Chapter 13 [Paranormal events in the ancestral residence of the Luolin family! ] 】

Chapter 13: Paranormal Events in the Rollin Family Ancestral Mansion!

The

ancestral home of the Rollin family is located in the southwest of the Rollin Plain, where a tributary of the Rollin River passes, and the land on the banks of the river is fertile, divided into several farms, and surrounded by towns. Follow this tributary down through a scenic valley.

This is where the great Rollin family first originated. Hundreds of years ago, when the ancestors of the Rollin family were just a low-level nobleman with a small village territory, the bloodline of the Rollin family began to circulate in this land.

The carriage passed through a dark forest, with lush greenery on both sides and fresh air. Along a flat path, sitting in the carriage, you can see the small valley on the left, and looking to the right, you can see a tall tower in the distance, which is the ancestral home of the Rollin family.

After hundreds of years of family glory, the small village hundreds of years ago no longer exists, and the original ancestral home has been renovated and rebuilt countless times in hundreds of years of history, and has become quite large!

A crimson stone wall surrounds a castle made of white boulders quarried from the nearby valley – it is said that it was originally a hill, but it took hundreds of years to mine the stone to turn the hill into a valley.

The arrival of the eldest son of the family patriarch naturally attracted special attention. The three hundred territorial privateers who remained in the castle wore the brightest equipment very early on, and waited in line under the red wall outside the castle, the round arch-shaped gate made Du Wei sitting in the carriage feel very imposing, and in his eyes, this thick stone wall, if necessary, can be used as a strong defensive circle!

It is worthy of being a martial family of the empire, and the three hundred territorial private army soldiers who remained in the castle were obviously well trained, their bodies on horses were straight, and their horse control skills were also quite skillful, and their equipment was not bad. Later, Du Wei learned that the three hundred soldiers left in the castle of the Luolin family's ancestral residence were all selected from the private armies in the entire Rollin Plain territory, and their training was quite good, even no less than the local army of the empire.

The Black Forest outside the castle is also a natural hunting ground, and some hunting activities are held here every year, which is also a disguised exercise for these soldiers.

The main building of the castle has two towers, one of which is particularly tall, even a little higher than the hill in the distance. Du Wei, who had studied family history, knew that this was because the Rollin family had a strange head in a previous generation. Although the head of the family was a military general, he was particularly interested in astrology, and even married a female astrologer. The tower was built so that his wife could better observe the stars in the sky at night.

The red carpet had been rolled out from the castle gate to where Du Wei's carriage had stopped. As soon as Du Wei bent down and got out of the car, a silver-haired old man next to him who had been waiting for a long time walked up. This old man was thin and tall, with a meticulous gray dress, an old-fashioned and serious demeanor, and a conservative and respectful demeanor.

As soon as Du Wei got off the carriage, his feet had just stepped on the ground, and this old man had already bent down, gave a deep salute, and then said in a low and slow voice: "Young Master, I am Hill, the left-behind housekeeper here; #8226;Rollin. I already heard about your upcoming news three days ago. Now all the people in the castle are ready to meet your parallax. Please come with me.

After

that, the old butler turned around and carefully led Du Wei up the steps. He had nothing impeccable in terms of etiquette, behaved respectfully and courteously, humbly and not flatteringly, leading Du Wei up the red carpet on the steps, while he himself carefully walked outside the carpet, leaving Du Wei alone to enjoy this honor.

I didn't have time to take a closer look at the interior of the castle, and the only thing that impressed me was that after entering the castle gate, there was a huge banner like flames on the wall I was on!

This flag is seven or eight meters high and six meters wide, occupying the entire wall of the oncoming face! This is the family coat of arms banner, on which two sharp swords are crossed, the blade is wrapped with iris flowers, red flames are burning, and there is a crown on it!

Walking into the hall on the first floor of the castle, you are greeted by such an imposing banner, which immediately puts a solemn and solemn atmosphere on this place!

Then all the servants in the castle stood on both sides of the hall in neat uniforms to welcome Du Wei's arrival. Du Wei was not much interested in this strange "review", he nodded casually, and then said in a low voice: "My butler Mr. now, please take me to the study... As for everyone, please disperse and go back to your work. The

old butler Hill meticulously carried out Du Wei's orders, and soon Du Wei was taken to a study...

