If there were a standard noble template, Jefferson could be said to be the embodiment of that template.
His hair was meticulously styled, complemented by a glittering golden beard, showcasing his noble identity and power. A splendid cloak covered his broad shoulders, adorned with the exclusive crest of Fasen Town, proclaiming his family’s lineage and status.
Jefferson’s lazy yet graceful movements made Lind glance at the restrained Lena beside him, causing some doubt about who the true great noble was.
A baron from a border territory had rituals far superior to Lena’s, which explained why Prince Klan in the game had completely overlooked her.
“Baron Lind Roer, I’ve heard about your situation, and I express my deepest sympathy for your plight.”
After speaking, Jefferson meaningfully looked at Lind and Lena, leaving it unclear whether he was expressing sympathy for Lind’s loss of his former territory or pitying Lind for marrying the granddaughter of Duke Lars.
Jefferson showed little respect for Lena, and his etiquette was merely that expected when facing a noble lady.
This wasn’t because Jefferson lacked knowledge of propriety; he had at least mastered etiquette better than someone who barely passed by smashing a teacher’s ceremonial staff with their big butt.
The status hierarchy among nobles was exceedingly complex, factoring in the political environment of the time, marriages, family wealth, and so on. While Lena’s status was indeed not something an ordinary noble could rival, due to the political upheaval in the royal city and Jefferson not being an ordinary baron, he treated Lena merely as Lind’s lady.
After all, the main reason was that at the dining table, Jefferson immediately recognized Lind was the one actually in charge of the Graywhite Territory, while Lena was merely a decorative vase.
However, to be honest, although Jefferson was formal with Lind, he did not display much respect either. In the eyes of the northern nobles, Lind was nothing more than a son-in-law of the Lars family, lacking even the recognition of being a part of the family, and could be considered less than a side branch of the Lars family.
Moreover, even though Lena was the eldest granddaughter of the Lars family, she had not participated in the northern heir war, at least not from Jefferson’s perspective. Meanwhile, Jefferson had already secretly invested in several other Lars family members, meaning regardless of which Lars rose to power, Jefferson would be in a secure position, much higher than Lind, the son-in-law.
Consequently, facing Lind’s visit, Jefferson held no ball or invited other nobles; Lena’s reputation was already in tatters—inviting others would likely result in refusal.
“Jefferson, I’m not here to complain to you; besides, I’m doing well in the Graywhite Territory and quite enjoy my current life.”
Thanks to inheriting the protagonist’s charm attribute, Lind spoke with a certain warmth and approachability, which gave Jefferson a bit of favorable impression, but it was limited to that. Jefferson even internally scoffed, with Duke Lars’ material assistance, life would surely be not that bad.
“I came this time mainly to discuss a business matter with you.”
With that, Lind took out a box that wasn’t particularly exquisite.
Although there were many delicate gift boxes due to Duke Lars’ assistance, Lind truly could not understand the aesthetic of the nouveau riche from the kingdom; he could only design it himself.
Upon seeing the rustic wooden box, Jefferson secretly chuckled to himself: What trash is this?
Most likely, due to mismanagement of the territory, this son-in-law had come to sell off the duke’s fashion junk, and Jefferson had even thought of a polite way to refuse Lind.
But the moment the wooden box opened, Jefferson jumped up, instantly sitting up straight in shock, thinking: Oh gosh, I need to sit up and chat with him.
Inside the wooden box was a handful of translucent white sugar; unlike the bizarrely made white sugar from strange materials, the sugar inside the box had almost no impurities and was of very high quality. Moreover, Jefferson understood that Lind was definitely not reselling the white sugar transported by Duke Lars, as even the Lars family’s type made from a pot of bee excrement mixed with expensive materials could not compare in appearance.
Connecting the dots with reports from his attendants that Lind had bought a large quantity of alchemical supplies at the champagne market, Jefferson was almost certain Lind had mastered a new sugar-making formula and was preparing for large-scale production.
“Baron Lind, may I have a taste?”
Sugar had a deadly appeal to nobles; even Jefferson did not hide his greedy gaze.
“Of course, this box is a gift for you, dear Jefferson.”
Upon hearing Lind’s reply, Jefferson felt that the somewhat plain wooden box had transformed into something rustic, simple, and elegant, as if it reflected a sense of sophistication distinct from the nobles’ increasingly complex tastes.
Jefferson repeatedly wiped the silver soup spoon in his hand with a napkin, carefully scooping up a spoonful of the white sugar and placing it in his mouth.
The taste of the sugar resembled the sweet breeze of a spring day, gently brushing over the tip of his tongue, prompting endless pleasure and satisfaction in Jefferson.
This sweetness was different from those that had utterly failed to remove the taste of other alchemical materials; it was a pure sweetness.
The sugar stimulated Jefferson’s brain, rendering it impossible for him to maintain the reserved demeanor expected of a noble; he clumsily placed the wooden box beside himself and carefully covered it.
“How much silver leaf coin are you planning to sell it for? How much stock do you have? Can all this snowy sugar be sold to Fasen Town?”
After asking a series of questions, Jefferson realized he had been rather rude and subsequently reddened, using the napkin to wipe his mouth to disguise his embarrassment.
