Chapter 1296: The Youngest Noble

Once these words were spoken, not only Baifeng, but even Ben was shocked, because the reward he asked for was truly too insignificant to mention; looking at Baifeng's attitude and expression today, it wouldn't have been impossible even to grant Xi a low-level Nobility, because the lock was indeed very important to Huaxia.

Baifeng also explained to Xi once more: "Xi, let me tell you about the use of this lock, so you know just how great a contribution you have made."

Xi was extremely nervous, not knowing whether his request was too high or too low, but this was the thing he wanted most.

"In our Huaxia, every Phylum needs a lock, especially in important places like warehouses; with a lock, it can replace a guard, and it can prevent people from causing trouble. Think about it, just this point alone is how great a merit it is; how many Soldiers can be released from the position of guarding warehouses."

Another point is our own home doors; with a lock, there is no need to worry about other people entering to steal after the family has left.

Furthermore, for some important items, one can specifically craft a box or a cabinet, and once locked with a lock, besides the owner of this little key, who else could open it?

If there are important documents that need to be transported over a long distance, then the key and the locked documents can be transported separately; if it is during wartime, even if the documents or some important items are snatched by the enemy, they cannot open them without this key.

In a situation where there is no other way, the key can be destroyed, and no one will be able to open it; they might use fire to burn or a Knife to hack, which might damage the things inside, but for us, it is safe.

Xi, now you know how important this lock is, right? Do you still think you only want a set of tools? To me, this is trivial, and even your leader, Ben, could make the decision to have a set crafted for you."

Yet, under the guidance of Baifeng's words, Xi still said something that surprised both Baifeng and Ben: "King, I still only want a set of tools; this set of tools might, might be a bit troublesome and a bit precious, because there are quite a few, and having this set of tools as a reward is already enough for me."

Ben was anxious for Xi: "Kid! I will give you the tools! Whatever you want, I will get it for you; the King's reward cannot be this simple. Think about what you want more; if you miss this, you won't have this chance again."

Xi's face turned bright red, but he found it hard to say what else he wanted; Nobility and a surname were definitely what he wanted, as this was the pursuit of everyone in Huaxia, but Xi did not think he could obtain them, because to him, that was too far away and impossible.

So, after a long while, he managed to squeeze out another sentence: "Then, then may the King reward me with some farmland."

"Hey! You kid!" Ben felt completely speechless; how could he have no courage at all?

Baifeng, however, felt that someone without such a big appetite was quite good; he had the skills and received attention, but he was not so arrogant as to reach the Heaven. The last person who thought he was smart and could receive special treatment had already been beheaded.

Baifeng did not let this honest child continue to let his imagination run wild and directly stated his reward: "Alright, I will directly state the reward I am prepared to give you."

Xi hurriedly sat up straight and listened very nervously, though he felt that the set of tools should be secure; if it really didn't work out, he could beg Ben, and he should be able to get it.

"Because the lock is very important to Huaxia, and I am also a person who cherishes talent, only by giving you sufficient rewards can you have more motivation to create more good things.

I will first reward you with a small Viscount; I will have the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites determine your fief for you, and it will be awarded to you during the unified conferment this Winter.

But because you are a person with great potential, if you can maintain this, it will certainly be no problem to obtain a Marquis in the future. Giving you a Viscount is actually a bit lacking, but you are young after all and have plenty of room for improvement; if I reward you fully at once, I fear you will lose that drive in your heart. Once you have more merits, I will continue to add to it for you.

Also, regarding the lock, it has only just been designed; when it is truly mass-produced and can be put into real use, I will give you more rewards.

Now, I can also bestow a surname upon you; as for what the surname will be, I haven't decided yet, so I will tell you when the conferment happens."

Ben nodded in satisfaction; this was more like it. Such an important thing required a sufficiently large reward; one could not just casually grant Nobility to others. If his own subordinates were only rewarded with a bit of land and a few tools, others would think he had stolen the credit of his subordinates.

In Ben's estimation, a Count would have been about right, but the King said Viscount because he had his own considerations, so he would not interfere.

Xi was already stunned; he had not expected that he would fulfill his life's pursuit all at once, achieving a class leap in an instant. Because the stimulation was too great, his whole person became sluggish and motionless.

Baifeng was even a bit nervous; he couldn't let the good talent of the Huaxia carpentry industry be scared silly by the surprise. If he were frightened into some state of disrepair, that would be too much of a loss for him.

Ben slapped Xi in time: "What are you dazing for? Hurry and thank the King!"

Xi's eyes cleared up in an instant; he scrambled to stand up and then *thud*, he knelt on the ground. The decisiveness of it was almost comical. Xi then bowed his head heavily to Baifeng several times in a row, and Baifeng hurriedly asked Ben to pull him up.

After Xi sat back down, he was still extremely nervous. This time, he wanted to use tea to calm his nerves, but his hands shook violently when he held the cup; fortunately, the tea was not full, otherwise he would have spilled it all over the floor.

Seeing that Xi's emotions had stabilized a little, Baifeng continued to ask: "Xi, how old are you this year?"

"King, I, I am twelve years old this year."

Baifeng was very happy: "Twelve, only? Very good, very good. You have now broken the record of Huaxia; you are the youngest Noble in our Huaxia, a true Noble with a title."