Laing knew that even though Teresa had promised to treat everyone equally, it was impossible for her to change her mind immediately. She was only willing to make some changes for him. Unless she encountered a real setback or was slapped in the face, her mindset would not change too much.
Let's leave it at that for now. Changing a person's mindset from childhood to adulthood was not something that could be done with just a few words.
After listening to the story for a while, Laing looked like he was about to leave. At this time, the old woman suddenly said, "Are you Mr. Laing, the White Wolf Knight? Can you please stay? I have a request. "
The children all turned around and looked at Laing with their young eyes, not daring to speak.
"What do you want to do by teaching these children such valuable knowledge?" Laing did not agree and asked back.
"They are all good children. They will grow up in the future. Most of them will not be able to afford the cost of awakening their talents. They will continue to work for the nobles or farm for themselves. When they are in their twenties or thirties, they will try their best to save some money and find someone they can spend the rest of their lives with. Then they will get married, have children, and grow old quickly while raising children. I am teaching them in the hope that it will give them a better future. Am I right? Lord 'Sledgehammer' Laing? "The old woman's face was smiling, the wrinkles on her face squeezing together into a lump.
"I commend your generosity." Laing saluted the old woman with a knight's salute. In this era where knowledge was monopolized by the nobles, she was willing to share her knowledge generously just to give these children a better future. This kind of noble action was admirable.
The children gradually dispersed. Laing casually grabbed a stool and sat down, indicating that he was willing to listen to Nora's request. Teresa stood behind Laing and said, "Please speak, madam."
The sorceress' words were a little awkward, but she had already promised Laing that she would treat everyone equally, so she forced herself to do so.
"As you can see, I am already an old woman in her fifties." The old woman's hair was already grizzled. She laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "But once, I was also a beautiful young lady like this young lady."
Teresa frowned subconsciously. The sorceress thought that her appearance would not change even if she lived for another fifty years. However, she did not say anything because she agreed with the old woman's second half. From her eyes, she could vaguely see that the old woman's appearance was not bad when she was young.
"You used to be a noble?" Laing immediately thought of something.
"Yes, I used to be a noble too, but a bankrupt noble like me isn't rare on the continent. Am I right? Right, Mr. Laing? " There was no change in the old woman's expression. Her tone was very calm, as if she had seen through the world.
Laing nodded.
Bankrupt nobles were not rare because there were always stupid and smart nobles, and there were also those who knew how to run a business and those who did not. Some nobles did not know how to make a living and relied on taxing their land as their main source of income. They also liked to live a luxurious life. Under such circumstances, the nobles would go bankrupt and flee. All their land would either become wastelands or be re-enfeoffed by their superior nobles.
This was because after some land was abandoned, powerful wild creatures or monsters would come to occupy it. Some lords were unwilling to spend their military and energy to redevelop the land.
The New Empire had been established for more than a hundred and fifty years, and the nobles were also divided into different ranks. In the past few decades, the number of bankrupt nobles had gradually increased. Bankrupt nobles like the old woman were not rare, especially in such a dangerous environment. Many nobles without strength and ability were eliminated.
So what was this old woman trying to say?
"So, Mr. Laing, are you willing to listen to this old woman's story?" The old woman's eyes were full of hope.
"Of course. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." Laing nodded.
"Alright then … Hmm … When should I start? Let's start from when I was young. I was born into a noble family. When I was born, my family was already in dire straits. My family's property was only left with a manor about seven or eight kilometers away from Mjölden Haven. " Nola's eyes began to lose focus. She could not help but smile a little. "At that time, my parents were still alive, and I had a brother. Life was happy."
"But when I was fifteen, a half-elf bard came to our manor. He happened to stay at our house. His handsome appearance and elegant speech quickly attracted me. So, when he stayed at our house for a few days, I fell madly in love with him." Nola's face was full of longing, as if she had returned to the best days of her life.
"Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. You know, a bard would not stay in one place for long. Soon, in a few days, he would leave our manor and go to the next place. I could not accept that my happiness was so short, so I made a crazy decision." The old woman's expression gradually became painful and obscure. "I decided …"
"You decided to elope with him?" Teresa immediately guessed the ending of the story. Although the sorceress did not have much experience in adventuring in the wild, she was well-versed in the affairs of the palace and the gossip among the nobles.
"Yes, I knew it was wrong. But at that time, I could not think straight at the thought of being separated from him. So, on the night before he left, I secretly took my dowry and chose to elope with him. We took a boat and left the city together."
