Chapter 465: Objective Achieved

Outside the castle, William specifically had Sunday deploy several Black Blade drones to capture photos of Wilson without the watch on his wrist. These photos were secretly sent to the media, ensuring that reports would surface showing Wilson wearing the bomb detector watch when entering the castle, but missing it when he left.

With a little money spent on tabloids, within a day, all sorts of speculative stories would emerge—some claiming the watch was defective or that the technology was still immature. William had even prepared a few of these articles ahead of time.

Wilson, after pocketing the new detector, picked out his hunting rifle and followed William, who was also dressed in hunting gear, as they walked out of the castle towards the stables. 

The staff, who had been informed earlier, led Wilson and his bodyguards to choose horses. Meanwhile, William greeted eight professional hunters, who were accompanied by several hunting dogs.

"Good morning, Boss."

The stable master, Neil Jordan, eyed Red Hare with concern. The horse was excited to see William. "Boss, Red Hare is now a champion racehorse. It's really not suitable for hunting. If anything happens, the loss would be enormous."

William wasn't one to ignore sound advice. He patted Red Hare on the head and said, "Take him back to the stable. If I have time this afternoon, I'll come by to see him."

"Understood, Boss," Neil quickly responded, relieved. He then called out to the horse trainers and stable hands, "Take Red Hare back to the stable and bring another horse for the boss."

Without arguing, William mounted the Akhal-Teke horse that Neil had prepared for him. After securing his rifle, he waited for Wilson to join him. Once Wilson was mounted, the two, accompanied by four bodyguards on horseback, set off, led by the eight hunters driving in front.

With professional hunters guiding them and the dogs chasing down prey, it only took two hours for William and Wilson to bag two wild boars and a dozen rabbits.

At noon, when Sunday confirmed that news about Wilson had already started to spread, William turned to the still-enthusiastic Wilson and said, "Alright, let's head back for lunch. We'll discuss distributing goods to desert regions this afternoon."

Though Wilson wasn't fully satisfied, he agreed, nodding.

It took them about half an hour to ride back to the stables. William pulled out a wad of cash and tossed it to Hunter, the lead huntsman. "We won't be going out this afternoon. Take care of the wild boars and rabbits, and send the best ones to the castle. The rest you can keep."

"Thank you, Mr. Devonshire," Hunter replied, catching the wad of cash. He immediately realized it was at least £3,000. Splitting that among the eight hunters meant each earned £400 for a morning's work. Delighted, Hunter secretly hoped William would hunt every day, though he knew it was just a wish.

Removing his hat, Hunter bowed slightly. "Thank you for your generosity, sir. May the Devonshire family prosper."

William laughed heartily upon hearing Hunter address him as "sir." "Save that title for when I officially inherit the earldom. For now, it's not appropriate."

Tipping his hat in farewell, William said, "See you later, Hunter," and nodded to the other seven hunters, who quickly returned the gesture with respectful bows.

For half a day's work, they had earned a full day's wage, and judging by Hunter's reaction, it was a significant sum. Given that news had already spread about William purchasing 34,000 acres of land surrounding the small town, the hunters knew they were now reliant on the Devonshire family for their livelihoods.

As a result, they all followed Hunter's lead, bowing and showing respect, which gave William, who usually disdained aristocratic life, a surprising sense of satisfaction.

A strange sense of historical importance welled up in him, and he suddenly understood why aristocrats, once they experienced the feeling of being superior, were so reluctant to give up their traditions, even if it meant hardship.

Watching the hunters leave, Wilson chuckled and asked, "Feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

"Although it's a bit insincere, I must admit it does feel nice," William replied with a smile.

He knew, of course, that money was a big part of it. With the Devonshire family on the rise again, these hunters, who specialized in serving nobility, were dusting off their old ways to flatter him.

To them, nobles were their bread and butter. Who wouldn't flatter their benefactor? Even in other jobs, didn't people try to curry favor with their bosses or clients? Pretending to show respect didn't hurt them in the slightest.

"Haha," Wilson laughed at William's candid response. "You'll only find this kind of traditional noble etiquette in rural estates and manors. But remember, my friend, don't get too caught up in it. These people are after your money."

"Alright," William interrupted, rolling his eyes. He understood Wilson's point. The residents of the small town, aside from those who worked elsewhere, now depended on him for their income. It was only natural for them to try to please their benefactor.

"I don't care if their feelings are genuine or not. Whoever works for me gets paid, those who do well get raises, and those who don't can be fired."

"As long as you understand. It's good to keep some traditions, but when it comes to employer-employee relations, it's best to stick to capitalist methods," Wilson said thoughtfully. Then, lowering his voice, he added, "If anyone ever tries to persuade you to fully embrace the aristocratic lifestyle, they're either trying to harm you or have ulterior motives."

Wilson paused, watching William's reaction. When he didn't show any curiosity, Wilson felt a bit deflated and grumbled, "You're no fun."

After a moment, when William still didn't seem interested, Wilson couldn't help but continue, "Do you know how many servants your relative has now?"

"How many?" William knew right away that Wilson was referring to the soon-to-be-deceased Earl of Oxford.

"A whopping 140."

Wilson glanced around cautiously to ensure that only their four bodyguards were nearby before continuing, "He probably knows his time is short, so he's brought back all the old aristocratic traditions to his estate, acting like money is no object. He's giving away jewelry to women and even paying their gift taxes. If he keeps this up, he'll be in debt in no time, and the reputation of the Devonshire family could be tarnished."

"What does that have to do with the family?" William asked, puzzled.

"God, how do you not get this?" Wilson rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't want the family history to say that the 46th head of the Devonshire family, the 17th Earl, was a man who loved women more than his inheritance, squandering the family fortune and leaving a mess for his successor, would you? That's not exactly a glowing legacy."

Haha. William noticed that Wilson's eyes were slightly evasive. It was clear that he was sugarcoating his criticism. If people were to truly evaluate the current Earl, the comparison would be to some of the worst emperors in history.

What interested William, though, was why Wilson was so concerned about the Earl's situation. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Why do you care about him?"

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