Lind pretended not to notice, instead answering Jefferson one by one: “Currently, there isn’t much stock. There are simply too few people in our territory, and to produce this snowy sugar, we’ve already put a quarter of the population to work.”
Referring to a quarter meant excluding knights and veteran management personnel aside from Lena, with the remaining ones constituted of the elderly, weak, and women and children. As for the name “snowy sugar,” Lind thought Jefferson had described it quite accurately, at least it sounded better than “crude sugar,” so he continued to use it.
“As for to whom we will sell, Mr. Jefferson, as you can see, our territory has just begun to develop and lacks many merchants, and outside of the waterways, transportation is inconvenient. Therefore, we plan for you, Baron Jefferson, to temporarily act as our sales agent.”
“Sure, sure, sure, I’ll buy as much as you have.”
Hearing this, Jefferson could not care less about etiquettes and immediately interrupted Lind, readily stating he would take everything moving forward.
Later on, they also discussed some details, such as if any other nobles wanted the agency rights for the snowy sugar, Lind would need to notify Jefferson first and negotiate with him. This was unavoidable; prior to the Graythorn Territory beginning road works, they could only rely on Jefferson’s champagne market connections for sales.
In exchange, Jefferson also had to regularly organize merchants dealing with daily necessities to trade in the Graythorn Territory.
As for price, Lind originally intended to sell a box for sixty silver leaf coins; however, to conceal costs, Lind initially asked for twenty-two silver leaf coins. Little did he expect that Jefferson would instantly agree without a second thought, leading Lind to realize he had still underestimated the wealth of these nobles.
A household of wealthy farmers might only spend twenty silver leaf coins for a meal, yet a noble could spend twenty-two silver leaf coins for a box of sugar and feel they had profited.
No wonder Lena felt that her weekly spare change of twenty-some silver leaf coins was insufficient; Lind’s impoverishment limited his imagination.
Thus, under Lena’s somewhat surprised gaze, Jefferson first reserved a box of snowy sugar, and this was merely the minimum order quantity set by Jefferson; Lind would provide as much more as he produced afterward.
At least a business deal worth twenty thousand silver leaf coins was struck just like that.
In the meantime, Jefferson found an excuse to temporarily leave the banquet with the box of snowy sugar.
The more he looked at that rustic, simple box, the more he liked it, especially the sophistication revealed in its plain lines, as if it was the kind of item that should be used in the households of great hereditary nobles. After handing the box to the steward, Jefferson said: “Make a few replicas of this box from sandalwood and gold thread for me to see. I’m sure it will be better received by the nobles than that vulgar aesthetic of the Augustine family.”
Facing his master’s outrageous remark, the old steward didn’t react much; after all, in the current northern region, the first power in speech was gold coins, the second was the Lars family, and the third was the royal family, considering Jefferson had just amassed a good amount of gold coins.
“Also, have those under you buy all the alchemical materials and equipment that Baron Lind purchased at the champagne market today, and have the family’s alchemist try to see if they can create the same snowy sugar with those materials.”
After arranging everything, Jefferson changed into a warm smile and returned to the dining table.
“By the way, dear brother, the matter you previously entrusted to me in your letter has also yielded results.”
Jefferson’s address to Lind elevated to “dear brother,” and he held a rolled parchment.
In Lind’s earlier invitation letter, he had specifically requested Jefferson to help find information on Isa Nebet, the female protagonist of the original game. At that time, Jefferson hadn’t paid it much attention, but now, to draw closer, he could only have someone gather all related news, whether true or false.
“The evil heretic, the witch of the Abyss, Isa Nebet, is currently mustering an army of one hundred thousand in the northern border, attempting to overthrow the rule of the Cape Kingdom.”
At the start of the first line, Lind couldn’t hold it in and nearly spat out his tea.
It was the first time Lind learned about the information transmission in this world, or rather, how unreliable those bards could be.
The parchment contained news about the protagonist Isa recorded by bards from the northern border.
Moreover, several versions had sprung up, each differing from the other.
Among them, one version claimed Isa had become the chosen of the undead goddess and was leading an army of a hundred thousand undead to conquer and pillage.
Another version stated Isa had become a rebellious leader, with nearly twenty thousand brainwashed followers under her command.
There was also a report that Isa had received a hundred thousand golden shield coins from the demon clan and was currently causing destruction in the northern border.
The most ridiculous piece was that Lind even saw his name on the list of victimized nobles.
Not only that, it was said that when Isa clashed with Count Yager, a sudden fierce wind arose, the heavens darkened, and a meteor shower rained down on Graywhite Territory, killing Count Yager in an instant.
What even is this? Is this invoking spirits or summoning Liu Xiu or Judy?
The most believable version suggested that Isa had led refugees and serfs in rebellion, and it focused on how cruel Isa was toward the nobles, detailed to such an extent that Lind suspected the author was an R18G writer by profession.
The only thing certain was that the original female protagonist had taken the lead in rebellion, even ahead of Lena, who would be the future insurgent.
This world has gone mad—this was Lind’s only thought after finishing reading the information on the parchment.
