GOR Chapter 13: Paranormal Events in the Rollin Family's Ancestral Mansion!
(Long Chapter)
The Rowling family's ancestral mansion was located in the southwest part of the Rollin Plains. Here, a tributary of the Rollin River flowed through the area. The land on the banks of the river was fertile and there were several farms and towns around the area. Following this tributary, one would pass through a beautiful valley.
This was the place where the great Rowling family originated. Hundreds of years ago, when the Rowling family's ancestors were only low-level nobles who owned a small village, the Rowling family's bloodline began to spread throughout this land.
The carriage passed through a dark forest. The trees on both sides were lush and the air was fresh. Following a smooth path, the carriage could see the small valley on the left. Looking to the right, a tall tower could be seen in the distance. That was the Rowling family's ancestral mansion.
After hundreds of years of glory, the small village from hundreds of years ago no longer existed. The ancestral mansion had undergone countless renovations and reconstructions throughout the hundreds of years of history. Now, it had reached a considerable scale!
A crimson red stone wall surrounded a castle. The castle was built using white boulders mined from the nearby valley – it was said that the valley was originally a small hill. However, after hundreds of years of mining, the small hill was turned into a valley.
The arrival of the eldest son of the family head naturally attracted extra attention. The 300 private soldiers guarding the castle were already equipped with the brightest of equipment. They lined up outside the castle and waited under the crimson red wall. Du Wei, who was sitting in the carriage, felt a sense of grandeur. In his opinion, this thick stone wall could be used as a solid defensive perimeter if necessary!
As expected of one of the Empire's military families, the 300 private soldiers guarding the castle were well trained. They rode their horses with their backs straight and their skills in controlling the horses were quite skilled. Their equipment was also quite good. Later on, Du Wei found out that the 300 soldiers guarding the Rollin family's ancestral mansion were the cream of the crop from all over the Rollin Plains. Their training was quite good and was not inferior to the Empire's local army.
The dark forest outside the castle was a natural hunting ground. Every year, hunting activities would be held here. This was also a form of training for these soldiers.
The main building of the castle had two towers. One of them was particularly tall, even taller than the small hill in the distance. Du Wei, who had studied the family history, knew that this was because the Rowling family had a strange family head in the previous generation. Although that family head was a general, he was particularly interested in astrology. He even married a female astrology master as his wife. The tower was built so that his wife could better observe the stars in the night sky.
The red carpet had already been spread from the castle's entrance to the place where Du Wei's carriage was parked. When Du Wei bent down to get off the carriage, a silver-haired old man who had been waiting for a long time came up to him. This old man was tall and thin. He was wearing a meticulous grey robe. His old-fashioned and solemn manner was conservative and respectful.
Just as Du Wei got off the carriage and set his foot on the ground, the old man had already bent down to give a deep salute. Using a low and slow voice, the old man spoke: "Young master, I am the housekeeper here, Hill # 8226 Rowling. I have already received the news of your impending arrival three days ago. Everyone in the castle is ready to welcome your Parallax. Please come with me. "
After speaking, the old housekeeper turned around and carefully led Du Wei up the stairs. There was nothing to nitpick about in terms of etiquette. His manner was respectful and courteous, humble and not flattering. He led Du Wei up the red carpet on the stairs. Then, he carefully walked away from the red carpet, allowing Du Wei to enjoy this honor alone.
There was no time to carefully observe the interior decoration of the castle. The only thing that left a deep impression was that after walking through the castle's entrance, he was greeted by a huge flame-like flag on the wall!
This flag was no less than 7-8 meters high and 6 meters wide. It occupied the entire wall! This was the family's emblem flag. Above it were two swords crossed. Irises were entwined around the edges of the swords. A red flame was burning, and above it was a crown!
Walking into the castle's first floor hall, he was greeted by such an imposing flag. Immediately, a layer of solemn and serene atmosphere was smeared over this place!
Soon after, all the servants in the castle wore neat uniforms and stood on both sides of the hall to welcome Du Wei's arrival. Du Wei did not have much interest in this strange 'inspection'. He casually nodded his head and whispered, "My Mr. Housekeeper, please take me to the study room … As for everyone, please disperse and return to your work."
