"Lord Elliot, you don't have to be like this. He is him and you are you. This has nothing to do with you."
Gray shook his head slightly.
"Plus, the matter with Shiks is already over. I have already punished him. I do feel a little apologetic for taking the initiative to punish him."
"It's the Cullin family's fault for not disciplining that unfilial son. It's the Cullin family's honor that Young Master Gray is willing to discipline him on behalf of the Cullin family."
Lord Elliot waved his hand and said.
"Lord Elliot, what do you think of Fergus City now?"
Gray didn't want to dwell on this topic. Instead, he asked.
"It's very prosperous. I've been to the nearby Oliver City and Rock City before. They're even worse than Fergus City."
Lord Elliot replied.
"For a city to prosper, rules, order, and stability are essential. If you break the rules just because you're a noble, the city won't be stable and prosperous."
Gray said.
"On the other hand, if the city and even the territory can't prosper, the nobles who rely on taxes for income will slowly decline."
"You're right, Young Master Gray."
Lord Elliot thought about it carefully. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that although Gray's words were easy to understand, they contained a lot of logic. He couldn't help but say respectfully.
"Although nobles have the power to surpass commoners, if they really treat commoners like fish on the chopping block, they will only harm themselves in the end."
Gray said calmly.
Although he was only a normal office worker in his previous life, he came from a world where information was' exploding '. His perspective on things was naturally far-sighted.
The two chatted for a while more before Lord Elliot stood up and bid farewell. Gray let the servants send him out of Fergus Castle.
A few days later, a grand banquet was held in Fergus Castle.
Apart from the Fergus family and the subordinate nobles, many nobles who were close to the Fergus family, including Count Ford, were invited to the banquet. Naturally, the newly promoted Yveline family was included as well.
"Congratulations to the Fergus family."
"Congratulations to Count Ford."
… …
In the huge banquet hall, the sound of crystal cups colliding could be heard from time to time. The atmosphere was extremely lively.
"The gap is getting bigger and bigger. I didn't expect you to be a Berserker now!"
Raising his crystal glass and clinking it with Gray, Twain Ford smiled bitterly.
To be able to be nurtured as the next successor of the Ford Clan, his talent in cultivation was naturally not bad. He was often referred to as a genius.
Unfortunately, compared to Gray, the disparity was too great.
"I was just lucky enough to obtain some high-grade blood fiends' blood."
Gray shook his head slightly and finished the red wine in his glass.
Gray had a pretty good impression of this successor of the Ford family.
When they first came into contact, the Fergus family was only a viscount family, and they did not reveal their berserk level blood fiends. Even then, the other party did not have an arrogant attitude.
"What are you talking about?
Didn't they see that because the two of you were together, they thought that the two of you were discussing something important, causing many noble ladies to not dare to disturb you? "
Hazel, the daughter of Count Ford, walked over in an exquisite long dress. She looked at the two of them and joked.
"Let's talk about the many noble ladies here. Who is the prettiest?"
Twain Ford smiled.
"Who is the prettiest?"
It was indeed a woman's nature to love beauty. Hazel's eyes lit up when she heard this question.
"Of course it's Miss Hazel!"
The corners of Tang En Ford's mouth curled up slightly as he smiled at Gray.
"Don't you think so?
Gray! "
"Yes, it's indeed Miss Hazel. Since just now, many nobles' gazes have been fixed on you."
Gray smiled and nodded in agreement.
Hazel was indeed quite pretty. She had a standard oval face, abnormally fair skin, and a slender figure. Coupled with the long dress specially designed by the tailor, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was one of the prettiest people.
"Big Brother, and Gray, you, you two …"
Hazel blushed slightly as she rebuked the two of them in dissatisfaction.
After chatting with the Ford siblings for a while, Gray bade them farewell with a smile. As the host, he naturally had to entertain the guests in the banquet hall.
"Young Master Gray, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
However, he helplessly realized that almost all the guests he entertained were noble ladies.
It was not that he deliberately chose noble ladies to entertain. Although he was not averse to beautiful things, it was not to the extent of being "biased" to such an extent.
Instead, many noble ladies who thought they were good-looking came forward to chat with him, either tactfully or generously.
With Gray's potential, there was no need to elaborate further. Naturally, many noble ladies had their eyes on him.
In fact, many of these noble ladies had already set their sights on Gray before they came.
Many of them were incited by their families, and many of them had their own plans.
