Cunning Plans

In fact, when Freyr saw that room full of hot items last night, his mind wandered... What kind of woman was Natalie back then? Where did she get all these things?!

However, when he asked the replicated version of Natalie beside him, she was clueless. The memory replication did not include information about these items.

Thus, despite acquiring nineteen priceless treasures, Freyr was still troubled by a lack of money in the short term. He wasn't broke, just lacking some emergency cash flow.

After some calculation, he handed over the last eight gold coins to Focker for purchases. For the next three months, Freyr, the eldest son of the Russell family, would have not a single copper left in his pocket.

Freyr tallied up his future expenses: magic experiments, the configuration of magic potions, and the extraction of plants. These consumables required constant purchasing and replenishing.

How could he come up with a quick ten or twenty gold coins for immediate use?

Freyr spent the entire lunch pondering ways to make money. Lunch was quite decent: a few tender slices of foie gras, golden-brown toasted bread, and a bowl of rich seafood soup. Clearly, the old butler, despite enforcing the Count's orders to ground and cut off Freyr financially, didn't mistreat him in terms of food. The foie gras and seafood Freyr loved weren't cheap, but the butler dared not skimp on Freyr's meals.

After lunch, Freyr had some tea. This world had no coffee, but it did have tea, although the tea-drinking habits differed from Freyr's previous life. Nobles liked to add a bit of honey or gelatin sugar to their tea... some even had the peculiar taste of adding mustard.

Of course, the tea here was much stronger than what he was used to.

After sipping a small cup of honeyed black tea, Freyr saw the old butler hurrying towards him.

The old butler Spencer was quite resentful of Freyr at the moment! He had destroyed a two-hundred-year-old painting! My God! Didn't he know that the painting was a portrait of the Russell family ancestor? Didn't he know how many ages that painting had endured?

He actually burned it!!

Spencer, whose duty was to guard the Russell family's heritage, was extremely dissatisfied with this young master's wasteful behavior! He was already prepared to write a harsh report to the royal city.

"Young master, do you have any further instructions?" The old butler's attitude was respectful, though his tone was somewhat cold.

"Is it true that as long as I don't leave the castle, I can do whatever else I want here?" Freyr asked.

"…Yes." The butler replied, though his heart was uneasy. What was this young master planning now?

"Good, I need a maid skilled in needlework. And… bring my horse to the door."

In the afternoon, Freyr went to the barracks beside the castle. The barracks now housed more than the three hundred private troops guarding the castle.

Due to the recent incident where Freyr was kidnapped by a Wizard, the family had strengthened the castle's security, deploying a light infantry regiment to the barracks. Currently, the Russell family's private army, responsible for the safety of the castle and surrounding areas, numbered a thousand.

Freyr, swaggering, rode into the barracks. Knight Andrew quickly approached with his men.

Andrew had been demoted by half a rank due to Freyr's kidnapping, but it was merely a nominal demotion. He still led the cavalry unit and would likely be reinstated by the end of the year.

As Freyr entered the barracks, everyone immediately noticed… his mount!

The best horse in the entire castle, which even Knight Andrew had long coveted...

And now, the horse with a snow-white mane… had a bald tail!

Seeing Master Freyr sitting proudly on the horse with its bald tail, Andrew suddenly felt a chill down his spine. What was this young master planning?

"Dear Knight Andrew, I just came to see what the family's young men are up to," Freyr said, smiling innocently.

"Young master, it's spring, and the spring drills just ended. Everyone is resting, and the daily patrols are done by the cavalry unit… what would you like to see?" Andrew, noticing Freyr's smile, suddenly had an idea and tested, "Perhaps you wish to go hunting? If so, I'll immediately gather a cavalry team to accompany you."

Andrew assumed the grounded young master was simply bored and looking for entertainment. Hunting was a minor matter.

"No, not hunting." Freyr smiled cheerfully. "Today, I'm here to introduce a new game, something I just came up with!"

Freyr took something from the saddle, and Andrew saw it was a small cloth bag. Unwrapping the bag, Freyr held a leather ball!

For this leather ball, Freyr had spent some money.

To save costs, Freyr didn't buy cowhide but went back to his room and selected one of his leather jackets. With the maid skilled in needlework, provided by the old butler, he explained his requirements simply…

Sewing it into a spherical shape wasn't difficult. The maid completed it quickly, stitching it firmly.

As for the filling inside the ball…

There was no rubber in this world, so making a real inflatable ball was impossible. To maintain elasticity, he had to use some soft stuffing, preferably hair… such as horsehair!

Thus, sacrificing a leather jacket and the tail of his beloved horse, Freyr made his ball.