Chapter 27 - 27: 27 “Family Industry” (Seeking Chase Reading)
The allure of an aristocratic title and a fief was stronger than the appeal of the Breathing Technique to these people.
After all, even if they trained in the Breathing Technique and became an Official Knight, within the Kingdom they would only hold the title of Knight, whereas this auctioned item directlv conferred one the rank of a Baron
Aristocrat.
From his seat on the second-floor box, Milton Cheney could see almost everyone participating in the bidding for this final centerpiece lot.
In the end, an Earl’s heir got the aristocratic title and fief for one million gold coins.
To Milton’s surprise, Viscount Russell didn’t win the lot.
Assuming that the wealth of the Black Robe Seekers’ Club would have made it easy, he had even prepared some traps. Who knew that Viscount Russell would wither before him.
If Russell heard of Milton’s thoughts, he would probably feel wronged.
It is true that Wizard Apprentices could easily earn gold coins, but this apparently does not include Level 1 Wizard Apprentices.
Though he had turned up his nose at the Magic Potion previously auctioned, if asked to concoct it himself, he would surely fail. His reach was simply beyond his grasp.
After the auction ended, some people chose to stay and explore the auction house, while others left in an orderly manner.
Milton chose not to linger, departing with William.
Although it was a grand auction, the actual bidding took not too long.
Milton actually could have stayed longer, but he was eager to return and examine the Ancient Bronze Key he had withdrawn earlier. So, he left early with William.
At his estate, Milton held the Ancient Bronze Key up to the sunlight, found nothing special.
After coming back, he had already tried several ways to reveal any special attributes of the Bronze Key, but all failed.
Neither heating nor soaking in water had any effect. “Wonder if I should try it with a drop of blood?” A thought suddenly emerged in Milton’s mind.
Once the idea was there, it had to be tested.
Without hesitation, Milton cut a small slit on his finger with the Knight’s Sword and dripped a drop of fresh blood onto the bronze key.
Unfortunately, no magic seemed to be activated. The Ancient Bronze Key was still the same, with a little bit of blood stain lodged on it.
“So my blood couldn’t activate it.”
But Milton hadn’t expected much out of this tactic anyway.
After all, his simulator self had not revealed anything after years of study.
Considering that the memory of his transmigration was intact while in the simulator, this method he could come up with, naturally, could be thought of by his simulator counterpart.
Therefore, it was normal that there was no reaction. If one drop of blood could activate a treasure like the Ancient Bronze Key, that would have been abnormal.
Milton scrutinized the Bronze Key again, found nothing special and had to give up temporarily.
However, there was a vague suspicion forming in Milton’s mind.
Since the Black Robe Seekers’ Assembly wanted to possess this item, there was a high probability it was related to witches.
To truly uncover the secrets of the Ancient Bronze Key, he would likely have to wait until he himself became a Wizard Apprentice.
But to become a Wizard was undeniably difficult. The first requirement of reaching the Wizard Continent stopped countless people aspiring to become wizards.
Set the Ancient Bronze Key aside, Milton put the key back in the wooden box and tucked it away in a hidden spot.
The following period was mostly peaceful without any particularly unusual occurrences.
It wasn’t until ten plus days after the end of the auction that Earl Arthur sought out Milton.
“Vernon, you are no longer young and you have accomplished the rank of Official Knight. Some of the family holdings need to be handed over to you.” Earl Arthur was facing a formally dressed Milton in front of him.
Upon hearing Earl Arthur’s gentle words, Milton Cheney wanted to refuse but was interrupted by a sentence that immediately followed from Earl Arthur.bender
“The largest market in the Far East City is owned by our Golden Lion Family.
I’m giving it to you now as a form of training.”
Looking at Earl Arthur’s expectant gaze, Milton Cheney realized that he could not refuse this request.
Thus, he solemnly nodded in acknowledgement.
If Earl Arthur had already arranged everything for him, then he naturally had no reason to refuse.
This was a nice opportunity for Milton Cheney to see what the cities of this world looked like.
Far East City is located within the Far East Territory and is the largest city in the region.
Since arriving in this world, Milton Cheney had not truly experienced the cities of this world.
His knowledge about the cities of this world was only gleaned from the memories of the original host.
The estate where he and Earl Arthur lived daily was in the center of the Far East Territory, but it was actually considered a restricted area, rather than an urban zone.
This was the core region of the Far East Territory. Those who could reach here were loyal members of the Golden Lion Family. For everyone else, this place was forbidden.
This was also the reason why Milton Cheney could live here undisturbed for such a long time. Most of the citizens of the Far East Territory lived within the city.
With the memories from his predecessor, Milton Cheney was no stranger to Far East City.
The city had always retained this name since its establishment. Successive heads of the Golden Lion Family also owned this city.
Although the city rightfully belonged to the Golden Lion Family, it did not mean that all residents of Far East City were from the Golden Lion Family.
As the commercial center of the Far East Territory, Far East City housed countless businesses operated by noble families.
However, they all needed to pay rent to the Golden Lion Family every year. Just from collecting rents, the Golden Lion Family received a substantial amount of gold coins from Far East City each year.
Seeing that Milton Cheney agreed, Earl Arthur was in a good mood.
“I have arranged everything for you. William will take you to take over the Golden Lion Market in Far East City.
If you have any issues, you can ask the people who previously managed the Golden Lion Market. You don’t need to worry about your safety.”
Earl Arthur said with ease.
In fact, from the moment Milton Cheney told him he had become an Official Knight, he intended to let Milton Cheney take charge of some of the family’s businesses.
Although Milton Cheney was still young, there was no other way.
At present, there were only three direct descendants in the Golden Lion Family – him and his two sons.
His eldest son was currently traveling across the kingdom, so some of the family businesses had to be entrusted to his younger son, Vernon.
These important businesses could not always be managed by outsiders; they had to be handed over sooner or later.
He had planned in advance to let Milton Cheney gain some experience. If Milton Cheney weren’t still a child with little to no experience, he would have given him charge over the family’s most important businesses. Or perhaps directly assign a territory for him to manage.
“Without realizing it, you’ve grown up so much!”
Looking at the handsome face of Milton Cheney, Earl Arthur said with a touch of sentiment.
How time flies! That little son, that he and his wife used to hold in the palm of their hands, has grown up in the blink of an eye.
He has now reached an age where he can manage the family businesses.
Once upon a time, Vernon had always been a child in his eyes.
He hadn’t forgotten how several months ago, Vernon had stood firmly before him and vowed to become a proud family Guardian Knight. That moment had filled his heart with uncontainable pride.
Not much time had passed since, yet his young son had already fulfilled that promise.
Time always sneaks away unnoticed.
In the blink of an eye, even he himself had already been a lord with his inherited territory for several decades..