"In the first few years, because I brought a lot of money with me, and because I was young and beautiful, I was like a fish in water with him. We spent a few happy years together."
"But the good times did not last long. There would be a day when all the money would be spent. My appearance would also fade with time. Half-elves' time is different from ours. After more than ten years, I began to grow old. The dowry I brought was also used up. I could feel that he was beginning to get tired of me. He no longer liked me, and no longer needed me."
That's normal. Most men are like that. Teresa thought in her heart. Women must be strong and independent, and not exist as a vassal of men.
"So, one night, I left him and embarked on the journey home alone. It took me several years. When I returned home, I found that everything had changed."
"After I eloped, my parents went crazy looking for me. After several years of not being able to find me, they died of depression. My brother was not a man who was good at business. He soon lost all of his family's wealth. A few years later, the manor was attacked by a manticore. The manor guards that my brother organized were unable to fight against the terrible magic beast. He died of poisoning."
Laing and Teresa could roughly guess what happened next. After her parents and brother died, Nola, who had a weak claim, naturally inherited the ownership of the manor. In fact, she had also obtained the land deed from the Count of Mjörden Haven.
The problem was that the manor had now become the manticore's lair. Nola definitely had no way to rely on her own strength to expel the manticore.
"Did you not look for the Church of Justice?" Laing knew what the old woman wanted.
"I did, but justice requires a price. The manticore is not an ordinary magic beast. After investigation, this manticore is a peak Elite magic beast. The price that the Church of Justice offered was not something I could afford. So, I could only find a corner in the city and rely on my savings and teaching to make a living. After that, I relied on my memories to live." Nola sighed. The wrinkles on her old face seemed to have deepened.
"Then why do you think that I would agree to help you expel the manticore?" Laing was interested.
"I don't know. Maybe it's intuition, or maybe it's just my naive thinking. The truth is, I really can't afford the corresponding reward." Nola sighed. "This may be my last effort. If Mr. Laing is not willing, then just treat it as a story. This old woman still has some savings. It shouldn't be difficult in a few years."
"I agree." Laing suddenly said with a smile.
"What?!" The old woman raised her head in surprise.
"I said, I agree." Laing nodded. "Don't worry, I won't do it for free. I will get my own reward. It's just that this money won't come from you. Next, do as I say."
— — Dividing Line — —
After bidding farewell to the old woman, Teresa curiously asked, "What do you plan to do? Won't it be for free? But where will the money come from? "
Laing smiled and softly explained his thoughts. "First, I will write a letter as a royal knight to inform Count Albert that there are monsters in Nola's manor. Under such circumstances, the count will definitely have to do something. According to your information, Albert is not a lord who likes to send troops. Since the manor is already a lost land and property owner, then the most likely scenario is that he will send someone to post a notice on the bulletin board, offering a reward for the person who can solve this problem. This will be the first income."
The female sorceress immediately understood what was going on. Albert, as the domain lord, would definitely have to do something in response to Leon's questions and warnings. Even if it was just for show, Albert would still have to offer a reward that could be used to fool Leon. That way, there would definitely be income.
"Then, Lady Nola will go to the Life Church alone. She will promise the bishop of the Life Church that if her manor can be taken back from the manticore, she will pay a tithe to the Life Church." Laing crossed his arms and said the second step.
"For the Life Church, having a piece of land that cannot be cultivated is blasphemy. Making all the land pay a tithe is the ultimate goal of the Life Church, so the bishop of the Life Church has no reason to refuse. However, Lady Nola will not be able to pay a proper reward." Teresa's eyes grew brighter and brighter. "So, if I'm the bishop, I will post a reward. If the reward is successful, then the Life Church will pay a commission against Lady Nola's future tithes. If no one completes the reward, then the Life Church will not lose anything! As for Lady Nola, her manor originally did not have a single cent of income. If she can pay a tithe in exchange for her manor, then she will definitely be willing to do so. "
Laing raised a second finger. "So, this is the second income."
"As for the third, don't forget that the manticore's entire body is a treasure. Many precious alchemy materials came from this vicious beast …"
"It's Sister Ditinda! She will definitely be willing to buy these alchemy materials from you at a suitable price! "
"So, these three incomes added together are enough to invite me." Laing raised a third finger and smiled at Teresa. "Teresa? Tell me, have you learned it? "
What answered him was a flirtatious eye roll. "It's the two of us."
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