Chapter 38: Chapter 37: The Castle’s Wealth

Mountain Forest Castle was as lively as ever, but in just half a day, its master had changed.

Ronin had dinner with the Guards who had come from Mountain Forest Town. This was a celebration of their preliminary victory.

Although the meat stew, side dishes, and bread made by the cook were far inferior to those at Wushan Castle, Ronin, who had been subsisting on jerky and dry bread for days, still heartily ate several bowls.

The Guards below were even more so.

The food on the road had already been quite good for them, to say nothing of the stew and dishes at the banquet.

The banquet lasted for about an hour. After the sky had completely darkened, Ronin took a long, refreshing bath and moved into a small, tidy building.

This small building was constructed entirely of wood and had three floors: a top, a middle, and a bottom.

The top floor was an attic, usually for storing unused clothes or tools. The middle floor was a luxurious bedroom, and the bottom floor was a living room and a place for the servants to rest.

Ronin stayed in the largest room on the second floor, which was relatively clean after the servants had tidied up.

At this moment, he sat in the study outside the bedroom, the lit candle illuminating the entire room.

Though the light wasn’t as soft as an incandescent bulb from Earth, it was bright enough for him to see every word on the books clearly.

Two books lay before him, or rather, two Combat Technique Manuals: *Flame Slash* and *Fire Fist Bombing*.

Ronin glanced through them. Both were Combat Skills suitable for an Intermediate Knight’s Cultivation.

The *Flame Slash* was likely the Flame Attack that Princest had used.

*Fire Fist Bombing* was a bit more difficult to learn, so Princest probably hadn’t mastered it. Of course, it was also possible he had mastered it but never got a chance to use it.

These two Combat Technique Manuals would be very useful to Ronin, since one of his Attributes was Flame.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The manservant, Chahar, walked in. “Good evening, my lord.”

He came to the desk and reported respectfully, “I have completed the task you assigned me.”

As he spoke, he took a sheet of sheepskin parchment from his pocket and handed it over.

“That was fast!”

The sheepskin parchment felt fine and smooth in his hand, but it also gave off a faint, foul stench.

Ronin frowned slightly. Although the smell was unpleasant, he had read many books over the past few days and had already gotten used to it.

Ronin had no trouble at all reading the script of the Otherworld. It recorded the following:

[Finances: 58 Gold Coins, 349 Silver Coins, 8,466 Copper Coins]

[Provisions: Barley 18,856 jin, Wheat 16,230 jin, Flour 1,000 jin, Jerky 500 jin, Fine Salt 30 jin, Coarse Salt 136 jin, Gaza Salt 320 jin, Butter 280 jin]

[Beer: Superior Beer 26 bottles, Medium-grade 138 bottles, Sour Beer 5 barrels]

[Horses: Fine Warhorse 1, Common Warhorses 3, Common Horses 19, Foals 3, Carriages 5]

[Livestock: Dairy Cows 4, Bull 1, Calf 1, Female Black Water Buffaloes 10, Male Black Water Buffalo 1, Calves 3, Goats 126]

[Weapons]: Full Sets of Armor x3, Iron Long Spears x23, Knight’s Swords x6, Inferior Longswords x12, Longbows x8, Arrows x356

[Hides: Sheepskins 56, Cowhides 13]

[Cloth: Linen 87 rolls, Woolen Cloth 54 rolls]

Ronin carefully read the list of items on the sheepskin parchment, the smile on his face growing wider the more he read.

’No wonder so many people dream of conquering a castle. The spoils are truly tempting!’

’Princest pledged allegiance to Reisen of Sain Territory, so he must have handed over a lot of things. I never expected Mountain Forest Castle to still have this much!’

“Yes, my lord! This is enough food to last us for a year!”

Chahar had been incredibly excited while taking inventory of the assets; he felt as if he had struck it rich himself.

“Besides, September is just around the corner. I heard there’s a batch of barley in Mountain Forest Town that needs to be harvested. We’ll have a large amount of fresh barley then.”

Although Ronin usually ate more wheat flour, barley was also an important grain.

Not only could it be used as rations, but it was also a key ingredient for brewing beer and making malt sugar and barley tea. Furthermore, the Black Bread made from its bran was a means of survival for many people.

’I don’t have to worry about the castle’s food supply anymore.’

Ronin had originally planned to go out and buy grain, but it seemed he now had more than enough.

As for the money, after adding the funds seized from the castle, Ronin now had 589 gold. Even if he used some to buy five Magic Crystal Stones, he would still have over eighty Gold Coins in savings.

