LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 66: Selection
Chapter 66: Selection
Once the interview was done, Raven left the living room and entered the foyer, where all the interviewers were gathered in line.
"First of all, thank you for coming here." Raven stood before hundreds of people and continued.
"Although many of you have good skills, I only needed a few members to maintain this mansion."
"Emanuel, step forward," Raven spoke as he gazed at the blonde-haired young man.
"Yes, My Lord." A hint of nervousness and excitement appeared on Emanuel's face as he stepped forward from the crowd and stood before him.
"I appoint you as the Butler of this House. Do not disappoint me," Raven said with a smile, then turned his attention back towards the crowd.
His gaze moved towards a woman in her thirties with lustrous black hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders, framing a delicate, triangular face. Her brown eyes, warm and expressive, held a quiet strength. High cheekbones accentuated the graceful lines of her face, giving her an elegant appearance.
Her figure was slender yet feminine, with a medium-sized chest that complemented her proportions. She wore a long, dark dress with a crisp white apron tied neatly at the waist. The dress was modestly cut, with a high collar, long sleeves, and a small, lace-trimmed bonnet perched atop her head.
"Stephanie, I appoint you as the housemaid," Raven stated calmly. Compared to Emanuel, Stephanie's skills were average. But other candidates were either spies or came here with ulterior motives.
So, Raven had no choice but to choose her as a Housemaid.
Meanwhile, Stephanie stepped forward, knelt before him on one knee, and thanked him.
"Thank you, My Lord."
Raven nodded and continued.
“Briana, Kate, and Lyra. Step forward."
Two black-haired young women in their early twenties and one silver-haired woman in her forties stepped forward and bowed their heads.
"Briana and Kate." Raven focused his gaze on the two young women and added.
"You two will be Housemaids, while Lyra will be the Kitchen Maid."
"Thank you, My Lord." All three of them bowed their heads.
"Jace," Raven called out another name.
A moment later, a middle-aged man with a chubby face and a big belly came forward and bowed his head.
"You will be the chef, and your wife Lyra will help you with all the kitchen work. So, do not disappoint me." His words shocked the couple.
"H-How?" Jace never mentioned his wife in the personal file and was puzzled by how this young lord had found out about his family.
Raven finally focused on a red-haired young boy with poor clothes.
'Do I need to hire him, Zera?' He asked.
At the same time, he touched his monocle and looked at his status again.
…
[Name: Roland
Age: 14
Title: Gardener's Son
Traits: Bartering, Pruning and Trimming, Street Genius, and Tool maintenance.
Past History: His father died a year ago, and his elder sister takes care of his family. He completed elementary school but never attended any higher secondary school. He learned how to do Gardening from his father.
Current Status: Nervousness
Attributes:
Strength- 0.6
Agility- 0.7
Vitality- 0.8
Spirit-1.0
Luck- 1.1
Skills: None
Affinities: Time- Intermediate.]
…
[People born with 'Time' affinity are scarce. Even though it's only an intermediate rank, he can use the 'Star Constellation Book' once he becomes a high-rank walker. If nurtured properly, he is going to become a good strategist. His ability will be beneficial during the war period.] Zera said.
'Okay.'
"Ronald, you will be responsible for taking care of the lawn and garden," Raven said as he pointed his finger at the young boy and then looked at Emanuel.
"Also, teach him basic etiquette, Emanuel." Saying so, he slowly looked at other candidates and added.
"That's all the people I needed. Thanks for coming."
Disappointed sighs escaped from several people, but no one dared to complain as they quietly exited the mansion foyer.
Once all the candidates had left the building, Raven turned his attention to the newly hired servants and addressed them.
"Butler Emanuel and Housemaid Stephine will receive a monthly salary of 1 gold and 50 silvers. Briana, Kate, Lyra, and Jace will each receive one gold coin per month," he announced. After a brief pause, he shifted his gaze to Roland.
"Roland, you will be paid 75 silvers per month. You can also learn other skills from the Butler and Housemaids. Emanuel, go and prepare the contract papers before tonight," Raven instructed, taking out a leather pouch from his inventory and handing it to him.
"This pouch contains fifty gold coins. Use it to purchase everything the mansion needs and return the remaining money to me. You should all help each other in cleaning the building as well."
"Yes, My Lord." Emanuel bowed his head and nodded.
"I'll be resting in the living room. Come and wake me up if you need any help."
Saying so, he went to the living room and slowly lay on the ornate sofa.
…
Raven slept soundlessly for the next three hours but soon awoke after hearing the door-knocking sound.
"What happened?" Raven let out a yawn and looked at the young Butler.
Emanuel wore a traditional black suit with a well-fitted tailcoat and matching trousers. He wore a crisp white shirt underneath, paired with a black waistcoat and a neatly tied cravat. His polished black shoes and white gloves completed the professional look.
Emanuel adjusted his cravat and answered.
"Sepoy Mercenary Leader Jacob and his team members are waiting for you in the guest room, My Lord."
"Oh? When did they arrive?" Raven asked while standing up.
"Just a while ago, My Lord. Do you want to take a shower before meeting them? Although the bathroom in the master bedroom isn't repaired yet, the one in the second guest room is working properly." Emanuel suggested.
