"Yes, and these people will definitely be grateful after being granted the title, and then they will work hard to serve him. I've decided, I'm going to do the same. If the Duke of Wu can be granted a title, then I, a marquis, can be granted one too."
"Moreover, these so-called noble titles aren't expensive; they only grant land of about a mile. Even the baron titles are very cheap, just a pavilion's worth of land. With a territory the size of a village, you can bestow at least a hundred noble titles and ten baron titles. No matter how you look at it, it's a great deal," Yuan Shao said with a smile.
Five hundred nobles sounds terrifying, but in reality, all of them together represent five villages, plus fifty barons, which is only the land of ten villages—just a small township.
For Yuan Shao, whose total fiefdom was a prefecture, the territory of a single township was really nothing. If he could exchange such a small amount of land for a large number of talented people, Yuan Shao would accept it.
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Chapter 52: Find a Rich Sucker
"Master, we don't have much money left. If this experiment fails, we'll have to go out and earn money again," a simply dressed child said to the Taoist priest with some worry.
The Taoist priest had a dark face and was not very clean. His clothes were torn in several places. However, he was very energetic.
"Hey, where's our money? I remember we just got ten thousand taels of silver from Wang the landlord, didn't we? Tell me, did you secretly go and buy the ice gourd?" the Taoist said without looking up. At the same time, he widened his eyes and carefully observed the experiment in front of him.
Upon hearing this, the boy's face fell. He didn't even need to look to know that his master had entered another unreliable phase.
Even if he bought the iced gourd with his own money, how much would it cost? Although, the iced gourd was indeed quite delicious. Thinking of this, Xiao Tong subconsciously wiped his mouth.
No, my master has changed the subject again. My master is usually fine. But whenever an experiment reaches a crucial point, he always throws himself completely into it.
Sometimes, it's quite normal to go seven or eight days without food, drink, or rest. There was even a time when he literally starved himself to the point of fainting. It was on that occasion that the boy saved him and became his disciple.
“Master, that was a month ago. In the past month, you have conducted more than a hundred experiments, and you have spent a full five taels of low-grade spirit stones, which is five thousand taels of silver.”
"In addition, various precious materials, including fine steel, black iron, and meteorite iron from outer space, although we don't buy much each time, add up to three thousand taels in total. And then..." The boy said very seriously, counting on his fingers as he went.
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest finally reacted. Then, frowning, he said, "Well, so we're out of money again. Where are we going to find someone to invest in me this time? It took me a long time to convince that Mr. Wang from last time. These kinds of big fish are hard to find."
“Master, you’ve already swindled almost all the big shots in Jiangling City. The rest are either too difficult to fool or too dangerous to offend. We’ve run out of customers. Are we going to have to find another place, change our name, and start all over again? But where should we go?” The boy looked up at the sky, looking troubled.
Over the past few years, the young boy has followed the Taoist priest all the way from the north to the south. Whenever the priest couldn't continue and his experiments failed, he would simply walk away. As for the money invested by those wealthy individuals, it was all for naught.
That's precisely why his reputation is already tarnished. That's why he moved to a different city and changed his name. Moreover, he's been fleeing south to escape his creditors. Now, he's even reached Jiangling City in Jingzhou. Is he going to continue fleeing south?
“If we keep going south, we can only reach places like Changsha and Wuling, where Han Chinese and barbarians live together. Although it’s more secluded there, there aren’t many wealthy families. Even with my eloquence, I probably won’t be able to attract much investment. It’s really frustrating,” the Taoist priest said, shaking his head.
However, just as the Taoist priest was shaking his head and complaining, the strangely shaped machine in front of him exploded with a bang.
However, in that instant, the Taoist priest gently waved his right hand, and a faint light barrier steadily protected him and the child. Consider it a free fireworks display, even though the child had seen this kind of fireworks many times before.
"Oh, another failure? What was the reason for this failure? Was it a problem with the materials, or a problem with the approach?"
"No, I believe that since steam engines worked in those mechanical worlds, I can certainly create a 'true' energy engine in this world by using spirit stones as the power source and combining them with materials like black iron and refined steel," the Taoist said firmly. In an instant, the gloom brought on by the previous failed experiment vanished.
"Ah, Master, if that's the case, where shall we go next?" the boy asked.
"Hmm, let me think about it. If the idea is sound, then it's a matter of money. I need to find a sucker, a really rich sucker. Only someone like that can consistently supply me with enough materials, and only then will there be any chance of success."
"Tong'er, go and get that newspaper from the day before yesterday. Didn't that Duke of Wu say he was recruiting people? If the money he offers is enough, I'll give it a try as a baron."
"By the way, bring out our gear. This time, whether we get a good meal or a bad one depends on this Duke of Wu," the Taoist said calmly.
...
Xujiazhuang, despite its name, is not actually a village, but a township. Throughout history, the township head has also been called the village head.
"Dad, I'm hungry again, I'm so hungry!" A boy of about eleven or twelve years old said listlessly, rubbing his round belly.
Upon hearing this, Old Master Xu, Xu Zhu's father, glanced at Xu Zhu helplessly. Then he smiled and said, "Alright, alright, it'll be ready soon."
After speaking, the old man looked around the ancestral home. He recalled that when he was young, this ancestral home was filled with all sorts of flowers, plants, and trees.
Although they weren't particularly rare or valuable, they had a history of over a hundred years. And now, they're all gone.
At that time, his family was quite well-off. They owned at least several hundred acres of land, which brought in several hundred taels of silver each year, ensuring they had no worries about food or drink. Back then, he was thinking that once his son was born, he would definitely have him learn martial arts and make something of himself.
However, since their son was born, the family's financial situation has steadily declined. The reason is quite simple: Xu Zhutai has a huge appetite.
Now, Xu Chu can eat dozens of pounds of meat at every meal. If he eats less, he will go hungry. If he goes hungry for a long time, he will get sick. After all, he is his own son, how could he bear to let him go hungry forever?
Therefore, to support this exceptionally gifted son, hundreds of acres of fertile land were sold. The flowers and plants in the ancestral home were sold. The gold and silver left by their ancestors had long since been spent.
However, even so, Xu Chu is only eleven or twelve years old now. What should we do?
Therefore, now that things have come to this, it's time to sell this ancestral home. As for what to do when the money runs out again, we'll just have to wait and see.
"The Xu family, the Xu family, your son is saved! Look, the Duke of Wu said..."
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Chapter 53: The Magical Treasure of the Grotto Heaven
"Father, is this the capital city?" Xu Zhu, who had just emerged from the teleportation array, exclaimed in surprise, gazing at the bustling scene of people and carriages. He was in a good mood after a hearty meal.
"Yes, this is it. I really hope that this time I can be chosen by the Duke of Wu," the old man whispered.
"Oh, is this old man also going to the Duke of Wu's mansion to apply for a job? What a coincidence, me too, why don't we go together?" The speaker was a Taoist priest. Beside him was a young boy.
It must be said that their appearance at this time was quite good. They had a rather otherworldly and ethereal feel to them, no wonder they were able to swindle so much money from wealthy scoundrels.
"Uh, it wasn't me, it was my son," the old man said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Wow, truly a gifted individual! He's so young, yet he grows up to be so imposing and majestic. I reckon the Duke of Wu will definitely be interested. At the very least, he'll be granted a noble title," the Taoist priest exclaimed in surprise.
Based on his years of experience traveling all over the country, this young man looked quite old. But his actual age couldn't possibly be more than thirteen.
To grow to look like an adult, or even appear stronger, at the age of eleven or twelve is itself a testament to exceptional talent.