Chapter 244: Consideration

If it were Lulansi asking Luoning to escort this batch of supplies and represent the Wushan Family to check on Chishan Town, then Luoning would have no objections and would naturally make the trip.

But this matter was brought up by Weijinsi.

To be honest, Luoning only held a polite attitude toward this father; there was absolutely no talk of deep familial affection between them.

They usually lived their own lives, and maintaining basic politeness when they met was about enough.

If he were asked to do something rather troublesome, Luoning still needed to consider it carefully.

The development plans for Wubei Territory had already been set two months ago, and the implementation could be left to the group of officials led by Wilson; he did not need to worry too much.

As for the Wubei Territory side, only the soaking papermaking materials had yet to be processed.

If he went away and was delayed for too long, he did not know if these materials would spoil.

On the other side, seeing that Luoning did not directly refuse, Weijinsi assumed the latter had some intention of considering it, so he hurriedly followed up to persuade him:

"Although you haven't been to Chishan Town, you will be led by a Knight Squad; you don't need to worry about such a small matter."

"When I was as young as you, although my strength was not as good as yours, I had long since been running around everywhere, broadening my horizons. Now that you are already an Advanced Peak Knight, you should go out and walk around even more."

He said: "Having more experience can increase one's knowledge significantly, and this will also be helpful for your governance of Wubei Territory."

It was hard to tell that Weijinsi could spout such a set of grand principles, yet he had wandered outside for so many years without seemingly gaining much knowledge.

Luoning smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing, but instead asked: "I wonder in what capacity Father is asking me to do this?"

Weijinsi did not catch the meaning behind Luoning's words. "What do you mean?"

Buleidun blinked his eyes, looking at his brother; he had originally thought his brother would agree directly.

Daianni stopped the dinner fork in her hand and looked at this pair of father and son; she heard it—Luoning did not want to go, at least not just go casually.

Lulansi, however, raised an eyebrow and took a shallow sip of wine.

"If you are asking me to go in the capacity of a father, I must consider it carefully. After all, a trip to Chishan Town takes quite a bit of time, and there are many matters in Wubei Territory waiting for me to handle; I may not be able to get away."

"However, if you are asking in the capacity of the first heir to Wubei Territory, I think I need to discuss it with Grandfather first."

Weijinsi had wondered what Luoning wanted to say; so it was just these two issues.

"Does such a small matter need to trouble your grandfather?"

Weijinsi shook his head. "As for the time you mentioned, it is much closer from Wushan Castle to Chishan Town than it is to your Shanzhen; even with the supplies, a month is enough for the round trip plus the time you spend staying there."

Over these years, Lulansi had already handed many matters over to Weijinsi to handle, and he would not ask about some small things at all.

Weijinsi felt that asking Luoning for a favor was a small matter, so he did not bother to ask for Lulansi's opinion.

"One month, it won't delay you much," he added.

In fact, the meaning of Luoning's second sentence was that the Viscount of Wubei Territory owed allegiance to Lulansi, not to Weijinsi, who had not yet inherited the position of Marquis; he had to listen to the arrangements of the Marquis himself.

But this layer of meaning was completely missed by the Count of Wushan City.

Just as Luoning was thinking about how to respond, Lulansi coughed, attracting everyone's attention.

"Tomorrow is Luoning's birthday."

"I know, Father."

Weijinsi came back to his senses. "It will still take a few days for the supplies to be prepared; I am not asking him to set off tomorrow."

Lulansi did not pick up on this, but instead looked at Buleidun.

"Buleidun has prepared a Dagger personally crafted by him for Luoning, and Daianni has prepared the lunch and dinner banquets for these two days; I wonder what birthday gift you have prepared as a father?"

"This..."

Weijinsi scratched his head awkwardly and said with some embarrassment: "I've been too busy these two days and forgot. But don't worry, Luoning, there will definitely be a gift for you!"

Lulansi stood up and said indifferently: "Father and son should also cultivate their relationship; you cannot always demand that your son do things in the capacity of a father, especially on a day like tomorrow—things that should be prepared in advance must be prepared in advance."

"Besides being your son, Luoning is also the Lord of Wubei Territory, and can be considered a noble of no small standing. Nobles value the exchange of benefits; if you want him to help, you cannot do it without preparing a generous gift."

While he was speaking, Moste had already pulled back his chair.

"Alright, I am full and will leave first. Daianni, thank you for the dinner banquet; it was excellent."

Daianni stood up and said with a smile: "I am glad you liked it."

Weijinsi curled his lips. "Alright, Father, I understand."

He turned his head to look at Luoning: "Tell me, what gift do you want? But we must agree in advance: I don't have much money on me to give you."

This was said quite directly, not treating Luoning as an outsider at all.

"Talking about money hurts the relationship."

Luoning said with a smile: "But I haven't thought about it yet; I will give you an answer once I have."

"Fine, as long as you have thought about it, I can get you whatever I am capable of."

What Luoning hadn't thought about wasn't just the question of what gift he wanted; he hadn't even decided whether he wanted to go.

His current understanding of Chishan Town was limited to only two points.

The first was that the Fifth Knight Order of Wushan Ridge was stationed there, and the Regiment Commander was Keruien Hansen;

The second was that there was an iron mine in Chishan Town...

A thought stirred in Luoning's heart: if he could occupy a certain share of this iron mine, then Wubei Territory would not need to go outside to purchase ore.

With a stable source of iron ore, he could quickly forge various farm tools through the method of Blast Furnace Iron Smelting, significantly advancing the agricultural progress of Wubei Territory.

Not only that, the knights and warhorses of Wubei Territory could also obtain stronger defense.

It was just a pity that although Weijinsi had promised to give a gift, if Luoning wanted to ask for a share of the Chishan Town iron mine from him, he probably wouldn't be able to get it.

"What should I ask for?"

With this doubt, Luoning left the dining room.

"Brother, shall we have a sparring match before bed tonight?" Buleidun followed him.

"Of course!"

Luoning came back to his senses and immediately followed Buleidun to the square in the back to do some after-dinner exercise.

After Luoning left, Weijinsi could not help but complain.

"This brat, now that his strength has grown, he doesn't even know how to be polite when speaking to me."

Back then, he could scold Luoning whenever he wanted and hit him whenever he pleased, but now he dared not.

On one hand, he had lost a leg and become weaker;

on the other hand, Luoning had displayed extraordinary strength at the beginning of the year, and even Leisen had been defeated by his hand, which made Weijinsi afraid to treat him as he had in the past.

"Buleidun said he even felt that Luoning had already become a Bronze Knight."

"What?"

Weijinsi was so shocked that the juice in his mouth almost sprayed out, "That must be an illusion, right? An eighteen-year-old Bronze Knight? Is he even more impressive than my brother?"

Daianni watched as the Servants cleared all the dinner plates from the table; she leaned back against her chair and sighed slightly.

Perhaps Luoning was truly stronger than Geleimusi, the genius figure of Wushan Ridge's past.

"You had better think carefully about what gift to prepare for Luoning tomorrow."

She said with a smile, "Otherwise, I don't think Luoning will be very willing to make that trip for you."

"Hmph, if he doesn't go, then he doesn't go; can't I find someone else?"

Despite saying that, Weijinsi still got up and went to the study, rummaging through his things to see what rare and valuable items he had for Luoning. (End of chapter)