Chapter 270 - 23: Hilde Chamber of Commerce (3)_2

Words : 1416 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 270: Chapter 23: Hilde Chamber of Commerce (3)_2 "Sir, is there any other work I can do? The kind that comes with a reward." A dwarf ran over to Jones. Alright, making furniture doesn’t require that many people, so some of the dwarves were left idle. Watching others make money, the idle ones were getting a bit restless. After thinking for a moment, Jones could only reply helplessly: "Nothing for now." "Toilet." Hydra quietly reminded from behind. "Oh right, I almost forgot." Jones scratched his head. And so, Jones tasked the dwarves with renovating the castle to build a toilet for Hydra. The price: ten gold coins. The dwarves cheered excitedly upon receiving the new task. Seeing the dwarves’ enthusiastic expressions, Jones smiled and said: "Other people’s slaves are so lazy you have to whip them. Look at my slaves, they’re so diligent they even come to me asking for work." "That’s because Lord Jones is willing to pay them." Dora smiled and said, "No slave owner would ever pay their slaves a reward. If they were going to pay wages, why not just hire workers? Lord Jones is the only one." Jones suddenly thought of something and said: "You know, I don’t think I’ve ever paid you, though." Dora quickly shook her head: "Dora doesn’t need money, Dora doesn’t want freedom. Dora will follow Lord Jones for life, that’s enough." Her eyes glowed as if emitting light. Jones was stunned just looking at her. Honestly, building a toilet wasn’t complicated. It was just digging a channel to divert the water from the moat into the castle’s hall. This way, Hydra’s waste could flow away with the current. In the blink of an eye, four days had passed since returning from Hilde. Although the castle still looked as rundown as ever from the outside, the interior had been tidied up into something cozy, a castle truly befitting a Blood Clan Lord. Standing in front of the castle he could now call his own, Jones beamed with pride as he happily paid the fifteen gold coins. The dwarves were equally delighted. Even though the gold mine hadn’t been tapped yet, they were already saving up to buy their freedom. The whole territory was brimming with cheer. ... At dawn, Jones and Dora transformed into bats, lazily flapping toward their home. "Is there anything else I need to do? Doesn’t seem like it. I can’t really help with the surveying or mining. Guess all that’s left is to wait for Adolf to send someone over." "When will Young Master Adolf send someone?" "No idea. He said he needs some time to prepare, but it shouldn’t take long. He asked me to meet him at the next brotherhood gathering, so by then it should be ready." "Where does he live?" "In Hilde. There shouldn’t be any issues; he’s loaded. For him, any problem solvable with money isn’t a problem. And what we need is money. Convenient, right?" "Since he’s helping us so much, how should we thank him?" "Actually, what I appreciate most is that we don’t need to. Because we’re making money together—the best gratitude is earning more cash. If he outright lent me two hundred thousand gold coins, I wouldn’t even dare take it. I wouldn’t know how to repay such a favor." Flapping his wings, Jones landed on his balcony. The weather was nice today, so having been away for four days, Jones deliberately chose this day to return—and specifically at dawn, since their home didn’t distinguish between day and night. However, the moment he pushed open the balcony door, Jones was stunned. His parents were sitting inside his room, emotionless, staring at him. Count Dracula was even folding his arms—clearly not here for a friendly chat. "Father, Mother, I’m back." Jones greeted, then quietly, under their watchful gaze, grabbed Dora and started to sneak out of the room. "Stop." Jones had no choice but to freeze. "Turn around." He steeled himself and turned around. "Where have you been these past few days?" "I..." Jones stammered, "I went to... the Adelle family." "But Adelle’s steward sent someone looking for you yesterday." The Countess said coldly. Jones’s heart skipped a beat, and sweat started to form. Count Dracula said: "I’ve been looking for you for two days now. I was planning to visit Aunt Sarah’s place today, but since I couldn’t find you, I had to cancel. What on earth have you been up to these past few days?" Jones blinked furiously, struggling to come up with an excuse. But his mind blanked entirely, so he could only stand there stiffly. Dora stood by silently, her head lowered. The Countess continued: "And about that female werewolf." "W-what about her?" "You didn’t tell me she’s worth thirty thousand gold coins. Adelle’s steward said you knew her value." Jones was startled: "Mother, you didn’t... sell her, did you?" "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I sell a gift from Adelle?" The Countess snapped, "What I’m saying is, since you knew she’s worth thirty thousand gold coins, how could you let her live in the dungeon? And feed her food meant for zombies? What if she dies?" Jones silently wiped his sweat: "It’s my fault. I’ll go prepare a new room for her right now." "No need, I’ve already prepared a new room for her. And new clothes. I’ve also instructed the kitchen about her food. Treating such a valuable gift carelessly—what were you thinking? You’re in your seventies, and you still can’t manage such simple matters?" "Didn’t you say you didn’t like her?" Jones asked cautiously. "But she’s worth thirty thousand gold coins." "Didn’t you say no Blood Clan would ever keep a werewolf as a pet?" "She’s worth thirty thousand gold coins—isn’t that reason enough?" The Countess spread her hands and said, "Besides, now that I look more closely, she’s actually quite pretty." Jones quietly rolled his eyes. Looking worried, the Countess added: "I’m just concerned about what gift we should give Adelle in return for such a valuable present. If we don’t send something back, they might think we lack manners. That could affect your relationship with him. But we can’t possibly offer a gift worth thirty thousand gold coins." "Let’s hold off on that for now." Count Dracula raised a hand to stop the conversation. "We’ve got a more pressing matter to address first. One thing at a time." The Countess collected herself and gestured for Count Dracula to continue. "What exactly have you been doing these past four days? Why haven’t you been home? I confirmed with the kitchen that you haven’t eaten any of the meals prepared for you in four days." Dracula fixed his eyes on Jones, the intensity so sharp it seemed to pierce through him. Tell them you borrowed more money than the family’s entire net worth to buy a castle and a bunch of dwarf slaves? Yeah, his head would get smashed for sure. Jones was already sweating profusely. Count Dracula pushed further: "You don’t want to talk, do you? Fine. Starting today, you’re not allowed to go anywhere until you’re willing to come clean." At that moment, Jones suddenly had a flash of genius. Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, he turned to his mother and said: "I... have been helping Adelle manage a castle." "Helping Adelle manage a castle?" The Countess looked at him suspiciously. "Yes, we can’t afford to send a thirty-thousand-gold-coin gift in return. So, I thought, why not help Adelle with something instead? I’ve been managing his castle. I suppose he forgot to inform his steward, which is why the steward came looking for me here instead of the castle. He didn’t know I was at Adelle’s new castle. Since I accepted such an expensive gift, I figured I’d better work extra hard as thanks. That’s why I’ve been away for days—I even brought my armor along to work during the day." At this moment, Jones was almost patting himself on the back for his quick thinking. One lie solved two problems! Truly, he’d mastered the art of lying to his parents over the years! Of course, lying frequently also meant frequent exposure. Like now. Count Dracula said expressionlessly: "Alright, take me to this castle. I want to see it for myself. Surely Adelle’s castle wouldn’t forbid me from visiting, right? We’ll go at night. And bring your cousin along—it wouldn’t bother you, would it?" Jones was utterly flabbergasted.

Chapter 270 - 23: Hilde Chamber of Commerce (3)_2

Comments (0)