Chapter 66: Chapter 66: An Invitation to the Garden

Kolan Fosak wiped his mouth.

After breakfast, Leech would customarily head to the stables for a look, then ride out to patrol his territory.

Today, ’the widow’ Gelan would be teaching literacy and weeding out the less clever youths. As for the selection criteria, Leech had the final say.

That meant Kolan himself was absolutely free.

The back kitchen.

The little kitchen helper, Oakwood Basin, was washing vegetables.

She wore a maid’s uniform designed by the Lord. The ruffled white apron was tied tightly around her waist, accentuating her curves. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing fair arms.

At that moment, Oakwood Basin was bent over scrubbing the floor, her rear pointing toward the doorway.

Kolan’s eyes lingered greedily. He hadn’t had a taste of a woman in a while, which probably explained why even the plain-looking Oakwood Basin seemed so alluring.

Speaking of alluring, the most exceptional one was the maid named Arkke. She was beautiful, delicate, and frail-looking.

"Oakwood Basin."

"Lord Fosak?" Oakwood Basin jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She shot up and turned around. "D-do you have an order for me?"

"I just wanted to chat with you about a few things."

Looking at the nervous little maid, Kolan felt completely confident. ’With my charm, how hard can it be to win over a little maid?’

Meanwhile, Leech hadn’t patrolled his territory for several days.

He rode along the road to the second village. It was a fair distance from Maitian Village, requiring a bit of a ride. However, new houses were being built one after another. Once some people moved over, they could start living here directly.

The pasture was already officially in operation.

When the craftsmen saw Leech arrive, they immediately stopped their work, intending to run over and greet him. But Leech waved from a distance, signaling for them not to come over and to just keep busy.

’The territory is getting on track step by step, but Porcupine Territory lacks a unique product to export.’

He had to open up trade routes, not just to buy slaves; Porcupine Territory lacked many resources that could only be purchased from outside.

Joe had been gone for a while. Calculating the time, he should be back soon, which would be the perfect opportunity to develop a merchant caravan.

’While the Little Pills can be sold in other towns, nowhere else would have a demand as high as Iron Stone City.’

Iron Stone City, nicknamed the "Holy Land," was unique; other towns didn’t have a particularly high demand for the Little Pills.

’I can make a lot of delicious food with the keg, but gourmet food won’t survive a long journey. It’s not realistic. The textile industry seems like a good option—buy raw materials and produce our own—but the transportation costs are too high.’

Things like leather goods and pottery were basically out of the question, limited by the availability of raw materials.

’I could grow flax and produce linen, but from what I know, the linen craftsmanship around Golden Wheat Field is excellent.’

Go through all the trouble of growing flax just to sell it back to its place of origin?

’That’s something only a total idiot would do. Besides, the profit margin on linen isn’t that high anyway.’

Leech mentally calculated different ways to make money.

What did other Transmigrators rely on when they went back to ancient times? Gunpowder for military might, brewing alcohol for money, and women throwing themselves at them for romance. As for management... their subordinates were 100% loyal, they never lacked for talent, and they could trick other noble lords into giving them money and daughters just by opening their mouths.

First off, brewing. In his past life, he didn’t like to drink, let alone know how to make alcohol.

The gunpowder matter was on hold for now.

After thinking for a while, he realized his biggest advantage was the crypts. He could explore crypts to get money and treasures, and process corpses to gain knowledge and information.

The Grass of Life he had discovered, for instance, was an opportunity for quick wealth.

The Cape Crypt was the same. Betty’s knowledge of Magic Gunpowder was also an immense fortune.

He sucked in a sharp breath. He suddenly realized that while he couldn’t take the path where talented people would pledge allegiance at the mere sight of him, he might be able to walk the path of chasing girls... no, the path of living off a woman.

Thinking of the cousin who could make him cry with a single punch, Leech wondered if he should find time to make a trip to Green Forest Castle soon.

