Hey, Zorro was clearly a swordsman, why was he described as a magician? Laurist muttered unhappily. He had forgotten that the Zorro he was impersonating had not drawn his sword at all. Instead, because he had lit the candles in the hall and defeated all the guards with his bare hands, he had been mistaken for a mysterious and unfathomable mage.
At this moment, Lollister was eating breakfast and holding a copy of Morrent Daily that had just been delivered to the Red Raven Tavern. The headline on the first page was sensational: The Mystery of the Red Fir Winery — The Magician Reappears!
This was already six days after the case. A reporter from Morrent Daily had sent a detailed report from the Trymber Kingdom. The report used extremely exaggerated methods to describe how the magician Zorro lit all the candles in the hall in an instant, and how he mysteriously made all the guards lose their ability to resist and fall unconscious. He even left a strange "Z" mark on the bodies of those who experienced the incident.
At the end of the article, there was an interview with a young nobleman who had personally experienced this mysterious case. This nobleman claimed that every midnight, the Z-shaped mark on his chest would ache faintly. He seemed to feel a mysterious force calling out to his soul. Every time, he would use his fearless spirit to fight against this force, lest the sorcerer with ulterior motives would summon his soul to the abyss of hell …
This reporter could write long fantasy novels. Perhaps he was born as a third-rate novelist. Lollister did not know that he had already guessed correctly. This reporter from Morrent Daily did not even come into contact with Viscount Sylva, the person involved in the case. This was because Viscount Sylva was currently hanging from a hanger in the square in front of the palace, swaying in the wind. When the reporter passed by, he was still guessing which unlucky person had angered His Majesty.
Because the Trymber Kingdom had sealed off the news of the missing glass technician, the reporter could only ask around in the taverns. After much difficulty, he finally came into contact with a nobleman who had personally experienced the case. After listening to the narration, he returned to the tavern and wrote a news report filled with fantasy and suspense.
Lollister put down Morrent Daily and picked up Fariqiu Weekly. This time, the report on the Red Fir Winery was much more reliable. Compared to the reporter from Morent Daily who was good at writing fantasy novels, the reporter sent by Faliqiu Weekly was obviously more professional. They interviewed the servants of the winery, the criminal investigators in charge of the case, and even the Minister of Security of the Kingdom of Telimbo.
The headline of Fariqiu Weekly Paper was: Zorro, Magician or Magician? After the reporter's investigation, he discovered that Zorro wasn't a so-called mage. He could only be described as an extremely daring bandit who had mastered a few tricks. Just like how he lit up all the candles in the hall in an instant, the criminal investigator in charge of the case found out that it was just a little magic trick. The truth was actually very simple. He used a string dipped in kerosene to connect the wick on all the candles together. Once the fire was lit, it would spread along the string. This was the reason why all the candles were instantly lit after the fire net appeared in mid-air.
As for why all the guards were lying on the ground, the reporter believed that this bandit named Zorro was a Gold-ranked Combat Aura expert who was good at fighting bare-handed. From the two silver-ranked swordsmen who had their jaws smashed, it could be concluded that all the guards were knocked down and not hit by magic attacks.
The reporter believed that this small group of bandits led by Zorro originally wanted to rob the Red Fir Winery. That was why they got all the servants of the winery drunk so that they could conduct their search without fear. Coincidentally, Viscount Sylva had brought his friends and guards to the winery, and unfortunately became a fat sheep that came knocking on their door.
Therefore, this bandit leader Zorro set his sights on Viscount Sylva. The fact that all the nobles who came with him were stripped naked and had their belongings searched was proof of this. However, what the reporter found strange was that on the fourth day after the incident, the victim, Viscount Sylva, along with his guards and some of his friends, were hung on the gallows by King Trumbo VII. Their crimes were unknown …
The reporter believed that there was a huge secret behind the Red Fir Manor case. Even if all the insiders did not speak, the reporter was still confident that he could uncover the truth of the matter …
Lollister prayed that this brave reporter had good luck. He knew that the Kingdom of Trumbo had already discovered that Mancheni and his family had gone missing, so Viscount Sylva had received his retribution. Now it seemed that the Kingdom of Trumbo was prepared to seal off this news and investigate in secret. Lollister was not too worried about this. Once he was done with his business, he would bring Mancheni and his family back to his family's territory. He believed that the Kingdom of Trumbo would never dream of a glass factory appearing in the North …
Now, Mancheni and his family were in a room he had booked on the third floor of the Red Crow Tavern. They were having breakfast just like him. The spies of the Kingdom of Trumbo would not be able to find any clues about their family. Lollister was very confident of this. For example, when they entered Moront City, Mancheni and his family had entered separately. They disguised themselves as mother and son, father and son, brother and sister with Lollister's guards. They entered the city like the thousands of servants who went to Moront City to work every day. They did not attract any attention before gathering at the Red Crow Tavern.
