One bowl of Fire Source Beast Bone Broth brought Richard a new opportunity.
Right now, a pale blue panel appeared before his eyes, displaying several lines of white text:
[Name]: Richard Drake
[Strength]: 3.5
[Mental]: 1.8
[Cooking]: Fire Source Beast Bone Broth (Beginner 3/100)
[Attribute Points]: 0
Richard had played some games before and immediately recognized this as an Attribute Panel combining stats, proficiency, and point allocation features.
If his guess was right, attribute points should be gained by increasing proficiency.
"I can boost my strength by allocating points—is this my special ability as someone who transmigrated?"
For a moment, Richard felt pretty excited.
Even though the original owner had gradually recovered his health over the years thanks to Carter's care, having missed the golden period for training made it basically impossible for him to achieve anything in cultivation.
Hell, he couldn't even guarantee becoming a Junior Warrior before turning twenty.
But now Richard had an Attribute Panel. He could not only overcome this disadvantage but maybe even get a taste of what the world's top supernatural beings experienced.
"Only, getting attribute points is linked to cooking. Does that mean I have to become a chef from now on?"
The thought immediately troubled Richard—he wasn't exactly passionate about cooking.
"Young master, are you alright?"
Ralph looked at Richard, who'd suddenly spaced out, worried he might pass out again. He grew anxious once more.
Richard snapped back to attention. Obviously, only he could see the Attribute Panel.
"It's nothing, just thought of something."
He handed the empty bowl to Marah.
"Could you get me another bowl? Also, I'd like to hear the specific method for making Fire Source Beast Bone Broth. Would that be okay?"
"Of course, happy to help!"
Marah smiled as she took the bowl and filled another one, then began explaining in detail.
Ralph just figured Richard was bored and listening to cooking methods to relieve his stress.
He had no idea that as Marah explained, Richard kept getting information prompts:
[You have learned the Fire Source Beast Bone Broth preparation method. Proficiency +3]
[You have learned the Fire Source Beast Bone Broth preparation method. Proficiency +2]
...
"Could you go through it again in more depth? I'm really interested in how you process the Fire Source Beast bones."
"Well, young master, the Fire Source Beast bones have lots of web-like membranes attached. Before putting them in the pot, we need to use a knife to scrape them all off. This way the broth not only has less fishy smell, but also increases in effectiveness."
"You might not know this, but scraping that stuff off is not only exhausting, it requires being super careful..."
Marah was like a teacher instructing a student, explaining everything meticulously.
Richard listened very carefully, though the further along they went, the less proficiency he gained from the explanations. Eventually, several detailed points would only bring 1 proficiency.
He quietly guessed that he'd probably hit the limit of theoretical knowledge and would need hands-on practice from here on.
During Marah's explanation, Richard had finished all the Fire Source Beast Bone Broth.
And right at that moment, another line of text appeared before his eyes:
[Consumed Fire Source Beast Bone Broth. Attribute Points +0.1]
Double good news!
"I thought I could only get attribute points by leveling up proficiency, but I didn't expect drinking soup would work too?"
"Does that mean I just need to eat to get growth?"
This way, he had more channels for improvement.
He focused on the "+" after the strength attribute and completed the allocation by thinking about it.
[Strength]: 3.5→3.6
In an instant, a warm current swept through his whole body. Richard felt his entire body relax.
"My strength seems to have gotten a bit stronger."
Even though it was only 0.1 attribute points, Richard was really satisfied with this result.
"Aunt Marah, do we still have ingredients for Fire Source Beast Bone Broth in the kitchen?"
"Yes, there are three more portions."
Richard decided to do some hands-on practice. "Good. Tomorrow I want to make the broth myself, with you guiding me from the side."
Ralph and Marah were shocked when they heard this.
"You're the head of the Drake family, a baron—how can you go into the kitchen?"
Marah was the first to object.
Ralph chimed in too. "Among the nobility, aside from some women who might learn to cook, I've never heard of any male noble going into the kitchen."
He continued persuading him. "Young master, you're a baron now, the head of the Drake family. Even though most of the servants have left, Marah is still here. Just let her handle this kind of thing. If you actually go into the kitchen yourself and people find out, they'll definitely gossip about you behind your back and damage your reputation!"
Richard didn't care about any of that—improving himself was what mattered most.
"If you don't tell anyone, nobody will know, right?"
