Chapter 341: The Ambition of the Devoir Family

The night was deep, the lights of Baron Devoir's manor were dim, and the dark green hedge wall was covered in bright moonlight.

Having spent the whole day fooling around outside, Frey jumped off the carriage, rushed into his own gate full of excitement, his boots full of pride thumping on the floor.

Just today, in the largest and most luxurious arena in the Shengcheng, he had witnessed a real knight's duel!

His heart was filled with excitement, and he couldn't wait to tell his father and take the opportunity to pester him for a real warhorse—a warhorse worthy of the heir to the Baron Devoir family!

Although little Devoir often wore a sour face in front of his drinking buddies, using an arrogant attitude to show how he disdained the title of knight, his old man was different from those guys... He had to make his old man feel that the money was well spent.

"Father! You will never guess who I saw in the arena today! Kelin! Roxay Kelin! The legendary Prince of the Empire! At that time he was standing next to Marshal Lako... Holy Saint Xisi above, that Prince was simply extremely gentlemanly! It's a pity I didn't get his autograph..." He ran toward the reception hall with great interest, but was blocked by the butler just as he was about to push the door open.

"Young Master, the Baron is discussing important matters with guests, I'm afraid you cannot go in now." The butler's expression was full of humility, but his voice carried an uncompromising meaning, blocking the young master's way.

Clearly, this was a task Baron Devoir had personally entrusted to him.

Frey immediately showed a disappointed expression, pouted his lips in dissatisfaction: "What guests? Are they more important than my horse—cough, than me?"

The butler showed a gentle yet helpless smile, explaining in a low voice: "The Baron is receiving Mr. Alton, the branch manager of the Imperial Royal Bank in the Bai Lu District, and his wife... They are talking about important things, so please understand."

"Bank manager?" Frey was stunned, his heart immediately filled with curiosity, "What is he doing here?"

With his family so rich, do they still need to borrow money?

"I don't know the specific details either," the butler looked around cautiously, and only after confirming no one was there did he lean down slightly and lower his voice, "However... listening to their conversation, it seems to be related to land acquisition."

"Land acquisition!"

Frey's eyes immediately lit up, the dissatisfaction in his chest swept away, replaced by uncontrollable excitement.

He had long felt that his old man was too pedantic, guarding those few thin fields left by his ancestors without seeking progress, sitting and eating away at the family fortune. Since their family ate up the land of the Koxia family, the Devoir family's territory hadn't expanded for almost ten years!

And now, perhaps stimulated by the words he had said before, his useless old man had finally stood up!

This was the way a Baron of the Devoir family should be in his mind—possessing vast fields, majestic manors, and even knight orders like those great nobles.

Frey's mind instantly conjured up the scene of himself galloping on horseback, majestic and imposing, and he couldn't help but raise a smile of secret joy.

Unable to wait, he grabbed the butler's sleeve and asked eagerly: "How much land does Father want to buy? One hundred acres? Two hundred acres?"

The butler was startled by his enthusiasm and hurriedly waved his hands.

"This... I really don't know. Young Master, please don't ask me, how could the Baron tell me such things? If you are interested, wait until the Baron finishes chatting with Mr. Alton, and then ask the Baron in person, how about that?"

He didn't dare to interject in such matters; usually, it was only after the master had acquired the land and decided on its use that he would tell him to go and manage it.

"That's true, of course it's impossible to ask your opinion on such things... I know the situation, I'll just wait patiently for a while."

Frey nodded with satisfaction, putting on the appearance of the head of the family, but his gaze quietly fell on the tightly closed door of the reception room, his face full of impatience.

Seeing that this little ancestor had finally calmed down, the butler breathed a sigh of relief and bowed slightly to the side.

This family relied entirely on Baron Devoir and his wife to hold it up; neither young master Devoir nor the young lady of the house were easy to deal with.

He had worked his life away for this family, and at this moment, he couldn't help but worry about that crumbling glory...

He only hoped that the fall of that glory wouldn't happen in his generation.

Holy Saint Xisi bless, the Baron must hold on!

At the same time, inside the reception room.

Hake picked up his teacup and was about to take a sip when he suddenly heard the sound of boots landing outside the door, mixed with the excited noise of a young man.

He tilted his head slightly to listen, couldn't help but smile kindly, looked at Baron Devoir and his wife, and said in a gentle tone: "Your child is truly lively, he will surely be an amazing gentleman in the future."

Ralph shook his head lightly, his smile somewhat helpless, but a hint of imperceptible doting hidden in his eyes.