"No. I need to prepare something before meeting the mercenaries." Raven only cared a little about the etiquette.
"But it will give a bad impression, My Lord."
"They will be staying in this mansion for a long time. So, don't worry about the formalities." Raven paused for a moment and added.
"Also, I need a few hours to prepare before signing the contract. Make arrangements for the Sepoy Mercenaries to stay in the mansion."
"I'll do my best, My Lord." Emanuel nodded.
Then, Raven left the living room, walked across the foyer, and soon went to the study in the right corridor.
It was a simple room with one table in the center, a bookshelf on the left side, and two chairs in the front.
After locking the room, Raven walked past the table, went near the wingback chair, and sat on it.
Then, he searched the table and soon found an empty notebook in the cupboard.
"This should do the work." Nodding, Raven leaned on the chair and entered the Memory Library.
A second later, his illusionary figure appeared in the tall library.
A silver-haired woman with long ears also appeared beside him and asked.
[What are you looking for?]
"An Uncommon Spirit Technique. Where is it located?" Not startled by the voice, Raven looked at the nearby shelf and asked.
[Oh? Uncommon? There are some uncommon techniques on the first floor.] Zera said before walking towards the row of shelves.
They walked past the alchemy book section, then the Spell Model section, the Rune Study section, and finally arrived at the Physical and Mental Enchantment Section.
"Why are there only common and Uncommon techniques on this floor?" Raven couldn't help but ask as he checked the titles.
[I arranged it that way, lad. This library has five floors, but due to your low spirit power, you can only enter and exit the first floor for a limited time.] Zera said.
Raven frowned and said in a dissatisfied tone.
"But the first floor is filled with only the basic subjects and techniques. How many spirit points do I need to enter the second floor?"
[20 spirit points. Even with that, you can only stay on the floor for a few minutes.] Zera's words made him widen his eyes.
"Why is that? It's only books. Why did you make it difficult for me?"
A chuckle escaped out of the beautiful elf's mouth.
[Do you think it's easy for you to enter that place? Each book inside that floor is filled with rule power. With one single mistake, your whole consciousness might get burned or exterminated. It's the same for meeting high-rank Walkers. Can you withstand the gaze of an Expert Rank Walker? No. The moment you meet an Expert Rank's killing intent, you'll faint.] Zera said in a cold tone.
Meanwhile, Raven nodded stiffly and quietly looked at the books.
'Lotus Bloom Spirit Absorption… Spectral Essence Gathering… Void Harmonization Technique… Gathering Essence of Primordial Sea…'
After a quick look, he realized that around 200 Spirit Technique books were stored on the shelf!
‘159 Common Rank and 54 Uncommon Rank.'
[All these techniques are basic versions of Legendary ones, lad. If you plan on giving away to outsiders, give the Mystic Spirit Convergence. Its original technique is a Pseudo-Legend Rank and is pretty average compared to others.] Zera suggested.
'What is the difference between a Common and an Uncommon one?' He was clueless about the spirit technique and asked.
[Spirit technique is a unique way of gathering soul essences from the environment and strengthening one's soul. Most Common Spirit Techniques allow a person to gather up to 0.01 points daily. On the other hand, an Uncommon Spirit Technique enables a person to gather more than 0.04 points per day. Not only that, but the high-ranking technique also helps break the soul shackles.]
'What about Rare and Epic Techniques?' Raven asked as he took the Mystic Spirit Convergence Technique book and opened it.
[Rare technique can allow a person to gather up to 0.08 points per day, a total of 28 points per year. Some unique, rare techniques even allow a person to gather up to 0.1 points daily. On the other hand, Epic Technique is in a completely different league. With an Epic Rank Technique, a person can gather up to 0.5 points! The higher the rank, the faster the absorption rate will be. But if a mortal or low-rank Walker uses such a high-rank technique, he will either injure his soul or let his consciousness get corrupted. That's why I will never allow you to touch any high-rank technique.]
'I don't need it, though. I have the Bloodline Devouring System to make this job easier.' A smug look appeared on his face.
[Raven, do you think it's easy?] Zera asked.
'What do you mean?' Raven asked.
[You see, the spirit power you get whenever you use the 'Bloodline Devouring System' on a dead creature is a part of its soul essence. It not only has a positive soul essence but also a negative soul essence. I didn't stop you from absorbing those soul essences because they are helping you recover your broken soul. Alas, the more your soul gets corrupted, the higher the chance that Casper will grow strong and take over your soul and body. Before such a misfortune happens, we need to find a way to purify the negative soul essences.] Zera said solemnly.
'There is such a side effect of using the system ability? Why didn't you tell me before?' Raven asked with a frown.
[Even if you knew it before, nothing would've changed. For now, take care of the outside matters and start creating the elemental circles in your Mind Space soon. Then, we will think of a way to tackle this problem.]
Raven nodded at Zera's words and continued to memorize the book. He spent over an hour in the Memory Library before finally leaving.
By the time he woke up, it was already around 5 P.M.
Without delay, he opened the notebook and immediately began transcribing the contents he had memorized.
After three hours of writing, Raven finally copied the 'Mystic Spirit Convergence Technique,' deliberately omitting some crucial details to create an incomplete version.
With the task done, he stood up from the chair and walked out of the study.