The old housekeeper Hill carried out Du Wei's orders meticulously. Soon, Du Wei was brought to a study room …
En, if possible, Du Wei was more willing to call this place a 'library'!
Because this place was too big!
Within the circular room, the ceiling was similarly high and was decorated with some simple plaster patterns. There were also some plaster statues on both sides – many of them were some outstanding figures that emerged in the history of the family.
The room was surrounded by tall bookshelves … What the hell?! These bookshelves were as high as a two-story building! Various kinds of books were placed on top of them. Du Wei made a rough calculation and estimated that there were at least tens of thousands of books hidden here! There were also many iron cabinets that stored some important items such as the family's atlas or some ancient and important documents.
Naturally, as a family with a military merit, even within this study room, there was a trace of a martial aura! On the wall directly opposite the door of the study, there was a huge two-handed greatsword and a huge axe hanging on the wall! These two weapons were hung on the wall in a crisscross manner! Judging from the cold light shining off the blades, it was clear that there were often servants who carefully cleaned and maintained them.
There were also several large cabinets on the bookshelves on one side of the wall. Various kinds of weapons were placed within the cabinets. However, from the looks of it, these were all antiques.
There was a short bow from the imperial army from a hundred years ago, an old Knight's sword, a long saber, a black ironwood bow …
Du Wei's attention was attracted by these weapons. He could see that these antiques were well maintained. Although they had undergone the baptism of time, some of them still emitted a trace of sharp cold light!
"These were all used by the outstanding ancestors of the family." The old butler, Hill, spoke with an unchanging voice. "These are the records of the past glory of our Rowling family's great ancestors."
Due to the space of the room, when speaking here, the sound waves would reverberate, producing a buzzing sound and echoing sound, adding a sense of solemnity to the atmosphere.
Gently touching the black rosewood desk, Du Wei quietly observed his surroundings.
He could see that although every item here had undergone strict preservation and meticulous cleaning, the traces of age were still very obvious. Many places on the bookshelves had been polished until they were smooth and shiny. As for the large desk under his hand, Du Wei suspected that it was even older than the old butler in front of him.
"This used to be the center of power of the Rowling family. It used to be the place where the family heads pondered and made all kinds of decisions. Every item here still has traces of its former glory. " The old butler spoke in a low voice. "Although the family's decision-making center was later moved to the imperial capital, according to the family's tradition, every Parallax or family head who came back to the castle for a short stay were not allowed to return to their bedroom to rest on the first night. They had to spend the night in this study. This was to motivate themselves to not forget the family's glorious history and the heavy responsibility on their shoulders. "
Pausing for a moment, the old butler glanced at Du Wei and lowered his head. "You are the eldest son of the current family head, the Count. You are here to inspect the castle as his representative. May I ask if you …"
Du Wei immediately nodded and smiled. "Tradition is tradition. It must be obeyed. I am naturally no exception. Although I am not the family head, I am my father's eldest son. I am also here as his representative. Tonight, according to tradition, I will spend the night in the study. "
The old butler's expression softened a lot. His tone had a trace of warmth. He slowly said, "Yes, I will have someone prepare it. Also … I know that you are here to inspect the estate on behalf of the Count. May I ask where you will start your work? After receiving the news of your return, I've already had someone prepare the accounts and books for the income and expenditure of the family business for this year. When do you plan to start looking at these things? Or do you want to wait … "
Du Wei smiled and interrupted him. He naturally and calmly walked around the table and sat behind the large desk. The sofa was a little hard, but it was still very comfortable to sit on. Du Wei thought for a moment and smiled. "My Mr. Butler, I have come here after a long journey. I feel a little hungry now. Please prepare something for me to eat. After that, I think I can start looking at the things you have prepared. "
It seems that the efficiency of this place is quite good.
Soon, Du-Wei enjoyed a typical Southern nobleman's afternoon tea in the study. After eating a sweet pumpkin pie and wiping his mouth, the old butler Hill had already commanded two strong male servants to come to the study.
Two servants were pushing a cart. The cart was loaded with a small mountain of thick booklets! Adding up all these books, they were half a head taller than Duwei himself!
