Chapter 30: Booming Business (1)

News of orcs approaching the border sent panic among most of the commoners in the Kingdom of Celt, who feared that the massive forces of these barbaric orcs would break through their defenses and destroy their homes.

Donald, however, wasn’t worried at all—instead, he felt a sense of excitement. Many noble heirs eager to achieve fame and fortune, as well as common adventurers, shared his thoughts.

Previously, passing the knightly examination and inheriting a title had been Donald’s top priorities. But after becoming an apprentice mage, he no longer cared about the knightly examination next year.

According to royal decrees, one must reach an advanced level in the black iron class to pass the knightly examination. Of course, aside from knights, who have always been considered a noble profession, Donald could pass the examination and earn the title of knight if he reached the advanced black iron level in any other combat profession.

There were also assessments related to noble etiquette, literature, and art. But these were meant for ordinary commoners and minor nobles. Even if the sons of major nobles failed these tests, they still had ways to pass. This was why the standards for becoming a knight in human kingdoms became increasingly lax.

Originally, a dispossessed noble like Donald, who had no fiefdom, couldn’t obtain the title of knight. By rule, he would be deprived of his family’s hereditary right to be a knight and lose his noble status.

But now that he was a full-fledged black iron mage, according to noble inheritance laws, if a noble heir took up any spellcasting profession, no one could strip him of his inheritance rights unless he committed grave crimes like treason or blasphemy.

Thus, Donald no longer worried about his title. Even if he didn’t take the knightly examination, no one would dare take away his noble status. With his earlier worries gone and the burdens lifted, Donald not only retained his noble status but also acquired two manors. He then set his sights on even greater goals.

After all, Donald wanted to not only preserve his noble status but also gain more wealth, titles, and even his own territory. As long as he could achieve merits in war, all of these could be accomplished.

For Donald, who needed to develop rapidly, the orc invasion was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to earn merits.

“Manors alone could only bring him economic income. Only by obtaining real fiefs could he build his own army and have a foothold in this world.”

“A noble’s private territory is like a small kingdom of their own; I can decide how to develop it as I see fit.” Donald knew that mere personal strength was not enough to protect his growing wealth and industry. Only a powerful army could deter the enemies of the Merlin family and make them give up any thoughts of attacking them. Thus, this small-scale war was an opportunity for Donald to regain his family’s fiefdom. However, the news had not yet become clear, and the kingdom had not issued a call for nobles and common warriors from various regions to join the battle, so Donald couldn’t simply rush into the border camps. Due to the strong sense of territoriality among nobles, unless passing through, any outsider noble entering a local lord’s territory and intending to stay for a while would have to formally announce their presence and purpose. Otherwise, they might be misinterpreted as having ulterior motives. Even if no further action was taken, the matter would likely be reported to the noble council, potentially leading to a court case in the royal court. This was just for ordinary noble territories, while Donald’s destination was the heavily guarded kingdom border camps, where entering rashly could result in him being treated as an enemy spy. So, despite his eagerness to prove himself, Donald temporarily suppressed his emotions and continued with his daily life. Ever since his Moonlight Wine series came into the hands of the mages, through word of mouth from some nobles who were on good terms with them, the fame of Moonlight Wine quickly spread like a secret current throughout Castle Stone and even the entire North County. Many nobles, after tasting its flavor and unique effects from the mages, wanted to purchase it in the market. But as the mages said, this miraculous wine was currently reserved only for them, as it was created by one of their own, and none of it had reached the hands of merchants. Out of courtesy and habit among mages, no one revealed Donald’s identity. For them, betraying a fellow mage was an unforgivable act, even if it meant revealing just a little personal information. Even if two mages had irreconcilable feuds, they would resolve them according to mage rules, rarely involving outsiders. The mages valued the effects of the wine far more than enjoying its taste, so they certainly wouldn’t sell this wine, which was equivalent to an alchemical potion with no side effects, for money.

