Chapter 14 – The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
In the Knightledge territory-
Near the Baron's Manor-
The people stood in the surroundings, slack-jawed, as they saw a floating ship in the sky descending.
Yes, a ship, with sails and everything, covered in strange, glowing runes.
Among the people outside, naturally, some of them were
"A Sky Ship. Like out of the legends and fairy tales." Ewan's mother, now a grey-haired woman in her late forties, muttered in a daze.
"Only the legendary Wizards own such things. What do they seek from our humble territory?" Ewan's father, the previous Baron who ceded his position to his eldest son, warily said.
"Is it related to Ewan?" Ewan's eldest brother, Aldern, guessed.
"Yes. Only 3rd brother is worth their attention." Ewan's second brother, Hebrin, squinted his eyes.
"But what do they want from brother- or us?" - Ewan's youngest sister, who has yet to wed, Stinni, asked the question in everyone's hearts.
At Ewan's field-
Ewan's wife, Shiri, and Ewan's children were looking at the descending ship. While the children were excited, she was wary.
"What do they want with my husband?" Shiri frowned while holding her youngest child.
As his wife, she knew Ewan was an extraordinary man. Otherwise, she would have opposed marrying him. Shiri also knew how hard he trained despite working a dozen times more land than others. She saw him practicing Knight Breathing Techniques daily and replacing his sleep with Meditation every night. He even had the energy to play with the kids and spend romantic time with her, satisfying her every need.
But now, Wizards came to their doorstep. She knew the tales and stories and knew how terrifying Wizards could be. Even the state religion made them understand the phrase Respect the Wizard.
Soon, the ship descended, floating a meter above the ground as a staircase extended itself from onboard to the ground, allowing a middle-aged man with metal and strange cogs replacing part of his head to descend, his left eye replaced with a red glowing glass of sorts.
Scanning the crowd with an apathetic look, the man spoke.
"I am Vugast, Pseudo Mechanical Wizard of Gaxarth's Wizard Academy under the service of Her Excellency Fladrinne, 1st-order Fire Wizard of the Ancient and Honorable Leminaing Wizard Clan. Who is your leader?" The man said in a clear but monotone voice.
"I am the ruling Lord of this territory, your eminence. May I be so rude as to ask what you need of our humble territory?" Aldern stepped forward and respectfully said.
"Under the order of Her Excellency Fladrinne, I am to bring aboard all of Sir Ewan Knightledge's close family members present in the Knightledge Barony for their protection. You may bring up to one large Travel Bag each, and we will provide you with lodging and food on board. And no servants or pets. But you may bring a weapon." Vugast said, a well-hidden disdain in his remaining eye.
If it were not for Fladrinne's warning through the long-distance communicator that Ewan is likely a future Wizard of the academy, he would never lower himself to speak with some countryside Baron. As a pseudo-wizard, despite being slightly weaker, his status was similar to that of a Grand Knight.
"Is Ewan okay?" Ewan's mother worriedly asked.
"Sir Ewan is doing well. He will arrive here within three hours with her Excellency." Vugast patiently explained.
"You said protection. From what?" Ewan's father asked.
"Sir Ewan performed too well in the recent war, and a vengeful enemy Shaman would likely take revenge on him and his family. I need not tell more." Vugast said with a hint of respect.
To make an enemy 1st-Order Wizard antagonistic to you due to outstanding military performance is quite an achievement. Although he thought it was foolish to overperform in such a war, he respected the strong.
"Then we will make suitable preparations," Aldern said.
Vugast lightly nodded and returned to the ship, not wanting to speak with them further.
Ewan's family looked at each other.
"Let's prepare things quickly. You don't have much time." Ewan's father said.
"I will help sister-in-law pack her things," Stinni rushed to Ewan's farm.
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.
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Three hours later-
Fladrinne's floating carriage arrived at the Knightledge Manor.
Stepping out, Ewan glanced around and saw his family standing there, including his parents, wife, children, three siblings who had not married out, and their wives and children.
