him grandfather, pouting slightly. The next time she might call him Grand Duke, or even with his surname, indicating a growing distance.

This was a hint and a challenge. She wanted to secure equal benefits for Nalasha.

Gers smiled.

"Alright, my dear Lucia, you can invite Nalasha to practice with you later. You need to understand that the title is not the most important thing. What's important is that you can hold your position. Nalasha and her brother Murong will study in the capital. Does the capital have fiefs?

I can directly give a viscount title. Ask your friend if she can hold a title without a fief. The capital has no extra land to allocate."

"Murong brother," Nalasha looked at him with a questioning gaze.

Gongsun Murong shook his head slightly. Revealing all their cards was not a good idea. After some thought, he smiled and said, "We just want a viscount title, either as Gongsun Viscount or Murong Viscount."

"Fief?" Grand Duke Gers asked.

"Free choice," Gongsun Murong replied. Free choice actually meant they would have to buy the land themselves.

"Then, as you wish, Gongsun Viscount," Gers acknowledged their choice.

As for where they would buy the land, that was not his concern.

There were many nobles without fiefs, but their status was not high. They could only be of some help when they were punished for wrongdoing.

It seemed that the Mike War Pendant came from other caves connected to Danghun Lake, specifically dragged there by a water monster.

What did this mean? It meant that Danghun Lake could connect to other places, even to enemy territory.

It seemed further exploration of Danghun Lake was needed to prevent enemies from discovering this secret and launching a surprise attack.

Or they could use this secret to launch a surprise attack on the enemy.

This intelligence was worth a viscount title, including a confidentiality fee.

What he needed to do now was to find professional mages to study the war pendant to determine which country's style it belonged to, to narrow down the search area.

Thinking this, the Grand Duke was pleased.

Pleased, Grand Duke Gers rewarded Gongsun Murong with 10,000 gold coins. Nalasha was very happy. With this, they had over 40,000 gold coins. With some more effort, they could gather 50,000.

Then they could buy land and build an estate.

With hope for the future, Nalasha spent her first night in the capital.

The next morning, after greeting Lucia, Nalasha followed her brother Murong to find the steward and others.

As for the Grand Duke, they didn't see him. He had already gone out to deal with various state affairs.

******

Stefan Rodney was indeed an excellent steward.

When Gongsun Murong asked him to do things last night, he forgot to give him money. The ninth princess's people were supposed to provide the funds, but he refused.

First, he arranged for the adventurers' families to stay in a nearby small square.

Then he contacted two merchants, selling the goods he had acquired through various means on the journey, and bought cooking utensils from the merchants. He led the adventurers and their families to set up a stall in a corner of the square.

Next, he sought out other merchants who sold food and negotiated the naming rights for desert-style cuisine, obtaining a large amount of ingredients and enough tents for over 200 people to rest.

The desert-style night market stall, named after someone else, began operations. The women who were relatively good at cooking did the grilling, while the elderly and children rested, and the adventurers maintained order.

The curiosity of the locals drew many to buy food, drink, and chat with the adventurers from Qishui City.

Steward Rodney did not stay at the square to sell things. He went to a merchant who transported goods at night and rented out the 20 wagons of his team at half price, with the condition that the horses would be well-cared for when they returned in the morning.

After leaving the transport merchant, Rodney went to a children's clothing store that was promoting wild-themed clothing. He offered to provide a group of truly wild children to perform for them, in exchange for each member of the team receiving a set of civilian clothes.

The children's clothing store owner personally came to the square to watch. Seeing the truly wild children, he agreed but also requested that they help promote his kindness after making the clothes.

Steward Rodney agreed and, using the topic of kindness, asked for a full health check for everyone and promised to give them priority in the future for similar promotions at the same price.

In the morning, when Gongsun Murong and Nalasha arrived at the square, they saw a large group of people happily eating at a breakfast stall.

In front of them was a banner that read, "People from Qishui City recognize the most delicious food in the capital."

Many others were also eating around them, while nearby shops doing the same business had few customers.

At that moment, Steward Rodney was receiving five silver coins from the shop owner and listening to his thanks.

"Brother Murong, that person said he was very grateful that Steward Rodney chose his shop to eat and help promote it. The agreed price was five silver coins, and he was willing to provide free food for lunch and dinner. Rodney said he would consider it because another restaurant had invited him and he needed to see the situation."

Nalasha explained the situation to Gongsun Murong. At that moment, she finally understood what a steward was and the weight of the word "steward."

Of course, the word "excellent" should be added before "steward."

Gongsun Murong nodded and pointed to a few people who had just approached Stefan Rodney, asking what they said.

"Oh, Brother Murong, let me listen. I know. They are inviting our steward to work for their family, offering better treatment and even a large suite for his family to live in."

Nalasha said angrily and continued, "Our steward told them he already had a master. If he betrayed, he would not be a qualified steward and would not be trustworthy. He thanked them for their appreciation and hoped for more cooperation between families in the future."

"Ah, he saw us, he's coming over."

Stefan Rodney, upon turning his head, suddenly saw his young master and mistress standing in the distance. He quickly apologized to the people nearby and walked briskly toward his masters.

At that moment, he felt the happiest. He could fully utilize his abilities, and his master not only did not find another steward to constrain him but also provided strong military support.

As for the people from other families, forget it. When he was in his most difficult times, they were unwilling to help him, saying they would give him enough trust. Were they taking him for a fool?

They said they regretted not finding him earlier and hoped to make up for it.

This was absolutely a joke. He would regret leaving his new master. Not every master would bring guards with swirling battle auras to the square to rescue the steward's family, and not every master would help him take revenge.

It was just a debt of 20 gold coins. Who had ever reached out to help him?

Thinking of the past, Rodney's steps became even more determined.

******

There are too few recommendation votes. How about this: I won't take recommendation votes for free. I'll also put in some effort. If the recommendation votes reach 260 by midnight, I'll update three chapters tomorrow. Each of my chapters is over 3,000 words. Is that okay?

I won't take them for free; I'll exchange updates for them. There are currently 197 recommendations.

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