Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 80
Oliver, who had temporarily halted his mining due to an unexpected incident, soon returned to the castle under the escort of his attendants.
It was just past noon—the time when the sun was at its fiercest.
After finishing his lunch, Oliver was in no hurry to go out again. Instead, he took advantage of this leisure time to inspect the items in his game backpack.
His gaze first fell on the pink drop item he had obtained from killing flies but had long forgotten.
[ Insect Meat ]: A sticky, foul-smelling lump. Perhaps only fish would appreciate it.
As the system’s somewhat sarcastic description suggested, its uses were indeed limited—either as material for crafting fish bait or… to create the devilish dish [ Insect Patty ], which restores a small amount of stamina and energy.
After all, it was merely loot from flies.
Oliver only glanced at it briefly before shifting his attention elsewhere, uninterested.
As for the rewards from the cave bats he had just slain…
[ Monster Meat ]x31: Feared by many, yet surprisingly useful.
[ Bat Wing ]x20: A rare material from cave-dwelling creatures, yet unexpectedly drawn to the light.
Oh!
Oliver’s eyes lit up instantly.
Truly, the Cat God is watching over me… Those wild cave bats actually count as monsters!
He was both astonished and regretful.
If not for having to consider Fosse and the others’ feelings, he would have rushed back to the mining area right then and there to battle any remaining cave bats for three hundred rounds!
[ Bat Wing ] is one of the essential materials for crafting a [ Lightning Rod ], and the [ Lightning Rod ] can produce [ Batteries ].
Although it remains a complete mystery what use [ Batteries ] could possibly have in a world where even the shadow of an electrical appliance is absent, and the crafting of the [ Lightning Rod ] still lacks another key material—[ Stone Crystal ]… No, the most crucial point is that the [ Lightning Rod ] recipe itself requires the foraging skill to reach level 6 to unlock.
However, leveling up foraging is the simplest—all it takes is chopping down trees.
After a quick calculation, Oliver estimated that he only needed to chop down 175 more trees to reach foraging level 6.
But since the source of the other main material remains elusive for now, there’s no need to rush.
What truly excited him was the [ Monster Meat ]—and a whopping 31 pieces at that!
Enough for him to craft a [ Defense Ring ] using the recipe he had unlocked not long ago.
In butler Fosse’s eyes, the young master was merely resting with his eyes closed. In reality, Oliver had already completed the ring’s crafting in an instant through the system’s recipe.
When he opened his eyes again, a silver ring adorned with a beautiful sapphire the size of a pinky fingernail lay in his palm.
To Oliver’s surprise, this [ Defense Ring ] came with two descriptions.
Description 1 was straightforward: “Provides the wearer with a small amount of defense.”
This matched Oliver’s memory of the Defense Ring’s ability.
So what was the other one?
Curious, he checked.
Description 2: The disheartened Cat God fervently hopes that you will wear only the ring bestowed by him.
Oliver: “……”
Wearing the [ Cat God’s Ring ] indeed granted him stronger attribute bonuses.
The reason he went through the trouble of preparing two rings… was simply because, according to the game system’s settings, he could wear two rings at once!
Since the other ring finger was empty anyway, adding some defensive attributes would be better than nothing.
Moreover, compared to the plain and low-key [Defense Ring], the [Cat God’s Ring] was simply too ostentatious.
But in the currently peaceful Laina territory, he was like a walking lightbulb—and an extra-bright one at that.
Even Oliver, who considered himself thick-skinned, didn’t want to constantly bask in the fervently worshipful gazes of the territory’s residents. He decided to only wear it when necessary.
When it came to justifying his actions, Oliver could easily come up with over a dozen different reasons.
Even though he had just dreamed of the pitiful “Cat God” last night, it made no difference.
A short while later.
“Fosse.”
The Lord of Laina, who had been fiddling with this exquisitely beautiful silver ring with a blue gemstone while wrestling with his conscience… ultimately ended up handing the ring over as if guided by some unseen force.
Facing the puzzled butler, he smiled slightly: “This is my reward for the butler I value most. Wear it.”
Fosse’s body reacted before his mind could process it, immediately kneeling on one knee.
Though completely baffled by the reason, he hesitated for a moment before respectfully accepting this rather inexplicable reward with both hands: “…Thank you, Your Highness.”
Seeing the usually stern and rigid butler wearing such a confused expression was rare, and Oliver couldn’t help but smile without offering any explanation.
He vaguely felt that if he really kept it for himself, given his lingering guilt… he might dream of that handsome cat-eared youth becoming jealous and demanding an explanation from him.
Upon careful consideration, Fosse always charged ahead to protect his safety.
Giving the ring with some defensive attributes to him was actually more appropriate.
To change the subject, he directly asked about other matters: “By the way, how is the recruitment of new breeders for the chicken coop going?”
Fosse immediately replied: “Your Highness, Lucy has already selected the candidates.”
The situation was roughly as Oliver had anticipated.
Although he had tried his best to provide equal opportunities for the territory’s residents, under the impartial screening by Lucy and the other two, seventy percent of those selected were commoners, with only thirty percent being slaves.
Even among these thirty percent slaves, several were former commoners who had fallen into slavery only because their families had declined.
After learning these details, Oliver couldn’t help but sigh.
The power of knowledge was indeed formidable… The literacy campaign was absolutely necessary.
