Chapter 103: Return

"Where are we going next, My Lord?" Selene asked as they entered the carriage.

"Stephaine said she needs to purchase a few things in the market for the mansion," Raven said as he stepped into the carriage.

Afterward, they went to the market street and bought necessary household items like clocks, mirrors with gold frames, candelabras, a grand piano, etc.

"These items are a must for a noble house, My Lord. Although we still need a lot of furniture, paintings, and decorations for a banquet hall, we can buy them in Giaris." Stephaine said as they walked out of a large shop.

"I don't even plan on hosting a banquet." Raven couldn't help but voice out his thoughts.

"That would be a foolish idea, My Lord. If you don't have a good relationship with the neighboring lords and local nobles, you and your people will suffer even if you manage to reclaim your lost territory."

Raven showed a surprised look.

"Why would me and my people suffer?"

"To build a new territory, you need the help of neighbors. To build a house, you need to buy materials from nearby towns and cities. If the Lord who manages the city is hostile towards you, the shops will not sell the materials at a reasonable price. After all, commercial goods prices are under the jurisdiction of the local Lord, so not even the Royals have much authority to intervene." Stephaine paused for a moment and then added.

"And I notice that you don't know much about Noble Etiquette. Although you have basic noble etiquette, you know nothing about music, painting, or dancing. In the noble circle, these are considered important skills. A foolish and pampered boy with perfect dancing skills can even get favor from the local Lord and become popular among the noble ladies. Sometimes, he might end up married into a high-ranked noble household and rise in position. On the other hand, an intelligent boy with less social skills will be looked down upon and might be scorned by the nobles. Even if he excels on the battlefield and slays countless enemies, he will be nothing more than a fool in the eyes of the nobles."

"What do you suggest?" Raven asked as they walked into the carriage.

"Please allocate one hour of your time, My Lord. I'll hire good teachers and let them teach you these skills." Stephaine said solemnly.

"I'll think about it. Let's go back to the mansion." He answered as the carriage started to move.

When Raven and others returned to the Crown's Tavern, it was already 9.30 A.M.

Raven found Jacob waiting in the foyer, walking back and forth. He also saw a four-wheeled black carriage standing at the mansion entrance, loaded with suitcases on top.

"My Lord, the carriage is ready, and all the luggage has been loaded."

"Good," Raven replied, adjusting the collar of his coat. "Let's not delay further."

The group checked out of the Tavern, their departure marked by polite nods from Herald, the maids, and the two guards, who had grown accustomed to their quiet guests.

The streets of Capital City blurred past as the carriage made its way to the railway station. When they arrived, the sun climbed higher into the sky, casting a golden glow over the platforms. The rhythmic hum of steam engines and the bustle of travelers filled the air.

Raven stepped out of the carriage and surveyed the scene with sharp eyes. Jacob and Selene flanked him while Stephanie managed the luggage.

"Our tickets?" Raven asked.

Jacob handed him the tickets, neatly folded and tucked into a small envelope.

"We're in the first-class compartment, My Lord. Departure is in thirty minutes."

"Good. Let's board." Raven nodded as he took out the pocket watch and checked the time.

As the group neared the train, the luxury of the first-class compartments became apparent. Shiny brass fittings, detailed wooden designs, and soft, comfortable seats welcomed them as they boarded.

Raven walked calmly, his sharp eyes noticing the elegance and the quiet passengers who occasionally glanced at him while whispering.

He soon chose the window seat inside the compartment, giving him a clear view outside. Selene and Jacob sat across from him while Stephanie skillfully arranged their belongings in the overhead compartments.

The train whistle pierced the air in a few minutes and signaled that the journey was soon to begin.

The echo of footsteps on the platform faded as the final boarding announcements filled the air.

Soon, the steam engine started puffing, releasing thick clouds of smoke into the air as the train began to move.

Raven glanced out the window, watching the bustling platform fade into the distance as the train gained speed.

Meanwhile, Stephanie finished securing their belongings and took a seat beside Selene.

Jacob pulled out a newspaper and started reading it.

"How long until we reach Giaris?" Raven asked without looking away from the window.

"Approximately six days, My Lord," Jacob replied. "We should arrive by October 4th."

Raven nodded thoughtfully and soon looked at his body stats.