Seeing them intact, Ewan sighed in relief.
"Good. Nothing happened while I was gone." Ewan thought.
"So this... hovel is your birthplace? It is hard to believe you achieved what you did with these poor conditions." Fladrinne said, wincing from the unpleasant smell prevalent in the air.
Valli and Theli also left the carriage and looked around. They fared better than Fladrinne, but they also showed uncomfortable expressions. All three came from a Wizard Clan, each above the likes of the mortal royalty. To them, this place was a shithole with primitive technology and sparse magical elements. To raise someone on Ewan's level was close to a miracle.
"Like it or not, this is where I was born and raised," Ewan said.
"For four lifetimes," Ewan added in his heart.
"It just shows how overwhelming your talent is. It is a shame you were not born in the Wizard World. You could have likely become a Wizard by now." Fladrinne said with a hint of pity.
With the resources in the Wizard World, even if Ewan got treated like a branch member, it would be several times better due to the magical concentration and magic tonics he would receive, forming a more solid foundation and training environment.
As if remembering something, Fladrinne looked at Ewan and asked, "By the way, you haven't tested your magical talent yet, have you?"
"No. I had no tools for that." Ewan shook his head.
Every person had a talent for magic, above the six primary stats. It is a so-called Magical Root that dictates how effective one's attunement to magic is.
"Then we will test it on the ship. Where is your field?" Fladrinne asked.
"Over there." Ewan pointed to his massive field of 300 acres, occupying a sizable part of the landscape.
"Hm. I need to inspect something. You go to your family." Fladrinne said and gestured to her carriage.
In front of Ewan's astonished eyes, the carriage rapidly shrunk to the size of a children's toy before being pocketed.
"I also want to do that." Ewan thought in envy.
"Sir Ewan, we will speak to the ship captain," Valli said.
"Okay." Ewan nodded and headed to meet his family.
When Ewan's family saw him safe and sound, they sighed in relief.
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"Husband!"
"Daddy!"
Shiri and Ewan's children ran to Ewan's side and hugged him.
"I am back." Ewan smiled and hugged them back.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Shiri worriedly asked, looking Ewan up and down for injuries.
"I am fine. A few Barbarians won't get me." Ewan smiled and turned to his other family member. "You must have many questions. We will have plenty of time on our way."
"Okay, brother. We will follow your arrangements." Aldern agreed.
At the same time, Valli and Theli spoke with Vugast.
"Miss Valli and Miss Theli, I am glad you safely returned from the battle." Vugast gave a bow.
Although subservient to Fladrinne, these unidentical twin Grand Knights were inner members of the Leminaing Clan and Fladrinne's grand nieces. In contrast, he was merely an outer member who signed a magically binding contract and married a less talented daughter from a branch family for resources to advance to a pseudo-wizard. The relationship was clear-cut in black and white.
"Hm. How was the harvest this time?" Valli asked.
"Six Grade 3, two regular Grade 4, one pseudo Grade 5, and one regular Grade 5. There were no problems on the way." Vugast reported.
"Not bad. The Tithes this time were acceptable." Theli nodded.
"Did you treat Sir Ewan's family well?" Valli asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Yes. I showed sufficient respect and restraint." Vugast hurriedly said, the cogs on his head turning.
He felt the hint of threat coming from Valli. If he disrespected Ewan's family, they would punish him.
"Good." Valli relaxed.
"May I be rude to ask why you place so much importance on this gentleman?" Vugast probed.
From his point of view, whatever contribution Ewan gave was not significant enough to warrant such treatment. He also sensed the magical fluctuations on Ewan, and he was merely a 3rd-level Wizard Apprentice in his 30s! Although better than the majority of Wizard Apprentices, definitely in the top 10%, it was not considered a Wizard Talent. Every year that passes, the vitality in the body diminishes along with the chance of advancement, and the highest age one should attempt becoming a Wizard is 50. Any more is suicide. Most Wizards advanced before they turned 40!
