Just as Elenda had said the day before— The furniture in the house had only been partially set up.
If he wanted to live comfortably, Ron still had to furnish this massive house further himself.
After quickly finishing off his hearty breakfast—Ron thought about what kind of furniture styles he might want while reading the newspaper he hadn’t finished yet.
“The army that went to explore the Dragon’s Nest has returned?”
“Seriously? Are these people trying to die, going straight into a dragon’s lair?”
“Aren’t they afraid that if they take a dragon egg, the dragons will rain down their wrath and wipe Vitania off the map?”
Ron frowned and grumbled as he read the news.
Standing behind him, Perica, who was serving him, gave a soft chuckle.
“It’s called the ‘Dragon’s Nest,’ sure, but it’s not literally some giant bird nest.”
“The Dragon’s Nest refers to the vast desert and highland regions west of Vitania.”
“Many dragons reside there.”
“But in that death-filled expanse of wasteland—”
“Actually seeing a dragon with your own eyes is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”
“Not to mention, dragons use spatial magic and wards.”
“If a human expedition team manages to find even a pile of dragon dung, it’s considered a major discovery.”
Hearing this— Ron scratched the back of his head and nodded, half-understanding.
Though he had inherited the original Ron’s memories.
The original had dropped out of school early and had very shallow knowledge of the world.
His understanding of the world was basically like thinking China and “foreign countries” were the only two nations.
Only now, after Perica’s explanation—Did he finally realize that the Dragon’s Nest wasn’t some kind of huge nest.
And that the so-called exploration team wasn’t a bunch of kids trying to steal dragon eggs.
But even after understanding that—Ron still had some doubts.
“That desert and those highlands… aren’t they pretty much death zones?”
“And dragons are so hard to find.”
“Why does our country keep sending people there?”
“This time, even the military got involved.”
Perica paused in thought at his words.
If it were an ordinary servant, they might not be able to answer such a deep question.
But Perica was no ordinary maid.
Gifted in magic, she had studied at the Academy—
And with the special training from the Castrellero family—
Perica, the maid, had knowledge that rivaled that of most professional teachers!
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
“The imperial expeditions suffer heavy losses every year.”
“Who knows how many skeletons are buried in that sea of sand.”
“But—”
“That deadly desert hides rich deposits of magic stones and magic energy ores.”
“If those veins can be located and mined successfully, it would greatly strengthen the empire’s power.”
“And let’s not forget that dragons are a race with massive potential for war.”
“If we can form good relations with them—maybe even reach some kind of strategic agreement…”
“The benefits would be beyond imagination!”
Listening to Perica’s explanation, even Ron—who knew very little about the outside world—could now grasp the weight of the matter.
“I see.”
“In that case, it really would be worth the risk to explore.”
He couldn’t help but think back to Game of Thrones, where the Dragon Queen could dominate the world just by showing up with a few dragons.
Ron found himself daydreaming.
“If only I could form a contract with a dragon too…”
“If I had that kind of cheat ability…”
But the thought was cut short— As Ron’s expression darkened once more.
Just then, a servant came in and reported:
“Master Kendo, the furniture merchant, has arrived.”
“Would you like to see him, young master?”
Hearing that— Ron stood up, getting ready to go greet the guest.
But just as he took a step forward—
Perica forcefully pushed him back into his chair!
“You are the legitimate eldest son of the Castrellero family, heir by law to the title of Duke of the Southern March!”
“Even if the guest is a high-profile figure from the merchant guild, it is far beneath you to go out and greet him!”
Perica’s words reminded Ron once again just how noble his current status really was.
Soon, two men arrived at the reception hall, guided by the servants, each carrying briefcases.
The man in front was dressed in an elegant white suit, with a gold-rimmed monocle and an overall impeccable appearance.
Yet the moment he saw Ron—He immediately put everything down and knelt on one knee before him.
“This humble merchant Kendo pays his respects to Lord Ron.”
As he knelt—The keys and pocket watch on his body jingled with crisp sounds.
Following his lead—
The assistant beside him also hurriedly knelt.
“Hmm?”
At the sight of that assistant—
Ron felt a flash of familiarity.
He was sure he’d seen this person somewhere before.
But the assistant kept his head low, hiding his face—
So Ron couldn’t quite place him.
“You are…?”
Noticing that Ron seemed to recognize him—
The assistant realized he couldn’t keep hiding any longer.
So he calmly raised his head, revealing his face.
“This humble servant, Li Pei, greets Lord Ron!”
Hearing that—Kendo, who stood in front of him, blinked in surprise and turned to look at his assistant in confusion.
“Li, you’ve met Lord Ron before?”
Li Pei gave a slightly awkward nod.
“Yes…”
Ron motioned for the two to rise and stepped forward, puzzled, as he approached Li Pei.
“Doctor Li… what’s this?”
“You changed jobs?”
At this point, the clothes Li Pei wore were no longer the coarse linen he had on before—they were now made of much finer material.
Li Pei didn’t try to hide it.
He nodded openly and confidently.
“Thanks to Lord Kendo’s appreciation,”
“I now have a stable job.”
Hearing that, Kendo let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha~”
“Li, you Xuzu people are still as modest as ever!”
“It’s not that I appreciated you—your luck is just strong.”
“You just happened to help me escape from a bandit attack!”
From the way the two spoke—
Ron was able to piece together a rough idea of Li Pei’s recent experiences.
This guy must have met someone important—gone from being a wandering doctor scraping by on the road, to a businessman with a steady income!
But what Ron didn’t realize—Was that the so-called “benefactor” who changed Li Pei’s fate… was none other than Ron himself!
Now, seeing that very benefactor again—
Li Pei couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Back when he was traveling around, making a living on the road, it was feast or famine.
And when luck was bad, it could even cost him his life.
Now that he was working for Kendo—
Not only had his income multiplied several times over —
More importantly—
Li Pei now had a stable job with a promising future!
If he did well, he might even take over operations in one of Kendo’s business territories—completing a full leap in social class.
Even if he didn’t do great, he still had a decent job that didn’t require working under the sun or in the rain.
To outsiders, it looked like Li Pei had hit the jackpot—his life turned around in the most absurd and unbelievable way.
But Li Pei knew the truth.
The person who had truly changed his life—Was none other than the young master of the Castrellero family standing right before him!