Well, if he could, Du Wei would prefer to call this place "The Library"!

Because it's so big!

The round room, also topped by a tall circular vault, is dotted with some quaint plaster patterns, and is lined with plaster statues - many of which are some of the outstanding figures who have emerged in the history of the family.

This room is surrounded by tall bookshelves... Damn it! These bookshelves are two stories tall! It was full of all kinds of densely packed books, and Du Wei roughly calculated that there were at least tens of thousands of books hidden here! And there are many iron cabinets, which store some important things, such as family maps, or some ancient and important documents.

Of course, as a martial arts family, even in the study, there is a hint of martial arts! On the wall directly opposite the door to the study, there was a huge two-handed sword and a huge chopping axe! These two weapons are hung crossed on the wall! From the cold light flashing on the blades, it was clear that servants were often very careful to scrub and maintain them.

There is also a wall of bookshelves, deliberately rattan out of several huge cabinets, cabinet with a variety of weapons, but from the style, these are antiques.

There are short bows in the imperial style a hundred years ago, as well as old-fashioned knights' swords, long sabers, and black ironwood bows...

Du Wei was attracted by these weapons, and he could see that these antiques were also in a fairly well-maintained condition, and although they had passed through the years, several of them still emitted a sharp cold light!

"These are used by the illustrious ancestors of the family through the ages." The old butler Hill behind him said in an unchanging voice: "These all record the glory of these great ancestors of our Luolin family.

Because of the shape of the room space, speaking here, the sound waves will emit humming vibrations and echoes, which adds a bit of solemnity.

Gently stroking the old-fashioned desk with a black rosewood floor, Du Wei quietly looked around.

It can be seen that although everything here has been strictly preserved and carefully cleaned, the traces of that age are also obvious. Many places on the bookshelf were polished very smooth and shiny, and the huge desk under his hand, Du Wei suspected that it was probably older than the old butler in front of him.

"This used to be the center of power of the Rollin family, and it used to be the place where the patriarchs of the family thought and made various decisions. Everything here bears traces of its former glory. The old butler said in a low voice: "Although the decision-making center of the family was later moved to the imperial capital, according to the family's tradition, every patriarch who came back to the castle for a parallax or stayed for a short time was not allowed to return to the bedroom to rest on the first night of arrival, and must spend the night in this study." In this way, I urge myself not to forget the glorious history of my family and the heavy responsibilities on my own.

After a pause, the old butler glanced at Du Wei and lowered his head: "You are the eldest son of the current Patriarch Lord Count, you came to inspect the castle on his behalf, may I ask you tonight..."

Du Wei immediately nodded very cooperatively, and he smiled: "Tradition is tradition, and it must be followed." I'm no exception. Although I am not the patriarch, I am the eldest son of my father and have come here as his representative. Tonight I will stay overnight in the study, as is customary. The

old butler's face softened a lot, and there was a hint of warmth in his tone, and he said slowly: "Yes, I will let people get ready." And also... I know that you are here to inspect the property of the territory on behalf of Lord Count, so where will your work begin?" After receiving the news of your return, I have asked people to organize the accounts and books of the income and expenditure of this year's family business. When are you going to start looking at these things? Or wait..."

Du Wei interrupted him with a smile. He naturally calmly bypassed the table and sat behind this wide desk, the sofa was a little hard, but it was still very comfortable to sit on, Du Wei thought about it and said with a smile: "My housekeeper, I came after a long journey, and now I feel a little hungry." Please prepare me something to eat first, and then I think I can start looking at the things you have prepared.

It seems that the efficiency here is still good.

Soon, Du Wei enjoyed a very typical southern aristocratic afternoon tea in the study, and after he ate a sweet pumpkin pie, he had just wiped his mouth, and the old butler Hill had already commanded two sturdy male servants to come to the study.

Two servants pushed a cart loaded with a thick pile of books like a hill! Taken together, these pamphlets are probably half a head taller than Du Wei's people!

"These are all this year's account receipts and expenditures?" Du Wei frowned, and he began to wonder if this old butler wanted to punish himself.

