[Edited] Chapter 2: Cute Enough

The Desinia Castle stood alone on a low cliff by the sea.

Xia Zuoyi’s bedroom was connected to the study and was the largest sea-view room in the castle.

When the weather was fine, just by opening the window, you could see the clear sky, the flocks of seagulls flying low to hunt, and the calm sea with silver shimmering light.

It was undoubtedly a pleasure to read a book or familiarize yourself with the big and small things in the castle by the window.

So Xia Zuoyi asked Udit to bring a chair, set up a small round table, fragrant flowers, and a pot of water soaked with lemon slices.

In the Western Continent, the main drinks were wine and water, not tea or coffee.

Lemon was used as a cheap condiment and the method of putting it in water had never been heard of.

Before, Udit tried to stop him, but reluctantly compromised after, until he finally agreed—Xia Zuoyi finally got his wish and drank lemonade.

It was not easy.

The weather by the sea was always overcast and unpredictable.

In the morning, it rained steadily. By noon, it was warm and sunny, and the sky became clear.

Xia Zuoyi put away the financial statement that the old financial officer handed over yesterday and could not help but sigh.

The main source of the noble’s wealth was the tax revenue in their territory.

In order to be able to study alchemy, the old Earl Matt Desinia deliberately increased taxes. The amount of money received was considerable.

But the cost of alchemy was too high, and the old earl’s usual behavior was extravagant and wasteful, never thrifty.

As a result, the financial statements in Xia Zuoyi’s hands were already facing a serious deficit crisis.

—The sound of fluttering wings came into his ears.

Two seagulls landed on the windowsill together, combed each other’s feathers, and flew away after a short rest.

Xia Zuoyi retracted his gaze and looked at Udit who was standing quietly beside him, “Are you familiar with Wissas?”

“I grew up here, my lord, so I’m naturally familiar.”

“In that case, show me around, Udit.”

“Yes.”

Udit walked up to Xia Zuoyi, apologized for his rude behavior, reached out and gently raised Xia Zuoyi’s arms, and lifted him from the chair that was taller and wider for him.

“…”

Xia Zuoyi tried to maintain his inner peace, making his expression as calm as possible.

‘Just get used to it, just get used to it.’

‘He was only six years old, still a child.’

The town of Wissas was one kilometer away from the coastline, far from Desinia Castle.

Xia Zuoyi asked the coachman to stop the carriage on the main road leading to the town.

Not far away, he could see countless low houses, peddlers, and roads mixed with sewage, mud, and dung…

Perhaps because it had just rained in the morning, the air not only smelled more and more “fresh”, but there was almost no clean place on the road where you could walk on.

“My lord, are we not going in?” Seeing the little earl standing on the carriage and staring at the ground, the coachman summoned up the courage to ask.

Xia Zuoyi: “You wait here.”

The emblem of Desinia was engraved on the carriage, it was too conspicuous.

“Udit, Kelly, we…will walk in.” 

For the first time, “walking” became extremely difficult.

“Do you want me to carry you, my lord?” Udit said.

Xia Zuoyi paused before holding out his arms in silence, “I’ll trouble you, Udit.”

A smile flashed in Udit’s eyes, “This is what I should do, my lord.”

He carried Xia Zuoyi into the town, with Kelly following.

The town was quite lively.

Most of the stalls selling on both sides directly put the goods on the ground or the stones.

The few who knew sanitation would pull a piece of linen and spread it on the ground, and the more upscale ones were to put a wooden table in front of the door of the shop.

The so-called shop door was just a place for stacking goods. It was simple yet still messy.

Xia Zuoyi looked around.

The most popular commodities on the market were rye bread, rye wine, dried beans, onions, other cheap vegetables, and some utensils and accessories.

It was about halfway through the market that they saw two stalls selling pork. Even from afar, the strong smell of pork could be smelled.

They lived by the sea yet they did not see a single fish stall.

Because on the Western Continent, the price of fish was higher than that of pork, and only the nobles could afford it.

The cost of fishing boats was not cheap and the weather on the sea changed erratically. It would be calm at the moment but perhaps the next moment there would be violent winds and waves.

The most important thing was that if the fish was not handled properly, it would have a disgusting fishy smell, and not many people would eat it.

For civilians, selling fish was not cost-effective.