'Oh? His spirit power has increased to 169? 2 points in two weeks! Is this the effect of Spirit Pool?' He also checked Selene's stats and noticed her spirit power had reached 17.9! The only things she lacked now were the spell models and the time to comprehend those spell models.

'It's worth the money. Even with the Uncommon Spirit technique, it will take 50 days to increase their spirit power by 2 points. And they have to meditate all day to achieve that. But meditating for 5 hours in this spirit pool helps a person increase their spirit power up to 2 points! When I come next time, I should visit the spirit pool.'

[You better not visit that place. And don't send your subordinate there, too.] Zera spoke coldly in his mind.

'Why?' Raven couldn't help but ask.

Alas, she didn't give any proper response and went silent.

Raven also decided not to ask her and focus on increasing his rune knowledge.

…

The journey to Giaris spanned five days, each passing in relative calm as they distanced themselves from the turmoil in the Capital. During their brief stop in Bloodstone City, they had stayed only a day to gather additional supplies before continuing their journey.

The atmosphere aboard the train remained uneventful, allowing Raven a relaxed time on the train.

October 4th, 1420 Rune Era

It was around 4 P.M.

A lone steam-engine train came from the northwestern direction and soon entered a large city through the Southern Gate.

As the train arrived at Azmar Railway Station in Giaris City's Southward Borough, Raven felt a wave of familiarity. The station's metal arches and busy platforms were filled with travelers returning home and merchants unloading goods. Steam rose from the train's engines, mixing with the sound of voices and shouts from the station attendants.

Raven adjusted his top hat and stepped onto the platform, his boots clicking against the polished stone floor. Behind him, Jacob, Selene, and Stephanie followed, carrying their belongings.

They quickly took a carriage and returned to the Holmes Mansion in Salford Borough's Bristol Street.

As soon as the carriage entered the compound gate, four people stood at the entrance and appeared to be waiting for their arrival. One was a blonde-haired young man with unique red eyes, a red-haired young boy with neat white shirts and pants, a burly man with a rugged face and deep-set eyes, and finally, an auburn-haired woman in her mid-thirties.

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"Welcome back, My Lord!" Emanuel, Ronald, Marcellus, and Leona stepped forward and greeted Raven as he walked out of the carriage.

"Thanks for protecting the mansion while I'm away," Raven said as he looked at Marcellus and Leone.

"That's our job, My Lord," Marcellus responded while Leona nodded.

Raven then turned his gaze towards Emanuel and asked.

"Did anything happen while I was away?"

"Quite a few incidents happened, My Lord. A family member from the Sinclair Knight family came to the mansion two weeks ago and asked for the annulment of the engagement with you. They mentioned in the letter that if you don't agree to annulment by the end of this month, the Sinclair Family will report it to the Spade Council."

A frown appeared on Raven's forehead.

'It seems Spade Council has much influence in Giaris City. Well, it's a council managed by Count Spade, so it's understandable.'

"Go and inform them I'm ready for annulment."

"Next," Raven ordered as he walked into the mansion house.

"A lady named Rebecca came to visit the mansion a few times and asked for your appointment, My Lord. I have her house address noted in the ledger."

"You can visit her house and invite her tomorrow," Raven spoke.

"Inspector Bennett visited the mansion two days ago and told us that he wants to reinvestigate your kidnapping case. He told me to inform him once you return."

Raven frowned.

"Next,"

"A banquet invitation letter came from Humphrey House, My Lord. It's on October 30th." Emanuel gave him a sealed letter.

"Keep it somewhere. I'm not in a mood to attend banquets right now." Raven said.

"If you decline a banquet invitation, it will create a bad image among the nobles and high-class people, My Lord. And if you plan on hosting a banquet in the future, people of Humphrey House and their allies won't attend." Stephaine said from behind.

'She is like my aunt.'

"Haa, I will think about it." Raven gave up and ordered Emanuel to continue.

"Two young men from the Amell family and Wills Family came to the mansion a week ago, My Lord. They barged into the mansion with a few people and ordered us to bring their money. They told us that you borrowed 1000 gold coins a few months ago and ordered us to leave the house. But Lady Quincy intervened and ended up beating them up black and blue. And Head Constable Kyler also visited the mansion on time and solved the issue peacefully."

"It seems I need to teach some manners to those two family members," Raven spoke coldly, signaling Emanuel to continue.

