Chapter 37: Wealth in the Castle

Shanlin Castle was as bustling as ever, only the master of the castle had changed in the short span of half a day.

Luoning shared dinner with the Guards who had come from Shanlin Town; this was a phased victory that belonged to them.

Although the meat broth, side dishes, and bread made by the cook were far inferior to those at Wushan Castle, Luoning, who had been eating dried meat and dry bread for days, still ate several bowls with great satisfaction.

The Guards below were even more so.

The food on the road was already very good to them, let alone the soup and dishes at the banquet.

The banquet lasted for about an hour. After the sky turned completely dark, Luoning took a refreshing bath and moved into the small building that had been tidied up.

This small building was constructed entirely of wood and was divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.

The top level was an attic, usually used to store unused clothing or tools; the middle was a luxurious bedroom; and the bottom was a living room, as well as a place for the Servants to take a short rest.

Luoning lived in the largest room on the second floor, which was quite clean after the Servant had tidied it up.

At this moment, he was sitting in the study outside the bedroom, and the lit candle illuminated the entire room.

Although this light was not as soft as the incandescent lamps on Earth, it was enough to support him in seeing every word on the books clearly.

Placed before him were two books, or rather, Battle Technique manuals—Flame Slash and Fire Fist Bombardment.

Luoning took a rough look; both were Battle Techniques suitable for an Intermediate Knight to practice.

Among them, Flame Slash should be the flame attack that Pulinsite used;

As for Flame Bombardment, because the difficulty of learning it was a bit higher, Pulinsite probably had not mastered it; of course, it was also possible that he had mastered it but had no chance to use it.

These two Battle Technique manuals were indeed very useful to Luoning, after all, one of his attributes was fire.

"Knock, knock, knock~" The door was knocked.

"Please come in."

The manservant Chahaer walked in, "Good evening, my lord."

He came to the table and reported the work respectfully: "The matter you entrusted to me has been completed."

As he spoke, he took a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handed it over.

"That was fast!"

The parchment felt delicate and smooth to the touch, but there was also a faint, fishy stench wafting from it.

Luoning frowned slightly; although the smell was not very pleasant, he had read many books over these days and had already gotten used to it.

Luoning had no trouble reading the text of this different world at all, and it recorded:

【Money: 58 gold coins, 349 silver coins, 8466 copper coins】

【Grain: 18,856 jin of barley, 16,230 jin of wheat, 1,000 jin of flour, 500 jin of dried meat, 30 jin of fine salt, 136 jin of coarse salt, 320 jin of Gasha Salt, 280 jin of butter】

【Beer: 26 bottles of premium beer, 138 bottles of medium, 5 barrels of sour beer】

【Horses: 1 Fine Warhorse, 3 Ordinary Warhorses, 19 ordinary horses, 3 foals, 5 carriages】

【Cattle and Sheep: 4 dairy cows, 1 bull, 1 calf, 10 female Black Water Buffalo, 1 male Black Water Buffalo, 3 calves, 126 goats】

【Weapons】: Full set of armor*3, iron spears*23, Knight swords*6, inferior longswords*12, longbows*8, arrows*356

【Furs: 56 sheepskins, 13 cowhides】

【Cloth: 87 rolls of Linen Cloth, 54 rolls of wool fabric】

Luoning carefully read the items listed on the parchment, and the smile on his face grew wider the more he looked.

No wonder many people dream of capturing a castle; this harvest was truly too tempting!

"Pulinsite pledged loyalty to Leisen of Sain Territory, so many things must have been handed over to Sain Territory. I didn't expect Shanlin Castle to still have so much!"

"Yes, my lord, this grain is enough for us to eat for a year!"

Chahaer was incredibly excited when he was counting the property; he felt as if he had struck it rich.

"And it will be September soon. I heard that there is still a batch of barley in Shanlin Town that needs to be harvested. By then, we will be able to have a large amount of fresh barley."

Although Luoning usually ate more wheat flour, barley was also an important food source.

It could not only be used as rations but was also an important material for brewing beer, making maltose, and barley tea. Besides that, the black bread made from its bran was also a guarantee of survival for many people.

"There is no need to worry about the castle's grain anymore."

Luoning had originally prepared to go out to buy grain, but now it seemed there was more than enough.

As for the money.

Adding the money seized in the castle, Luoning already had 589 gold. Even if he used it to buy five Magic Crystals, he would still have a deposit of more than eighty gold coins.