"Young Master, these are all." Old Hill replied very seriously: "The information here includes the entire southern Cott Province, the land measurement area in the family territory, the cultivated land area, as well as the financial revenue expenditure of six of the towns, the logistics supply expenditure of the family private army scattered in the three places of the territory, military salaries, supplies, and the consumption of weapons, etc., in addition to the harvest of grain, and the budget for some new buildings built this year." I've also budgeted for next year, but I'm not done because of the rush, but I don't think you're leaving here anytime soon, so we still have plenty of time.

Du Wei couldn't help but touch his nose and looked at the hill-like account in front of him: "... Is it all here? "That's

just part of it. As for the rest..." The old butler said something a little less serious: "For the rest, I think you may need to watch it for a week."

Du Wei began to frown, and he quietly examined the butler in front of him.

This old butler didn't look like he was joking. But... He wouldn't be naïve enough to think that he, a thirteen-year-old, could understand these accounts? Not to mention the naïve idea that a thirteen-year-old child can really shoulder the entire family domain industry!

Then, he should know that being sent back to his hometown by the head of the family should be a disguised distribution. In that case, this guy got such a bunch of accounts over, and asked himself to check it himself... What is the intention?

Could it be that the old housekeeper who stayed behind was dissatisfied with himself, the young master who was sent back, and was worried that he would disperse the authority in his hands after he returned, so he demonstrated to himself first?

Slave bully?

Or, what tricks did he have in the family business, to profit from it, and now he uses his own child to muddle through?

Everything, it seems possible!

However, Du Wei did not say anything, he did not even raise the slightest question, picked up the top account, blew the dust on it, calmly sat down and turned the first page, and read it quietly.

After a while, Du Wei raised his head, and the old butler was still standing on the side.

"Oh, is there anything else Mr. Butler would like to tell me?" Du Wei seemed to be casual, and his tone became cold: "When I read, I don't like people around me.

"Obey, young master." The old butler Hill's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and then he seemed to open his mouth and wanted to say something, but the words came to his lips and swallowed back, turned and went out with the servants.

After the heavy study door was closed, Du Wei gently put down the account in his hand, he stood up, walked back and forth in this huge study for a few steps, moved his body, and then smiled and said to himself: "It seems that I am afraid that there is really something worth looking forward to."

In the following time, until nightfall, during this period, the old housekeeper came to the study twice, once to pour tea for Du Wei, and once after dark, he personally brought someone to light a candle for Du Wei.

To the surprise of the old butler Hill, this little young master was actually flipping through those accounts!

Moreover, he is not pretending, but really reading with his heart! There were several ledgers on the desk, all of them were opened, Du Wei seemed to be counting some numbers, just after the old housekeeper brought someone to light all the twenty huge candlesticks in the study, Du Wei asked the old housekeeper a few questions about the accounts very casually.

He didn't ask casually, every question got to the point! These are enough to prove that this young master seems to be genuine! He really read those boring accounts in!

This... Is this what the news that came back said, the eldest young master who was considered an "idiot" within the Didu family?

Although he had tried his best to hide it, he was still caught by Du Wei as surprised by the old butler. Du Wei still said something, but when the old housekeeper walked out of the door again, he slowly closed the account book in his hand that turned to the last page.

In fact... These accounts are really interesting!

Du Wei spent an evening, not really looking at the boring numbers, let alone the heart to check whether the account was fake. After all, he is not a genius, and the truth of the accounts is impossible for a person who has no understanding of the industry to see anything.

I'm afraid no one will know that Du Wei is reading in a different way that no one else can guess!

Who says that ledgers must be book-only?

At least, Du Wei learned a lot from these things! And these things are not recorded in those history books and files that record family history!

From the names and contents of the various items in these accounts, Du Wei would immediately have a full understanding of the extent to which the Luolin family controlled the territory.

In the territory, the Rollin family is almost a system of its own, and even has considerable autonomy. The financial and tax power here belongs to the family, and even the appointment of local officials is basically the final decision of the family. And the tax rate levied, although in accordance with the laws of the empire. However, the family can be modified, reduced or added under some special names.