"Next is a letter came from the Spade Council, My Lord. It's a summoning letter for the Holmes House regarding the Chateau Holmes Wine Factory issue."

"Chateau Holmes Wine Factory is the property of the Holmes Family. Who are they to even interfere?" Raven snorted coldly.

A hesitant look appeared on Emanuel's face.

"There is more?" Raven noticed as they walked into the main hall.

"Yes, My Lord. They said the Wine factory and other shops are registered under the name of Walter Holmes. And your father seemed to have borrowed 50,000 gold coins from the Crest Merchandise but hasn't repaid the debt yet. Moreover, they said the deadline to pay off the debt is only two months away. Suppose you can't pay the total amount along with interest of 8% per annum. In that case, the Spade Council will confiscate all Holmes Family Property and transfer them to Crest Merchandise under the approval of your father's Will's Executors. Article 69, Clause 12, of the Property Law, states that if the deceased owed any outstanding debts, the Executors of the Will have the right to pay off the debt instead of the heir." Emanuel said as he presented a legal document of the debt with Royal Seal placed on it.

"What?" Raven frowned as he read the document.

"When did my father borrow money from Crest Merchandise?"

"On November 12th, the Year 1404, My Lord. Late Lord Watson borrowed that money to build the wine factory. I tried looking into all the ledgers of the Holmes Family and found out the average earning of Wine Factory is around 10,000 gold coins. Even if he borrowed money from other firms, he should've paid the debt with interest within two years." Emanuel said as he took two books from the nearby table and gave them to him.

Raven also checked the ledgers and nodded.

"Does that mean they destroyed the evidence of the payment document?" A frown appeared on his forehead.

'Thomas's father is a no fool. He should've repaid the debt, as Emanuel said. But even the Spade Council is stepping up means they must have destroyed the payment slip in Holmes House when Thomas was abducted and also forged a fake one.' But what Raven couldn't understand was their true motive.

'If they really are after Holmes Family property, they could've killed Thomas long ago. But after realizing killing me seems impossible, they are desperately using everything to make me lose all the property I have.' At that moment, something clicked in his mind.

'My recent action must have caused them to become more anxious… What is Thomas's next goal?' Of course, it was the reclamation of Azmar Town!

But reclaiming a ruined town wasn't an easy job. From what Raven heard, Azmar town was close to the Azmar Woodlands and had a large number of dangerous monsters nearby.

To make a safe town, one needed a large amount of gold to clear monsters in the surrounding areas. There was also a need for reconstruction of the castle walls.

"Haa! They are that desperate, huh? Emanuel, what is the total amount of debt I have to pay along with interest?"

"My Lord??" Emanuel was startled by his words and hurriedly took a pen and paper before calculating.

"Hmm, the interest will remain the same each year. Annual Interest =50,000×0.08=4,000 gold coins per year. Total interest over 16 years should be 64,000 gold coins. The total debt at the end of 16 years will be the original principal plus the total interest =50,000+64,000=114,000 gold coins, My Lord."

"114,000 gold coins?" Jacob's mouth went wide open.

"Hmm, there are only 37 days left for me to pay off the debt, huh? And the Spade Council members postponed the Council Meeting date to November 12th, which means all of them are involved in this mess." Raven pondered deeply for a moment and sighed.

"Jacob, book three tickets to the Capital. Selene, Quincy, and you will be going to the Capital to buy a few things from the Mystic Cauldron."

"You aren't coming this time, My Lord?" Jacob asked.

Raven shook his head and spoke.

"I need to focus on something else. Emanuel, which room is free to use right now? I want the room to be clean and also isolated."

"The room at the east wing, My Lord. It's spacious and quiet, perfect for your needs. I will have it prepared immediately."

Raven gave a curt nod. "Good. Have it prepared. I will need complete solitude."

The room was prepared quickly. The scent of freshly polished wood and the quiet hum of the mansion gave a sense of comfort. Raven ordered Emanuel and others to arrange a few tables and lamps in the room. After that, he used the sterilized solution to clean the tables and the lamps and then arranged all the alchemic equipment on the cleaned tables.

'I can concoct 3 times in two hours. After that, I need two hours of rest to recover from the mental exhaustion. Even with this, I can only concoct 12 potions in 24 hours.' Raven brought 30 sets of ingredients for the 'Mind of Insight' potion.

