SLAM! Henry slapped the letter in his hand onto the table, his gaze profound as he looked at Pedro, who sat before him, confident of victory.
A million thoughts raced through Henry's mind, connecting everything into a single thread.
The King had long known that the Alien Races in the east were growing restless. Those Alien Races launched probing raids every year, which was why new Powerful Nobility were always assigned to the eastern border.
And when he was enfeoffed, the King had specifically told him to build up his armaments, remain vigilant on the border, and pay attention to the movements of the Alien Race.
According to Pedro's information, just three days after Henry had settled his affairs in the Royal Capital and left, news of an Alien Race invasion on the border was sent by express riders to the Royal Capital...
'Doesn't that mean...'
Pedro nodded and said with certainty, "That's right! Sir Henry, the King will definitely remember you this time. Because the King most certainly wants to enact a Pioneer Bill himself.
The King has been in an imperial conference for twenty days, constantly mobilizing the empire's Standing Legions and the second sons of the King's own nobles... The Pioneer Bill you proposed aligns perfectly with the King's own plans."
Henry nodded, looked at Pedro, and asked, "Baron Pedro, what can you offer me? And what must I offer in return?"
Pedro raised an eyebrow and said, "Sir Henry, you really are a man who gets straight to the point... I can provide you with the funds to rebuild your domain, and in return, you must conquer a domain for me.
"Land equivalent to at least four villages—a Baron's Domain—so that my son can become one of the Pioneer Nobility."
Henry frowned and asked, "Baron Pedro, forgive my bluntness, but you are not a direct Vassal of the King. You aren't qualified to participate in this Pioneer Bill."
"My son is qualified. My noble title is a lifetime, non-hereditary enfeoffment. My son is a commoner of the empire."
After a moment of thought, Henry spoke. "In that case, I accept your terms. I want a stone fortress, built just like Count John's Earl's Mansion, and I want it built in Westwood Laine."
Pedro was dumbfounded. He had never met someone so shameless! What kind of noble was this?
[Cunning & Roguish Demeanor Skill: ⑤ Socialite activating...]
[Social Trading Skill: ② Fair Trade activating...]
"Sir Henry, if I may be frank, that demand is too high. The scale of an Earl's Mansion is immense. It must accommodate defenses and a garrison while also providing comfortable living quarters... The reward of a single Baron's Domain isn't enough to cover such an expense."
Building an earthen fort from scratch costs roughly twenty to forty thousand Dinars and is intended to repel bandits and invaders.
They typically feature earthen walls two to five meters thick. These walls are not only massive but also sturdy, capable of effectively withstanding external attacks.
For a Knight, an earthen fort was already an extravagant structure.
But Henry wasn't satisfied with that. Given the chance to get it all in one go, Henry was naturally going to engage in some 'aspirational spending'!
This was the border, and a war was about to begin. For a noble like him, whose domain was on the front line, this was a grand feast!
He had to have a proper defensive stronghold to ward off prying eyes... A pioneering war was complex; it wasn't as simple as conquering a piece of land and calling it yours. You needed to have sufficient control over it.
And a large structure like a castle perfectly fulfilled the needs of both military defense and residence, allowing one to effectively project control over an entire region!
"Thick stone walls, two meters wide and ten meters high, with a full complement of defensive works. A moat, drawbridge, gatehouse, towers, and arrowslits—not a single one can be missing.
"Ample living space, including castle gardens and other auxiliary buildings, like barracks for the garrison outside the walls. And warehouses, cellars, and the like."
Faced with Henry's grandiose description, Pedro said helplessly, "Sir Henry, a castle like that would cover two to three square kilometers. It's an entire architectural complex built for both offense and defense! It would cost at least one hundred and seventy thousand Dinars! One hundred and seventy thousand!"
Henry waved his hand dismissively. "It's not like you only have one son..."
Pedro's eyes lit up. "I have three sons."
"One castle for three barons. How about it?"
With the conversation having reached this point, the deal was basically settled. But now Pedro had another concern: did Henry truly have the ability to conquer three Baron's Domains for him?
"Sir Henry, you must first prove your ability. As long as you can prove you are capable of this, my merchant guild will immediately mobilize materials and allocate labor."
Henry stroked his chin. That was indeed a problem. "How about this," he said. "Time waits for no one. The earlier we start construction, the better.
"Have someone you trust sign a contract with me. If I fail to provide the land for three Baron's Domains—twelve villages—then I will pay for the castle's construction myself at the normal rate, and as a penalty for losing the wager, I will compensate you three thousand Dinars.
"Baron, this is my sincerity. Now, let me see yours."
"Good, it's settled. We'll sign the contract now, and I'll have my people start work tomorrow." There was no reason for Pedro to refuse such a no-lose proposition.
The imperial office answered only to the King; local nobles had no jurisdiction over it. Therefore, Pedro wasn't worried about Count John following the trail and discovering he was betraying his patron.
As for whether Henry could produce such a huge sum if he failed, Pedro wasn't worried at all.