"These are all this year's accounts?" Du Wei frowned. He began to suspect that this old butler was trying to prank him.
"Young Master, these are all here." Old Hill answered seriously, "The information here includes the entire southern Kete Province, the land area of the family's fief, the area of cultivated land, the revenue and expenditure of six towns, the logistics expenditure of the family's private army scattered in three different parts of the fief, the expenditure of the soldiers, the expenditure of weapons, the harvest of grain, and the budget of some new buildings this year. "Additionally, I have also made some budget for next year. However, due to the lack of time, I have yet to complete it. However, I believe that you will not be leaving this place anytime soon. So, we still have plenty of time."
Du Wei could not help but rub his nose as he looked at the mountain of accounts before him. "… Is everything here?"
"This is only a part of it. As for the rest … "It was rare for the old butler to speak in a less serious tone." As for the rest, I believe you will need to look at them for a week. "
Du Wei's brows furrowed. He quietly observed the butler before him.
This old butler did not appear to be joking. But … could he be so naive as to think that a thirteen-year-old child like him would be able to understand these accounts? Nor could he be so naive as to think that a thirteen-year-old child like him would be able to shoulder the entire family's business!
Then, he should know that being sent back to his hometown by the head of the family was a disguised form of banishment. If that was the case, then why would this fellow bring such a pile of accounts over and ask him to look through them in such a serious manner … What was he up to?
Could it be that the old butler was dissatisfied with him being sent back and was worried that he would lose his authority after he returned? Was that why he wanted to show off his power?
Was the servant bullying the master?
Or perhaps, he had some tricks up his sleeve in the family's business and was using a child like him to get away with it?
Everything seemed to be possible!
However, Du Wei did not say anything. He did not even raise any questions. He picked up the account book at the top and blew away the dust on it. Then, he calmly sat down and flipped to the first page.
After a while, Du Wei raised his head. The old butler was still standing beside him.
"Oh, Mr. Butler, do you have anything else to say to me?" Du Wei's tone turned cold. "I don't like people around me when I'm reading."
"Yes, Young Master." The old butler's eyes revealed a trace of astonishment. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. However, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and turned around to leave with the servants.
After the heavy door of the study was closed, Du Wei gently put down the account book in his hand. He stood up and walked back and forth in the large study room. After stretching his body, he smiled and said to himself, "It seems that there is something worth looking forward to."
The following time, until night fell. During this time, the old butler came to the study room twice. The first time was to pour tea for Du Wei. The second time was when the sky darkened. He personally brought someone to light a candle for Du Wei.
What surprised the old butler was that this young master was actually flipping through those accounts!
Moreover, he wasn't pretending. He was really reading with all his heart! There were a few account books on the table. They were all flipped open. Du Wei seemed to be calculating some numbers. After the old butler brought someone to light all twenty large candlesticks in the study room, Du Wei casually asked the old butler a few questions about the accounts.
He didn't ask casually. Every question hit the nail on the head! This was enough to prove that this young master was serious! He really did read those boring accounts!
This … this was the Eldest Young Master who was regarded as an "idiot" by the family in the imperial capital according to the news that was sent back?
Although the old butler tried his best to hide it, Du Wei still caught the old butler's surprised expression. Du Wei still didn't say anything. Only when the old butler walked out of the room did he slowly close the account book in his hand. He had flipped to the last page of the account book.
Actually … these accounts were really interesting!
Duwei spent the whole evening, but he didn't really look at those boring numbers, and he didn't have the mind to check whether the account was falsified or not. After all, he wasn't a genius. The authenticity of the accounts, to someone like him who didn't know anything about the industry, was impossible to see.
Perhaps no one would know that Du Wei was using a different method to read the accounts!
Who said that an account book could only be used to record accounts?
At the very least, Du Wei learned a lot from these accounts! And these things were not recorded in the history books or the family history files!
From the names and contents of these accounts, Du Wei immediately had a good understanding of the Rowling family's control over the territory.
In the territory, the Rowling family had formed a system of their own. They even had a considerable amount of autonomy. The financial and tax authority here belonged to the family. Even the appointment of the local officials was basically decided by the family. The tax rate was according to the empire's laws. However, the family could use some special reasons to modify, reduce, or increase the tax rate.
