Chapter 130: The Feeling of Fortune Descending!

"Is he really the Lord of Stormhold?"

"Stormhold was always poor—how is this new lord so wealthy?"

"Indeed, could he be from a great noble family?"

While Gervas and Beckert, two old foxes, smiled outwardly but cursed inwardly, the surrounding nobles were equally stunned.

News of Stormhold's new lord had reached border nobles to some degree, after all, that was the legendary land of death.

Yet until now, everyone had assumed the new lord of Stormhold was a Daomeidan, someone who had angered the wrong person and been exiled here.

But now, Gervas's behavior—his bold bid of forty gold coins above the asking price—immediately overturned all prior assumptions.

Everyone now wondered about Gervas's origins.

Amid the crowd's confusion, Gervas and Lord Beckert had completed their formal greetings.

Beckert immediately cast a glance at the auctioneer.

"Lord Gervas has bid seven hundred gold coins—is there any other noble willing to bid higher?"

"If not, I shall count to three, after which the iron mine shall belong to Lord Gervas…"

"Seven hundred gold coins once!"

"Seven hundred gold coins twice!"

"Seven hundred gold coins thrice… Congratulations, Lord Gervas—it's yours!"

Seven hundred gold coins far exceeded most psychological limits, and Gervas's bold forty-coin overbid had discouraged all other nobles from competing.

"Lord Gervas, congratulations on your successful bid. For fairness, we shall now proceed with the transfer, so all nobles may bear witness."

Beckert stepped forward warmly.

He spoke of fairness and witness, but his true aim was to seize the gold at once.

Gervas understood perfectly—he too wished to complete the contract swiftly and was perfectly happy to have all nobles as witnesses.

Thus, both men, each with hidden motives, began the transfer.

Lord Beckert had his steward bring the magical contract; Gervas had Lei Meng deliver the wooden treasure chest.

The chest opened, revealing over four hundred gleaming gold coins, dozens of gems, and a score of luminous pearls.

Whoa!

Though minor nobles had seen wealth before, the sheer volume of gold and gems together still struck hard.

Especially the luminous pearls—rare on the market; the two egg-sized ones were likely the first any minor noble had ever seen.

Lord Beckert beamed and immediately ordered his steward to count.

"Egg-sized luminous pearls are exceedingly rare—each worth fifty-five gold coins!"

The normal market price was around fifty gold coins; Gervas had deliberately included fewer small pearls.

Beckert paid no mind to his steward's report.

He was too eager to claim the gold, gems, and luminous pearls.

"Lord Gervas, this is the standard royal magical contract—unforgeable. I have signed it; if you confirm its accuracy, sign and shed blood upon it, and the mine and the hill shall forever be yours."

"And once we complete this transaction, the mine shall no longer concern me, Lord Beckert!"

Beckert's double meaning escaped others, but Gervas could not miss it.

"Very well, Lord Beckert. Let us make it clear before all nobles: once the transaction is complete, the mine shall forever belong to me!" Gervas smiled as he signed the contract.

"Of course, Lord Gervas!"

Thus, under the gaze of all nobles, the contract was signed, and Beckert happily accepted the wooden chest worth seven hundred gold coins.

…

"My lord, the iron mine is half a day's ride from Stormhold. Spending seven hundred gold coins on it—is this truly worth it?"

Once the exchange was complete, Gervas immediately left Lord Beckert's castle.

Perhaps Beckert sensed their future enmity, for he made no effort to detain him after the deal.

Other barons and viscounts, however, were curious about Gervas and had wished to befriend him—but could only watch helplessly as he departed.

On the return journey, Lei Meng, the knight commander who usually acted without speaking, could not help but ask.

Though they knew the mine was valuable, compared to the seven hundred gleaming gold coins and jewels just given away…

The iron mine would take seven years to recoup its cost.

For Stormhold, a fledgling domain, the balance was obvious.

"Under normal circumstances, it truly isn't worth it—but what if this mine can be mined for another fifty years?"

"Fifty more years? Really, my lord?"

His subordinates froze, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Of course it's true. Otherwise, do you think I'd be foolish enough to give away all those gleaming gold coins?"

"This mine was revealed to me by Zhui Yue. I don't know how he learned it—but Zhui Yue's intelligence has never been wrong, you know that!"

"Also, weren't you all curious about what was inside the iron chest beneath the stone bridge?"

"That chest held over three hundred gold coins and jewels worth over a hundred gold coins!"

Whoa!

Everyone drew a sharp breath.

"F… four hundred gold coins? So the thing I was carrying was four hundred gold coins?" Mi Gen trembled.

"Yes—exactly four hundred gold coins!"

"Haha, wonderful! So I, Mi Gen, have held four hundred gold coins! If I'd known, I'd have held them longer—now I still remember how wonderful the feel was!" Mi Gen flushed red, waving his arms excitedly.

Could you possibly find the feel of a rusted, muddy iron chest delightful?

Everyone fell silent.

"My lord, if the mine truly lasts fifty years, you've made a fortune—you are truly a wise noble!" Lei Meng's doubts vanished, his eyes filled with reverence.

His young new lord was wiser and luckier than Viscount Pat.

To serve him was surely the greatest fortune.

Stormhold's future held limitless potential.

"Haha, today was truly a windfall! Tonight, everyone gets a feast—beer to your heart's content!"

"Thank you, my lord! Your generosity!"

Hearing the reward, his men perked up like they'd been injected with stimulant.

"My lord, I think Zhui Yue deserves a reward too!" Mi Gen suddenly spoke up.

"Mi Gen, Zhui Yue isn't here—flattery won't reach him!"

"My lord, I'm not flattering. I believe Zhui Yue is a lucky divine beast sent by the God of Glory to you, bringing you more treasures and enriching our domain!"

Damn, Gervas thought, damn!

It all fits!

Mi Gen had just patched it up for him!

Gervas had begun to wonder if attributing all his intelligence to Zhui Yue was too casual.

Should he invent some divine revelation to share the burden?

Now, Mi Gen had done it for him.

The other knights, hearing this, also found it perfectly reasonable and nodded in agreement.

And this was the "advantage" of feudalism—religion ruled supreme; no one feared deception, for they all filled in the gaps themselves!

Mi Gen, if you can talk, keep talking!

Achoo! Achoo!

Zhui Yue: "What's going on? Why do I feel such bliss descending upon me?"