Red Maple is a rich town, one of the three richest towns in Northshire, and with the exception of the capital of Northshire, it is much more prosperous than any other town in the domain of Viscount Macbeth, the lord of Boulder City, and his subordinate noble realms.

Despite this, Baron Red Maple never built his own castle. According to the decree of the kingdom, the hereditary knighthood of the local nobility can already build castles and recruit private soldiers of no more than 100 people to protect the territory and resist the invasion of the enemy.

The biggest enemy of the Celtic Kingdom is not the continental powers that are eyeing this land, but the barbaric orcs on the Northwest Plateau. In addition, there are also several spatial cracks leading to the abyss in the kingdom, which can allow small groups of evil creatures to pass through, so the military strength of the Celtic Kingdom has always been good, just the basic army, there are powerful hoplite legions and cavalry troops riding fierce northwest thoroughbred horses, not to mention that there are three major legions of the kingdom as the strongest force, which is not inferior to the elite armies of the continent countries.

It's hard to imagine that the remote kingdom of Celt in the northern lands of the continent would have such a powerful military force. This may also be one of the reasons why the forces of the mainland have never had the opportunity to invade although they are very interested in the land here.

It's just that the threat of orcs in the entire northern county is not very great, and only the westernmost Bloodstone fortress can see orcs, so this baron thinks that there is no need to spend a lot of money to build any castles here in Red Maple Town.

This is also because the family of Baron Red Maple is actually a relationship between merchants, in other words, ordinary nobles, especially knights, the first important thing with a territory is not how to make money, but how to keep and stabilize their territory.

Baron Red Maple has only been awarded for two generations, and the family was only at the level of a squire before, and he has never been a knight, so he doesn't have any special thoughts about the castle. Over the years, only one villa was built in the center of the town as a lord's house, and most of the time two generations of barons preferred to live in their own estates.

On the contrary, for the commerce of the territory, two generations of Barons of Red Maple have attached great importance to it, in order to attract investment and make people think that Red Maple Town is safe, they do not hesitate to spend a large amount of money to strengthen the outer defense of Red Maple Town and the villages under their jurisdiction, and to defend against the threat of demonic beasts that occasionally flow out of the forest.

It has to be said that this has been a success, in just a dozen years, the excellent crops and high-end wines, sweet maple syrup produced in the Red Maple Collar Manor, and the huge demonic beast resources provided by the Green Cloak Forest have driven a large number of people to become rich, making Red Maple Town the richest commercial town in North County after Shining Gold Town.

This style made the nobles of the northern county laugh at this baron as a nouveau riche full of copper odor, without the slightest aristocratic demeanor. But for the production of Red Maple Town, they are all eager to eat.

The plan of Red Maple Town is somewhat similar to the commercial city of the previous life, and Donald still appreciates it very much, but he does not fully agree with it. Because in the era of stability and prosperity, such a town will definitely bring a lot of wealth to the lord, but if it is in troubled times, it will undoubtedly become the target of others, and everyone will compete for a piece of fat, and there is no ability to resist at all.

And even if there is no war, such wealth is enough to make people blush, if there is no relative strength to protect their wealth, then it is simply to attract outsiders to rob it, and then the small life is in the hands of others, what is the use of having a room full of gold?

Donald didn't know what this lord thought, but if it were him, he would definitely create a force first, and take the territory into his own hands before doing the rest.

At this time, Donald was riding in a carriage, looking out of the window. The lively scenes passing along the way are unobstructed.

It was only a few minutes from the civilian area where he lived to the Baron's manor outside the town, and Donald didn't pay much attention to Baron Red Maple's invitation this time, and didn't bring anyone else except Clinton.

And he wore only a new set of ordinary aristocratic dresses, and there was no decoration on his whole body except for the apprentice's badge on his chest, the two rings on the fingers of his left hand, and a cane that rested diagonally on the seat of the carriage. Compared with Sir Jesse, who longed to wear gold trim on the corners of his clothes, Donald's body was simply plain.

Soon the carriage arrived in front of Baron Red Maple's manor outside the town, and a middle-aged man who looked like a butler was standing outside the gate of the manor and waiting.

Donald vaguely had the impression that this was Baron Red Maple's butler, Mr. Crane.

For this Mr. Butler, the former Donald had seen him from afar in town a few times when he was down, so he knew about the existence of this man.

