173: Chapter 173 Financial Crisis! Lillian's Reward Plan! We've Saved Money!

Golden Flame Castle, Study.

Rowan sat behind the desk, lost in thought.

He had just returned from Elena's room.

He had originally gone to check on her cultivation progress and, while he was at it, discuss some minor recent financial issues.

It wasn't about the daily consumption needs.

Rather, he had discovered that cultivating his own garden was actually quite expensive.

After all, most general resources needed before becoming a Great Knight could be bought with gold coins.

While the materials from the Lord of Frost Howl were priceless, it would be too wasteful to exchange them for gold coins; he wanted to see if he could first borrow some funds from Elena.

Mist Territory was productive and fertile, one of the wealthiest territories in Gino County. As the lord, Elena should have some surplus on hand.

However, during their intimate chat after the routine cloud-and-rain Drain, he discovered a major problem.

That was, the resource consumption of the Perfect-grade Breathing Method was simply terrifying!

Various high-quality magical beast flesh, transcendent potions, medicinal baths to nourish the body...

Plus the various knowledge and materials she needed as a Runic Warlock...

Adding it all up...

The resulting outcome was—

Even though Elena owned the entire wealthy Mist Territory, it was barely enough to support her own cultivation.

Furthermore, she still had two female knight vassals in her territory to support.

She was basically a "moonlight noble" now, with no surplus at all!

Thus, Rowan could only silently dismiss the thought of borrowing money. It was already good enough that she wasn't asking him for money...

Speaking of which, it was he who had ignited her desire to become stronger; now that she was spending all her money for it, he perhaps bore some responsibility.

But there was no other way.

If Elena didn't cultivate properly and her score dropped after giving birth, then he would be the one suffering a huge loss!

He also finally understood why those ancient major powers kept the Perfect-grade Breathing Method so strictly hidden and never easily let it spread.

Once such a thing spread, it would become a source of chaos.

Brilliant knight geniuses did indeed frequently appear among commoners.

If they obtained a Perfect-grade Breathing Method only to find they had nowhere near enough resources to support their cultivation, there was no telling how much trouble they would cause...

So, looking at it this way.

He couldn't really touch the territorial resources of Mira and Elena.

They needed to prioritize supplying their own cultivation.

Based on the current state of most nobles in the Empire, a Viscountcy should be enough to support one Peak Knight-level powerhouse.

...

However, after the Beauty Pageant, the current financial difficulties were very real.

Currently, those confirmed to need the territory to supply cultivation resources were Cecilia and Helena.

They were both pregnant...

To ensure their scores didn't drop after giving birth, he had to ensure they had sufficient resources to improve themselves during pregnancy.

Cecilia followed the Shadow-type Knight path, requiring large amounts of high-quality magical beast ingredients and transcendent potions.

Helena was about to embark on the path of a Mage, which was even more of a money-burning bottomless pit—

Magic materials, spellbooks, meditation-assistive potions, magic circle consumables...

Every single item was expensive.

And the current financial state of Gino City couldn't be messed with anymore; he still had to rely on the Fisher Family to find ways to fill the holes for him, otherwise, he would really have to raise taxes...

Under these circumstances—

Rowan was also in a bit of a bind.

Inside the castle.

At most, he could focus on cultivating one more bloodline descendant who practiced the Perfect-grade Breathing Method.

But as for this slot, he thought about it and didn't plan to decide just yet.

He needed to browse through all the flowers first and then select the most compatible and worthy one to cultivate.

And outside the castle.

He suddenly remembered another matter.

A qualified lord needs to be clear about rewards and punishments.

Lady Lillian had perfectly completed the organization of the Beauty Pageant and deserved a reward for her merit.

The problem was, right now, he didn't want to shell out money.

As such, the choice of reward needed some cost-effective options.

Lady Lillian obviously had a knack for making money.

So, he decided to give her the Embrace.

Then, let her earn her own cultivation resources.

If she could rely on herself to earn resources and raise her score to over ninety, then he would be making a pure profit.

He'd get a lady who could bear his children for free and could also obtain a large amount of free attribute points through Draining.

Thinking of this, Rowan instructed the maid serving nearby to invite Lady Lillian to the castle.

...

An hour later.

There was a soft knock on the study door.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open.

A shapely figure walked in with graceful steps.

"My Lord, I heard you were looking for me."

Lady Lillian was wearing a well-tailored light red gown today, which outlined her full and curvaceous body.

She came to a halt before the desk.

She gave a slight curtsy to Rowan, carrying the unique charm and composure of a mature lady.

Rowan put down his quill and leaned back slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

Lady Lillian was indeed a beauty who knew very well how to display her own charm, possessing a flavor completely different from young girls.

"Lady Lillian," Rowan went straight to the point, "you handled the Beauty Pageant perfectly this time. I am very satisfied. You should receive a reward."

Upon hearing this, Lady Lillian's eyes lit up:

"My Lord overpraises me."

"This was all within my duty. To be able to serve My Lord is Lady Lillian's honor."

Rowan waved his hand and chuckled:

"Merit should be rewarded; that is my principle. So, Lady Lillian, what reward do you want?"

"Power, wealth, or... strength?"

Lady Lillian was startled and looked at Rowan, asking:

"Strength?"

Rowan nodded calmly. "Correct."

Hearing this, a flash of gloom crossed Lady Lillian's beautiful eyes. She remained silent for a few seconds before whispering:

"My Lord, you might not know... I have no transcendent talent. I have tried many avenues, but even the easiest Knight path, I..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already clear.

She had long since accepted her fate, knowing that she was destined to have no connection with transcendent power in this life.

Rowan listened quietly, his face showing no sign of surprise.

If she had transcendent talent, her initial score wouldn't have been only eighty-one points.

Thus, he said indifferently:

"You don't need to worry about that. I have my ways. But the price is that you must submit to me completely."

"Now... make your choice."

Hearing this, Lady Lillian suddenly looked at Rowan, trying to find any trace of a joke on his face.

But Rowan's gaze was calm; he was clearly serious.

So, she said without hesitation:

"I choose strength!"

A satisfied curve appeared at the corner of Rowan's mouth.

Very good, money saved!

He stood up and looked at Lady Lillian:

"Then let's go. Follow me."

Lady Lillian's eyes flickered as she followed Rowan out of the study, heading toward the master bedroom at the highest point of the castle...

...