Chapter 9: Communication

“I may be out of line saying this, my lord,” Ophariel, hiding her body behind Julian, leaned close and said softly.

“But I think you must understand that servants are the face of a noble. This may seem trivial, but it’s a necessary part of interaction between nobles. Imagine if a noble came to visit your castle and saw such servants. Not only would they look down on your ability as a lord, but they also wouldn’t show you enough enthusiasm… especially that gardener. Holy Grace above, I can almost guarantee that if I suddenly saw his face while walking in the garden, I might faint from fright.”

A wraith frightened into fainting?

Hearing this, Julian’s lips curled slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

He certainly understood Ophariel’s meaning. Interactions between nobles were a kind of vain exchange – many people often tirelessly discussed how some noble master had taken in another young and beautiful maid, or how they had spent jaw-dropping prices on meaningless decorations. Although this seemed pointless to them, it wasn’t so for those involved. Humans are a higher form of animal, but at the root, they are still animals. Lions determine their king through fighting each other, and the victor will own the entire pride and the lionesses. Birds use shiny decorations to adorn their nests to attract mates for reproduction. This is nature – winners have more opportunities for mating and dominance, while losers have nothing. In human society, this primitive competition hasn’t disappeared. Those with money, power, and strength can always easily obtain things others can’t. They use what they possess to attract and secure their status and power. If your territory isn’t large enough, you can’t gain others’ respect. If your strength isn’t great enough, you can’t gain others’ fear. If the quantity and quality of the opposite sex around you aren’t impressive enough, you can’t be envied by others.

Possessing things that ordinary people can’t easily obtain is an important condition for securing one’s status and identity, and it’s the fundamental way for peers to recognize each other. Take nobles for example – even if they’re poor and destitute, as long as they still have a fief and a title, they’ll still be seen as peers by other nobles. Conversely, a nouveau riche who rose to power through speculation can never integrate into this circle before obtaining a noble title. Just like the original owner of Julian’s current body, who was a most fallen noble descendant. Even in terms of power, they were far inferior to some local wealthy merchants. But even so, those great nobles far more powerful than him could only choose to use insidious, despicable methods to trick them and deliberately drive him to this godforsaken place to die. If faced with commoners, these nobles would have no scruples at all and would just take things directly. Because in the eyes of those nobles, everything belonging to the subjects they rule is their own, and only those who are also nobles will be treated as “people” by them, given a certain degree of fair treatment.

However, this level of treatment naturally requires an equal exchange. Every circle has the same requirements to get a certain return. Without profound knowledge, one won’t be recognized by scholars. Without strong magical talent and ability, it’s hard to be accepted by mages. Without a brave spirit, one can’t become a member of warriors. Without enough brains and money-making skills, one won’t be valued by merchants. It’s the same in the noble circle. To maintain a minimum level of respect, you must at least show them that you have the qualifications.

Every small circle has such rules. Only two types of people can ignore the rules: one is those strong enough to transcend these rules, and the other is those too weak to touch these rules.

Julian certainly didn’t intend to become the latter.

“I understand your meaning, Miss Ophariel,” Julian tilted his head slightly and answered softly. He could smell the alluring sweet fragrance from the girl, as intoxicating as blooming flowers.

“But we have no choice now, and… I think it’s not as bad as you imagine.”

Saying this, Julian raised his head and looked again at the four people standing before him. Then he stepped forward twice, his expression becoming serious and indifferent.

“First, as the master of the castle, I welcome your arrival… I think you’ve already seen that I’m in great need of manpower right now, and your arrival has been a great help to me. Of course, I won’t shortchange you on the remuneration.”

Unlike his attitude when speaking to Ophariel, Julian’s voice was now flat and cold. This made Ophariel somewhat surprised. She carefully observed the expression of the man before her and found that the smile he had been wearing all the time had disappeared at some point, replaced by a cold and serious expression. It must be said that this made Julian look more dignified.

“But I think you should also know the rumors about this castle,” Julian didn’t mind the attitude of the four people before him and continued to speak on his own.

“Although I personally have no interest in such foolish talk, it should have a significant impact on you. So, I hope to know your thoughts.”

Julian’s speech was now brief and concise. After saying this, he closed his mouth, as if uttering one more word would be a waste.

How could he have such a big change?

Ophariel looked at the man before her in surprise, seeming to discover another side of him.

Faced with Julian’s words, the four people who came to be recruited also looked at each other. They anxiously looked around at each other, then the woman named Marfa stepped out first, bowing respectfully to Julian.

“Respected Lord, my family has served the masters of Twilight Castle for generations. I have no reason to end this tradition in this generation. Therefore, I hope to continue working here like my mother did.”

Although Julian didn’t say anything, Ophariel had already widened her eyes in surprise. She saw clearly that although this woman was stout and wore shabby clothes, her movements when bowing were so perfect and precise that even some servants from great noble families couldn’t perform such movements. In that instant, the image of the stout village woman suddenly disappeared, replaced by a serious, earnest woman.

Julian nodded without saying anything, then moved his gaze to the second person.

Noticing his gaze, the middle-aged man showed a cheerful smile and raised his hand.

“I think you should know, my lord, that in this area, the only place where I can make a living by chopping wood is this castle. And I’m already quite familiar with this place, there’s really nothing to be afraid of.”

Although based on the same existing information, completely different conclusions can be drawn. Some people will become convinced of their judgment after obtaining this detailed information and take evasive action, while others will become so familiar with this information that they no longer take the danger seriously. This middle-aged man should be the latter.

Julian pondered briefly, then moved his gaze to the third person. Unlike the others, this hunchbacked man didn’t speak. Instead, he just smiled at Julian and waved the long scissors in his hand.

“I’m very sorry, my lord,” Marfa took over the conversation again.
“Old Bomba can’t speak, but I can assure you that his gardening skills are beyond question.”

Hearing this, Julian didn’t say anything more. He moved his gaze to the last girl.

Feeling Julian’s serious and earnest gaze, the little girl’s whole body shrank. She tightly grasped the hem of her shabby long dress, her petite body trembling slightly. Her face, white with a hint of pink, turned pale, and her slender, wavy curls swayed gently with her movements.

“Um… my lord, I, I can make tea, I can also make some snacks, and I can clean rooms…”

The girl answered in a voice that was almost crying. The sense of vulnerability even made Ophariel’s heart soften a bit, but Julian showed no change at all, still coldly looking at her. Under the gaze of those cold eyes, the girl’s voice became smaller and smaller. She lowered her head to her chest, looking at the ground, as if something was pressing on her, making her unable to raise her head.

“Very good,” At that moment, that flat, cold voice suddenly disappeared, replaced by Julian’s usual gentle, tactful tone.

“I have understood your intentions. I think you should be able to handle this job. Regarding your remuneration… I will give you three gold coins each month. Do you have any objections to this?”

Hearing this, a flash of joy appeared in everyone’s eyes. Three gold coins were just pocket change among pocket change for nobles, but it was enough for these ordinary people to live a life free from worries about food and clothing. Although they had already inquired about the situation of this lord and knew that with the current shortage of manpower, they should be able to get quite generous remuneration, they still didn’t expect this lord to be so generous – in the past, the lords at most gave them only one gold coin per month.

As for Julian’s inquiry, everyone of course shook their heads in denial. Although they weren’t familiar with this lord yet, his generous gesture had already gained their sincerity.

And with the addition of these four people, Twilight Castle finally began to slowly start operating again.