The Herb King

With Aethelwolf's presence, the workers didn't dare slack off in their duties. The efficiency of their work increased and this made Rendell happy.

Meanwhile, Aethelwolf was setting up the Illusory Runes and Concealment Runes in the area to hide the construction of his fortress. Although this place was deep in the forest, he wanted to make sure that no one would see what was happening.

After almost half a day of setting up the runes, he finally completed everything. He then activated the runes and checked if they were working.

"Nice." He muttered in satisfaction after seeing the final product of his hard work. The runes he inscribed should be able to prevent anyone from seeing what was happening inside. It also had an illusory effect that would make the onlookers think that they are merely looking at a normal forest.

"I'm done here. You guys should take some rest and don't overwork the workers. Make sure that their treatment isn't bad and give them more benefits." Aethelwolf suggested to Rendell.

"Yes, Sir Aethelwolf. I'll remember your words." Rendell nodded his head.

"Alright. I'll take my leave now. Don't skimp on our workers' food. Give them a lot of nutritious meat so that they can work efficiently during working hours." Aethelwolf bid them farewell after giving them some suggestions.

Rendell's group sent him off.

***

Aethelwolf returned to the estate in the evening. He directly went to his room and lay down on the soft bed.

"Man, this feeling is really the best..." He muttered with a blissful look.

"Do you want me to massage your back?" Aenwyn's calm voice drifted into his ears.

"Yes, please." Aethelwolf agreed right away.

Aethelwolf was lying on his bed with his face down and Aenwyn climbed on top of him. She then gave him a satisfying massage that made his body turn soft.

"That feels good..." Aethelwolf moaned blissfully.

Aenwyn's hands deftly moved all over his back, massaging his acupoints like an expert masseuse.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Papa, Hyacinth is back!" Olivia's voice echoed outside the room.

"You guys can enter." Aethelwolf said without moving an inch. He felt so mentally drained after moving back and forth in the last few days.

Olivia pushed the door open and Hyacinth followed behind her obediently. When the two entered, they saw a scene that made them shocked. Because of the angle, it seemed like Aenwyn and Aethelwolf were doing something intimate.

'What is going on here?' Hyacinth thought in her heart.

Aenwyn climbed down from the bed and looked at them with a calm gaze.

Hyacinth didn't dare meet her gaze. She was a bit afraid of this beautiful elf because of her cold and unapproachable disposition.

"Aenwyn, you're here! What were you doing with papa earlier?" The little girl asked with an innocent expression.

Aenwyn turned her gaze at the little girl and replied. "I'm just massaging his back. He looked weary when he came back so I offered to massage him."

Hearing this, Hyacinth knew that she had misunderstood them.

Aethelwolf stood up and sat on the nearby sofa. "You guys should take a seat. How is your discussion with Julie, Hyacinth?" He asked.

Hyacinth cleared her throat and handed him a document. "This is the result of our discussion. Miss Julie Irish and the Urgel Household are willing to cooperate with us in setting up the banks in multiple areas of the Leone Empire. She also agreed to only receive 10% ownership of the bank, but she wanted you to sign this document." She handed him another document.

Aethelwolf stared at the second document with interest. It was an agreement saying that he would never betray the Urgel Household and he would be responsible for the safety of the Urgel Household and its properties. "Hahaha. That girl is really smart, huh? Is she not worried that I would renege on this agreement after signing it?" He chuckled in amusement.

"Sir Aethelwolf, Miss Julie already knows that you would say this and she told me that you are not the kind of person who would renege on his promise." Hyacinth said with a smile.

Hearing this, Aethelwolf laughed heartily as he returned the signed document to Hyacinth. "Tell her not to worry. As long as she never betrays us, I will protect her interests. By the way, I have another matter to talk with you about."

Hyacinth kept the signed document in her storage ring before asking curiously. "What is it, Sir Aethelwolf?"

"I will need a huge amount of battle steeds for our new soldiers. I want you to use the channels of the Merchant Association to anonymously buy fifty thousand mounts. I want ten thousand of them to be aerial mounts. All of the mounts should be at least Level 1 magical beasts. You can pass this job to your subordinates if you don't have time. Just tell them to be careful not to leak any news about it." Aethelwolf muttered in a serious voice.

"Fifty thousand mounts!?" Hyacinth was stunned when she heard this.

"That's right. Can you do it?" Aethelwolf smiled as he looked at her.

Hyacinth didn't even hesitate as she nodded her head confidently. "Of course! It would have been troublesome in the past, but now that we are in control of the Merchant Association, I can do things more efficiently. However, we would need a lot of money for this."

"You can use all the movable cash in our treasury. Just return the money after getting our profits from the banks." Aethelwolf suggested.

"Alright. I'll take care of it." Hyacinth answered.

"Good! If there's nothing else, you should go back and take a rest. You can deal with this matter starting tomorrow."

"Yes, Sir Aethelwolf."

"You may leave."

Hyacinth stood up and bid him farewell. She then left the room.

"Papa, I also want a massage!" Olivia eagerly jumped on the bed as she stared at Aethelwolf with her big adorable eyes.

"Sure! Come here!" Aethelwolf gently rubbed her head.