As long as a certain percentage of the tax was paid to the empire's central treasury, it would be fine.
There was also the military authority. Basically, from the details of the military use of these accounts, the number of troops stationed here was very small. The Empire had very few troops stationed here. They only symbolically stationed two small second-line reserve infantry regiments at the periphery of the territory. What was worth noting was that the supplies for these two reserve infantry regiments were provided by the Rowling family every year! The empire's military didn't care!
In most areas of the territory, the ones who maintained law and order were the family's private army.
Through these accounts, Du Wei easily grasped the Rowling family's current economic, political, and military situation!
Perhaps, if the old butler knew that he was "looking" at the accounts, his eyeballs would definitely pop out!
From these accounts, Du Wei could at least confirm two points. First, in terms of taxation, the family had complete control over the territory! And in terms of military affairs, it was even more so!
Du Wei came from another world. From the knowledge he learned in that world, there was an important piece of common knowledge. The embodiment of a country's sovereignty over its territory was the taxation of taxes! And the military!
And now, these two points were controlled by the Rowling family! What did this mean?
It meant that the empire's central authority had lost control over half of the Rowling family's territory, Kete Province. Here, the empire's central authority had lost control over the territory! This place was almost an independent small kingdom.
Du Wei leaned on the sofa and pondered. This kind of situation made him feel a little surprised! Because when a country's central authority gradually lost its authority, it was often a sign that the curtains of turmoil were about to be pulled open.
Du Wei sat for a while. The room was very quiet. Only the occasional crackling of the candles could be heard.
At this moment, Du Wei suddenly stood up. He turned around and looked at the wall behind him!
There was a large bookshelf on the wall. It was filled with books. There did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
However, Du Wei's heart faintly gave birth to a strange feeling … En, that feeling just now was not wrong!
Because his spiritual power was much stronger than the average person's, Du Wei's perception of his surroundings was also much more sensitive than the average person's. Just a moment ago, he suddenly had a feeling that he was being peeped at by someone!
It was as though someone was looking at him from an unknown corner behind him, quietly watching him!
There was nothing out of the ordinary on the bookshelf. Du Wei's gaze moved up again.
Above the bookshelf hung a row of portraits on the wall.
These portraits were in the style of oil paintings. They were arranged in a row, and their ages ranged from ancient to recent. These were the portraits of the Rowling family's successive Family Heads!
On the first position on the left, there was a portrait that appeared to be the oldest. It was a portrait of a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the empire's military. The man on the portrait was none other than the Marshal of the empire! He was also one of the ancestors of the Rowling family who won the war for the empire. At the same time, he also won the Rollin Plains from the hands of the Emperor!
This person appeared to be very spirited. Between his eyebrows, there was a cold and tenacious expression similar to that of Du Wei's father, Earl Raymond! And that pair of eyes seemed to be staring at Duwei's body!
Du Wei's heart skipped a beat. He attempted to take a few steps back. Then, he took a few steps to the left and right. At the same time, his eyes were also staring at the oil painting. Then, he smiled and gently sighed. Then, he whispered. "Sigh, maybe I am being too sensitive … it is just an oil painting."
He turned around and picked up an account book …
Behind him, the pair of eyes in the portrait of the Marshal on the wall suddenly blinked!
That's right, the person in the oil painting suddenly came to life. The eyes that were staring at Du Wei's back suddenly blinked!
The originally stiff eyes of the person in the painting suddenly seemed to have been injected with life and became lively! The gaze fell upon Du Wei's body and a trace of curiosity appeared within the eyes …
At that moment, Du Wei who was holding onto the account book suddenly turned around without any warning. He suddenly stared at the oil painting on the wall!
A man and a painting. Their gazes suddenly collided with each other!!
"No need to pretend. I know you are looking at me. " Du Wei slowly raised his hand. Within his hand was a silver spoon. This was the spoon that he used to eat the pumpkin pie earlier. The silver spoon shone like a mirror!
"You are looking at me. Just now, I was also using this thing to look at you." Du Wei smiled as he stared at the painting on the wall. "You don't need to pretend anymore … however, don't you know that peeking at others behind their backs is a very impolite act?"
"… … …"
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