Work Prophet
Chapter 57 - 18 An Unexpected Request

Chapter 57: Chapter 18 An Unexpected Request

Miss Rabbit did not lie; at least her family, the Arias clan, had quite the influence in the western lands.

The over two pounds of peppercorns she had sent to Black Stone City for sale finally netted Li Yu a total of two hundred and twenty-nine Gold Coins.

Li Yu toyed with the newly acquired bag of gold coins, these shiny little things each weighing between 4 to 5 grams.

On one side was the current Emperor Edward II of the Red Lion Empire, and on the other was the lion’s head of the Vespasian family, which is why the imperial people referred to them as Gold Lions.

The batch of gold coins in Li Yu’s hands looked quite new, likely recently minted with hardly any wear, especially when they were all piled together, they emitted a captivatingly beautiful glow.

That was after deducing the thirty percent commission for Ireya. Miss Rabbit herself also made close to a hundred Gold Coins, seemingly having really sold off the peppercorns piece by piece.

Because the quality was sufficiently high and they were perfectly dry, they actually sold for more than gold.

Unfortunately, Li Yu couldn’t take this money back and could only spend it here. It constituted the first startup capital he had earned on the Bratis Continent, so for the time being, he no longer needed to worry about money as the Arias family could also hold on until the next carrot harvest.

However, the girl was clearly not satisfied and kept urging Li Yu to bring more peppercorns.

Li Yu, harried by her incessant demands, could only agree to bring two pounds of peppercorns every twenty days, a frequency that clearly did not please Miss Rabbit.

But it was better than none, after all, the peppercorns were in Li Yu’s possession, and there was nothing she could do if she disagreed.

Besides, earning a large sum of money every twenty days is still a significant income, although it was unlikely to fetch the exorbitant price of the first sale. It meant that parties and such could continue.

According to tradition, upon her accession as Lord, she should have invited all the nobles she could, and also found some minstrels and dwarf troupes from nearby towns to feast for three days and nights.

But her return was a bit... unique, and afterwards she was tormented by various vexing matters which made her spirit wane, seeking refuge in the warm embrace of her ancestors, naturally forgetting about the celebration.

Now that the most pressing financial crisis had been resolved, other matters were tricky but Ireya was trying her best to solve them. Seeing the territory gradually stabilising, the girl naturally considered making up for the earlier missed celebration.

This was not because Ireya was a steadfast party advocate who always sought fun when bored, although Miss Rabbit indeed enjoyed watching plays and listening to minstrels sing, but that was not the main point.

Mainly, for nobles, a banquet has a strong political significance in addition to being entertainment.

In an era without telegrams or news, the girl needed to use a grand banquet to declare to Green Field and the entire western lands that she, Ireya, had taken over from her father, Ruse, to become the ruler of these lands.

This way, the mark of a legitimate heir would be stamped in most of the people’s minds, and from then on, if anyone else claimed Green Field should be theirs, they would be seen as a traitorous villain.

Besides, Ireya needed to use the banquet to win over the knights and lesser nobles, making them feel positive about their ruler and see a promising future by aligning with her.

Considering the siege of Teacup Castle that had just taken place not long before, this was also an excellent opportunity to ease the relationship between the two sides and alleviate the knights’ concerns.

At the same time, Miss Rabbit needed to foster good relations with her neighbours so that in future disputes, matters could be properly discussed without resorting to violence.

Lastly, an impressive celebration could showcase the wealth and power of the host family, deter potential foes, and attract future allies. Not to mention the additional function of selecting suitable spouses for one’s children while all the nobles were gathered is also worth considering.

For Ireya, this banquet was an event that simply could not be omitted.

So Miss Rabbit allocated sixty Gold Coins to her chief steward, instructing him to take responsibility for the preparations of the feast.

However, the elderly steward had to draft the guest list, find a troupe for the entertainment, prepare all the items and various ingredients needed for the banquet, and continue assisting Ireya with the daily affairs of the territory. Considering his advanced age, and the fact that he had recently been threatened and imprisoned, causing him quite a scare, his body was starting to falter under the strain.

Therefore, he pleaded with the young lady to assign more help. Although Miss Rabbit readily agreed verbally, she delayed in taking any action, leaving the old steward no choice but to find a way to help himself out of desperation.

Then, Li Yu, who had been teaching Clara and the four little ones in the castle, saw an angry Ireya quickly passing through the hallway outside, stomping on the floor with a thud, before diving into her room and slamming the door shut fiercely.

Li Yu turned his gaze to the other end of the hallway, spotting an awkward figure, uncertain whether to come or go.

Li Yu recognized the person, nodded at them, and they politely returned the gesture, seemingly waiting for Li Yu to speak first. But after Li Yu finished nodding, he withdrew his head back into the room.

The person was left stunned.

She never expected that Li Yu would have no intention of meddling in this matter or even offer a polite greeting. However, after hesitating for a moment, she still headed towards the room in front.

Because if there was someone in the world who could change that child’s mind, it was undoubtedly the man who had just entered his room.

Lady Alisa adjusted her clothes before she approached Li Yu’s door.

Li Yu had not shut the door, so Lady Alisa could easily see inside the room.

Aside from Li Yu, there were five others in the room, and since Lady Alisa had known Li Yu was teaching a new method of arithmetic, she wasn’t surprised. She simply asked softly, "May I come in?"

"Yes."

Upon seeing the visitor, Clara immediately stood up from her chair and bowed with respect, "Lady Alisa." Seeing this, the four children followed suit, stood up, and lined up against the wall, bringing the lesson to a halt.

"All right, let’s call it a day for math. You all wait outside for me, and then we’ll go out, take a stroll in the forest, and start gathering plants," Li Yu said.

The little maid took the four children out of the room, and once they were gone, the woman across from him, who bore a faint resemblance to Ireya in her brows, revealed a bitter smile.

"These days, in this castle, aside from Fosto and yourself, there are hardly a few who are still willing to speak with me."

"I understand your situation, my lady, and regret it deeply. You can speak frankly with me; there’s no need for beating around the bush. It will save time for both of us."

"Your reputation as a bright mind is well-deserved," Lady Alisa commended. "So I will get straight to the point. Ireya used to have the best relationship with me in the family, but now there is a deep rift and misunderstanding between us."

"I want to clear up this misunderstanding so that I can continue to serve her and the Arias family, and share the burden that weighs on that child’s shoulders. Therefore, I would like to ask for your assistance."

"What kind of help?" Li Yu inquired.

"You have previously demonstrated an extraordinary ability at the Marquis Mansion, and I would like you to use it once more to record my voice. I am willing to swear by the names of the gods and ancestors that I had absolutely no prior knowledge of my brother Torres changing his mind at the last moment and deciding to side with Blanco in the letter," Lady Alisa sincerely said.