Being able to let his butler greet him outside, it seems that this red maple baron attaches great importance to himself at the same time, but also has a little contempt, according to the aristocratic etiquette of this world, regardless of the size of the title, it is very normal and polite to send his own butler to welcome the nobles to visit. But that refers to the nobles who know each other or even make friends, as two nobles with similar titles, one of them visits for the first time, and no matter what important thing the interviewee is doing, he must temporarily put aside and greet each other in person to show respect for each other.

The Baron of Red Maple apparently thought that he had not yet reached the level of being on a par with himself, and that Donald's status as a down-and-out nobleman also made him despise, so he only sent his own butler to greet him.

Donald didn't care much about this contempt, anyway, when he became a blockbuster, he would have to look up to himself with this baron!

Passing through this rich wine estate, Donald secretly observed the situation on the estate.

It was found that the periphery of the manor was set up with a solid wooden wall up to three meters high, and the wooden wall was several layers thick, which was enough for the militia of 100 people to resist the attack of the army of hundreds of people, and it also had a good defensive effect on some bulky monsters.

It seems that the merchant baron did not attach as little importance to force as outsiders rumored, at least he was still heavily defended against the wine estate, which was his largest source of income.

Led by the butler, several people soon came to the gorgeous villa in the center of the manor, and met Baron Red Maple who was in the master's seat.

Donald still has a little impression in his heart of his father's old acquaintance, Baron Red Maple, this old aristocrat who is good at management has a good heart compared to other guys who fall into the well, but in the later stage, because the other party did not have the slightest intention of helping, this relationship will not end.

Coming to the middle-aged nobleman with slightly haired hair and dressed as a businessman, Donald gave the first salute.

"Lord Ernest, Donald Melliner has come to visit at your invitation!"

It stands to reason that Donald should still be called an uncle, but he can't say anything about the snobbish aristocrat in front of him.

"I haven't seen you for many years, but little Donald has grown into an adult!

As for Donald's attitude, this conversational merchant aristocrat is very enthusiastic, if it were the original Donald, maybe he would be impressed by the memories caused by the other party's emotional offensive, and gradually fall into the other party's grasp.

However, although the current Donald is less than dealing with others, the subjective identification that basically stems from his previous life is still relatively solid, and he has not changed his attitude in his heart because of a few words of close remembrance from the other party.

For this kind of person who only has interests in his eyes and can sell most things, it is better to only talk to him about interests, once he is emotional, he will hurt himself in the end!

"Speaking of which, Donald would like to thank Master Ernest for helping us settle down in the town ten years ago, otherwise I probably wouldn't be alive now, let alone where I am now!"

"Oh, the friendship between you and me, don't talk about these little helps, in order to celebrate Donald's certification as a mage apprentice, I will prepare a celebration banquet for you later, all of them are your own family, no outsiders participate, so Donald, you don't have to be restrained, just treat it as if you are in your own home!"

Seeing Donald's lukewarm attitude, Baron Red Maple Ernest obviously knew that his offensive did not impress the young man in front of him. It seems that a person who can become a powerful profession like a mage, even if it is an apprentice, is not a simple person.

However, the middle-aged businessman was not discouraged, and the more this happened, the more it proved that this teenager was worth spending a lot of money to befriend.

While preparing for the noon feast, Baron Red Maple took Donald on a tour of his most proud asset, the wine workshop.

However, the short visit did not give Donald much useful information, which disappointed Donald, who had his own estate and wanted to buy a profitable property.

Back at the villa, Baron Red Maple sat down and talked to Donald, and the baron naturally led the conversation to Donald's recent big moves.

"I heard you bought those two estates in the northwest of my territory?"

Donald replied truthfully: "Yes, Lord Ernist, if the mage profession wants to grow, it needs too much money, even for apprentices, if I have a stable income now, then I can immediately advance to a full-fledged mage!"

The middle-aged merchant frowned, looking worried, but in fact, a hint of joy flashed in his heart and said:

"As far as I know, the results of my neighbor from a few decades ago were not very good, many people say that the former lordship, and the current two manors are actually cursed land, and anyone who accepts them will suffer from bad luck, and the previous owners have also ended miserably. If Donald Jr. needs funds, you can tell me that for the sake of the friendship of old friends who have passed away, as an elder, I will not care!"