"No way, young people, always full of energy. Today he went to the arena in the Shengcheng to join the fun, I guess he saw a lot of fresh things at the Knight's Assembly, and right now he's probably dying to share them with me."

Hake's wife, Jenny, joked, smiling.

"Then aren't we robbing him of his respected father?"

"Respected?" Ralph curled his lips and hummed, "Fortunately, he has already passed the age of pulling my beard, otherwise I couldn't stand his 'respect'."

"You are pained by your wallet." Baroness Mira joked.

"Hahaha!"

Hearing the Baroness's kind dismantling, everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh softly, and the atmosphere became even more relaxed and harmonious.

To be honest, although most citizens of the Shengcheng loathed these rural nobles, believing they possessed the cunning of farmers, the greed of street merchants, yet lacked the responsibility and bottom line of "truly prominent people," Hake couldn't bring himself to loathe this Mr. Ralph.

Perhaps it was because he couldn't be counted as a city dweller, Ralph's style seemed more grounded to him, unlike the mansion of Marguerite Tangtaisi, which was noble and kept people at a distance.

Here, he could relax and talk about land with Ralph, without having to be as careful as a servant serving his master.

Of course.

If one had to say it was because "this gentleman has a request of him," that wouldn't be wrong either.

Ralph picked up the red wine on the table, shook it slightly, and said softly: "Manager Hake, I have heard that you have quite a bit of research on red wine. This is a batch of winery reserves brewed by our own family, why not taste it."

Hake politely took the wine glass, took a polite sip, and then his eyes lit up, praising: "The wine body is rich, the fragrance is mellow, it is indeed good wine! Mr. Baron's craftsmanship is definitely comparable to a first-class winemaker!"

To be honest, he had no research on red wine at all; these words were purely learned from books teaching social etiquette, and now it could be considered learning and selling on the spot.

"You flatter me," Ralph the Baron laughed heartily, "This is not my craftsmanship; winemaking is generally handled by my butler and servants. However, speaking of which..."

He paused, seemingly continuing casually, "I do have a plan to expand the scale of the winery, including buying more land, increasing production, and so on."

Mira looked at her husband and also smiled and echoed.

"It's like this, I have talked with my dear, and we unanimously believe that it is a pity that there is no local brand in the Shengcheng's red wine market that can fight. We clearly have a deeper historical foundation; when we were drinking red wine, the barbarians of the Kingdom of Lain were still rolling in the mud."

Hake raised an eyebrow, realizing that the Baron had finally cut to the chase, gently put down the wine glass, and crossed his fingers in a concerned manner.

"Oh? I wonder what the scale of the land you are looking at is?"

"Hmm... about 2 square kilometers," Ralph's tone was as if he were just mentioning it casually, but the shrewdness in his eyes could not be ignored.

Not one hundred acres, not two hundred acres—

But 2 square kilometers!

Hearing this area, Frey, who was eavesdropping outside the door, almost exclaimed, but fortunately covered his mouth with both hands, only then suppressing the excitement and agitation in his heart.

How big a piece of land must that be!

"2 square kilometers?!" Hake was also startled, looking at Ralph in surprise, his voice continuing with a hint of hesitation. "That would require quite a lot of capital."

Baron Ralph smiled frankly, seemingly having expected Hake's reaction: "Mr. Alton is indeed sharp-eyed; this is indeed a significant investment. Over the past few years, the ocean-going merchant fleet I invested in has brought me some returns, but to complete an acquisition of this scale and subsequent investment, there is indeed a gap in funds."

Having said this, he looked at Hake sincerely and continued.

"So, I specifically invited you and your wife here today, hoping that in terms of funds, you and your bank can help us out and think of a way. This is not only for the Devoir family, but also for the development of the Bai Lu District."

Hake calculated quickly in his heart.

The Devoir family could also be considered an old noble family, their reputation had always been good, and they had many properties under their name. And this Mr. Devoir was in good health and could still drink, so presumably, there was no need to worry about health issues... This business was not impossible to talk about.

He steadied himself and continued.

"I wonder how much capital the Baron expects to need? If it is within my authority, I might be able to help you think of a way."

A flash of sharpness crossed Baron Ralph's eyes, and he slowly extended his right hand, reporting a number steadily and clearly: "Seventy thousand gold coins!"

"Hiss—"

Hake Alton gasped, and the hand holding the wine glass trembled imperceptibly.

Seventy thousand gold coins!