As long as the collected taxes are submitted to the central treasury of the empire according to a certain percentage every year.

And military power. Basically, from some of the details on these accounts for military purposes. The official imperial garrison here was very small, but symbolically stationed two small local second-line reserve infantry regiments on the periphery of the territory. And it is worth noting that the supplies and weights of these two reserve infantry regiments are provided by the Rollin family every year! The imperial side doesn't care!

In most parts of the territory, it was the family's private army in the territory that maintained local security and order.

Almost through these accounts, Du Wei easily grasped the current situation of the entire Luolin family in economic, political, military and other fields!

Perhaps, if the old housekeeper knew that he actually "read" the ledger like this, he would definitely make his eyes pop out!

Judging from these accounts, Du Wei has confirmed at least two points: First, in terms of the right to tax, the family can completely control this place! And in the military, even more so!

Du Wei, who came from another world, has learned an important common sense in that world: the embodiment of a country's territorial sovereignty, two very important points are: taxation! And the garrison!

And now, these two points are almost controlled by the Rollin family! What does this mean?

It means that the central government of the empire has almost lost its territory over the Rollin family: half of the territory of the province of Kot, where the central government of the empire has lost its sovereign control here! It's almost already a small, independent kingdom.

Du Wei leaned on the sofa and pondered, this situation made him feel a little surprised! Because when a country's central power gradually loses its authority, it is often a sign that the prelude to turmoil is about to begin.

Du Wei sat for a while, and the room was quiet, only the occasional beeping sound of candle sparks bursting.

At this moment, Du Wei suddenly stood up abruptly, and Huo Ran turned around and looked at the wall behind him!

On the walls are huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with densely packed books, which seem to be nothing out of the ordinary.

But Du Wei faintly gave birth to something strange in his heart... Well, the feeling of that moment just now seems to be right!

Because his mental power is much stronger than ordinary people, Du Wei's sense of some movements around him is also more sensitive than ordinary people. Just now, he suddenly had a feeling in his heart that he was being spied on!

As if right behind him, a trace of gaze shot from some unknown hidden corner, quietly watching him!

There was no abnormality on the bookshelf, and Du Wei's gaze looked up again.

Above the bookshelf, a row of portraits hangs on the walls.

These portraits in the style of oil paintings, arranged in a row, range in age from far to near. These are the portraits of the successive heads of the Rollin family!

In the first position on the left, the canvas that looks the oldest, the most far away, and the figure painting is inevitably a little distorted, is a middle-aged man wearing an imperial uniform. The man on the canvas is the imperial marshal back then! It was also an ancestor of the Rollin family who won the war and made great achievements for the empire, and at the same time won this Rollin Plain from the emperor!

This person looked very spirited, and there was a cold and tough look between his eyebrows that resembled that of Du Wei's father, Count Raymond! And that bundle of eyes seemed to be staring at Du Wei's body!

Du Wei's heart moved, he tried to take a few steps back, and then took two steps left and right, while his eyes were also fixed on the oil painting. Then he laughed, sighed softly, and then whispered: "Alas, maybe I'm too sensitive... It's just an oil painting.

He turned around and casually picked up another book of accounts...

Just behind him, the portrait of the marshal on the wall, those eyes suddenly blinked!

That's right, the character in the oil painting suddenly came alive, and his eyes staring at Du Wei's back suddenly blinked!

The eyes of the characters in this painting, which should have been stiff, suddenly seemed to be infused with life! That gaze fell on Du Wei's body, and there seemed to be a hint of curiosity in his eyes...

And at this moment, Du Wei, who was holding the account as if reading, suddenly turned around without warning, and Huo Ran stared at the oil painting on the wall!

One person, one painting, the eyes of both sides suddenly collided together!!

"No need to pretend. I know you're looking at me. Du Wei slowly raised his hand, and in his hand squeezed a silver spoon, which he used when eating pumpkin pie here before. The silver spoon is shiny like a mirror!

"You're looking at me, and I was looking at you with this thing just now." Du Wei was smiling, he stared at the mural on the wall: "You don't have to pretend anymore... However, don't you know that it is a very impolite move to peep at others behind your back? "

"......"