I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 151 Planning
On Saturday, DuPont unusually avoided taking any risks and instead conducted an on-site inspection of the estate in White Rock.

This is a small estate with 400 acres of land. In Faron, one acre is 4000 square meters, so this is a super-large farm covering 1.6 million square meters, which is almost the size of a village's arable land.

The land is mostly used for growing grapes and a small amount of wheat. Most of it is rented out to local farmers. Because the original owner (whose vampire story has not been made public) doesn't come often, the land has a good reputation. However, the fact that the steward was hanged a few days ago has caused them some concern.

The vampire's aesthetic sense is quite good. The villa is a classic Gothic design, somewhat similar to an academy, but with many simplified details. The interior decoration has a deliberate retro feel, and many of the murals on the walls are carved with the glorious deeds of the floating city and the magic lady, to show the owner's piety.

“Although it’s all a disguise, the painting is indeed exquisite. It must have been done by a master artist.” Miss Paladin nodded and said with a hint of sarcasm, “No wonder the church couldn’t see it before. The real master isn’t at home, so it’s all mortals in charge. They like to donate money all the time. They seem quite devout. If they hadn’t been caught, they could have kept up the deception for decades.”

DuPont was thinking about something else entirely: "Are all vampires this rich? I bet you could get rich just by killing vampires. By the way, I don't see anything of value besides these crops. Did the church take it all?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? His most valuable possessions are all in his spatial bag and equipment. As for this manor, he hires people to work, and with the remaining money, he pays the steward's salary and then embezzles some of it. He's lucky if he can save a few hundred gold coins a year. How can he possibly be rich?"

"Hey, what about the housekeeper's money?"

"If this guy gets arrested by the church, then his ill-gotten gains and blood taxes naturally belong to the church. Why would they work for you for free?"

"Tsk." DuPont looked around somewhat reluctantly. "Such a large estate should have secret rooms or cellars, right? Who knows, there might be hidden treasure inside."

"You've probably read too many chivalric novels. Medium-sized manors are all over 1000 acres. How big is your little place? Besides, the church has scouted it out countless times. There are definitely no blind spots in this villa. You should just focus on where to build your factory."

Having found no more treasure, DuPont looked at the lush green grapevines with a bit of a headache: "If we're going to live here someday, it would be better to keep at least 300 yards away from the villa. That way, it'll be more soundproof and we won't have to damage the ground while moving supplies. We can renovate that warehouse over there and build a basic one first."

"One, live together?" The paladin's eyes were unfocused, his face flushed with surprise: "Then I feel it's better not to have a brewery here. We can dig a small pond, raise fish and flowers, and raise some ponies and puppies to braid their hair. That would be so much fun."

“We can’t possibly live in Whitestone City permanently, so why waste our energy? We’d have to hire people to watch over it later.” DuPont rejected the idea outright. Deva was disappointed, but then he added, “If we really wanted to live there, we should definitely go to the southern coast. Or we could choose a town near the mountains and the sea and build a mage tower there. What’s the point of staying near a town? You can’t even calm your mind.”

The paladin's eyes lit up: "That makes sense. We could even build a small chapel, and have a lady's pantheon before us for prayers. How wonderful that would be!"

"I'll learn Stone Shaping and Clay Golem before summer vacation, and that should save me a lot of money when we start working." DuPont couldn't understand what was so wonderful about this: "I can also get those senior students who know Stone Shaping but don't have formal jobs yet. I can use their spells to sign short-term contracts every day, which is much more cost-effective than buying scrolls. Next year, when we switch to planting wheat, we can sign contracts with the surrounding villages, and then the grain depot's transportation costs will also be greatly reduced."

He didn't quite understand, but seeing DuPont engrossed in his calculations, the paladin turned to look at the white clouds in the sky.

These messy things are really troublesome; having DuPont in charge makes things much easier.

However, it might be inconvenient for her to stay in Beer Town. Should she be transferred to Whitestone City?
“Let nature take its course.” DuPont shook his head when he heard this question: “You are already a formal police captain. Although it is not a very prestigious title, it is the pinnacle of an ordinary person’s life. If you keep transferring, you will inevitably be disliked. Or you might as well quit this job and become a paladin. Anyway, you don’t need this status.”

"Quitting would be even more boring. Harua doesn't have a formal church with Lady White Night, so I can only be affiliated with other knight orders. There are many missions I can't do because of the need to avoid suspicion, and I'd be stuck there for a long time. Being an adventurer's mother isn't something she'd be happy about. She says I need to have some management skills to help her with family affairs in the future. Besides, it's too dangerous to go out and run around." "We'll see. Beer Town is such a small place that it doesn't really need much management. With those old police officers, there won't be too many problems. When I'm on vacation, you can take a leave and we can go out together. I bet those police officers will be celebrating that you left."

"Go away, I'm not that annoying." The paladin shushed him. "You guys get a holiday next month?"

“Yes, the big exam is at the end of the month after Midsummer Festival, and then it’s holiday.” As he was saying this, DuPont suddenly remembered something: “Speaking of which, there’s a land deed in Huangsha City. That’s my hometown. I haven’t been there for several years. If I’m supervising here this summer, I’m afraid I won’t have time to go back.”

"Is that so?" The paladin tapped the grass beneath his feet. "The mage's construction team shouldn't be dragging their feet on the project. After all, time is money for mages. We can just send someone we know to supervise it. We can go to Yellow Sand City together later. Otherwise, it's been so lonely being away from home for so long."

Are you lonely?
DuPont chuckled; his home wasn't there. "It's alright, but I can definitely go visit sometime. However, my relationship with my family used to be quite strained; I haven't received any living expenses from them in years."

"Oh, you're only 14, how can you be so heartless?"

"I don't know, but studying at the magic academy is very expensive. After all, not everyone is like a vampire who doesn't need to eat or drink and has eternal life. If a low-ranking noble wants to make money, they either have to work as an adventurer or collect land rent. The latter is a bit difficult to live comfortably in Harua, and the former is probably not the first choice for a retired adventurer with a family."

DuPont couldn't help but look at the paladin as he spoke: "Hey, it seems like you're doing the kind of work that retired paladins do. Dealing with people isn't very interesting. You're not even 20 years old yet. Can you really keep this job for long?"

"Oh!" Deva was stunned after hearing this.

She had never thought about this question.

“Retired paladins, huh?” Deva sat down on the bench. “That seems to be a very rare option. Even including sworn paladins, less than half live to 30, and probably less than 10% live to 40. Most of these experienced paladins have high-ranking strength or above and become paladin instructors in the Knights Order, teaching newcomers. Some also serve as judges or city lords.”

"Less than 10% survival rate?" DuPont was shocked to hear this, but then he thought of what Deva had gone through when the two of them went to clear out the trolls, and he seemed to understand: "You paladins do seem to be quite stubborn. When you were in danger and couldn't hold on, you should have called for help. What if something really happened?"

"If I can't even hold on, how good will your situation be?" Deva wiped the sweat from her forehead. "The main problem is that I don't really know your strength. You'll be better next time."

DuPont nodded after hearing this.

Paladins are usually the backbone of the adventure teams they join. In missions arranged by the church, they are often the captains and key members. It is normal for them to take on high-pressure tasks and cover the rear. After all, if the situation is so critical that they cannot handle it, it is even more difficult to entrust it to others.

Thinking of this, DuPont sighed silently to himself.

What a stupid fool.

　Chapter 2: Late
　　
　
(End of this chapter)