"Claude! Claude! "
Shouts came from the field. A middle-aged man dressed as a servant ran over, panting. He pulled Claude up and ran towards Winterspring Castle.
"Uncle Mark, what's going on?" Claude asked in confusion as he ran.
"Master wants to see you. Oh, no, it's an honorable guest who wants to see you! Quick, run faster! "
"Why does an honorable guest want to see me?"
"I don't know."
Claude saw that he could not get anything out of him, so he could only suppress his anxiety and run back to the castle as fast as he could.
Once he entered the door, the solemn butler immediately ordered, "Men! Bring Claude to freshen up, and prepare a set of decent clothes for him. "
Before Claude could ask in detail, he was led to the washroom by two burly maids.
This was the first time in Claude's life that he was served by others. Even though the two maids were old enough to be his mother, he was at a loss throughout the entire process.
After a while, when Claude walked out of the washroom again, he had already become a handsome and elegant young man.
"Follow me."
The butler appeared again and led Claude to the dining hall.
Claude looked at the completely changed dining hall in a daze.
Exquisitely carved mahogany furniture replaced the old ones. Golden candlesticks sat in the corner of the hall, filled with snow-white candles. The coarse linen curtains were all replaced with brand new cashmere curtains.
It looked like an honorable guest had really arrived.
Claude looked at the servants, who could not wait to gather the most luxurious decorations in the entire castle into this dining hall. He began to feel uneasy.
Why does such an honorable guest want to see me?
"Claude?"
A young lady walked in from the entrance of the dining hall. She was wearing a red linen dress, and her hair was tied up in a bun that accentuated her slender neck. Her face was slightly powdered, softening her overly masculine facial features.
"Miss Kelly!" Claude's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly greeted her.
"You should call me Madam, Claude." Kelly smiled and nodded. She then turned serious and warned, "The Duke Of St. Hilde and Viscount Angley want to see you later. Answer whatever they ask you. Don't talk too much, and don't be rude."
"Yes! Mrs. Kelly! "Claude hurriedly lowered his head and replied.
Kelly was the daughter of Baron Granto. She was already married, but unfortunately, her husband had met with misfortune during a hunting trip. She was widowed at a young age and returned to Winterspring Town sadly.
Claude really wanted to ask Lady Kelly why the two distinguished guests wanted to see him, but he didn't dare to open his mouth. He just kept peeking at the young woman beside him from the corner of his eyes.
The faint rose scent lingered in his nose, causing Claude's uneasy heart to suddenly heat up.
Kelly noticed that Claude was peeking at her, but she didn't say anything. She just turned around and started chatting with the butler.
Even if she was a widow who had been married once, she was still not someone a commoner like Claude could match.
As time passed, the servants entered in a single file, bringing all sorts of delicacies into the dining room.
There were roasted golden pork legs, salmon sprinkled with spices, fragrant steaks, a variety of selected fruits, and wine that had been stored for many years.
At around six o 'clock, Baron Granto led the distinguished guests into the dining room.
After the guests and the host were seated, Baron Granto made a toast. He also introduced the dishes on the table to Vera and Colin enthusiastically, especially the dishes that were mainly made with pork.
Colin certainly knew that Baron Granto was helping his younger brother, Scholar Sonny, to promote the new farming and animal husbandry system.
As he smiled and responded, he thought that the relationship between the Granto brothers was really good. At least, it was much more sincere than the other pairs of brothers that Colin had met in the past two years.
Scholar Sonny did not speak much. Perhaps he felt that his brother was exaggerating a little too much. He even secretly stared at Baron Granto a few times, as if he was trying to tell Baron Granto to stop promoting the new products since they had already sold them …
Baron Granto seemed to have understood his brother's hint and he finally restrained himself. He then changed the topic and pointed at Claude who was sitting at the end of the long table.
"Lord Viscounts, didn't you say that you wanted to meet the papermaker of the Granto family? This is Mr. Claude."
Claude seemed to be in a daze. It was only when Hans kicked him under the table that he came back to his senses. When he realized that everyone was looking at him, he was shocked. He hurriedly stood up and bowed in greeting.
Colin carefully looked at the young servant and asked gently, "Mr. Claude, I heard that you were the one who invented the yellow paper in the baron's study room?"
Claude quickly stuttered and said, "Yes, no … Lord Viscounts, it was actually invented by my father … I just made some changes …"
"Lord Viscounts, Claude's grandfather is the papermaker of Winterspring Castle. His family has been serving the Granto family for almost a hundred years. They are very dedicated and very competent," Baron Granto took the opportunity to explain. At the same time, he did not forget to help his servant boast.
Colin nodded. He looked at Claude and asked, "May I ask, how did you make that yellow paper?"
Claude quickly replied, "Lord Viscounts, I used mulberry bark and linen cloth. I first steamed it, then cut it and pounded it into pulp. After that, I sifted the pulp and formed it into thin paper. Finally, I dried it under the sun."
Colin was a little surprised that the young papermaker had explained in such detail.
However, the people of this era did not have much awareness of patents. Claude probably did not know how valuable his invention was.
Of course, no matter how valuable it was, it did not have much to do with Claude. He was a servant of the Granto family. Strictly speaking, this papermaking technique belonged to the Granto family.
"Mr. Claude, this papermaking technique is a great invention. I admire your intelligence and ability!" Colin praised. He then turned to Baron Granto and said, "Lord Baron, I would like to purchase this secret papermaking technique. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it?"
In fact, Colin wanted to buy the papermaking technique not only to make money, but also to issue bonds.
Initially, Colin was worried. If he wanted bonds to be circulated and become a shadow currency, he would need a sufficient amount and face value. If he were to use parchment paper to write them, the cost would be too high.
However, if he were to use the paper invented by Claude, then there would be no problem at all. Colin could tell from the papermaking process that the cost of the paper would not be high.
Moreover, if only the House of Saint Hilde mastered the papermaking technique, it could prevent others from counterfeiting the bonds.
It could be said that it was killing two birds with one stone.
"Of course." Baron Granto did not realize the true value of this papermaking technique. "You don't have to invest in it. Just treat it as a gift from me to the House of Saint Hilde!"
Colin was a little embarrassed by the other party's generosity.
Colin felt that it was not right to take advantage of an honest person.
"How about this, Lord Baron, if you transfer this papermaking technique to me, I will give you thirty percent of the money earned from it in the future."
"You are too generous!" Seeing Colin's insistence, Baron Grantu did not reject him.
However, he would never have imagined that he had unintentionally brought a huge amount of wealth to the Granto Family.
After that, Baron Granto instructed Claude, "Claude, since the Viscounts has bought this papermaking technique, then you can follow us to the Northern Frontier."
Colin was overjoyed when he saw that the deal was done. He asked Claude, "Mr. Claude, I admire your intelligence. I wonder if you are willing to follow me to the Northern Frontier? I can guarantee that you will have a chance to show off your talents there. "
Claude didn't dare refuse and hurriedly nodded in agreement. However, he secretly glanced at Madam Kelly from the corner of his eyes. Unfortunately, Madam Kelly wasn't even looking at the little papermaker. Hence, Claude quickly lowered his head and hid the unwillingness in his heart.
Colin noticed this small detail and laughed in his heart.
However, he would not help to set them up. After all, with Claude's current status, it was impossible for him to get involved.
However, it might not be long before Claude had the right to marry the Baron's daughter.
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