Xia Zuoyi kept in mind what he had observed.

Not far away, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes, with a beautiful appearance, and wearing old but clean clothes kept going back and forth among the three or four stalls around him.

He usually went around when a stall owner was selling or had sold some goods, and would stand quietly for the rest of the time.

Xia Zuoyi was puzzled, “What is he doing?”

“I’ll go over and ask, my lord.” 

Before Xia Zuoyi could react, Udit handed him over to Kelly to continue holding him and then went to one of the stalls where the boy shuttled around.

Kelly was shorter than Udit but stronger. She had strong arms and held Xia Zuoyi firmly.

However, because she was a woman, Xia Zuoyi became uncomfortable. He slightly wriggled his body while saying, “Let me down, Kelly, I’m too heavy.”

“You’re not heavy at all, even lighter. You should eat more.”

Kelly could not help thinking of the little earl’s appetite. It looked like it had decreased since he recovered.

“You are thin!”

Xia Zuoyi glanced at his slightly bulging belly, chubby arms, and legs without a trace…. He did not comment on Kelly’s real concerns.

Before long, Udit came back.

“The young man’s name is Gibran Keno.”

“I heard the stall owner say that he is good at mathematics. He will help them in confirming whether the price is correct when they sell things, to earn tips to support himself and his brother.”

“How much money can he make?”

“A copper coin.”

Udit could not help saying more, “Most people at the market know him. Only the stall owners with good business will call him for confirmation. On average, three or four people would call him. In other times, he’s not needed.”

Besides, the market in Wissas only happens once every ten days.

The amount of copper coins Gibran Keno could earn was limited.

There were three currencies in circulation on the Western Continent—gold, silver, and copper.

One gold coin equaled one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equaled one hundred copper coins.

Usually, one silver coin was enough for a month’s living expenses in ordinary civilian homes.

Xia Zuoyi looked at the boy and happened to stare at his brown eyes.

After a while, the young man looked away expressionlessly. He saw a stall owner beckoning to him and walked over quickly.

Xia Zuoyi also looked away, “What’s going on inside?”

They were now on the outskirts of the town.

Udit: “Pubs, clothing stores, shoe stores…”

Xia Zuoyi did not plan to continue his sightseeing.

“Go back.”

“Yes, my lord,” Udit said softly.

Gibran Keno could not help but turn his head and look at their back when they left, especially at the child in the man’s arms. He was white and tender, so he could not be raised by a commoner.

What was more, the fabrics used in his shoes and clothes were not cheap at first glance.

He thought of those beautiful and sweet eyes that looked like caramel just now, and he could not help but let out a ‘tsk’ and muttered, “…little nobleman.” 

For Xia Zuoyi, being familiar with Desinia Castle and Wissas was the first step to bringing Pal Mountain into his territory.

Pal Mountain currently did not belong to any territory.

The second step was how to ask the king of Gadaat to obtain the land through the King’s Gift.

The third step was to find out how to prevent Wissas from being taken away by other lords after he dug out the natural asphalt mine, avoiding the reasons for lack of population, cavalry, and poverty.

No matter where it was, a mineral vein was undoubtedly precious and rare.

The coachman waved the whip and drove the carriage back to the castle.

Udit and Kelly were sitting in the carriage, watching the little earl rub his eyes. Even with the bumpy road, he seemed sleepy. After a while, he yawned and leaned on Udit’s arm as he closed his eyes to rest.

‘Oh, so cute.’

Kelly could not help covering her chest. She could not bear to look away from the little earl. She looked at his long curly eyelashes, his rosy and white chubby face, and his slightly pursed lips from being pressed on Udit’s arms.

‘Oh, my God.’

Kelly praised the lord earl’s cuteness to the God of Creation.

‘Too terribly cute.’

【Ding.】

Xia Zuoyi saw that the reputation value at the top right of the system interface increased again, from 11 points to 12 points—from zero to double-digit, all contributed by the servants in the castle. They undoubtedly contributed a lot.

He clicked on the white building icon.

A little stickman appeared and pulled the search box—【The Universal Library provides professional books for you. Please enter the name or content of the book.】

Xia Zuoyi: “Seawater salt drying.”