Hearing this, Donald looked at the person in front of him seriously, and was silent for a few seconds before he smiled and said:

"Curse is originally a branch of our mage, a wizard who is good at spells, if there is a curse, I will not be afraid, it's a big deal to ask Teacher Messer to take action personally, I must be able to expel a curse for the land of the kingdom, the teacher will still be very willing!"

"As for seeking the help of Lord Ernest, I will do so if necessary!"

"Oh, dear little Donald, your relationship with Master Messer ......"

The middle-aged merchant originally saw the young man's silence, thinking that the other party had taken the bait and was considering whether to accept his funding, but then the young man's words shocked him! That Master Messer, as the first mage of the North County, was not inferior to the existence of Viscount Macbeth. In his capacity, he only had a little contact with him twice, and he never had a chance again. Don't even make friends with them. If this junior disciple had an intimate relationship with that master, it would not be something that ordinary people could offend!

The more Ernest thought about it, the more frightened he became, but here Donald replied with a smile:

"I became an apprentice, and it happened that I was personally tested and certified by the master, and the master still appreciated my little talent on the path of mage, so he accepted me as his apprentice! This ring is one of the gifts given by the teacher, and I am very grateful to the teacher for his help and teaching!"

It was only then that Baron Ernest of the Red Maple took a closer look at the rings and scepters that he had previously thought to be jewels. The more I look at it, the more I feel that each piece seems to reveal mysterious power.

Even if a local nobleman like him has power and wealth in his hands, he still doesn't know much about the mysterious mage. Not to mention that he is a small baron, even His Majesty the King of Celt only knows about the profession of a mage and other spellcasters, and is limited to the contents of the royal family's books.

However, Baron Red Maple, who does not understand the level of magic items, knows their value very well.

You must know that as a wealthy and aristocrat in North County, he only has three magic items in his house, two of which are still used as kitchen fires and food cooling and preservation utensils, and only one spell talisman is used to protect his own defensive equipment, which he spent thousands of gold to buy from a black iron mage. Even if he has money, he has no way to buy some high-level magic items, and if he participates in the auction, he is afraid of the power of those big nobles and cannot bid with all his might.

In fact, this is also the reason why Baron Red Maple has been a nobleman for too short, and generally the nobles who have been around for a long time will have family heirlooms that have accumulated for several generations, which are not only valuable, but also precious.

The time for the conversation was soon over, and the diligent servants of Baron Red Maple's family had prepared the feast and were ready to begin.

The middle-aged merchant saw that he could not find any useful information from Donald, so he invited him to the banquet.

Donald still knows a lot about the banquet etiquette of the nobles, after all, he was more impressed by the education of those nobles when he was a child. Although he lost his territory and became a down-and-out nobleman, the elders of the Merlinna family did not give up on the aristocratic education of their heirs until their deaths.

After the two parties were seated, the first appetizer was served by the waiters.

The contents are appetizing beef tenderloin marinated in wild sour fruits, served with a small spiny egg.

A small plate of fragrant sauce-fried beef tenderloin is marinated for half an hour in a few wild sour juices, and the sweet and sour taste is really appetizing. The stinging eggs are crystal clear and white after being cooked on the side, without any condiments, and the original flavor of the thorn eggs alone is already very smooth and delicious.

The thorn bird is a bird the size of a quail in previous lives, and people here usually feed on their eggs, which are about the same size as quail eggs, but with a slightly round body. The population is large, but it flies very well, often nests in high places, so that it is difficult to obtain, and because it cannot be raised in captivity, the price of its eggs has always been high.

Because of the popularity of the aristocracy, it usually takes a silver month to buy three eggs, which is equivalent to the food expenses of most poor families for a month. Donald only ate some of it in the period of time after he came to this world and opened the Book of Truth.

Speaking of which, spices in this world are rare and expensive, and only the aristocratic class can enjoy them from time to time, but the varieties are also relatively simple, which makes Donald, who is accustomed to the rich cuisine and taste of his previous life, very unaccustomed to it when he first arrives.

He didn't have a good impression of the nobleman Baron Red Maple, but it didn't prevent Donald from enjoying the food provided by the other party, but the second course hadn't come up yet, and the good atmosphere of the banquet was interrupted by the sudden arrival of uninvited guests.