The only small problem was that Aire and the Mancheni technician's obedient daughter seemed to have a little problem when they were pretending to be siblings entering the city. The two often exchanged glances, and this couldn't be hidden from Lollister's eyes. Although Aire was older than the girl by sixteen years, this did not stop the two of them from looking at each other. Lollister could only wish that his old brother Aire's wish came true.
This matter ended here. Lollister threw what happened in the Kingdom of Trumbo to the back of his mind. He continued to read the other news in the newspaper as he enjoyed his sumptuous breakfast.
Sigh, he was still more used to living in Moront City. Compared to his family's territory, Lollister felt that the biggest difference between the two was the reception of information. In Moront City, he did not have to leave his house to find out about the big and small things that happened in Galinthea. Although it would be a few days late, or even a month, it was better to know than not. Thanks to the expansion of the Ford Commercial Alliance's influence, the reporters from Moront City could go around to interview and gather news without worrying about their own safety.
Although the family's territory seemed to be thriving after a few years of development and construction, the flow of information was relatively blocked. Lollister thought back to a few years ago when he was in charge of the North. He was completely in the dark about the outside world, and knew nothing. The source of information to the outside world was Count Kenneth, who occasionally visited him. However, what Count Kenneth understood the most was the scheming between the court and the nobles. Most of the information outside of the Iberian Kingdom was hearsay.
Having lived two lives, Lollister knew the importance of information. He also wanted to build an information network so that the family could grasp information and changes in the outside world. However, the biggest problem was that once they left the family's territory, Lollister could not guarantee the safety of the intelligence agents he sent out. Thinking back to a few years ago when even the family's messengers had been captured by those lords to be slaves, Lollister could not afford to lose so many spies.
However, now that the family had the territory of Sirovas Island and had sea transportation, they finally had a way to communicate with the outside world. When he returned this time, it was time to make use of Lemmond, who he had left at home to work hard for his wife and children. This fellow had been forced to marry seven wives, and in the past three years, he had more than ten children.
It was said that this fellow worked like a horse for his wife and children every day. It was said that he had the reputation of being a saint in the treatment of gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics. With a single dose, the disease was cured. It was truly amazing.
There was one time when he had a gathering with the old cadets and had drunk too much and cried, lamenting that he could not control his lower body and was now living in such dire straits … Before he could finish his words, his two wives pulled him home to reflect on himself. At that time, the old cadets all lowered their heads and mourned for him …
No matter what, this fellow was still a knight of the family, and he could not waste his time like this. Furthermore, all seven of his wives had awakened fighting energy, and they had been the focus of the female battalion's nurturing. Their qualities and talents were all very good. Lollister planned to let Lemmond take a few wives to Morent City to open a potion treatment center. This would be the family's office in Morent City, and they would usually gather information about the changes in the Galinthia Continent. They could also use this place to recruit talents that the family urgently needed, and understand the latest academic discoveries …
Lollister sighed deeply. When would he be able to make the family's territory as prosperous as Morent City? There was still a long way to go. Compared to the other nobles, the Norton Family's territory was full of changes and was extremely fertile. For example, Earl Gammas, Baron Filim, and Baron Shahin, who had a deeper understanding of the Norton Family's territory, were very envious. They also admired how Lollister was willing to invest millions of gold coins into developing the territory and improving the lives of his subjects.
However, in Lollister's heart, the prosperity of the family's territory was only on the surface. If he did not persevere, then after another hundred years and two or three generations, everything would return to how it was. He had many plans, such as a large scale basic education, improving the overall quality of the subjects, and increasing their loyalty to the family. There was also tax reduction. The family did not need to desperately plunder the pitiful wealth of the subjects like the other nobles. There were many ways to get rich, and Lollister could think of countless ways to increase the family's wealth from his previous life. However, to achieve this goal, he still needed to put in more effort.
