His father's harsh words and complaints to his grandfather were meaningless to him. Nobody could expect a young farmer who hadn't left Whitestag for more than a hundred kilometres from the town to have much knowledge and experience in life.
As a matter of fact, a farmer who could not eat his next meal, and whose existence was constantly threatened by hunger and poverty, would never think of anything like titles of nobility, bestowment of characters, official positions, and the like, which had nothing to do with him. Only things like bread and a house were the greatest wealth in his eyes.
The largest amount of money his grandfather had ever seen was a few silver coins in the hands of the tavern owner. The most important official he had ever interacted with was the tax collector and butler of the town's fief baron, and he would get whipped from time to time.
So, he mustered up all his courage when he asked the prince for Rothman Manor. At the same time, he was prepared to suffer another whipping.
In the eyes of the young Hasby, the Hoggo style building was the most beautiful red brick house he had ever seen. Ever since he was young, he would often watch the pompous nobles and beautiful ladies ride in and out of the manor in their luxurious carriages. The sounds of laughter and music could be heard from time to time.
Back then, Hasby believed that the interior of the beautiful red brick house was the heaven his parents spoke of. He didn't have to worry about food or clothing, nor did he have to fear the cold of winter.
When he grew up, he wanted to be a servant in the red brick house. Unfortunately, the fief baron didn't hire servants in the town.
Prince Kargat's acceptance of Hasby's request was like music to Hasby's ears. He was so excited that he almost fainted on the spot.
The prince was a man of his word. He immediately ordered the guards to leave the most luxurious manor in town, taking only their weapons and some documents with them. Even the belongings left behind by the fief baron were left to Hasby.
Prince Kargat stayed in Whitestag for only three days before leaving with his armed men to fight for the kingdom's revival.
Hasby didn't go with them. First, his waist injury hadn't healed, and second, he didn't want to leave the red brick house he had just obtained. He didn't feel at ease leaving it in someone else's care.
"If your grandfather had set his sights further, instead of staying in the town as a watchdog, he would have followed Prince Calgart to battle everywhere. Perhaps our family would have a noble manor in the capital, and we would have been bestowed with a noble title. We would no longer have to stay in this small town."
When Morssen said this to his children, he forgot the most important premise, which was that his father was lucky enough to survive more than three years of civil war in the kingdom.
The 484 men from the flintlock garrison at Whitestag's stone outpost and the 28 new recruits from the town perished in the early stages of the civil war when the prince was defeated.
By the time the prince ascended to the throne, only eleven of them were still alive. However, they were all granted noble titles. The worst among them was a lord and given their own manors.
When the survivors returned to their homes to visit their friends and family, it caused a huge commotion in Whitestag and the three southwestern prefectures.
The people only remembered the glory and wealth the survivors obtained, but they forgot about the corpses and the tears of their families who died on the battlefield.
It was the same for Morssen. Those who hadn't experienced the battlefield would only talk about military affairs and didn't understand the cruelty of war.
He believed that his father was a coward and useless man who was satisfied with the small fortune he had and wasted the chance fate gave him to change his life. That was why House Ferd could only stay in Whitestag.
From a certain point of view, Hasby was an honest farmer and a good man.
When news spread that he was rewarded by the prince and became the new owner of Rodman Manor, the most beautiful red brick house in town, almost everyone in Whitestag came to visit him, flatter and praise him. Hasby didn't even know it himself, but he became the bravest warrior in Whitestag. He was the one who single-handedly killed hundreds of enemies in the manor.
Since his parents died young, Hasby welcomed the visits of his friends, family and neighbors. He would always treat them warmly and treat them to banquets.
Just as he imagined it to be when he was young, the red brick house was filled with joy, wine and roasted meat.
As a result, Hasby's wealth decreased by half at a visible rate. The silver cutlery and crystal goblets in his house also disappeared without a trace.
One day, when Hasby was inspecting his house, he noticed that the woolen carpets in the rooms were gone. The portraits were torn down and the golden frames were gone.
Even the velvet curtains on the windows were cut in half. The gold-plated doorknobs and brass locks were gone as well. All that was left were black holes.
Hasby was stunned for a long while before he realized what was going on. He shut his door and kept away all the valuables in his house.