Although this sum was less than one-tenth of what the Marguerite Tangtaisi family opened their mouths for, it was definitely a huge sum! It could buy ten mansions in the most prosperous area of the Shengcheng that were not inferior to the Marguerite Tangtaisi family's! The relaxed expression on his face faded quite a bit, replaced by the prudence peculiar to a banker. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead—a fine sweat had seeped out there.

"Baron, seventy thousand gold coins... this is not a small amount, are you sure you need so much?"

Baroness Mira, who had been listening quietly, smiled beautifully, like a spring breeze, breaking the stagnation of this moment just right.

She said softly: "Manager Alton, please rest assured, you can go and inquire about the foundation of the Devoir family nearby. If you stand at the window of this house and look out, the land you can see is all our ancestral property. Not just farmland, but forest land, as well as the winery itself and the taxes paid by the farmers... The annual output and income of all items added together are at least nearly five thousand gold coins. We treat you as a friend, so we can clearly tell you this number."

After a pause, this elegant lady continued.

"In addition, we are very confident in this investment and believe it will soon bring generous returns. I know that just saying this cannot dispel your concerns, we can use the land as collateral."

Lady Mira's words were clear and logical, adding a lot of points for her husband, especially the willingness to use the land as collateral, which made Hake feel relieved in his heart.

It was just that a hint of confusion couldn't help but arise in his heart—

Investing in a winery is not a business that can immediately return capital, why did this Baroness say it would soon bring generous returns?

No offense intended.

He just wanted to know, what gave this family such confidence!

Or—

Did they actually have other uses for borrowing this money?

Just as Hake was weighing his words, wanting to politely raise his doubts, his wife, Jenny Alton, beside him, seemed a bit unable to hold back.

She quietly pulled Hake's sleeve, lowered her voice, and said in a volume she thought was secret: "Dear, did you forget? Isn't Prince Kelin planning to take a large piece of land in the Bai Lu District? I guess the land of Baron Devoir... shouldn't use the bank's funds for too long. I mean, this money at least won't be lost, maybe it will be recovered with interest soon."

Hake Alton was startled when he heard this, secretly saying "Bad!" in his heart, and quickly glared at his wife, his eyes carrying obvious blame and warning.

He really didn't have a gate on his mouth; he told the general manager of the head office the first time he left the Marguerite Tangtaisi mansion, and told his wife when he got home, but he didn't expect his wife to be so ignorant as to say this directly!

Although the Devoir family was very polite to them, he knew clearly that their two families were not that close!

That baroness was only a little bit affectionate toward her, yet this silly woman was already eager to give her very heart and soul to the other party!

"Why did you say this!" Hake squeezed this sentence out from between his teeth, his voice suppressed, carrying a hint of annoyance.

Jenny was startled by her husband's sudden severity, feeling a bit aggrieved, and whispered in defense: "This... this isn't a secret either, many people in the city are spreading it. Does it matter if I say it or not?"

"Hehe..." A light laugh came from the main seat.

Hake looked up and saw Baron Ralph Devoir holding a wine glass, his face carrying a smile of knowing.

Those deep eyes seemed to have seen through everything, and besides that, there was a hint of comfort.

"Lady Alton is right," Ralph smiled kindly, gentlemanly and modestly, "Prince Kelin does indeed have the intention to make a large-scale investment in the Bai Lu District. This is not a secret in the noble circle, and our Devoir family already knows it."

Of course, he wouldn't say that the news was seen by his wife in the local newspaper, but there was no need to tell Hake this.

This remark, which carried hints both openly and secretly, was not without the intention of deliberately creating the impression that he was very familiar with Kelin's family.

Anyway, Kelin wouldn't notice a minor character like him.

Looking at Baron Ralph's smile, which carried a bit of composure and cunning, a flash of lightning seemed to cross Hake's mind, instantly connecting all the confusion and unreasonableness!

Expanding the winery? Two square kilometers of high-quality land? A huge investment of seventy thousand gold coins? Soon to get generous returns?

This guy, he didn't intend to honestly run any winery at all!

He had his eyes on Prince Kelin coming to the Bai Lu District to take land, intending to get the land at a low price first, and then resell it to Prince Kelin at an appropriate price, making a staggering difference from it!

However—

What did this have to do with him?

As the branch manager of the Imperial Royal Bank in the Bai Lu District, his primary duty was to ensure that every cent the bank lent out could be safely recovered and bring profit. As for what the borrower did with the money, as long as it didn't violate the law or get into a lawsuit, and didn't let the bank's money become bad debt, it wasn't something he needed to interfere with too much.

