Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Having been a butler for sixty-nine years, Blaze was still able to maintain his composure, not showing too much shock despite the surprise.

He simply cautioned the servants to be more careful.

As soon as the room was arranged and cleaned, Blaze, without even taking the time to be shocked by the stunningly transformed bedroom, hurried off to find Phelos.

Dismissing all the servants and even using a soundproof barrier, Blaze tentatively reported his findings, then hesitated, saying, “Lord, such a precious item, should we not—”

After listening to him, Phelos said in a matter-of-fact tone, “Oh, that’s not Soundthunder Gold.”

There was no such thing in the game, but with master-level knowledge of alchemy, the mention of "Soundthunder Gold" immediately brought to mind all there was to know about it.

He chuckled to himself; it was just a string of data, after all, still only part of a furniture set that boosted buffs over time, and for 300 million gold coins, one could buy a golden weapon instead!

Surely, it would have to be made from a material for level 300 as a starting point!

The items in the game were, after all, fabrications. When game data transformed into physical objects in this world, some adjustments were made according to the world's laws. Phelos hadn't scrutinized the furniture in detail, and he was oblivious to the silver-glittering gold trim the butler mentioned. But even a layman could guess it wasn't made of mere level 150 materials.

A useless purple suit for monster hunting costs three hundred million gold coins. If it involves level 150 materials, players would curse it enough to stock a hardware store with knives!

Thus, every part of that set, even the threads used for the tassels, was crafted from level 300 materials. Even if the physical manifestation included changes in name, some functions, and color, the differences wouldn't be drastic – just minor details.

Level 150? That was utterly inconceivable!

Blaze heaved a sigh of relief. Having a formidable lord was one thing, but dealing with level 150 materials was another entirely – enough to cause anxiety no sleeping potion could soothe.

Being overly cautious with legendary level 150 materials was, after all, never a bad idea.

"I don't like others entering my room. Tell them not to unless necessary. No need for cleaning either; everything has a self-cleaning feature."

The self-cleaning feature was convenient, merely requiring a small magic rune. Although enchanting it cost just a few silver coins, nobles rarely used it.

After all, having young, attractive maids and manservants tirelessly cleaning was a status symbol for the nobility.

"Would you like to dine now, Lord?"

Phelos had no physiological need to eat. In his current state, he could go a hundred years without food, drink, or sleep without any ill effects. Yet, he still relished the pleasures of taste. The only non-assassination target on his list was a life player with maxed-out culinary skills.

"Yes, let's eat."

The dining room was vast, lined with maids and manservants. As Phelos seated himself, servers approached with silver platters. The fifteen-meter-long dining table was laden with dishes, reminiscent of a feast at Hogwarts.

Phelos silently picked up his fork and knife, while the butler, gloved in white, poured him a glass of well-aerated fruit wine.

"Lord, this is an elven fruit wine from the year '82." The clear beverage had a gradient hue, like a fleeting rainbow after the rain, with vivid colors and a refreshing scent, a blend of rich yet sweet fruity aromas.

It smelled divine, but once the covers were lifted from the dishes on the table, the overwhelming mix of scents momentarily numbed Phelos's brain, prompting him to shut off his sense of smell.

It was too chaotic!

What kind of aroma was this!

Spices were expensive because most of them were derived from magical plants, which only grew in areas rich in magical energy. Ordinary farms couldn't cultivate them, and most magical plants were aggressive, only harvestable by those with extraordinary abilities.

This led to spices being both precious and expensive, affordable only by the nobility.

"My lord, this is the signature Whisperwind Pork from the city of Lanyaville. Over six hundred days of maturation lends it..." The butler continued to introduce each dish at the table to Phelos, but Phelos only felt a tingling numbness at the back of his head.

"Hey, take a look at this! It's crawling with worms! Those are worms, aren't they?!"

"...the eggs of the Razor Worm incubated within the parasitic meat..."

Good heavens! Were these worms deliberately bred?!