The red brick house was too big for Hasby. Other than the four attics on the top, there were four suites on the third and second floors, each with three rooms and a bathroom. The first floor had a living room, a dining room, two kitchens, three utility rooms, a storeroom, four servant rooms, and a public bathroom.
Just cleaning the entire house was a huge burden for Hasby. He wouldn't be able to clean it even if he spent three days and two nights.
However, no one took care of the big red brick house, and it deteriorated very quickly. It had only been a year, but the house looked a little shabby. The corners of the walls were covered with moss, and some of the window sills were covered with vines. Also, the wooden tiles on the roof were not painted, and it was unknown when they would leak …
After experiencing the drastic decrease in his wealth, Hasby became a little paranoid. He didn't want to hire servants to clean the house for fear that his wealth would be stolen again.
After some thought, he decided to find a wife to look after the house with him.
So, he set his sights on the miller's only daughter, Molly.
The plump Molly easily took the bait of the number one warrior of Whitestag and the young magnate. She was at the age where she loved fantasizing and Hasby was her prince charming.
The miller, Carmen Miller, was one of the few in town who didn't think much of Hasby. He believed that Hasby was just a lucky upstart and hoped to find a son-in-law to inherit his mill after he passed away. That way, his only daughter wouldn't have to worry about anything.
That was why the miller rejected Hasby's proposal. He said that Hasby wasn't an honest and courageous person. If he was really the number one warrior of Whitestag, he should be joining Prince Kargart's army and fighting on the battlefield instead of staying in his red brick house.
In addition, Hasby's reputation during this period was very bad. People said that he had become stingy and stingy. The miller was worried that his precious daughter would become a maid after marrying him. She would be busy cleaning the big red brick house all day and suffer a lot …
That was a father's love for his daughter. But when the miller returned to the mill and found Hasby and his daughter naked on a pile of straw beside the blue and white millstone, he knew that it was too late. The dough had already been baked into bread. No matter how reluctant he was, he had no choice but to bless his daughter for finding her true love. Otherwise, he and his daughter would become the laughing stock of the town if word got out.
With the blessing of the moon shrine priest, the miller's daughter, Molly, became the mistress of the red brick house.
The miller soon realized that his worries had come true. His daughter wore a maid's uniform and worked all day in the red brick house.
"You can't go on like this. No matter how much money you have, you'll run out sooner or later.
Also, you don't have a child yet. When Molly has a child, the family's expenses will be even greater. You must have a job to ensure that you can live on in the future. "The miller earnestly advised his son-in-law.
Hasby thought for a long time. "How about I buy some land?"
The miller looked at him with disdain. "Do you think you can still afford to pick up a hoe?"
Hasby was ashamed. He really could not bear to go back to the life of a peasant in the open, after all his good fortune.
"How about I go help you?" Hasby asked his father-in-law.
"No need. I can still work for at least another ten years."
The miller was angry. "You blockhead. Don't you know how to pick up a gold coin when it's in front of you?
Think about your big red brick house. Don't you have any feelings? "
"House? What's wrong with the house?" Hasby immediately became cautious.
"I'm not thinking about your big red brick house."
The miller hurriedly explained, "Don't be nervous. What I mean is that your house has so many rooms. It's too big for you and Molly.
Haven't you thought about using these rooms to make money? "
"Make money?
How do I make money with these rooms? "Hasby was confused.
"Sigh …" The miller let out a long sigh. His son-in-law was really stupid, so he simply explained it to him. "What I mean is, Hasby, you can use your big red brick house to open a high-class hotel.
Think about it. This house used to be the mansion of Baron Rodman. It's always been very famous.
The people who used this house were all upper-class people. Everyone was curious about everything in the house.
If you turn this house into a high-class hotel, then there will be a lot of people coming. They also want to experience the daily life of a baron.
Then you can sit at home and make money easily. Every guest is like a wallet that gives you gold and silver coins.
In the future, when you're too old to work, you can leave this high-class hotel to your descendants. This is a business that can be passed down for a hundred years. "
Hasby was tempted. His father-in-law described a great business with a very promising future. The miller's last words of advice were: "Believe me, Hasby, you won't regret it.
When you're a hundred years old, your descendants will be proud of you … "