For the next three days, Henry did basically nothing else. Dressed in common clothes, he spent all day, every day, hanging out in various taverns and shooting the shit with the common folk.
He focused on the gang members of Odoche and mercenaries from small outfits—people who were always in the know.
Henry even managed to earn over a hundred experience points in the process, much to his delight.
Right now, Henry, his face flushed and his eyes hazy, clapped the burly man in front of him on the shoulder. "Danilo, my friend," he slurred, "if what you're saying is true, doesn't that mean war is about to break out in the east?"
Danilo puffed up his chest, looking like he knew everything there was to know. "Of course," he said. "I'm the one who collects the protection money for my boss.
I keep track of how many merchant caravans come through the four city gates every day, how many goods they dump on the market, and how much local stuff they buy."
After saying this, Danilo leaned in closer and whispered, "But for the last twenty-odd days, the boss told me to stop..."
Henry interjected at the perfect moment. "Why's that? You were just telling me how much money your gang makes, trying to get me to join. And now you're saying you don't even dare to collect your fees?"
Danilo quickly waved his hands, explaining, "Hey, friend, let me finish. We're not collecting fees this time because these caravans have powerful backing! They're dumping huge amounts of goods, and a closer look reveals it's all military surplus.
On top of that, a new contingent of Legion infantry suddenly showed up at the Imperial Office. After that, the boss told me to stop collecting fees. You know what that means. I don't need to spell it out."
Danilo seemed afraid this small detail would scare Henry off from joining his gang.
For the past two days, Danilo had lost at chess to Henry every single time, costing him dozens of Dinars. He had originally thought, 'If I can't beat him on the board, I'll just rob him.'
But when he and his seven or eight cronies tried to corner Henry in an alley, Henry single-handedly turned the tables on them. To say Danilo and his gang got beaten badly would be an understatement!
Henry's fists were like hammers. One punch was enough to leave you half-dead.
"So that's how it is..." Henry nodded thoughtfully.
He already had his suspicions. Now it seemed the clouds of war had long been gathering over the eastern region.
Perhaps even earlier, as the King had set his sights on the eastern region long ago.
'No wonder the Academy only granted one knighthood this year—mine,' he thought. 'It seems the King has long been planning to send the country's restless young bucks to the frontier to expand our borders.'
"My friend, thank you for telling me all this." Henry stood up and staggered toward the door.
"Hey, where are you going?" Danilo asked, confused.
"Going to take a piss..." Henry said without looking back.
Danilo watched Henry leave, then scurried off himself.
Once outside the tavern, Henry took a deep breath, and the effects of the alcohol instantly cleared.
Henry waved to Bain in the distance. After Bain ran over, he asked, "Have the housekeepers arrived? Did you go meet them?"
Bain nodded. "I did. Housekeeper Tommy, Government Housekeeper Claude, and Captain Philip have all arrived. They're waiting for you at the Earl's Mansion right now."
Henry immediately led Bain back to the Earl's Mansion. When he returned to his quarters and opened the door, he saw his three most capable men.
"My lord, we..."
Henry went up and pulled the three of them into a big hug, cutting off their report.
Tommy and Claude were two men he had requested from this body's birth mother after taking first place in his first year at the Academy.
The two of them were capable and experienced, but most importantly, they were loyal!
Henry had coveted their services before, but as the second son of a noble, he hadn't been in a position to make any requests.
But after placing first in his year at the Academy and winning the Royal Capital's Lukaron martial tournament twice, he had earned the right.
It was only a matter of time before Henry became an Independent Noble. It was common knowledge that the top student, or at least the top few, from the Royal Capital Knight Academy would be granted either a true fief or a nominal one.
When Tommy and Claude learned that Henry had requested their service, they had told his birth mother themselves that they were willing to go.
If his older brother weren't the firstborn son and heir to the barony, who in Baron Chase's family wouldn't have doted on the "little master" Henry, who had been exceptional since he was a child?
As for Philip, he was a mercenary Henry had defeated multiple times in the tournament. Since then, he had been won over by Henry's Charm and had followed him faithfully.
Claude returned the hug with a smile and said, "My lord, you're a noble now. You can't be acting like you used to."
Tommy nodded. "My lord, you can't do this in front of outsiders. It would undermine your authority."
"Alright, alright, I know," Henry said with a smile, taking a seat. "Now, tell me. How did your mission go?"
Tommy was the first to speak. "My lord, everything went as planned. We returned to your family home as you instructed. Your father and mother were overjoyed to hear that you had become a Vassal of the King. They sent several Traveling Horses and a gift of thirty Dinars.
Your brother... was also very happy. He even gave me fifty Dinars as a congratulatory gift for you."
