" My Lord, you have finally returned."
Marcus, the butler, called urgently from afar. The newcomer appeared to be around fifty years old, dressed in a grey linen robe, with the keys at his waist jingling. His wrinkled face held a pair of bright, intelligent eyes.
"Oh, it's Marcus, the butler. What can I do for you?"
"Yes, My Lord, your loyal servant reports to you that your castle has fallen into disrepair over the years, and some of the earthen walls at the back have collapsed. Should we summon the Serfs to repair them?"
The butler, Marcus, kept his head down, his eyes fixed on the ground.
Ed looked at the butler's bowed head and the account book in his hand, and for some reason, felt uneasy.
Ed may still be the same Ed, or he may no longer be the same Ed. He knows he is powerless to change anything now.
" My Lord, if you permit, I will summon the Serfs to repair it for you," the butler's voice rang out again.
"No need for now. If the wall behind collapses, so be it; it won't have any impact."
Ed actually has other ideas now. He doesn't plan to renovate this dilapidated castle; he wants to build a new castle that meets his requirements.
Of course, he wouldn't tell the butler right now, otherwise the butler would think Ed had gone mad and been possessed by a demon.
Marcus was the butler when the Old Lord was alive. It is said that he succeeded the Old Butler, but of course, it is just hearsay. As for who told him it, Ed himself doesn't know.
"Yes, my lord." The steward took out the ledger and wrote down Ed's meaning.
The steward actually hoped that the lord would repair the wall, as it concerned the safety of the castle. Although it wouldn't matter in the short term, there was a risk of the castle collapsing in the long run. Although the castle was dilapidated and in disarray, it was the 'mansion' of Grey Castle Territory and the steward's spiritual anchor.
He had worked here for many years, and the departure of the Old Lord had left him somewhat disheartened. If the castle were to fall as well, he didn't know if there would be any meaning to his life. Therefore, he hoped that this dilapidated castle could stand for a long time to come.
It's clear that Old Butler was a good person and a loyal servant.
Looking at Old Butler, who was still standing there with his head down after finishing the ledger, Ed asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, my Lord, it is very late now. Would you like some dinner?"
Upon hearing Old Butler's words, Ed realized that it was indeed quite late and he hadn't eaten anything. He had been so engrossed in contemplating life by the lake that he hadn't felt hungry, but now he was starting to feel a little hungry.
Following Old Butler to the dining table, the sight of the rough rye bread and some bean porridge made his earlier hunger vanished instantly.
His recent period of living in a daze, like a walking corpse, had made him oblivious to all aspects of life. Today's sudden awakening and the complete merging of his memories have given him a sense of normalcy.
"Butler, is there any better food?" Ed asked, somewhat disgruntled. After all, he was a minor lord.
"Yes, yes, my Lord. There is a small bag of wheat flour in the storeroom, which is for entertaining distinguished guests from afar. Would you like to use it now?"
"Then forget it," Ed said somewhat reluctantly, sitting down and starting to gnaw on a piece of rough black bread.
Black bread doesn't taste very good, and for Ed, whose mind is filled with all sorts of cuisine, it's like chewing wax.
Ed thought about what the steward had just said, and he felt that the most important thing now was to solve the problem of food. As the lord, he ate this, not to mention the others.
"I must go to the village tomorrow."