Lollister smiled bitterly. Many plans could not be realized because of practical conditions. Just like basic education, if he could not make a breakthrough in the art of papermaking, with the high cost of animal skin paper, the family would not be able to realize this dream. If they had cheap paper like in his previous life, the Norton Family would not only be able to promote education, but they would also be able to start a newspaper. They would be able to control public opinion and brainwash the citizens, making them proud to be part of the Norton Family …
Lollister was so lost in his thoughts that he did not even notice Howard appear in front of him.
"My lord, my lord …" Howard called out twice.
"Oh, it's you. Why didn't you go to the library today?" Lollister came back to his senses.
Howard rolled his eyes. "My lord, we've already stayed in the library for more than ten days. We've learned everything we need to know. You told us yesterday that we don't have to go to the library anymore."
Lollister said embarrassedly, "Sorry, Howard. I was distracted and forgot what I said yesterday. What's the matter? "
"My lord, the owner of the Weidale Shipyard that you went to the day before, Mister Milino, is here. He said that he has something important to tell you, and that you must see him," Howard said.
"Oh, is there something wrong with the ship I ordered? Invite him to the third floor. Also, tell El not to let Mr. Mancini and his family be seen, "Lollister said.
"Yes, my lord." Howard left the room.
The day before yesterday, Lollister went to the Weidale Shipyard and reached an agreement with Mister Milino. He would order a large ocean-going merchant ship at the price of 6,500 gold fords. The construction would take four and a half months, and Lollister paid a deposit of 1,000 gold fords. He also promised to pay another 3,000 gold fords after the keel was installed, and the rest would be paid after the ship passed the inspection.
Soon, Mister Milino appeared in front of Lollister.
"Welcome, Mister Milino. May I know why you are so anxious to see me?" Lollister asked.
"I'm very sorry, my lord. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Weidale Shipyard is unable to fulfill your order. This is my lord's deposit. This is my compensation. Please forgive me, my lord, but the agreement cannot be carried out. "Mister Milino seemed to have something he couldn't talk about. He insisted on tearing up the agreement, then took his leave.
On the table were ten gold yuan certificates with a face value of 100 gold fords. This was the deposit Lollister had paid for the ship. There was also a bulging money pouch with 100 gold fords inside. This was 10% of the deposit as compensation. When they signed the agreement, it was stipulated that if the shipyard was unable to carry out the agreement within ten days, they would have to return the deposit and pay 10% of the deposit as interest …
It had only been three days, and he had earned 100 gold fords. If Lollister was still an instructor at Dawn Academy, he would definitely be so happy that he wouldn't be able to sleep. However, the current Lollister didn't care about this huge sum of money in the eyes of ordinary people. He had come to Morent City to spend money, not to earn money.
With 100,000 gold fords, Lollister was prepared to buy or order 12 large ocean-going merchant ships and build a family merchant fleet. However, he hadn't expected that the ship he had just signed would disappear just like that.
Lollister rubbed his chin and was thinking about what Mister Milino meant when he saw Schwald knock on the door again and walk in. "My lord, the owners of three more shipyards have come …"
In just half a day, the eight large ocean-going merchant ships that Lollister had ordered from eight private shipyards over the past five or six days after returning from the Telemark Kingdom had all been returned. The reason was also that they had to pay a deposit of 1000 gold fords and another 100 gold fords as interest. Under Lollister's repeated questioning, the last shipyard owner who had come to return the deposit finally revealed something. "You've offended someone that we can't afford to offend …"
Lollister's face was ashen. Just who was behind this? Those who could open a shipyard in Cangjin Bay all had some connections and close to a thousand skilled craftsmen. Just who was this person that even they didn't dare to offend? Furthermore, Lollister and the others had no idea how they had offended this person.
"El, go find the Ledos Brothers and ask them to secretly investigate who is going against us. Have them give us a clue. The rest of you, don't go out unless there's something important. We have to stay vigilant now. "Lollister instructed.
A day later, Ledos came to the Red Raven Tavern. The result of his investigation was that the Chikede Merchant Group had forced the eight private shipyards to return the deposit Lollister had made. Just as the last shipyard owner had said, they had offended someone that they couldn't afford to offend. The Chikede Merchant Group was a colossus that they couldn't afford to offend.
Chikede Merchant Group? Why did they have to interfere and stop him from ordering large ocean-going merchant ships? Didn't that President Chikede apologize to him? Why did he go back on his words and go against him? After all, he was backed by the Peterson Merchant Group …
Lollister furrowed his brows in thought. Something unexpected must have happened. Just then, Schwald came over. "My lord, President Peterson just sent a message. He wants you to meet him at the Merchant Group. He has something important to discuss."
…
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