The Top of the White Tower

"Uh…" The old butler looked troubled, "Well, you know, the prosperity of this place cannot be compared to the imperial city. The nearest town is a day's ride to and fro. As for the castle, there are usually no activities to pass the time, but the scenery around here is quite nice. If you are interested, you could ride out with your knights and go hunting in the woods. Although there might not be much game this season, it's still a good choice to take a stroll."

Freyr nodded, took a sip of the tea in front of him, and suddenly had a thought, "The guy I captured… will there be any problem? I mean, do I have the authority to..."

"You mean the authority to enforce the law? My heavens… young master, this is the Russell Plain! The entire plain belongs to the Russell family! Here, as long as you do not rebel against the Empire, the will of the Russell family is law! And you, are currently the highest-ranking member of the Russell family in this castle."

"Alright." Freyr stood up, and a maid immediately came over with a long leather coat, intending to help him put it on. Freyr glanced at the coat made of some unknown animal's fur and shook his head, "The weather is still warm, no need for this... Oh, right, Spencer, I need a couple of attendants. I prefer to have people I am familiar with. Hmm… have Focker come over, I still prefer him following me. As for the others, have you incorporated the twenty knights I brought from the imperial city into the castle's guard? That's good. I will take some time today to inspect them and review the castle's guards. Uh… one last thing, my childhood tutor was the famous astrologer, the esteemed scholar Mr. Aaron. Under his guidance, I developed a strong interest in astrology. While staying in the castle, I want to use the room at the top of the White Tower."

"The White Tower… top floor…" The old butler's mouth opened slightly, showing a troubled expression, "This… young master, perhaps you don't know, there is a family prohibition that no one except the patriarch is allowed to ascend the White Tower."

"Oh?" Freyr's eyes lit up, "Is that so?"

He didn't show any disappointment; instead, he felt a bit of anticipation… Hmm, since it's a forbidden area, perhaps there are some relics of Natalie left there? Maybe he could discover something.

As for… not being allowed in? If I can't go openly, I can always sneak in, can't I?

"Alright then. I need you to send someone to procure a few items for me," Freyr said, picking up a quill from the desk and swiftly jotting down a list of items on a piece of paper. These were things he had thought of last night that were necessary for his study of astrology.

To study astrology, he at least needed a telescope, preferably an astronomical one. However, such a thing did not exist in this world, so it seemed he would have to make one himself. This world did have glass, and the craftsmanship of mirrors was quite high here. With a bit of research, he should be able to create a crude telescope.

In truth... sigh, the usefulness of a telescope in this world was quite limited, as it was primarily used for military purposes. But in this world, there was magic! A wizard casting an "Eagle Eye" spell would be far more effective than any telescope.

Sigh, magic, magic! It seemed he still needed to find a way to learn magic.

With this in mind, Freyr immediately stood up. "It looks like I need to take some time today to visit my prisoner in the dungeon."

Freyr left the study, and the old butler quickly brought Focker over according to Freyr's instructions.

This former coachman looked somewhat dejected. After all, he had been the "chief steward" on the road, commanding twenty cavalrymen, which had been quite exhilarating. But upon arriving at the castle, those guard cavalrymen were immediately incorporated into the castle guard and stationed in a small barracks outside the castle. As for him, the "chief steward" was suddenly left without any subordinates.

He held the title of steward, but had no one under him. The old butler here appeared to be a senior member of the Russell family, and he didn't dare to encroach on his authority. After spending a night sulking in his room, Focker was a bit worried about his future... the young master hadn't called for him last night; had he been forgotten?

So, hearing Freyr's summons early in the morning, Focker rushed over immediately. His hurried appearance displeased the old butler, Spencer, who was particular about decorum, but Focker didn't care. When he reached the castle hall and saw Freyr standing there, he quickly approached, almost wanting to embrace Freyr.

"Oh, my lord, I am your loyal servant Focker. What are your orders?"

Freyr noticed Focker's uneasy demeanor. After all, in this place, only Focker could be considered his confidant, and the others... well, Calista could barely be considered half a confidant.

Freyr didn't rush to see the wizard imprisoned in the dungeon but instead issued a command: from today onwards, no one was allowed to enter the study without his permission!

The old butler complied without question, even though the command was peculiar.

Freyr then led his people to the barracks outside the castle, where 300 private soldiers of the Russell family were stationed, including 100 cavalrymen. These were organized into five squads of twenty, taking turns patrolling around the castle. The twenty knights Freyr brought from the imperial city were formed into the sixth squad, equipped with new gear, and welcomed Freyr upon his arrival.