In the morning, Lark summoned Gaston into his room.

“You called for me, Young Master?” said the old butler.

The young master was sitting at his table, scribbling something down on a notebook. After the butler entered, he closed the notebook then smiled.

“Just in time,” said Lark. “Here, take a look.”

The old butler received a parchment from the young master. There were numerous things listed inside.

“This is…”

“I want you to send a couple of servants, along with some guards, to Lion City and buy those for me,” said Lark. He took a sip from the goblet and stared at the butler. “I want you to prioritize the seeds and the iron ingots. We aren’t really in surplus of funds, so I want you to buy those two first before anything else.”

Since Lark was not really aware of the prices in the Lion’s City, he could only surmise using gathered data from his subordinates.

Gaston looked at the list once again. It was an amazing list with some items he had never heard of before. Wheat seeds, iron ingots, hemp ropes, loi saplings, ormatane dust, and many more.

Gaston mumbled, “A thousand eggs.”

He read it again then asked the young master, “Sorry for the impudence, but young master, isn’t a thousand eggs a bit… unnecessary?”

Gaston knew the state of the town. There was no way the residents would be able to afford eggs right now. Without doubt, the eggs would eventually rot in the storage.

“it’s fine,” said Lark, dismissing the remark. “Just do what I say.”

Lark actually planned on using magic on those eggs and force them to hatch. After all, eggs would be cheaper than poultry.

Gaston felt that the amount of wheat seeds and iron ingots were absurd too. If they actually went ahead with this list, they would end up buying a large portion of the wheat seeds in Lion City. Furthermore, the amount of iron ingots was enough to build armor for more than a dozen knights.

The old butler felt that the Young Master was squandering his money.

“Young master, please reconsider,” said Gaston. “The amount of seeds is too much. The lands of this town are mostly barren. As for the iron ingots, there’s no blacksmith living in this place. Even if we buy those things, they’ll only become unnecessary expenses.”

Lark creased his brows. He sighed then leaned on his chair. “Listen, when I told everyone that I’m going to reclaim the lands in the north and the west, I meant it. Once winter ends, I plan on making a large-scale farming project in those areas. To do that, we need at least this much wheat seeds. Do you understand?”

Gaston was clearly not fully convinced, but he nodded regardless. Still, the old butler did not immediately back down. “As for the iron ingots. Young master, there’s no sense in buying raw materials when there’s not even a single blacksmith in town.”

“We have a solution for that,” said Lark. He was actually planning on using the iron ingots to make farming and mining tools. He planned to include some weapons too. Still, he did not tell the old butler his thoughts. After all, he was going to transmute those raw materials into high grade tools using magic. It was better, at this current time, for the other party not to know.

Lark grabbed a large pouch from the drawer then handed it to the butler. “For now, just do what I say.”

Gaston opened the pouch. Numerous gold coins were inside. He grimaced upon thinking that these would soon be spent on useless things. The list of the young master was simply unreasonable.

After a long sigh, Gaston bowed. “I will do as the young master says.” He bit his lips. “This old man shall obey.”

He took a peek at the young master. He remembered the reports he received just a few hours ago. According to the “inquisitors” hired by Silver Hand, the Young Master was the one who subdued those men that kidnapped him. They all mentioned the use of magic – silent magic. This single fact alone was hard to believe, since even among the Royal Court Magicians, only a handful knew how to perform such complex technique.

But Silver Hand has no reason to lie. And I was also there when the leader of those scums finally confessed. But… it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been with the Young Master since he was born. He knows nothing but the most basic of magic – the mandatory education required by the Duke.

The old man breathed in.

“Young master?” said Gaston.

Lark noticed that the butler had been staring at him for quite some time now. “What is it?” Seconds passed. Gaston sighed.

“Nothing,” said the butler. “Just some useless thoughts of an old man.”

“Gaston, you’re becoming a little thin lately,” said Lark, his brows creased in worry. “Be sure to take some rest every now and then. If you need a vacation, be sure to tell me.”

Gaston softly smiled at the concern shown by the young lord.

That’s right. So what if the young master knows silent magic? Even if it’s true that he did subdue those kidnappers, it doesn’t change a thing. I’ve vowed to serve him the moment he was born. Nothing will change that. This old man shall see things through until the very end.

“There’s no need for the Young Master to worry,” smiled Gaston. “This servant is perfectly fine. Then—” he made a bow. “If you’ll excuse me.”

As Gaston was about to go out of the room, the young master called out to him.

“Ah, I almost forgot,” said Lark. He stood up then handed the old butler two notebooks. “Here. Give the other one to Melody.”

Gaston adjusted his monocles as he stared at the notebooks. “What are these, Young Master?”

“Basic Arithmetic,” said Lark. “I wrote them down myself.”