Chapter 109
Lady Roman, the wife of Knight Roman, returned to her parents' home with her child and dowry. The confiscated property belonged to Knight Roman, not involving her dowry. At least, she still had two or three hundred acres of land under her name, enough to make ends meet.
Lady Deya also retreated to her own estate.
Her background was slightly better than her daughter-in-law's, and her dowry was more substantial. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to marry a baron. However, later on, she had an affair with Lord Joane Vaughn, which her eldest son couldn't accept, leading to a severance of ties.
Now, with her younger son deceased and the elder son estranged, she had nowhere else to go but to stay in the estate that served as her dowry.
A property, or strictly speaking, two properties, fell into Garrett Nordmark's hands like this.
With a sudden surge in wealth, his dream was now one step closer. Amidst his joy, Garrett felt a bit perplexed:
Is the lord being this generous?
He did save a considerable number of peoplewithout him, the plague would have lingered for at least another half month, claiming the lives of one or two hundred unfortunate souls in the city.
However, could just these accomplishments be worth a house in the city plus an estate?
Most of those who would die in the plague were, frankly speaking, the poor. Considering the lord's usual behaviorshying away to the countryside during an epidemic and being unwilling to spend money on disaster reliefthese people might not be of much concern to him.
So, why give him a house?
The logic didn't add up!
With these doubts, Garrett remained somewhat bewildered until he obtained the deed to the house. Elder Elwin Wilkinson accompanied him to inspect the property. Seeing Garrett looking lost, Elder Elwin Wilkinson asked, laughing heartily:
"Do you think it's because you treated the plague? Don't be silly! It's just an excuse. It's not about your promising future; who would be this generous? In less than a month, you become an apprentice; in two months, a full-fledged mage and priest. Such a person, if not befriended, who would want to befriend?"
Garrett, feeling a moment of enlightenment, still felt that there must be more to it. Only after listening to Elder Elwin Wilkinson's further explanation did he understand that among the nobility, there was a rule: those with abilities must have corresponding wealth and status.
In other words, even if you were a penniless lad, once you crossed the threshold of the extraordinary, local nobles would find a way to absorb you. If you lacked money, they would provide it; if you lacked manpower, they would supply it.
As for status, the position of a full-fledged mage was equivalent to that of a knight, qualifying them to participate in noble discussionseven if the outcomes weren't guaranteed, they at least had the right to sit among peers and not be stepped on without reason.
Pondering this, Garrett increasingly felt that this unwritten rule made sense. In this different world, the power of the extraordinary resided solely within oneself. If they weren't given money or status, they might resort to seizing it, becoming a destabilizing factor! Who would cry then? Probably not the wealthy and influential gentlemen!
"But they have to spend a lot of money!"
Garrett blurted out. Elder Elwin Wilkinson couldn't help but laugh:
"In fact, it's not that much. Generally speaking, families that aren't wealthy and influential can't afford to send their children down this path. Knights earn military achievements, and naturally, the lord rewards themmages, learning magic is an expensive endeavor!"
Garrett frowned. He needed so many thingsmaterials, instruments, equipment. Even if he followed the most basic clinic setup, a single sheet of A4 paper wouldn't be enough to list everything. Summing it up, the most fundamental requirement was:
Money.
"Do you have money, teacher... I feel like doing all this will cost a lot of money..." Especially the water purification device, plumbing, sigh.
Right, he also needed to create a shadowless lamp. The current
solutions for shadowless lamps involved assembling a dozen priests for human-powered illumination... It was simply unbearable. The more people, the greater the risk of infection in the operating room!
Elder Elwin Wilkinson paused for a moment, then looked at Garrett with a smile. Until Garrett felt a bit uneasy, he casually asked:
"Why do you think you don't have money?"
"Well..." Viscount Joane Vaughn only gave the estate and the house, no cash! Should I sell the estate? Even if I rush to sell it, I might not get a good price...
Garrett struggled to argue. Before he could speak, a shout came from outside the stone house:
"Lord Nordmark! Are you there? Your Excellency!"
"I'm here! What's the matter?"
"I, at the behest of Baron Vaughn, bring gifts to congratulate Your Excellency!"
"Sir Levi congratulates Nordmark Mage!"
"Viscount Fulma congratulates..."
"Sir Nolan..."
"Sir Barron..."
Gifts kept pouring in until, in the blink of an eye, the long table in the living room was filled. Looking at the gold coins, silk, spices, and various gifts piled on the table, Garrett's mind was in turmoil, and only one word echoed repeatedly:
Prosperity and success...
He suddenly looked at Elder Elwin Wilkinson. Lifting his chin, he smiled:
"Teacher, do you want to... send a few priests here to settle? I can teach them!"
---------------
Your invaluable feedback and ratings mean the world to me. Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.If you come across any mistakes within this chapter, kindly notify me in the comments below, so that I can make the necessary corrections.
