Chapter 269 - 23: Hilde Chamber of Commerce_3

Words : 1016 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 269: Chapter 23: Hilde Chamber of Commerce_3 Although there were countless twists and turns, everything seemed to have fallen back onto the track that Jones had envisioned—make money, pay debts, make more money, expand the castle, and eventually become a great Blood Clan Lord. The objective seemed almost within reach. "If I can earn 50,000 Gold Coins a year, I’ll pay off my debts in two years. After that, in eight more years, when I reach the ten-year mark, I’ll have 400,000 Gold Coins! 400,000! That’s enough to do a ton of things. I could expand this castle several times over! Or maybe even buy a whole new castle and finally be free of this damn Hydra!" "I’m almost grateful to that goblin who sold me this castle. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to acquire a castle and a piece of land so quickly. Even though I haven’t paid a single coin of the debt yet—and technically, the castle isn’t mine—it will soon be mine! Hahaha!" With that thought, Jones immediately felt his future was brimming with hope. He even started humming a tune as he walked. In the following days, as he waited for Adolf to arrive, he focused his energy on organizing the castle’s interior. First and foremost, a major cleanup was absolutely essential. Previously, they had only removed the Hydra’s droppings. To make the castle fit for living, there was still a long way to go. The castle was full of junk. Most of it was left by the previous owner, and the majority had already been crushed by the Hydra, making it so broken it was beyond salvageable. Of course, there were still a few intact items, but they were pretty worthless, like pots, pans, and other household goods. Since Jones wasn’t the kind of lord who cared for such domestic items, he gave them all to the dwarves. Or more accurately, he dumped all the trash outside, and the dwarves sorted through it to see if there was anything usable, while also taking care of hauling the rest of the garbage to be buried somewhere. The main reason Jones did this was that he didn’t want to dig a hole and bury it himself, which he thought was far too much trouble. To his surprise, the dwarves were thrilled. They were grinning ear to ear, cheering and even dragging along barrels of ale in high spirits. Watching the dwarves run around excitedly, Jones couldn’t quite understand it. "Why? It’s just some useless junk. Is it really worth being this happy?" "Because it’s ours," said Ale Barrel softly. "As slaves, we’re not allowed to own personal property. Everything we have belongs to the slave owner. But you’ve just promised us that these are ours. Isn’t that worth celebrating?" Jones froze for a moment, staring dumbly at Ale Barrel. "What’s the matter?" Ale Barrel asked. "Nothing," Jones took a deep breath and said, "I’m just a little surprised. I never thought about what slaves want or like before. How should I put it... don’t take it the wrong way, but I’ve always thought slaves were just slaves—born to be slaves. Like tools, nothing more." "There’s nothing to take the wrong way. Every slave owner thinks like that. The ones who don’t are the odd ones," Ale Barrel said as he puffed on his pipe. Watching the joyful dwarves, he added softly, "The fact that you even stopped to wonder why we’re happy—that’s what surprises me." After some thought, Ale Barrel pulled out a cup, poured a shot of strong liquor, and handed it to Jones. "Here, let’s toast. To a successful mining operation and to you becoming the next wealthy Blood Clan Lord." Jones hesitated but eventually took the cup and clinked it against Ale Barrel’s mug. "And to you all regaining your freedom." While Ale Barrel busied himself with surveying and preparing for mining, Jones continued tidying the castle. Most of the dwarves had nothing to do, so Jones simply put them to work helping him out. The Hydra was still in hibernation. The dwarves seemed to really believe the Hydra was Jones’s pet, so they mustered up their courage and walked into the castle. With more hands on deck, the cleaning process sped up significantly. In just two days, they cleared out all the junk from the castle—from top to bottom, including the dungeon—and brought in barrels upon barrels of water to wash every corner of the place. It was a massive undertaking. Because they were cleaning their own living environment, even the Hydra joined in and cooperated. After two days, the entire castle, inside and out, was as good as new. The only problem was—it was still terribly empty, with nothing in it. "Do you need us to make some furniture for you?" one of the dwarves asked Jones. "You can make furniture?" Jones asked back. "Of course. All the furniture we use is made by ourselves. Dwarves aren’t just good at forging and mining. As long as we have wood, we can make any kind of furniture." "Well... should I pay you? You can save up to buy your freedom." And so, Jones got a solid taste of the perks of having a group of dwarven "friends." He drafted a ridiculously long shopping list, enough to furnish the entire castle. Besides his own room, there was Dora’s room and an additional ten guest rooms. Don’t ask why he needed so many guest rooms; it was mostly because the sight of so many empty rooms in the castle made Jones uncomfortable. Besides, the dwarves’ quoted price was absurdly low. Just five Gold Coins—yes, only five—and the dwarves agreed to furnish the entire castle. Not only would the furniture be complete, but it would also feature intricate carvings and looked incredibly high-end—except for the lack of paint. But Jones didn’t mind at all. Everyone stayed busy, and the castle changed day by day. Even the hibernating Hydra couldn’t help but open its eyes to watch the cheerful dwarves bustling around.

Chapter 269 - 23: Hilde Chamber of Commerce_3

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