【Searching for seawater salt drying, please wait… Ding, successfully searched “History of Salt Drying” and “Seawater Salt Drying Method And Detailed Illustration”.】

Xia Zuoyi clicked on the “Seawater Salt Drying Method And Detailed Illustration”.

【Reading “Seawater Salt Drying Method And Detailed Illustration” requires 20 reputation points to exchange.】

After the system asked whether to redeem, Xia Zuoyi chose ‘No’.

He pursed his lips and slowly opened his eyes.

Udit saw that the little earl, who was leaning on him, puffed up his soft cheeks because he had not had a good rest. The corners of his mouth were drawn down, somewhat depressed and unhappy.

He could not help but gently stroke Xia Zuoyi’s back and said, “My lord, we are almost at the castle.” 

Xia Zuoyi looked out of the car window.

From here, one could clearly see the bright red flag flying in the wind on the castle—the thorny rose representing the glory of the Desinia family.

—The black vine with numerous thorns curled around and bowed down to the gorgeous rose. The rich red and black entangled each other. ‘Knowing the danger but could not help being attracted’.

The aristocrats who had been established for a long time in the country all have their own family emblems representing their identity, rights, and status.

The nobles would engrave the emblem on all the objects that could show their identity.

For example, the badges on the clothes, the flying flags in the castle, the horse-drawn carriages that go out…even the knights’ armor were engraved with emblems.

After arriving at the castle, Xia Zuoyi went to the study to get a bunch of keys.

“Udit, light the kerosene lamp and follow me.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The place they were going to go was built in the basement of the castle, an underground laboratory specially set up by the old earl because he was addicted to alchemy.

Layers of stone steps meander down. When you step on it, you can clearly feel the moisture soaking through the stone steps, causing moss to grow in the gaps. You could also smell the faint sea water and the smell of damp mold on the walls.

At the bottom, there was a tall locked iron gate.

Xia Zuoyi looked at the height of the keyhole and silently handed the key to Udit.

Udit took it and opened the gate.

一A cloud of moldy air rushed to their faces.

No one had been here since the death of the old Earl Matt Desinia.

Until today.

After Xia Zuoyi knew what he needed to know, he decided to implement his plan.

According to the foreshadowing of the second plan, he would inherit the legacy of the old earl and become an alchemist. It would provide an explainable reason for the knowledge and materials needed for future infrastructure construction.

What was alchemy?

—Turning things that were not gold into gold, and turning stones into gold.

—The pursuit of pharmaceuticals, hoping to make a panacea called the “philosopher’s stone”.

Generally speaking, alchemy was a “chemical experiment” developed in metallurgy and medicine.

However, under the influence of feudal theology, the ultimate goal of alchemy seemed absurd, ridiculous, and unrealistic.

But it was undeniable that in the process of continuous search, some capable people had also obtained many achievements through alchemy that had been applied in related fields.

This led to countless people’s obsession and admiration for alchemy. For them, being an alchemist was something to be proud of.

Alchemy could be called the primitive form of chemistry.

In Xia Zuoyi’s view, medieval alchemy and ancient Chinese alchemy had similarities, especially in the pursuit of the “elixir of immortality”.

Lighting the kerosene lamp in the underground laboratory, the dark room finally brightened up.

There were two long tables in the middle of the room, with odd-shaped equipment and utensils on them, some scattered manuscripts, animal skins, bones, and so on.

There were iron cabinets all around and many marked finished products were arranged on them.

Xia Zuoyi inspected the room and found that many things had deteriorated and become moldy due to poor preservation, and green moss growing on them.

He did not understand why the old earl built the laboratory underground.

It was dark and humid here.

‘If you stayed here for a long time, would you not go blind?’

Xia Zuoyi shook his head and made up his mind to move the laboratory somewhere else.

“Udit, let the servants come down and move everything in the room to the attic, the largest one.”

“Yes, my lord.”

If Xia Zuoyi wanted to get Pal Mountain through the King’s Gift, he must first take credit or offer a “gift” of enough weight to the king.

The Cogit Ocean was close at hand and was a huge natural treasure house.

The “gift” he chose was naturally the method of drying salt in seawater.

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Translator’s Note:

Hi everyone~ To get out of my translation slump, I decided to edit the previous novels I have on this site. If you see [Edited] before the chapter title, then it was already edited. Enjoy~~

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