On the contrary, if Ralph really intended to take this money to honestly run a winery and compare whose red wine was cheaper and more delicious with those vassal state nobles who were still raising serfs, he would instead have to cautiously consider whether the Baron's brain was broken!

No need to think at all—

Even the winery of the Hilfin family could not defeat any most ordinary Baron in the Kingdom of Lain in the market.

Because the farmers in the Kingdom of Lain couldn't be counted as people at all, but crops growing in the ground. They could grow with wheat, and they could grow with grapes, and they did one thing for their whole lives, and if they didn't do it well, their lord could immediately make their heads move to another place.

Perhaps the actual situation was not as exaggerated as written in the newspaper, but the principle was the same.

Looking at the composed Ralph, Hake had no doubt he was a sensible person, so he quickly calmed down, the thoughts in his head turning fast.

Who was Prince Kelin? That was one of the richest and most powerful Princes in the Empire! The wealth he possessed made even the most distinguished families in the Shengcheng look sideways!

Since that gentleman decided to show his skills in the Bai Lu District, presumably he wouldn't care about these "small fish and shrimp" taking a small sip from him.

And since Ralph was a sensible person, he would definitely not be like a short-sighted country bumpkin, asking for an exorbitant price and destroying the whole transaction.

He estimated that Baron Devoir would at most add twenty or thirty percent on top of the cost, be content with making a "decent quick buck," and use this opportunity to climb up the relationship with Kelin's family.

And for Prince Kelin, this might not be a bad thing.

Taking land from nobles was far easier than acquiring it bit by bit from countless scattered farmers. And rural nobles like Baron Devoir were best at handling those complex relationships rich in local flavor.

They could use their titles and influence to quickly complete land annexation and solve the aftermath steadily, accurately, and ruthlessly... as long as there was enough profit to induce them to do so.

Thinking of this, Hake's heart, which had been hanging, completely let go, and even became faintly hot.

He wiped his sweat, pondered for a moment, his gaze met Baron Ralph's line of sight in the air, and said with a hint of imperceptible hint.

"Baron, you are far-sighted, I... in principle, of course, agree to your loan application. It's just... er, your land in and out, between the turns, I'm afraid you can earn quite a lot. You might not know, the Royal Bank actually doesn't like to do this kind of 'bridge' business, we can't earn much in interest."

For the business of Mr. Marguerite Tangtaisi, he was seeking a promotion in his career. And here at Baron Devoir's, since this loan couldn't help him seek progress in the workplace at the Royal Bank, he naturally had to plot something else.

Anyway, he wouldn't be transferred for long.

Ralph was shrewd, and naturally understood that greedy look.

The smile on his face became deeper, he raised the wine glass in his hand slightly, and signaled to Mr. Hake gentlemanly: "That is natural. Manager Alton sending charcoal in the snow today, the Devoir family will keep this friendship in mind."

He paused, his voice lowered a bit, but carried unquestionable sincerity, "After the event, naturally there will be a share of the profit for you, Manager."

"Oh, Baron, you are too polite! Serving the nobles, adding bricks and tiles to the Empire, is the duty of our Royal Bank!"

Hake Alton was overjoyed when he heard this, the wrinkles on his face smiled open, and he hurriedly stood up with the wine glass, saying seriously.

"It is my honor to be able to help the Baron's magnificent plan! Please rest assured, a mere seventy thousand gold coins is still very simple for me!"

"Hahaha, Mr. Alton is polite!" Ralph also stood up,

Two wine glasses touched lightly in the air, making a crisp sound.

The atmosphere in the reception hall instantly became incomparably warm and harmonious, just like the firewood burning fiercely in the fireplace of the reception room.

The two families chatted and laughed, as intimate as one family.

Little Devoir, lying at the door, felt his heart beating fast, his cheeks covered in a blush, and he slipped away from the door on tiptoe.

Prince Kelin is going to invest in the Bai Lu District!

In front of the distinguished Prince of the Star Fall Continent, let alone a mere two square kilometers of land, even the fifteen square kilometers of land his family originally held in their hands seemed eclipsed!

Happiness came so suddenly.

Rounding it up, in the future, he could also be considered a person of the Prince!

Thinking that a very distinguished gentleman would soon come to this reception room, little Devoir's heart was filled with excitement.

Becoming a "real noble" had always been his dream, and that gentleman sitting next to Marshal Lako undoubtedly satisfied all the fantasies in his heart.

He suddenly felt that the name "Temple Knights" didn't seem so rustic either.

Maybe he could even get in and be a knight...

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 342 =====