Henry smiled. 'Poor guy,' he thought. 'Ever since we were kids, I've outshone him. He used to get a headache just from seeing me around. Now that I've run off to be a noble on the distant frontier, he can finally relax.'
Philip continued, "Your Personal Guard has been expanded to fifty men. In addition to our original twenty Heavy Cavalry, we've recruited thirty infantrymen: ten veteran Shielded Crossbowmen, ten Skilled Spearmen, and ten Skilled Scouts."
"Excellent." Henry nodded in satisfaction. "War may be coming soon. We must rebuild our fief as quickly as possible and expand our forces."
Claude hesitated for a moment before saying, "My lord, our funds are limited. I'm afraid it will be difficult to do all these things at once."
The monthly salary for one Heavy Cavalryman is four Dinars and five silvers, which comes out to four hundred and fifty Su. For twenty Heavy Cavalry, that's ninety Dinars per month.
A veteran Shielded Crossbowman's monthly salary is one Dinar and two silvers, so for ten men, the monthly salary is twelve Dinars.
Skilled Spearmen and Skilled Scouts both earn a monthly salary of eighty Su. For twenty men, that's a monthly salary of sixteen Dinars.
A monthly military expenditure of one hundred and eighteen Dinars was a fatal blow for Henry, who currently had almost zero income.
Henry cleared his throat and proceeded to tell them about the contracts he had signed and the partnerships he had formed over the past few days. And then...
Claude and Tommy stared wide-eyed, utterly speechless. To them, this news was as shocking as the entire continent of Caladia spontaneously exploding.
Claude shot to his feet involuntarily. "My lord! How could you invest all of your money? Over eighty-seven hundred Dinars, and that was just the down payment? Just how big was this deal you made?"
Henry unconsciously rubbed his leg. "Over sixty thousand Dinars..."
Claude's hand trembled as he reached out. "My lord! That means you're now more than fifty thousand in debt! We don't have the money to cover the rest!"
Tommy sighed. "Claude, don't forget. Our lord also signed a wager with Baron Pedro."
"If he fails, the lord will have to pay at least one hundred and seventy-three thousand Dinars for the castle's construction."
Philip, slow on the uptake, asked, "My lord... do we even have money to pay the soldiers' salaries now?"
Claude gave a solemn bow. "My lord, if construction on the castle hasn't begun, we must call off this wager immediately!"
Henry let out a couple of laughs. "Baron Pedro's men have already started work at Westwood Laine. I hear he sent several construction teams—over two thousand masons and carpenters. They've almost finished digging the foundations, and the stone has already been delivered."
Claude sighed. "My lord, Baron Pedro is just trying to get this castle built quickly to trap you in this agreement!
"I've been alive for over thirty years, and I've never heard of anyone deploying two thousand men to build a castle for a single Knight."
Typically, for a military structure of this scale, even a Viscount would only use a few hundred men and take about three years to build it slowly.
But according to you, Baron Pedro plans to raise a castle from nothing in just three months!
"Don't worry about the money."
Henry said with complete composure, "There's another martial tournament in a few days. I can earn a fortune there. Rest assured, the army's salaries won't be a problem, at the very least."
Henry looked at Philip and continued, "You need to ensure the Personal Guard is combat-ready. War could break out at any moment. Tommy, you and Claude will be in charge of going to Westwood Laine to coordinate resources and oversee Pedro's supply chain and financial management...
"Actually, never mind. Philip, you take the Personal Guard and go with them. I don't need protection here; Bain is enough."
Henry took a deep breath. "I have the confidence and the ability to win this wager. Your job is to make sure that this castle isn't just a rush job of shoddy construction."
The men all accepted their orders. If Henry was so sure he would succeed, what else could they say?
Tommy thought for a moment, then asked in confusion, "My lord, what resources are we supposed to be coordinating?"
Henry smiled and replied, "Among the merchants I made the fief trade deal with, there are two key figures: a man named Harry and another named Bern.
"I've already given them your and Claude's names. Take my seal and a letter in my own hand. As soon as you hear news of the Pioneer Bill, go and immediately begin rebuilding Westwood Laine. Build it as... an auxiliary village to a military fortress."
"The Pioneer Bill? My lord, you didn't know? The Imperial Legions have already reached the border. The Royal Capital has already activated the Pioneer Bill!"
Henry blinked, then said at once, "Then go to the open-air market now and immediately start organizing the reconstruction of Westwood Laine."
"Yes, my lord. We will complete the task you've given us."
Henry nodded and smiled. "Bain, go tell the Earl's housekeeper to prepare extra food today. You can all leave after you've had a meal."
"Thank you, my lord."