“What about the six captives assigned to compile books separately?” he asked again: “How much longer will they take?”
Initially, he had only wanted someone to create something like hand-drawn posters to put up in gathering areas near Laina’s farmlands, then increase the slaves’ motivation to learn by providing more work opportunities.
But upon further reflection, he realized this wasn’t practical.
Knowledge gained purely through rote memorization, even in small amounts, was like a castle in the air—completely impractical.
No matter how troublesome it was, they needed to lay a solid foundation first before the slaves could truly learn.
Fortunately, Oliver didn’t need to struggle with compiling new textbooks himself. With Butler Fosse’s help, he quickly found some ready-made resources.
One source was found in the temple.
Oliver was initially somewhat surprised to find that the temple, which he had always regarded as a “warehouse not to be used casually” and “the future residence of the Cat God,” actually contained a large number of items that could be called “textbooks.”
However, after searching through his memories for knowledge about “schooling,” he came to understand.
In this era, all the knowledge commoners could learn came from the teachings of priests in the temple. As for nobles, they received education from private tutors when they were young, and later attended “universities” that only accepted nobles and a very small number of exceptionally talented commoners.
Thus, finding textbooks in the temple was entirely normal.
Faced with a thick stack of textbooks, Oliver directly ordered the six captives to remove all sections promoting religious doctrines and the greatness of the nobility, compiling them into a simplified version of the textbooks.
After the new books were compiled, he would review them… Once they passed his inspection, the carpenters could begin block printing.
Of course, it was impossible to provide a set for everyone, but with low raw material costs, printing two hundred sets was affordable.
The only consolation was that although there were no advanced printing techniques at this time, inexpensive ordinary paper had already been invented, so he wouldn’t be unable to afford the printing.
“It will take about ten more days, Your Highness.”
Fosse clearly knew exactly what Oliver cared about most and gave a precise answer without hesitation.
Oliver nodded with satisfaction and quipped, “Oh, Fosse, my dear Fosse. What would I do without you by my side?”
Fosse’s lips curved slightly, but he leaned forward sincerely and respectfully, saying, “It is my honor to serve you, Your Highness.”
Oliver chuckled and casually glanced out the window.
The once harsh sunlight had disappeared at some point, mostly obscured by grayish-white clouds.
He couldn’t help but feel pleasantly surprised: “We can go out now.”
Fosse instinctively straightened his back.
Considering that his attendants were still in a state of nervousness, Oliver thoughtfully suggested, “It’s been several days since I last went fishing. Accompany me to the river, Fosse.” This way, he could use up the small amount of energy he had gained from lunch.
Compared to mining, Fosse was clearly more accepting of this proposal, which he could handle.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief and bowed, replying, “I will have everything prepared immediately, Your Highness.””
Just as Oliver was leisurely fishing in his usual shaded spot…
In the wilderness, four days away from Laina City, three luxurious covered carriages were traveling.
The owner of this convoy, much like Oliver in the past, stood out starkly against the impoverished and desolate surroundings. He rode a white horse that, even now covered in dust, still appeared majestic, leading the way with a heavy heart.
This was the second son of Count Studio, Baron Arte Studio. [mfn]阿特·斯蒂欧迪欧[/mfn]
Even though the scorching sun was now blocked by dark clouds, the pervasive burning sensation, the sun-scorched yellowed grass, and the occasional waves of heat carrying grit still made him extremely irritable.
The closer he got to the legendary Laina City, the more anxious he became.
Damn it!
He cursed inwardly: That bastard Cameron actually drove his beloved muse to such a place!”
“Lord Studio,” his attendant cautiously reminded him, “We are not far from Gregor City now. Do you wish to continue our journey or rest there for the night?”
It was already afternoon.
If they didn’t choose to make a small detour and rest in Gregor City, it would mean another night of camping in the wilderness—considering they still had nearly four days and three nights of travel to reach Laina City, his lordship’s mood would surely worsen.
“Gregor City?”
Arte frowned displeasedly and muttered to himself, “That’s Count McKenna’s territory.”
When Count McKenna was still in the royal capital, he had been quite close with his father Studio.
In Arte’s view, they were simply two debauched men cut from the same cloth: the only difference being that one enjoyed tormenting young girls, while the other… tch.
Remembering what he had accidentally witnessed as a child, Arte felt increasingly disgusted. “No. Continue forward.”
The attendants exchanged glances, inwardly groaning in despair.
They truly couldn’t understand why this pampered young lord would abandon his position in the royal capital, break with his family, and venture alone to this remote backwater.
After all, that shrewd Count Studio was quite favored in the new king’s court and had recently been appointed to a decent position…
By any measure, staying by his esteemed father’s side—whether seeking the new king’s favor or not—was far better than traveling to the cursed Laina City to seek refuge with a duke whose fate was unknown and who had long lost all support.
However, Arte’s wish to avoid dealing with Count McKenna ultimately came to nothing.
His luck was truly poor—while passing through this forest, his carriage happened to step into a trap set by the count’s attendants, who spent their days idly either drinking with beauties or hunting for amusement in the woods.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a large trap that would break the horse’s leg, but the bleeding gash looked quite severe. The horse definitely wouldn’t be able to continue for the next day or two.
Since he had left after quarreling with his family, he hadn’t brought much luggage on this trip, nor did he have spare horses.
Arte’s face darkened completely.
No matter how unwilling he was… he had to enter the city now.
