Wizard Earl

Connor spent three days at Ferguson Manor meeting with people, gaining a deeper understanding of the Ferguson family.

Through this understanding, Connor also came to understand the problems within the Ferguson family!

The Ferguson family's problems, in the end, all boil down to one thing—money!

The Ferguson family's income mainly consisted of three pillar industries. The first pillar was the plantation economy. According to family records, the Ferguson family owned nearly 5,000 hectares of land in and around Frosinone, which was used to grow cash crops such as tobacco and cotton, and nominally provided the family with nearly 10,000 gold pounds in income each year.

The second major pillar is the rent from shops owned in Frosinone and other regions. According to the family records, the Ferguson family owns a total of 87 shops of various sizes. These shops, after deducting some necessary property maintenance costs, provide the family with an annual income of five to eight thousand gold pounds.

The third pillar of the business was the mineral distribution business in the Frosinone region, which the Ferguson family obtained through their family connections from the East Hoy Company. This business was the Ferguson family's cash cow, providing them with a large amount of revenue. However, the majority of the profits were taken by the East Hoy Company. The Ferguson family could only obtain about three to five thousand gold pounds in profit from these businesses each year.

Under normal circumstances, the Ferguson family's annual income would be around 20,000 gold pounds. If this income were real, the Ferguson family would live a very comfortable life, not the miserable existence they are in now.

Since Connor's grandfather's generation, the upper echelons of the family have pursued enjoyment and a glamorous aristocratic lifestyle. As a result, the family's original savings have been almost completely depleted. However, they still do not know how to restrain themselves and continue to indulge in a life of extravagance. In order to maintain such a luxurious lifestyle, the Ferguson family has mortgaged nearly 30% of its land income and about 40% of its shop rental income to banks. This means that although these assets nominally still belong to the Ferguson family, the income generated by these assets belongs to the banks.

Moreover, starting with Connor's grandfather's generation, the patriarch's power within the family began to weaken, and his control also began to decline. This gave some family parasites an opportunity, which led to many family businesses being privatized by them. According to Connor's incomplete statistics over the past few days, at least 15 percent of the family's land and 20 percent of its shops have been illegally occupied and privatized.

The mortgage to the bank, coupled with the illegal appropriation by family members, resulted in the two families' assets, which should have provided the Ferguson family with 15,000 gold pounds, actually only providing the Ferguson family with about 5,000 gold pounds in benefits.

The third family business, Ferguson Minerals Distribution Company, despite the efforts of its general manager, Arbeloa, to make the company profitable, suffers from high management costs due to the presence of numerous relatives and associates within the family. This results in Ferguson Minerals Distribution Company's products being very uncompetitive in the market.

In addition, increased external competition has led to a continuous decline in Ferguson Minerals Distribution Company's market share.

All things considered, the Ferguson family's annual income was around ten thousand pounds, but their expenses were always over ten thousand pounds. This led to the family's financial deficit increasing year after year, with new land and shops being mortgaged to banks every year, creating a frustrating vicious cycle!

Although he had a clearer understanding of the Ferguson family's problems, Connor still needed to devise some details on how to solve them. He currently had about 40,000 gold pounds, equivalent to four years of the Ferguson family's actual financial income. Giving this money to the Ferguson family would greatly improve their financial situation, but Connor knew very well that doing so would only be a temporary solution.

As long as these deep-seated problems within the Ferguson family remain unresolved, even if Connor offered 400,000 or 400,000 pounds, the Ferguson family would not be able to achieve its revival.

One day, at Ferguson Manor, Connor looked at the detective report on the Ferguson family's situation handed to him by his private investigator. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Upon reaching the crucial points, even with Connor's composure and magnanimity, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. He truly hadn't expected these parasites to be so audacious, so greedy…

If it weren't for his fear of the church and other white wizards, Connor would have long ago gone on a killing spree, orchestrating a series of accidental deaths to give these parasites their just deserts.

Just as Connor was filled with resentment, a pair of warm, soft hands appeared on his temples and began to massage him gently.

Connor did not refuse the sudden massage. He closed his eyes, leaned back in the chair, and enjoyed the comforting touch from the lovely woman behind him.

"Connor, now that we're in public, we still need to abide by some rules!" Feeling Connor's mind gradually calming down under her reassurance, Varga offered him timely advice:

The day after the armed rebellion at Ferguson Manor was quelled, Connor picked up Varga from the Fati Hotel in downtown Frosinone and brought her to Ferguson Manor, where they appeared together openly in front of the Ferguson family.

Because of Varga's matter, Butler Martinez specifically spoke with Connor, telling him that as the head of the family, Earl Ferguson, Connor had to make some sacrifices for the family! In addition, he also specifically mentioned to Connor the matter of old Ferguson and his mother, Catherine Francis.

Although the old butler didn't explicitly say anything to Connor, the implication was unmistakable: he was telling Connor that his marriage was not entirely within his control, and that if necessary, Connor should marry a woman he didn't love but who could help the Ferguson family, just like his father had done.

Connor was somewhat amused and exasperated by Butler Martinez's statement. As a formally certified wizard-level apothecary, Varga's desire to marry would drive countless people mad; he never expected to be rejected by Butler Martinez…