Winterspring Castle was the central castle of Baron Grantu. It stood by the Winterspring River, at the southernmost point of Winterspring Town. It had a history of more than a hundred years.
The castle was built with limestone. The thick and sturdy walls were twenty-five meters tall. The walls were smooth without any gaps. The moat outside the walls was connected to the Winterspring River. The surface of the moat was sparkling, and there were fish and prawns jumping out from time to time.
A large iron oak drawbridge spanned across the ten-meter wide surface of the river. A few strong soldiers stood guard by the winch. Once the guards on the watchtower sounded the alarm, they could pull the drawbridge up at any time.
The Grantu family was once glorious. It was said that five hundred years ago, they were one of the most prominent Earl families in the Flameflame Territory. Winterspring Town back then was not as desolate as it was now. It was a town with more than three hundred thousand people living in it.
Unfortunately, when the army of the Second Orc Empire invaded the Flameflame Territory, Winterspring Town was unfortunately in their way.
After that, the town became a pile of ruins.
The Grantu family lost their title because of that. It was not until a hundred years ago that the descendants of this family finally rose up and regained their title. Although it was only a Baron, it was still a start.
Winterspring Town and Winterspring Castle were rebuilt, but they were no longer as prosperous as before.
Therefore, when the luxurious carriages of the House of Saint Hilde slowly drove into Winterspring Town, the residents here looked at them with curiosity and respect.
Baron Grantu had already arrived at the town and welcomed the Duke Of Saint Hilde and the rest into the castle.
Although they were once glorious, this glory had long been worn away by the long river of time. The Grantu family now was no different from the other nobles in the countryside.
When Baron Grantu's younger brother, Scholar Sonny, was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, the baron thought that the opportunity for the family to revive had finally arrived. Unfortunately, his younger brother was soon suppressed and opposed by various parties because of an agricultural reform plan. In the end, he even lost his own position.
After this setback, Baron Grantu became even more pragmatic and low-key. This time, the Duke Of St. Hilde suddenly came to visit. Although he was full of doubts, he still held the warmest welcome ceremony.
He purposely ordered his men to wash away the moss on the city walls, clean up the interior of the castle thoroughly, and lay out the newly purchased red carpet. He even summoned his personal guards to act as ceremonial guards. He had to let the Duke Of St. Hilde feel the sincerity of the Grand Family.
Unfortunately, the Grantu family was only a baron. Even though the study room in the Winterspring Castle was spacious, the low ceiling gave off an oppressive feeling. The narrow windows could only let in a little bit of sunlight, so they had to rely on candles to brighten up the room.
Only the thick mahogany table exuded the smell of time, which could slightly reflect the heritage of the Grandto Family.
Baron Grantu sat on the sofa, looking a little reserved.
Although Colin and Vera were elegant and modest, the noble aura that they exuded made Baron Grantu feel a little ashamed.
Moreover, Prince Harrison and Princess Judy were beside him. Although they did not talk much, they were still the heirs of the Empire, and they gave Baron Grantu a lot of pressure.
"Your Excellency Duke, Your Excellency Viscounts, please try the mushroom tea. This is a specialty of our Grantu Territory."
The silver cup on the long table was steaming, and the tea inside smelled like meat soup. However, it was not greasy when it entered the mouth. Instead, it tasted fresh and delicious.
"It has a very unique taste," Vera praised politely.
Baron Grantu was shocked, and he quickly explained, "Your Excellency Duke, I'm glad that you like it! This mushroom tea is made with red mushrooms from the Dark Forest and the spring water from the upper reaches of the Winterspring River. Unfortunately, it is not convenient to store it, otherwise, I would definitely give you some. "
"Can't the red mushrooms be stored after they are dried?" Colin asked with a smile.
Baron Grantu shook his head and said, "Your Excellency Viscounts, red mushrooms alone are not enough. It must be made with the spring water from the upper reaches of the Winterspring River in order to have such a unique taste."
