When Visari arrived at Noctem Manor by carriage, the Manor's tax official, Hunter, was leading the Manor's craftsmen, freemen, and serfs in a welcoming line.
"Welcome, Baron!" Seeing Visari's carriage enter their line of sight, tax official Hunter shouted with full vigor. The serfs immediately knelt down and kissed the ground with their heads, while the freemen bowed deeply.
As Visari officially stepped onto the Manor's territory, what appeared before him was a scene of vibrant vitality and burgeoning life.
Thinking of being far away from the unfathomable great aristocrats and returning to the "beginner's village," a genuine smile appeared on Visari's face.
As the saying goes, a man of wealth does not sit under a collapsing wall. Visari truly did not want to interact too much with those who could kill him with a flick of their hand. It was better to prioritize improving his own strength to feel secure.
"Everyone, you may rise. Return to your posts. The next time you see me, do not kneel and prostrate yourselves. Work diligently."
Visari turned to look at tax official Hunter. Before Visari could ask, Hunter, with keen perception, said, "Hunter, sir. My name is Hunter."
"Mm, Mr. Hunter, please arrange accommodations for the knights and servants I brought."
After giving a few brief instructions, Visari walked directly towards the lord's residence. He was already impatient to receive the Noctem Family's extraordinary knowledge.
"Oh, right, Hunter. I brought a new tax official from the Royal Capital. You'll hand over your work to him shortly. You two must cooperate sincerely."
Hunter's face held a trace of bitterness, but he could not possibly disobey the Baron's command, so he could only lead the group towards the side entrance of the lord's residence.
Without concerning himself with how the two tax officials would scheme for power and profit, Visari quickly approached Noctem Manor.
This historical residence was built entirely of stone. On the heavy oak door, there were faint traces of sword and blade slashes and small holes, seemingly indicating the turmoil that had once occurred on this land.
But none of this concerned Visari. In his mind, there wasn't a shred of family honor that an aristocrat should possess. He only wanted to strengthen himself and live a carefree life. If possible, he even wanted to pursue the ideal rooted in his soul—immortality.
Pushing open the heavy door, Visari saw the servants kneeling in a huddle inside. He frowned slightly and impatiently pointed at the leading Steward:
"Are you the Steward of the house? Tell them to return to their posts. I don't like people kneeling motionless before me. Labor is what you should be doing."
"Also, find a servant to take me to the study."
The Steward hurriedly stood up, nodded in agreement, and quickly assigned a servant familiar with the residence to accompany Visari.
The entire mansion immediately became busy, with everyone fulfilling their duties, presenting a scene of vibrant vitality and burgeoning life.
Looking at the bustling scene of labor, Visari's brow relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.
Walking into the study, what came into view was a magic barrier, with seven stars twinkling and flowing on the barrier. Visari waved his hand to dismiss the servant and closed the study door as well.
It seemed to be a barrier set up by the Grand Duke's side to prevent the leakage of secret knowledge. Visari pondered for a moment and released a wisp of spiritual energy to touch the barrier.
A stream of information flowed into Visari's mind along the connection structured by the spiritual energy.
The method to break this barrier was very simple: just drop a drop of Blue Blood containing magic power onto the barrier. The barrier would automatically identify whether the bloodline matched the Noctem Family.
With a thought, Visari's lineage power controlled the pathogens to disperse, forming a drop of pure Blue Blood. As the Blue Blood dripped from his fingertip, the barrier instantly shone brightly, revealing a bookshelf.
Seeing the entire bookshelf of extraordinary knowledge before him, Visari felt genuine shock. From lineage history to curse spells, and even brewing techniques, the relics of the Noctem Family covered almost everything.
These texts were enough for Visari to grow from scratch into a qualified aristocrat and an excellent Blue Blood wizard.
Visari took the book placed in the most conspicuous position, sat down on a chair, and began to read.
The book recorded a type of primitive magic that could be called a Blood Curse, said to originate from an alliance established between the ancestors and mortals.
Performing this spell required the target to have no trace of resistance. After the spell was established, the aristocrat could directly perceive the target's thoughts, and the target would not spontaneously generate thoughts of betrayal.
Even if they betrayed under external brainwashing, the aristocrat would be able to detect it.
"Hiss, this is truly a good thing. With this magic, no matter how debauched and lawless the Blue Blood Aristocrats are, their subordinates will not betray them." Uncontrollable excitement surfaced in Visari's eyes.
No wonder this book was placed in the most conspicuous spot. This was simply the foundation upon which the Blue Blood Family was built.
It seems there was a lot of trickery involved in the so-called alliance of the Blue Blood Family back then. He would have to carefully study the history when he had time.
"Knock, knock, knock." A series of knocks sounded, interrupting Visari's thoughts. He put the book back on the shelf and said, "Come in."
Tax official Hunter walked in with a fawning smile: "Baron, I have come to report on the Manor's economic situation."
He cautiously raised his head, only to find an inscrutable smile on Visari's face, which made his heart feel uneasy.
"Sir, these are the account books from previous years. Please take a look first. I will tell you about the Manor's assets."
"No, not for now." Visari said with a smile, "Tax official Hunter, you are certainly loyal to me, aren't you?"
In the original Visari's view, it would be difficult for someone like himself, who didn't understand political maneuvering, to govern this Manor. So, at first, he thought it was fine for his subordinates to be corrupt, as long as his cultivation needs were met, Visari didn't care about their profits.
But now that he possessed the Blood Curse, the situation was completely different.
"Of course, Baron, I am certainly loyal to you," tax official Hunter replied with a forced smile.
"Very good. To reward your loyalty, I shall bestow upon you the Blue Blood of the stars. Do not resist in your heart, or the offended Blue Blood will make your body like an overinflated pig's bladder—"
Visari smiled mysteriously: "—explode with a 'bang'."
Tax official Hunter was so frightened his face turned pale: "No, no need, sir. I have no merit and am not worthy of such a reward."
Visari's expression instantly turned cold: "What? You intend to defy my will?"
Beside Visari, a star-filled arrow gradually appeared in the void, as if it would pierce tax official Hunter if he dared to say no.
Looking at the arrow that appeared out of thin air, tax official Hunter's forehead broke out in a cold sweat from fright. He quickly amended, "Thank you, thank you Baron for the blessing."
Seeing tax official Hunter agree, Visari smiled like warm sunshine. He reached out and patted tax official Hunter's shoulder:
"Now that's my good tax official. Come, let's go to the hall. If something unexpected happens, the study won't be easy to clean."