He could now consider the ’first-purchase bonus gift,’ but something like a Magic Crystal Stone couldn’t be bought in Mountain Forest Town.

If he wanted to buy one, he would probably have to make a trip to the nearest major settlement, Pasture City.

’I haven’t even secured my footing in Mountain Forest Town yet. It’s not a good time to leave.’

Ronin had been in the castle for less than five hours, all told. There was too much to do, and he couldn’t get away.

Having someone else go in his place was even more out of the question.

His only War General, Macken, had to stay by his side. The others weren’t strong enough. If they went out rashly and got robbed, Ronin wouldn’t know who to cry to.

Besides money, he was most interested in the horses, livestock, and weapons. Their value was far greater than the grain’s.

“These three warhorses were ridden by Princest, Sain, and the others. They were included in the inventory after being captured,” Chahar explained. “It’s basically the same for the full sets of armor.”

Ronin nodded. He now had a basic understanding of Mountain Forest Castle’s wealth.

He also understood now just how tempting this much wealth would be for a Civil Servant, and why the man had been so reluctant to let go.

“Your accounting is very detailed. You’ve done a beautiful job on this.”

Ronin placed the sheepskin parchment on the table and gave Chahar an appreciative smile. “Good work!”

Chahar waved his hands in a humble gesture. “Please, my lord, don’t say that. It is my honor to serve you!”

“Mm, the castle should have storehouses and a cellar. You will be in charge of all these supplies.”

Ronin began his first personnel arrangement. “Keep up the good work, Chahar. From now on, you are the steward of Mountain Forest Castle.”

Chahar was stunned. His dream was to become a great steward like Holwart.

Now, he had finally taken the first step in his life—from manservant to steward!

Although he was only the steward of a remote place like Mountain Forest Castle, he had realized during this time that by following the master before him, he would definitely have a bright future!

Chahar immediately dropped to one knee. “As the Seven Gods are my witness, I, Chahar, will not betray the trust you have placed in me, my lord!”

“Haha, rise.”

Ronin lifted his hand and, at the same time, passed over a sheet of sheepskin parchment from the table.

“Princest’s former servants can no longer be used. I’m entrusting you with the task of recruiting new ones. This is a salary scale I’ve prepared. Follow these standards.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Chahar took the sheepskin parchment and began to read it carefully.

It categorized the servants into different types, such as apprentice servants, manual labor servants, head kitchen chef, kitchen helpers, personal maids, personal valets, stewards, and housekeepers, providing brief descriptions and corresponding salary ranges for each.

The highest salary was for the steward, who was responsible for all administrative affairs in the castle but had to maintain a strict boundary with the maids’ living quarters and personal lives. The salary was 8 Copper Coins per day.

The housekeeper and head chef were in the second tier, with a salary of 6 Copper Coins per day.

The lowest was the apprentice servant, at only 1 Copper Coin per day.

“Our castle isn’t large right now, and we don’t have many people. We’re just starting out. The salary I’m offering you is 8 Copper Coins per day.”

Ronin said with a smile, “Once our castle expands and you have more people and matters to manage, I will give you a raise.”

A steward of a Baron’s Castle earning 8 Copper Coins per day, which amounted to an annual income of just 2 gold and 6 silver coins, was not high, but it was within the normal range.

But Chahar clearly hadn’t expected to receive such treatment.

“You are too generous, my lord! On behalf of the servants who will be joining the castle, and on behalf of myself, I thank you!”

“Work hard, Chahar. Keep improving your management skills in all areas, and in the future, you will become my grand steward!”

Ronin didn’t mind making grand promises; after all, they were pleasant for everyone to hear.

“The number and quality of the servants are up to you to decide, but I have a few requirements in other areas.”

“Please, my lord, tell me!”

Ronin said, “First, you must ascertain their family backgrounds. If they followed Princest, especially those who participated in today’s betrayal, they are absolutely unacceptable!”

“Second, after they are selected, you must observe their words and deeds. We cannot have anyone who is irresponsible, lazy, or unruly.”

“Finally, and most importantly, they must be loyal to me.”

Chahar committed these three points to memory. “My lord, I have remembered!”

Ronin waved his hand. “Alright, you may go. You can start recruiting servants tomorrow, after I have met with my subjects.”

Watching Chahar leave his study, Ronin stretched lazily.

After a busy day, he could finally rest alone in peace for a while.

However, some people were destined not to rest.

David, for instance, was probably with Tom at this very moment, raiding the homes of the three Professional Knights from Sain Territory in Mountain Forest Town.

He wondered how much wealth those men would leave behind for him.

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