Colin secretly laughed at Baron Grantu's lack of business sense. He was too honest. It was no wonder that he was so poor and his family could not regain the glory of the past.
However, he was not interested in teaching Baron Grantu, so he changed the topic and told him the purpose of their trip.
"Your Excellency Baron, we are here in Winterspring Town to visit Scholar Sonny. You must know that there is a famine in the Northern Frontier right now, and we would like to invite Scholar Sonny to the Northern Frontier to implement agricultural reforms to alleviate the food crisis.
Therefore, we hope that you can understand and support us. "
Hearing Colin say that he came to Winterspring Town to visit his brother, Baron Grando could not help but feel disappointed. However, he quickly adjusted his mood.
He knew that he was just a small baron and he did not have the qualifications to be visited by the Dukes Of The North.
Baron Grantu was indeed an honest man. He was not jealous of his brother at all. Instead, he was really happy for him and felt that his brother finally had the opportunity to show off his skills.
"Of course! It is Sonny's honor to be chosen by the House of Saint Hilde. As long as he does not have any objections, I will not stop him. "
Scholar Sonny looked at his brother and suddenly said, "Your Excellency Duke, may I take the liberty to ask for a condition?"
Vera smiled and nodded, "Please go ahead."
"The thing is, I will be bringing a group of apprentices to the Northern Frontier as assistants. However, these people are after all the people of Grantu Territory. If they leave, there will definitely be a shortage of labor here. Therefore, I hope that you can give the Grantu family a batch of slaves as compensation."
"That's what I should do!" Vera immediately nodded and looked at Colin.
Colin also nodded. This request was not too much. He then asked, "How many slaves do you need?"
Scholar Sonny thought for a while and said, "I will be bringing about a hundred apprentices to the Northern Frontier this time. Therefore, you can use the same number of slaves in exchange."
Colin shook his head and said, "No, I will use three times the number of slaves to exchange with the Grantu family."
Since he was going to give a gift, he might as well give it to them. Moreover, the Grantu family had left a good impression on Colin and he was willing to make friends with a family like this.
"Thank you for your generosity!" Scholar Sonny bowed respectfully.
Baron Grantu was also very excited. Although three hundred slaves was not a big gift for a baron, the friendly attitude that Colin had shown was what he really valued.
If he could use Scholar Sonny as a bridge and establish a connection with the House of Saint Hilde … Baron Grantu felt that there was still hope for his family to revive.
"Your Excellency Baron, can I borrow your study room to write a letter to me? I will ask Icestone City to send the slaves to Winterspring Town as soon as possible. "
"Of course."
Baron Grantu led Colin to the writing desk and even helped him spread out a roll of parchment paper.
However, Colin's gaze was fixed on a pile of strange papers at the corner of the writing desk and he did not speak for a long time.
Baron Grantu also noticed this and explained with a smile, "Lord Viscounts, that is a little toy that my servant made when he was bored. It is quite convenient to use for writing, but it is not very suitable for your honorable status."
However, Colin did not think that it was a "little toy".
He knew that the nobles of this world used parchment paper to write. As for the commoners, they definitely could not afford the expensive parchment paper and instead used a type of papyrus paper.
Colin had seen this type of papyrus paper before. It was coarse and inconvenient to write on, completely incomparable to the paper he used in his previous life.
Unfortunately, he did not remember how to make paper, or else he could have used this skill to make a fortune.
However, right now, in Baron Grantu's study room, Colin actually saw something similar to paper!
Although this type of "paper" was still slightly yellowed and the surface was not smooth enough, it was already very close to the paper Colin used in his previous life.
He immediately threw away the parchment paper in front of him and picked up a piece of yellowed "paper" with interest and started writing on it.
Seeing this, although Baron Grantu was confused, he did not say anything.
After he finished writing the letter, Colin nodded in satisfaction and said to Baron Grantu, "Can I meet the craftsman who made this paper for you?"
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