Phelos wasn't averse to insects; for instance, he relished fried bee pupae with honey. But the crux of the matter was this— the meat was rank, the worms half-cooked and wriggling! They were practically maggots! Who would fancy the experience of biting into pork enrobed with writhing worm flesh, bursting with juices?

As Phelos felt his scalp prickle, Blaze spoke with increasing pride. A spread of such rare delicacies, not even the table of a Magistrate's household could boast a complete replication—much of it dependent on connections!

Take, for example, this Whisperwind Pig—a level 32 magical beast. Capturing it was no mean feat! And as for the Razor Worms, though mere level 8 magic vermin, they were not something ordinary people could handle. During the pork's "curing" over six hundred days, at least one transcendent being had to watch over it daily.

Not to mention the spices, thirty-eight varieties in total—more than all the spices in the Magistrate's kitchen combined!

Phelos was not put off by bizarre or dark cuisine. He had once tried a dish known as 'Steamed Trio of Stenches'—rotten spinach, stinky tofu, and moldy amaranth stems, three pungently odorous ingredients that combined into an overwhelming scent, not simply additive but multiplicative in its stench, inducing tears and coughs. Yet, it was delicious! The ultimate foulness transformed into sublime savoriness, so revolting yet so compelling bite after bite.

In plain terms, it's the "Original Sin of Nasty Taste"! Not everything should be attributed to dark cuisine!

Dark Cuisine (×)

Nasty Cuisine (√)

A full table of food, some appearing normal, but the abnormal ones had already utterly ruined Phelos's appetite.

Laying down his cutlery, Phelos inquired, "How many people are in the castle now?"

The butler did not take offense at Phelos's blunt change of subject, instead answering seriously, "At present, the castle holds 3,572 slaves, with 100 male servants and 50 female servants. Additionally, there are 2,221 slaves working on the estate." The other 1,200 slaves were brought by Phelos and had yet to be assigned duties. The one not counted, naturally, was the butler himself.

The term "slave" made Phelos frown slightly, but he said nothing more on the matter.

The butler, however, misunderstood and thought Phelos's frown indicated dissatisfaction with his work, and quickly said, "The castle hasn't welcomed its master for 50 years, so the number of servants has been maintained at the bare minimum during this time. My lord, I will ensure the staff are trained as quickly as possible."

"..." A castle with 150 servants at the bare minimum was beyond Phelos's expectations; he remembered that the 'Legends' figurine company, with an annual revenue of 150 billion, only had 160 employees.

"How much profit can these 150 people generate?"

"???" The butler thought he had misheard, "My lord, may I ask you to repeat that?"

After Phelos repeated his question, the butler replied, "You jest, my lord. They are your servants, after all!"

"My lord, what is the matter with the servants?"

The butler, as if he could read minds, whispered softly, "My lord, the servants need only to serve you with all their heart and dedication."

With the butler’s explanation, Phelos finally came to understand.

Maintaining the three hundred and sixty rooms of the grand castle required a hundred servants to tirelessly clean every day just to keep each corner free of dust.

Plus gardeners, cooks, coachmen... the normal operation of a castle demands at least a hundred and fifty servants.

These one hundred and fifty people need to work incessantly, footloose and fancy-free, to keep the castle in its cleanest, neatest, and most beautiful state at all times.

The servants, being slaves, do not require wages, but they are human after all, and their basic needs for sustenance must be met.

Even at its least, this is a necessary expenditure.

Then there’s the maintenance of the castle itself; although the servants clean daily, cleaning and maintenance are different matters—wood rot, brick deterioration, fresco flaking, vegetation wilting... these require at least an annual expenditure of over 5000 gold coins!

So the 150 people can't generate any profit, and instead, the castle’s finances must cover their annual expenditure of over 5000 gold coins.

Why employ 150 people to clean 365 days a year, for 15 hours a day, when a self-cleansing rune could do the job? Why does one person live in a castle with 360 rooms, spending money for 150 people to ceaselessly clean?

The butler, with overt pride, proclaimed, "Because you are the lord, my lord!" His face couldn't hide his shared sense of honor.

Phelos still did not understand, but this did not prevent him from being profoundly astounded!