He had been using his trade network to gather intelligence on the Royal Capital and knew a fair bit about Henry's situation.
After all, hadn't Henry been one of the most dazzling figures in the Royal Capital for the past three years? If Henry really failed, at worst, he could just have Henry fight in the arena to pay off the debt.
And so, after discussing the details for a long time, Pedro had a contract drafted. Henry signed the agreement and went with one of Pedro's men to have it notarized at the imperial office.
"Sir Henry, since the contract has been notarized and filed, I shall take my leave. May your martial fortune flourish."
Henry hadn't expected such a massive fortune to be blown his way.
He wasn't afraid of failing to meet Pedro's demands at all. His confidence came from the fact that he was a cheat!
'If you don't use cheats after transmigrating, then didn't I transmigrate for nothing?! Besides, my Overlord Panel has a terrifying second stage. If the first stage is already this powerful, won't the second stage be completely god-tier?'
"Sir, what did you talk about with that boss? Was he really just giving you money?"
Bain was very concerned about money. Whether Henry could pay his wages was a minor issue; the major issue was if Henry couldn't maintain his own noble dignity.
"You could say that. And it's a fortune beyond your imagination."
Once this castle was built, it would be about more than just money. The significance of a castle couldn't be measured in simple wealth.
It was power! Whether it was one hundred and seventy thousand Dinars was a trivial matter.
Bain nodded. Since Henry said it was a fortune beyond his imagination, he decided not to think about it.
"By the way, Sir, when are the two stewards and Captain Philip arriving? The Count's food is so delicious, they should hurry up and get here to enjoy it."
"It should be soon... Calculating the journey, they should be here in the next day or two."
[Major transaction completed, cooperation achieved. EXP +47]
***
"Henry, you're finally back! Where did you run off to for fun?"
As soon as Henry returned to the Earl's Mansion, he saw Boman and Fass waiting for him. Both were fully dressed and ready to depart with their Attendants.
Henry quickly apologized. He hadn't expected to talk with Pedro for so long. "My fellow Knights, I'll be right there. Please wait a moment."
Henry hurried back to his room to change into his light armor and hunting gear: an Iron Crossbow, Riding Spear, knightly sword, heavy steppe bow, and a quiver of Armor-Breaking Sword Arrows.
Bain also put on his own light armor, grabbed his Riding Spear and knightly sword, and went to the stables to get the horses.
"Whoa, so impressive! Truly befitting the top student of the Knight Academy!"
It was Boman's first time seeing Henry fully armed. He went up and gave Henry a big hug, not forgetting to take a couple of jabs at Fass.
Henry rolled his eyes. Boman and Fass were like a pair of bickering lovers. 'If one of these two were a woman,' he thought, 'they'd probably end up married!'
Fass glanced at Henry's warhorse, and the more he looked, the more something felt off. Finally, his eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Wait! Sir Henry, is that a noble's warhorse?"
Boman also turned to look at Henry's clearly more robust warhorse, his own eyes gleaming.
"Well, I'll be. Henry, you... what kind of family do you come from? Aren't you from a commoner background?"
Both Boman and Fass were from commoner backgrounds and were first-generation nobles. They had no family fortune to speak of and had to rely entirely on their own efforts.
Henry didn't explain clearly, saying ambiguously, "The second son of a former noble."
The two of them put on knowing expressions, while inwardly cursing Henry for not being a first-generation noble at all! *Sob sob sob~*
Henry, Boman, and Fass mounted their warhorses and galloped like the wind towards the forest outside the city. The Sheriff in the city didn't dare to stop them.
Although galloping within the city violated the Odoche city laws of Count John's Earl's Domain, they were all nobles, and he didn't dare to intervene. 'Besides, it's not like they hit anyone, right?' The Sheriff could only console himself.
Along the way, they laughed and chatted, discussing the prey they might encounter that day. Boman declared he would definitely bag a wild boar! He had reliable information that a herd of them was roaming outside the city.
Boman could almost see the panicked looks on the animals' faces. Not to be outdone, Fass declared he could bag a wild boar too.
Henry was speechless. 'Seriously, am I the third wheel here? Am I just a part of your little game?'
The group followed Boman to a hunting spot he had scouted out in advance. The three of them, along with their Attendants, carefully searched for tracks, like cats stalking mice.
Suddenly, a small deer shot out of the woods like a bolt of lightning. Fass, with his quick eyes and deft hands, nocked an arrow and drew his bow in one fluid motion. The arrow struck the deer in the eye as if his bow were a Magic Wand.
'Textbook.' Henry nodded to himself. 'As expected of an elite from the Royal Capital Knight Academy.'
Fass was ecstatic, cheering like a child. He ran forward to inspect his prize, then turned to Boman and said, "Haha, looks like the second-place winner has drawn first blood!"
Boman snorted, but still praised Fass for his good shot. Fass "humbly" replied that he was just lucky and didn't possess the same powerful martial prowess as Sir Boman!