Chapter 2 Becoming a Noble from Today Onwards
The sound of hooves continued in a rhythm.
Carter led the procession, accompanied by his son, Nathan.
"Father, how long do you think it will take for that boy to sell off his land and city?" Nathan sneered.
Carter's eyes gleamed with cunning as he gazed at the desolate mountains in the distance. "He's quite capable. I believe he can hold on until next year."
"Haha," Nathan chuckled, turning to look behind him. "With a few more fools like him, we'll soon have enough money to leave this place and buy a noble title."
Carter's eyes narrowed, with wrinkles crowded together. "Not anyone can be a lord in this place. The slaves here are capable of devouring people when they're desperate."
"Those damn slaves and bastards! If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have to sell off our land and city," Nathan growled, his face contorted menacingly.
"However..."
Nathan's expression suddenly turned calm, and he sneered, "We should also thank those slaves and beasts. They've brought us so much extra income. Did you really think thirty gold coins could buy everything?"
"Hahaha!" Carter burst into laughter, urging his horse to pick up the pace, hastening the journey.
After a couple of hours, they arrived at a populated area.
Henry looked at the surrounding fields and couldn't help but smile. On Earth, he was an orphan, feeling familiar with these scenes.
"What do you think? Is this estate satisfactory?" Carter appeared by his side.
Compared the situation here to that on Earth, it wasn't particularly great, but Henry nodded in agreement.
"Let's go. Once we're in the city, this territory will be yours," Carter said with a smile.
Henry followed, observing the poor governance and impoverished people in the territory.
'Carter doesn't seem like a good person,' Henry concluded.
After another ten minutes, they reached the so-called city, a low wall that was no more than ten inches high, about the size of a high school on Earth.
A wooden board with the word Eldoria hung on the gate!
Henry now had a sense of the size of this territory, similar to a town on Earth.
Inside Eldoria, it was chaotic. Henry felt like he had entered a pigsty, but seeing Carter and the others unfazed, he realized that this might be normal in this world.
In the middle was an avenue five or six meters wide, flanked on either side by houses built of wood and stone, so crooked that they threatened to be blown over if the wind was strong.
Henry sensed that someone was watching him, and the people on the road had a numb look, which made him furrow his brow.
Carter noticed Henry's expression and chuckled, "My friend, they are just a bunch of commoners. If you're not satisfied, you can drive them away."
"It seems that life in this territory is not so good," Henry replied, avoiding this topic.
Carter smiled and led the way to a castle made of stone bricks, saying, "My friend, this will be your future home, a grand, safe, and comfortable castle."
Indeed, it was the most satisfying place Henry had seen on this journey. The castle walls were sixteen inches high, taller than the city walls.
And people could stand on top of it, making it a fortress for war.
Henry glanced at Carter, realizing that living in such a castle indicated a strong sense of insecurity. It seemed that this place was not very safe.
Inside the castle, which was also the lord's mansion, Carter had brought two things.
"This is the Baron's noble title medal, proof of your noble status."
Carter handed a small, exquisite bronze plaque to him, engraved with the words "Baron."
"This is the noble inheritance document. As long as you sign your name on it, you will become Baron Henry, a nobleman from now on," Carter said, pushing forward a beautifully crafted scroll.
Henry looked at the contents and frowned. It was a document representing the Baron's noble status and lineage. Four or five names were signed below, with Carter's name appearing the most on it.
Carter, who had been watching Henry closely, said with a hint of distress, "I have sold off territories before, and the previous buyers found this place too boring, begging me to buy it back, so there are many signatures."
"Oh!" Henry was surprised, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
Carter's heart tightened, suspecting that Henry had found something off. He quickly said, "My friend, go ahead and sign your name. This territory will be yours."
Henry took out a pen from his pocket and signed his name on the scroll, pressing his thumbprint. After a while, Carter pressed his handprint next to his name.
"Congratulations, Baron Henry. You are now a nobleman," Carter congratulated with a hearty laugh.