That is to say, without extensive care with tonics and elixirs, Ewan had little chance to become a Wizard. Under these circumstances, he questioned why his Mistress, Fladrinne, placed such importance on him, going as far as to state he would likely become a future Wizard.
"Know your place, Vugast. That is not for you to know." Theli frowned.
"But we can reveal that he would likely become a Core Clan Member soon, so be respectful," Valli added.
"Core Clan Member?!" Vugast shook and dared not ask further.
Valli and Theli were Inner Members, while Fladrinne was a Core Member. For inner family members to become Core Members, one only needed to become a Wizard, have extreme magical talent, or have something vital to the family's growth.
For an outsider to become a Core Member, one must fulfill two additional stringent conditions. First, he had to sign a life-and-death magical contract with the family, binding him to the clan forever. Second, they were required to marry Inner Members of the clan and sire heirs to strengthen the bloodline, and only then did they have the qualifications to become Core Members.
And analyzing the situation, the ones Ewan would likely marry were Valli or Theli- Or both. Many wanted them as their wives or concubines, but they were reserved for political marriage to rope in top-tier experts. And now, Fladrinne likely decided on their marriage to none other than some countryside hick. That just showed how much Fladrinne wanted to rope him in!
And under further deduction, he could confirm that Ewan likely had something vital to the family's growth. But what? What could some hick possibly have to offer to an Ancient Wizard Clan with a dozen Wizards, ruled by a venerable 2nd-order Wizard?
"I want to know his secret, but I dare not probe lest they have my head." Vugast thought.
Meanwhile-
Fladrinne was in Ewan's field, taking soil samples from several locations.
"In the rest of the area, the soil was Grade 0. But, in his field, it fluctuates from Grade 1 to Grade 2 magical soil, likely due to the unevenness of his work during the one month he advanced. And this is when he didn't use Magical Fertilizer, and the original land quality was poor." Fladrinne muttered.
She then dug up a Wheat Seed that started budding and observed it. It was initially the most common of Wheat Seeds, but it underwent a slight mutation under the nourishment of magical energies.
"From this trend, it would have grown to a Grade 1 Magical Crop," Fladrinne muttered.
Compared to regular Grade 0 non-magical crops, Grade 1 Magical Crops are the staple food of upper-class families in the Wizard World, given as tonics to promising younger members. Long-term consumption can permanently improve various stats, making it a precious commodity.
Grade 1 crops are over a dozen times as expensive as Grade 0 crops. But that wasn't all. The demand greatly outweighed the production, so they had to import from more magically-rich regions.
As for Grade 2? That already met the standard supplementary ingredients for many magical potions and elixirs. Their worth was several dozen times that of Grade 1 crops.
"With these shit conditions, he can create Grade 2 Magical Soil. So, if he had access to fertilizers, magical water, and enchanted farming equipment, perhaps he could make Grade 3 Magical Soil? And with his ability to cultivate over 300 acres, he can mass-produce Grade 3 crops?!"
Grade 3 ingredients were already core ingredients of many low-end potions and elixirs. Even if he grew the most common of Magical Crops, he could produce several hundreds of tons of Grade 3 Magical Crops! It was enough to support the growth of all the youths in the clan and raise a wave of alchemists.
"He is even better than I expected. But wait. His Blessing of the Land should be only level 1, right? What would happen after he raises it to level 5 or even 10? And after consuming many tonics and elixirs and becoming a Wizard..."
At the thought of it, her body shook. She felt sweat gathering on her palms and forehead, greed flashing in her eyes.
"He could create Grade 4 Magical Soil or even Grade 5. Even if we lack the appropriate Magical Water and Fertilizer, he should still be able to raise level 4 crops. Hundreds of tons, or even thousands annually!"
At the thought of this, she couldn't help but turn to look at Ewan in the distance, a strange and hungry look in her eyes. It was as if she looked at The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs.
Ewan, who was boarding the Sky Ship, suddenly shuddered.
"What was that ominous feeling?"