As he spoke, he suddenly froze, frowning. "Ralph, what did you just say—most of the servants left?"
Mentioning this, Richard couldn't help but think back to ringing the bell earlier.
Under normal circumstances, besides this elderly couple, his personal manservant and maidservant should've shown up too.
Now neither of them had come.
Ralph looked troubled. "Yes, young master. Right now only Marah and I are left in the castle. All the other servants have left."
The servants at Lakeside Manor were all freemen, not the kind of household servants or slaves whose families had been attached to the Drake family for generations.
Also, when the king granted Lakeside Manor to Carter, he only allowed inheritance for two generations—it wasn't a hereditary territory.
This also meant Carter was different from traditional landed lords.
Of course, that wasn't the main reason.
Richard frowned. "Are they afraid of following me to Blackwood Island?"
"You are very wise."
Ralph nodded slightly and sighed.
"They all know Blackwood Island isn't a good place. If they really went, they might not even keep their lives, so they'd rather pay six months' penalty to quit than go with you."
"Alright then!"
Richard rubbed his slightly aching temples. He'd become a commander without troops.
"So only you and Marah are coming with me to Blackwood Island?"
"Not exactly."
Ralph said, "Besides us, Kairon has already decided to follow you. Although Julian says he's still considering it, he's been busy these past few days taking inventory of the manor's assets and preparing for your voyage."
Kairon was Lakeside Manor's guard captain. Carter had once saved his life, and he was extremely loyal to the Drake family.
Normally, with his strength as a Peak Human-Rank Warrior, he would've gone into the secret realm with Carter, but coincidentally he'd been away on business a month ago.
As for Julian, he was the manor's administrative officer who'd been serving at Lakeside Manor for six years and was quite capable.
Richard felt a bit of comfort. With a powerful warrior like Kairon around, his safety had at least some guarantee.
He might need to try winning over Administrative Officer Julian.
"Ralph, how much money do we have left?"
He asked, "I definitely have to go to Blackwood Island, and there are lots of thorny issues waiting for us there. I need servants, guards, and even craftsmen."
"Master!"
Ralph changed how he addressed Richard, now sounding more like a proper butler.
"The manor currently has 569 gold coins, 1,138 silver coins, and 36,093 copper coins—enough for you to recruit people."
He paused before suggesting, "Although recruiting on Blackwood Island would be cheaper, the people there have complicated backgrounds and low trustworthiness. I suggest you recruit here instead."
"You're right, that's what I was thinking too."
Richard agreed. "At least the people in key positions need to be people I trust."
Important positions were basically personal manservants and maidservants, plus people who came into contact with Richard's food, clothing, and daily life.
If people like that wanted to harm him, it would be basically impossible to guard against.
Ralph brought up another key point about recruitment:
"Even though you have enough money, under the current circumstances, if you want to recruit people in the royal capital and bring them to settle on Blackwood Island, you'll need to get the king's approval."
Recruiting people from another lord's territory and taking them away was, strictly speaking, infringing on that lord's rights.
The Drake family was already facing accusations from others—giving them more ammunition would make things even more difficult.
Richard thought for a moment, recalling the process for nobles wanting to see the king.
"Then let's do this. Tomorrow morning, have Kairon deliver a visiting card to the royal palace for me. I'll request His Majesty's permission. But to save time, you can start preparing ahead."
Those nobles wanted Lakeside Manor—they probably couldn't wait for him to leave.
He just wanted to recruit some people, so there shouldn't be any problem.
Only, he needed to think carefully about how to approach the king.
"What's the general opinion about the Drake family right now?" Richard asked.
"Everyone outside thinks Lord Carter made a serious mistake, and they're calling you a criminal too by association."
Ralph's voice choked up a bit as he spoke. In his heart, Carter was both powerful and wise—he found it hard to believe he'd make that kind of rookie mistake.
"The Drake family should've had its noble title stripped, but His Majesty Eric, remembering Lord Carter's achievements, not only exempted you from punishment but also sent you to Blackwood Island to expand the kingdom's territory and redeem yourself through merit."
This narrative from the outside world not only made taking back Lakeside Manor seem completely justified, but even promoted the king's mercy.
Those nobles who initiated the accusations, and even the royal family itself, gained real benefits from this whole affair. Only the Drake family silently bore all the consequences.
"I understand."
Since everyone outside was promoting the king's mercy, Richard had figured out how he should meet with His Majesty Eric.