Be it for their families or for themselves, becoming the other half of such a future "powerhouse" was clearly a good choice.
"Young Master Gray, what hobbies do you have?"
A noble lady with a slightly low neckline asked with a "charming" smile. Her cleavage could already be vaguely seen.
"I don't have many hobbies. If we're talking about hobbies, hunting should be one."
Gray thought for a while and said.
"Big Brother."
At a table far away, Caroline and Sarah were seated. Sarah waved at Gray from afar.
"My apologies, excuse me."
Gray smiled at her and gracefully bowed before walking to the table and sitting down.
"Big Brother, you're very busy."
Seeing Gray sit down, Sarah immediately joked.
"If you dare to tease me again, be careful that I …"
As Gray spoke, he made a gesture of flicking his finger. Immediately, the latter covered his forehead and shrank his head back.
"Don't flick my forehead, it will make me ugly."
At the side, Caroline, wearing a purple dress, asked with a smile.
"Gray, what do you think of them?"
"I don't want to consider them at the moment."
Gray shook his head. In this world, nobles could have many lovers, but in terms of wives, they could only have one. He had to consider carefully.
"But Sister Caroline, there were many noble youths who took the initiative to talk to you. Are there any that caught your eye?"
Caroline was about a year older than Gray and was now 20 years old. In this world where nobles married late and had children late, although it was still early, it was enough to consider.
Caroline rolled her eyes when she was teased by Gray. However, she didn't try to hide it and said directly, "Don't worry.
"That's too exaggerated."
"Exaggerated?"
Gray observed a moment of silence for these noble youths. Since Caroline said such words, then these noble youths basically had no hope.
The banquet started at noon and only ended in the evening.
The nobles who were closer to Fergus' territory took the carriage back to their territory. The nobles who were farther away stayed the night and set off again.
"Compared to the Earl's family, the current castle is too small. It needs to be expanded!"
The next day, in the study, Earl Fergus said solemnly.
"It is indeed a little too small."
Bernal agreed.
He had been to Earl Ford's castle before. It was much bigger and grander than the current Fergus Castle.
In comparison, Fergus Castle was undoubtedly a level lower.
Since the Fergus family was now an earl's family, the castle's level naturally could not be too low. Otherwise, it would be looked down upon by other noble families. After all, a castle was the face of a noble family.
"The current Fergus Castle can no longer be expanded. We can only find a new place to build a castle."
Gray said after some thought.
Gray supported the expansion of the Fergus family's castle.
A castle was a place for nobles to enjoy themselves. Naturally, it needed to be built well. Gray would not object to enjoyment.
In the end, why did people desire things like power and strength so much?
Wasn't it to obtain a better life and better enjoyment?
"That's true."
Viscount Fergus nodded.
"Where do you think is suitable to build the new castle?"
"To the south of Fergus City, there is a rocky slope without many trees. It is quite suitable to build a castle there."
Bernal said after some thought.
"That place is indeed quite suitable."
The three of them were naturally familiar with the vicinity of Fergus City. The moment Bernal mentioned it, Gray and Earl Fergus already knew where he was referring to.
"However, it is winter now and transportation is inconvenient. We can only wait until spring next year to start construction."
"Not only does Fergus Castle need to be rebuilt, but Fergus City also needs to be expanded."
Gray mentioned.
The largest city in Earl Ford's territory, Ford City, had a permanent population of about 300,000. Fergus City, on the other hand, only had about 30,000. In comparison, it was too shabby.
"Mm."
Bernal nodded.
"Fergus City is easy to handle. There is still a lot of empty land around it. We just need to expand on the original foundation. However, the time it will take will probably be longer than Fergus Castle."
The construction of a city was obviously a much larger project than the construction of a castle. Even if it was an expansion on the original foundation, it would still be the same.
"The territory needs to specially promote a group of management talents to take over the cities and towns in the territory. Do you have any recommendations?"
Viscount Fergus asked.
"The eldest son of Mai Feng Town's mayor, Barnett, is not bad …"
Gray said casually.
The last time they went to Mai Feng Town, Barnett had left a good impression on Gray. Since there was a chance, Gray did not recommend helping him.
This was not because he wanted to establish his own power or anything. To him, the Fergus family's power was his own, and there was no distinction between them.
After he inherited the title, if there was anyone who did not agree, he would just suppress them.
In the face of absolute strength, all resistance was futile. He had no interest in scheming against others.