Now he could consider the First Recharge Gift, but Magic Crystals were not something that could be bought in Shanlin Town.

If he wanted to buy them, he would probably have to make a trip to the nearest Muma City.

"I haven't gained a firm foothold in Shanlin Town yet, so it's not very suitable to go out."

Luoning had been in the castle for less than five hours in total; there were many things he hadn't done, and he couldn't spare himself at all.

As for letting others do it on his behalf, that was even more impossible.

The only battle general, Maiken, had to stay by his side. The others lacked the strength, and if they were robbed after rushing out, Luoning wouldn't know who to cry to.

Besides money, he was more concerned about the three categories of horses, cattle/sheep, and weapons; their value was much higher than grain.

"These three warhorses were ridden by Pulinsite and Sain; they were counted in after being seized."

Chahaer introduced: "The full sets of armor are basically the same."

Luoning nodded; he basically had a certain understanding of the wealth of Shanlin Castle.

At this moment, he also understood how attractive so much wealth was to an Administrator, and it was no wonder the other party was reluctant to let go.

"You have compiled the statistics in great detail; this matter was done very beautifully."

Luoning placed the parchment in his hand on the table and gave Chahaer an appreciative smile, "Thank you for your hard work!"

Chahaer hurriedly waved his hands, being very humble: "My lord, please don't say that; serving you is my honor!"

"Hmm, there should be a warehouse and a cellar in the castle; all these supplies will be under your unified custody."

Luoning began the first step of personnel arrangements: "Work hard, Chahaer. From now on, you are the Steward of Shanlin Castle."

Chahaer was stunned upon hearing this; his dream had been to become a great steward like Huoerhuate.

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

Although it was only the Steward of the remote Shanlin Castle, he had realized during this time that following the master before him would surely lead to a bright future!

Chahaer immediately knelt on one knee, "May the Seven Gods bear witness, Chahaer will certainly not let you down, my Lord!"

"Haha, get up."

Luoning raised his hand and simultaneously handed over a piece of parchment from the table.

"The servants of Pulinsite can no longer be used. I will leave the matter of recruiting new servants to you. This is the salary range table I have formulated; execute it according to these standards."

"Very well, my Lord!"

Chahaer took the parchment and began to read it carefully.

It categorized the servants, such as apprentice servants, manual laborers, head chefs, kitchen handymen, personal maids, personal manservants, male stewards, female housekeepers, and so on, provided brief descriptions, and divided the salary ranges.

The highest salary was for the male steward, who was responsible for all management affairs in the castle, but had to draw a clear line regarding the maids' living quarters and daily life; the salary was 8 copper coins per day.

The female housekeeper and head chef were in the second tier, with 6 copper coins per day.

The lowest were the apprentice servants, with only 1 copper coin per day.

"Our castle is not large now, and we don't have many hands; we are in the initial stage, so I am offering you a salary of 8 copper coins per day."

Luoning said with a smile, "When our castle expands and the people and matters under your management increase, I will raise your salary."

A steward of a Baron's castle receiving 8 copper coins per day, an income of no more than 2 gold and 6 silver per year, was not high, but it was a normal level.

But Chahaer clearly had not expected such treatment.

"My Lord, you are truly too generous. I thank you on behalf of those servants who are about to join the castle, as well as myself!"

"Work hard, Chahaer. Improve your management skills in all aspects, and in the future, you will be the great steward of the Liehuo Fengbao Family!"

Luoning did not mind at all that he was making empty promises; in any case, everyone enjoyed hearing them.

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

"Please speak, my Lord!"

Luoning said, "First, you must clarify their family backgrounds. If they followed Pulinsite, especially those who participated in today's betrayal, they are definitely not allowed!"

"Second, once they are selected, you must observe their words and deeds. Those who are irresponsible in their work, lazy, or restless cannot be kept."

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

Chahaer kept these three points firmly in his heart, "My Lord, I have remembered them!"

Luoning waved his hand, "Alright, go on. Tomorrow, after I have met with my subjects, you can begin recruiting servants."

Watching Chahaer leave his study, Luoning stretched his back.

After a busy day, he could finally rest quietly by himself for a while.

However, some people were destined not to have the fate of resting.

For instance, Dawei, who at this moment should be with Tangmu, raiding the homes of those three Professional Knights of Sain Territory in Shanlin Town.

It was unknown how much wealth these few people could leave for Luoning.

(End of this chapter)