In the grand dining room on the first floor, Adam sat at the head of the long table and devoured all the food kept in front of him. Etiquette be damned.
After entering his house, he immediately told Rowan to instruct the chefs to prepare food. It had been a very long time since he had had food or water.
While he was going through the final trial in the Raven Inheritance, his body was being sustained by the mana liquid that he was submerged in. And so, he was tasting food on this day after one and a half years.
"Brother, you haven't answered my question." Valerian stood on his hind legs on the dining table, his aura menacing. "Where have you been all this while?"
Adam's lips twitched incessantly as he stared at his dear familiar. Although the young dragon tried to look menacing, he couldn't take him seriously at all.
He glanced at the young dragon's bulging tummy and asked incredulously, "Why do you look like you've eaten Valerian?"
Then, he glanced at Rowan, who was standing beside him, and asked, "What have you guys been doing? Why is he so damn fat? Are you feeding him nine times a day?"
"Twelve times," Valerian corrected. "But that's beside the point, Brother. Why were you away for so long?"
Adam was speechless for a few moments. He then answered, "It took me longer than I expected."
For some reason, he had thought that the final trial would only take him a few days to a week. But it turned out, a year and a half had already passed while he spent more than 250 years inside the illusion.
Once again, he was reminded how deep the First Headmaster's knowledge of illusion magic was. He wondered how long it would take him to reach such a level.
"Grrrr! Brother, how dare you?!" Valerian flailed his paws in the air. "Do you know how worried I was?!"
"Yeah," Adam scoffed. He glanced at the young dragon's bulging tummy and added, "I can clearly see."
"What?!" Valerian snapped back. "Do you expect me not to eat? I tend to overeat when I'm stressed. Don't blame me! Blame yourself!"
Adam's expression softened. He was the young dragon's only family and he had been away for so long without letting him know. He could understand Valerian's anger and sadness.
"I'm sorry, Little Val," he apologized sincerely. "I'll make it up to you."
Valerian crossed his arms and looked away. "Hmph! It better not happen again!"
Adam chuckled. "It won't. Come now, let's eat together."
"Myu~" Valerian's expression did a complete one-eighty-degree and he began munching on the giant piece of turkey placed near him.
Adam glanced at all the other maids and servants in the room and instructed, "Everyone, leave."
"Yes, My Lord," they replied simultaneously before they bowed and left the dining room.
"Rowan, stay," the raven-haired youth said to his assistant when he saw that he was leaving with the rest as well.
The middle-aged man nodded. He then closed the door to the dining room and respectfully stood beside Adam. "Yes, my lord?"
"Sit." Adam gestured to the chair beside him.
Rowan hesitated. Adam pressed, "Sit, already. There's no one else in the room. No need to act so formal with me when we're alone."
"...Understood, my lord." Rowan smiled politely. Inwardly, however, his heart warmed at his master's words. He looked at Adam and asked seriously, "Is there something you wish to talk about?"
"You mentioned to me a while back that the manor beside mine is on sale," Adam began. "Is that still the case?"
Rowan thought for a while and then nodded. "Well, it's technically not on sale. The owners of the manor only use it once or twice a year. They haven't officially put it on the market. But I've spoken to the manor's main butler, and he told me about the master's intention to sell in the future."
"How much do you think it would cost?" Adam asked curiously, drinking wine directly from
"Hmm," Rowan stroked his chin, deep in thought. After a few moments, he answered, "My Lord, according to current market prices, it should be no greater than forty thousand Acadian Gold."
He then asked curiously, "Are you thinking of buying it?"
"Perhaps," Adam answered vaguely. He then asked, "What about the manor on the other side? And the one behind?"
Rowan looked at the youth strangely. "I... am not sure, My Lord. If you'd like, I can find out." "Yes, do that." Adam nodded. He cut off a large piece of steak and started loudly chewing on it. "Oh, by the way, I remember you mentioned you came from a family of merchants." Rowan found it strange that Adam would ask him such questions now all of a sudden, but he answered them nontheless. "That is correct, My Lord. My family used to run grocery stores, bakeries, and some minor work in the real estate sector."
"Real estate, huh?" Adam mulled over it. "Would you say investing in real-estate ventures is lucrative?"
"Well, if you have a lot of capital, it is most certainly very profitable," Rowan answered matter-of-factly.
"Hmm, I see," Adam replied absentmindedly. He figured that now that he had come into an enormous amount of wealth, he might as well invest some of it to generate even more wealth.
It takes money to make money, after all.
Initially, he thought of buying the herbs and ingredients store in the Market Quarter, but then realized he might come into direct conflict with the Herbalists' Guild if he did that.
Now that he learned from Rowan that venturing into the real-estate sector could be highly profitable, he decided to look into it personally. He would consult with Elrick and see if how it
Then, he could put Rowan in charge of all the business dealings since he already had some experience. Moreover, the man was a trusted individual and Adam believed that he was very
"Alright, Rowan, asked around the other manors around mine and see if their owners are interested in selling," said Adam as he wiped his lips with the napkin and got to his feet. "Understood, my lord." Rowan immediately stood up and respectfully bowed.
"Follow me, Val." Adam turned around and walked out of the dining room. "I want to show
"What is it, Brother?" Valerian jumped down from the dining table and started walking beside
"It's a surprise." Adam's lips curled up into a smirk.