Amsun Avanti, the second son of the Avanti family, curiously walked through the halls of Marcus's mansion.
The number of people he had seen around this mansion didn't make the place seem like a place for a noble to live.
Especially with the commotion he could hear coming from almost every angle.
Just a few days ago, word spread that the Governor of Agard had returned.
Though many dismissed this as a rumor, they soon believed it when a notice was broadcast that people could get free meals if they came to the governor's mansion.
Amsun barely knew anything about this young governor, apart from his lineage and the power his family had once wielded.
A person who could spend his money feeding the masses without asking for anything in return is bound to be an interesting person.
When Bradley arrived with a letter from Marcus, Amsun was greatly pleased.
Even though he could tell why Marcus had chosen his family merchant house over the others after reading his letter, Amsun didn't mind at all.
If the young lord had something good to offer, then we could talk about silver.
And if he didn't, at least he'd be able to put a face to the name.
It was a win-win for him.
Amsun came with two knights and an old butler from the family.
Soon they found themselves in a simple parlor, the same one Baron Savani had met with Marcus.
The day was quickly approaching the early hours of the evening as the rays of the scorching sun eased upon those below it.
Shortly, Marcus joined them in the room, with Bradley in tow.
He sat opposite the young man, Amsun.
For a few seconds, these guests didn't realize that they were before the governor, and when they did they rushed to pay their respects.
"Forgo the formalities, I'm in a pleasant mood." Marcus smiled as he said to Amsun.
Though Marcus had waved their mistake off, Amsun still proceeded as he would.
"Forgive us, lord governor. It's just that we've never come across a governor this young."
"You are?" Marcus observed this man's features.
An attractive, tanned-skinned man with black glossy hair.
He reckoned they were the same height.
"Amsun Avanti, manager of the Avanti Merchant House branch in Agard. Also the second son of the Avanti family."
'Second son? For a second son, he looks like my age mate.' Marcus thought.
"Your father must be quite young, I suppose?"
"Haha, my father will be turning 42 right after winter."
Marcus smirked. "He must have worked hard for a while to amass the wealth he has today."
"Lord governor, my father is many things, but not corrupt. He might scam a gold coin out of a rich folk, but he has never taken what wasn't his." Amsun chuckled.
Though Marcus's questions and statements seemed simple, they actually probed a few things, and Amsun could tell.
To survive in this world filled with arrogant nobles, even if one was rich, they would need to understand their ways of speech and thought process if survival was a part of the goal.
"Haha, young master Amsun, when did I say or ask such a thing?"
Marcus was amused by this young man's confidence.
'Is he unafraid of me or is this just how he speaks?' Either way, Marcus would have accepted it nonetheless.
"I like your frankness."
"Thank you, lord governor."
"Let's get down to business. I have a few blueprints with me that I'd like to sell to your merchant house."
"Your letter did state that… lord governor, would it be presumptuous of me to request to see the blueprints first before making a decision?"
Amsun probed.
He was expecting Marcus's mood or demeanor to change at this point.
Most arrogant nobles were like this.
Amsun studied Marcus carefully.
The young governor looked relaxed, almost casual.
But the rumors about him shaking down Baron Savani still lingered in Amsun's mind.
Was this man a generous fool… or a wolf hiding behind a smile?
"Sure, I'll do you one better. I'll let you see what these blueprints can help you accomplish." Marcus stood up. "Come with me."
Looking at his old butler as they moved, Amsun wondered what it was Marcus wanted to show him.
Taking a carriage, they traveled further north of Marcus's estate, reaching the fields that were being tilled.
Amsun frowned as he couldn't understand why Marcus had brought them to an empty farm field.
"Young master Amsun, how much do you know about agriculture?" Marcus suddenly asked.
"Not any better than the average Agardian. Agriculture isn't a business my family is particularly involved in."
"But you should understand a bit of how difficult it is to cultivate large fields. The manpower and supervision, right?"
"Lord governor, I do have an idea, but, what does it have to do with what you want to show us?"
Amsun's brows furrowed as a bad habit of his unconsciously began. His index fingers tapped his lap every few seconds.
The fact that he couldn't figure out what Marcus had for them made him a bit impatient.
"Alright, give me an estimation of how many men you think it took to do this, and how long. After you give me your answer, I will reveal to you what I have in store."
Amsun looked out the window once again and began calculating.
So did the old butler seated next to him.
"I would say… over fifty men, and maybe half a day?"
Marcus nodded, "Good guess. But that's far off."
"Over a hundred men then?"
"No, less actually. Two to three men, and a horse. And it's only been about 6 hours since I left here. So if they didn't take any breaks in between, the entire expanse of this land would have been tilled in 7 hours."
The moment Marcus said this, the carriage went silent as everyone found it hard to believe his words.
Even Bradley gave Marcus a look of disbelief.
'Lord Marcus, it will be easy for anyone to see through this lie.'
It wasn't that Bradley didn't trust Marcus, rather, it was because he had immense trust in the young man that he thought like this.
After all, he had been there when Marcus had scammed his siblings several times.
He had witnessed Marcus do many other… unconventional and unorthodox things in his childhood.
This is why Bradley has held back from asking Marcus where he learned magic from.
The old butler then spoke up. "Lord Governor, forgive this old one's intrusion, but as I have aged and lived long, I have more experience than the young master in this regard."
"Oh, not a problem. Please, let's hear your thoughts." Marcus smiled, almost predicting what this old butler was about to say.
"I used to work on a farm during my younger days, and I have never come across anything or anyone that could achieve what you just stated with that number and duration… The only thing close to that involved the use of mages. Is that the case here?"
"Mages? That's a luxury I can't afford at the moment. So no, magic is not involved here. But innovation is."
Marcus tapped on the side of the carriage and it came to a stop. He then proceeded to step out.
"What I have is called an Iron Moldboard Plow, alongside others."
When Amsun and the rest came down, they were able to see a horse somewhat running with an iron contraption that dragged across the earth, turning it in a uniform pattern.
The distance it covered in a short while… it was staggering to these people.
The horse snorted as it pulled the iron plow through the earth.
Soil folded over itself in clean rows, and the metal blade sliced the ground with surprising ease.
After that, a man with a sack and a tool in hand followed behind. Inserting this tool of his into the ground before removing it and placing a seed in it.
Amsun's eyes widened, even the old butler beside him was shocked.
How could something so simple be so effective?
His mind instinctively began calculating.
If one plow replaced twenty laborers… If a single village had fifty farms…
If this tool spread across a province…
The silver involved would be unimaginable.
Both Amsun, Bradley, and the old butler thought.
'Milord, what have you come up with this time?' Bradley was genuinely shocked.