’My maternal grandfather’s family are old nobility. They aren’t short on money. They’re rich and powerful. So what if I live off them? As long as my belly’s full.’

’Even back on Earth, guys would put up with anything for a sugar mama, wouldn’t they?’

’First, I’ll conquer the Cape Crypt, then I’ll make a trip to Green Forest Castle. As for the caravan, for now, we’ll focus on buying. We’ll sell whatever we can, but I won’t force it.’

He returned to the castle but didn’t see Kolan.

"Where is Mr. Fosak? Has anyone seen him?"

The maid, Wineglass, who was sweeping the floor, answered, "Lord Fosak seemed to have gone to the kitchen once after breakfast, and then he returned to his room."

’The kitchen?’

’Looks like he really couldn’t wait.’

In the afternoon, Joe returned with a batch of able-bodied slaves.

After receiving Leech’s orders, this group of bandits and robbers was sent to quarry stone.

Evening.

A White Raven flew in.

A letter was quickly delivered into Leech’s hands.

"Dearest Cousin Leech, it’s been more than ten years since we last saw each other, hasn’t it? I heard you might be coming to Green Forest Castle this year? I’m very much looking forward to seeing you again. We can also correspond by letter, right? I’m very curious to hear about the interesting things happening in Porcupine Territory. I await your reply. Your cousin, Stacy."

He had just been thinking about living off a woman during the day, and now the opportunity had come knocking!

"This isn’t living off a woman, this is securing investment!"

Leech picked up his pen and, after muttering to himself for a moment, began to write: "There are many interesting things in Porcupine Territory. I’d like to start by introducing you to the most beautiful thing here: the sea. I’m sure you’d love to see the waves crash onto the shore, kicking up spray. Or maybe you’d like to write a secret in the sand with your bare feet and wait for the tide to carry it away. Perhaps you’d be interested in a message in a bottle? You write a story or a secret, put it in a bottle, and toss it into the ocean, letting it drift until it lands in the hands of a stranger. The feeling is novel and very romantic..."

His pen paused.

He thought about changing it, but decided against it.

’Anyway, it’s an arranged marriage. As long as my uncle and grandfather nod their heads, it’s a done deal.’

"Of course, there are also pirates in the sea. Luckily, I defeated them, and their ship is mine now. If you come to Porcupine Territory, we can watch the dusk turn the sky and sea red from the deck."

Leech gave the letter a quick once-over. This was the first time he had ever corresponded with a woman.

"Hmm, that’s not too much sucking up, is it?"

’So what if I’m sucking up? Living off a woman is better than begging!’

He rolled up the letter, sealed it with wax, and handed it to the steward.

As the White Raven spread its wings to deliver the letter, he began discussing the caravan’s operations with Joe.

Joe’s suggestion was to sell their surplus flour to the villages near Pig Spine Valley. The price was much higher than for unprocessed grain, and they could sell the Little Pills on the side.

At the same time, they could spread the word to encourage other caravans to come to Porcupine Territory to sell their goods and make purchases.

It was a good suggestion, but Leech vetoed it.

Selling grain was not an option!

The granary had to maintain a sufficient supply of food for emergencies.

After talking for a while, they still hadn’t decided what to sell, but the list of things they wanted to buy was a long one.

After dinner, Kolan Fosak returned to his room.

He had absolutely no interest in the development of Porcupine Territory and only wanted to get back to his room and rest quickly.

KNOCK KNOCK. Someone was at the door.

"My Lord." It was Duckfoot’s voice.

Kolan disliked this personal manservant who was responsible for watching him. "What is it? I’ve already gone to bed."

"It’s the Lord," Duckfoot said from outside the door. "The Lord says he is waiting for you in the garden."

"The garden?"

Kolan reluctantly got out of bed, bent down to pick up his shoes, and said as he put them on, "I’m coming right now."

He opened the door, looked at the manservant standing outside, and said, "You go back and rest. Don’t follow me."

"Yes, my Lord!"