Such results only made the nobles who had tasted moonlight wine even more eager for it. Even the finest wines they had once savored seemed unappealing by comparison, driving them to desire the ultimate wine even more. The common people in this world had limited resources, and even most lower-ranking nobles relied on a few basic items for food and daily use, barely reaching the standard of a moderately prosperous family in his previous life. Only the truly elite nobles could enjoy a variety of delicacies and entertainments. Yet, for Donald, who had lived in a world with a rich entertainment industry and rapid economic development in his past life, these forms of entertainment seemed extremely dull and boring. In his earlier days, due to poverty, he could hardly afford even the cheapest inferior wine, let alone fresh fruits or various foods. Now that he had the means and resources, Donald certainly couldn’t continue living in hardship; he needed to develop some of the good habits associated with nobility. He had already taught the cooks and maids hired by Cord some cooking methods from his past life that could be implemented given the available resources. Even a homebody could enjoy good food—after all, he used to be a regular visitor to food websites in his past life. Now, his breakfast consisted of steaks, sausages, fried eggs, along with fresh milk, juice, and other simple yet hearty foods. For dinner, he usually had grilled meats, toasted bread with fresh vegetables or soups. The cooks had also learned how to make pizza and pies, using ingredients from this world. For afternoon tea, the maids prepared rich milk tea and delicate black tea, along with simply made but sweet desserts. This world didn’t have as many varieties of tea drinks as his previous one. The nobles most commonly drank dairy products made from an energizing spice discovered by mages called Emerald Leaf, mixed with fresh milk. Since it resembled milk tea from his past life, Donald simply called it milk tea. As for black tea, it was a herb specifically identified by Donald through plant material references in alchemical pharmacology—called Red Licorice. Its taste was certainly different from the black tea he remembered; it was originally used by alchemists as an auxiliary material in creating restorative potions. After testing it, Donald found that these fragrant, slightly sweet plant leaves, when brewed, not only had a pleasant taste but also had benefits such as warming the stomach, strengthening the spleen, and aiding digestion, offering many health advantages. Moreover, its side effects were less severe compared to tea leaves from his past life, making it very suitable for daily consumption. Thus, the black tea that would later become popular across the continent was invented in Donald’s manor’s small kitchen.

Although the conditions sometimes fall short of standards, Donald, thanks to his insights from past lives, has skillfully raised his quality of life to its current best level. With his current living standards, he is far better off than 90% of the nobles in the Giant Rock City area. It is likely only the wealthiest local lords and viscounts who can afford to purchase goods from other regions, allowing their offerings to compare in variety and quality with his own.

In terms of culinary variety, the kitchens of the viscount’s manor are probably far inferior to the small kitchen at Donald’s estate.

After all, although the recorded history of the creatures in this world spans ten thousand years, and human kingdoms have existed for thousands of years as well, human wisdom and creativity have been greatly suppressed due to the influence of true gods and powerful professionals, preventing their development. As a result, society and technological productivity remain stuck in a transition phase from slave society to feudal society.

The lower classes receive no systematic education; generations after generations have lived this way, let alone developing innovative and convenient tools and devices.

However, each world has its own circumstances. Although Donald has temporarily integrated into this world, he has no desire to change anything. Moreover, such changes cannot be achieved by an individual alone. No matter how strong one’s abilities may be, they often only create ripples in the tide of history—some powerful beings who attempt to change the world are even stopped before they can create a single ripple.

Regarding the existence of gods, he remains highly cautious. This world is too complex; not only the lofty gods but also the legendary strongmen and the forces behind various races fill Donald with deep apprehension. After all, he is an immigrant from another world, an atheist who received socialist education. If his true identity were revealed, he would likely be burned at the stake as human barbecue!

Donald lacks such mad ambitions; he simply wants to protect himself in this environment. Otherwise, as an ordinary mortal, if he were to draw attention, the gods in the sky wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—just sending a high-ranking believer would be enough to easily crush him.