'Among the potions, this one was the cheapest.'

It was also the potion that could enhance one's mind for a short period and increase one's comprehensive ability.

On the other hand, the Legendary Potion, Elixir of Insight,' would allow one to achieve enlightenment and even make a legendary powerhouse to increase their strength multiple folds!

'Well, these two potions are realm apart, after all. Still, the reason this potion will attract Anastasia and all other potion masters is that there are no low-rank potions in this Empire that could enhance one's mind.'

[The alchemists of this continent are pathetic. But it's understandable because they improved through countless trials and errors.] Zera said in his mind.

While talking with Zera, Raven started taking out the alchemic materials one by one and arranged them on an empty table. After that, he quietly started concocting the 'Mind of Insight' potion.

But to his surprise, he failed three times in a row!

Then, he rested for two hours and started concocting again.

Thankfully, he managed to concoct the potion on the second try and continued the process.

Although he didn't succeed the third time, he managed to find out the biggest mistake for his failure and decided to take another 2 hours break.

During that time, he went out of the alchemy room and met with Jacob to discuss his plans.

After that, he returned to the alchemy room and continued to concoct potions.

For the next 20 hours, he remained in the same room and eventually succeeded in concocting 11 'Mind of Insight' potions out of 30!

It was around 4.30 P.M.

Raven walked out of the room with a tired face and went to the main hall, carrying a wooden box with both hands.

"When is the departure time?" He asked as he saw Jacob, Selene, and a blonde-haired woman in her thirties in the main hall.

"Greetings, My Lord. The departure is at 5.30 P.M.," Quincy greeted him while answering.

Raven nodded his head and passed the wooden box to Jacob.

"There are 11 potions in this box. It's a low-rank potion named 'Mind of Insight' that can help increase one's comprehensive speed."

"Comprehensive speed? Can it speed up the comprehension speed of the spell models, My Lord?" Selene asked in shock.

Raven smiled.

"Let Anastasia test its effect. Tell her my senior got inspired from Alchemist Johnathan's 'Elixir of Insight' spell and decided to try making this potion."

"Didn't you concoct this potion yourself, My Lord? Why are you hiding it?" Selene couldn't help but ask.

"I don't want to attract more trouble." Raven shrugged his shoulder and then added.

"Don't sell the potions if she offers below 5,000 gold coins per potion. Its true worth should be as high as the 'Night Vision' potion in the auction house."

"19,000 gold coins?" Jacob's eyes widened.

"More or less." Raven nodded and gave Jacob another 9000 gold coins along with the spatial ring.

[Aren't you trusting them too much?] Zera asked in his mind.

'This is a test for their loyalty.' Raven chuckled inwardly and continued.

"As long as you sell these potions, you will have around 60,000 gold coins. I want you guys to buy 100 badges of this recipe." Raven said as he gave Selene the recipe for the Mind of Insight potion.

"Total cost would be around 10,000 to 12,000 gold coins for all the potion ingredients. Then, buy another 100 badges of this potion ingredients and another hundred of this potion ingredients." Raven spoke as he gave her another two papers to Selene.

“You will need around 30,000 to 35,000 gold coins for all three hundred batches of potion materials.”

"Y-Yes, My Lord. Anything else?" She asked.

"Yes." Raven took another piece of paper out of his pocket and gave it to her.

"These potion ingredients will be costlier than all combined. Buy 50 badges for now. As for the amount, it would cost around 20,000 to 30,000 gold coins. That's all."

“Won’t we end up with no money after buying all these materials, My Lord?” Jacob asked.

A smile appeared on Raven’s face.

“How much did I spend for buying potion materials before we leave?” He asked.

Selene pondered for a while and soon answered.

“3,000 gold coins, My Lord.”

Raven nodded and continued.

“But I managed to turn those materials into 11 potions, each of which can be sold for more than 5,000 gold coins.” As soon as he finished his words, goosebumps appeared all over Jacob’s body.

“When did you even learn Alchemy, My Lord?” Selene felt she knew nothing about him even though they had been traveling together all this time!

“No more questions.” Raven placed his finger on his mouth.

Nodding stiffly, Selene carefully took the papers and kept them in her pocket.

After that, Jacob, Selene, and Quincy bid their farewell to Raven and departed to the Royal Capital.

…