Cycle of Destiny

Chapter 56 The Wealthy Newly Appointed Marquis

The goddess paused for a moment at this point. Harry, too embarrassed to ask what happened next, followed suit.

However, after a while, she continued talking.

"It's orchid grass. He brought orchid grass from the province of Orion. In addition to inheriting the marquisate and his property, he also inherited the talent for cultivating orchid grass from his grandmother. Orchid grass itself is just a wild grass that can be found everywhere by the roadside in the north. It has almost no requirements for its growing environment. Whether it is watered or fertilized, it will not affect its growth. It can even survive in rock crevices and corners. It can be said to be nothing special. But only orchid grass that has been cultivated by Margaret Fairchild herself has the magical effect of identifying imposters. The orchid grass she grows has wider leaves and a fragrance. I know that the royal family and the church tried for many years to figure out the secret, but they never succeeded."

Harry listened intently. The cultivation of this orchid sounded like some kind of ability that could only be passed down through bloodlines and could not be replicated.

"After arriving in the capital, Odel bought a shop and started selling orchids. That's when people realized that the grandson of the 'Queen of Thorns' also had a talent for cultivating orchids. At that time, the pandemic had just ended, and the shadow of disaster still lingered over everyone. So his business was incredibly successful."

She shook her head slightly, as if reminiscing about the fervor that swept the entire city back then.

"Orchid grass isn't expensive, but there's just too much demand. Almost every household in the capital buys some to keep on hand, just for peace of mind. And the water infused with it has a unique fragrance, which even became a kind of refined elegance at one time. Not only in the capital, but caravans from all over the country flocked here to buy it. The royal family also bought large quantities to supply the army—for a long time, it was a tradition for the imperial legions to drink orchid water regularly."

She paused, giving Harry a moment to imagine the scene: a constant stream of carriages and horses in front of the shop, the clinking of gold coins, and countless people holding those seemingly ordinary blades of grass as if they were talismans against an invisible fear.

"In short, his business was booming at that time, and gold coins were flowing into his pockets like water. The newly crowned Marquis of Fairchild was extremely wealthy. Even in the capital, a place teeming with powerful and wealthy people, his wealth was absolutely substantial."

"And so, having amassed enough wealth, he began to penetrate the social circles of the capital. He purchased a castle in the north of the capital. The original owner of the castle was a gambling duke who, after devoting all his wealth to the gambling table, sold off the furniture piece by piece until finally selling the castle to Odell. The large house originally only had marble floors and empty rooms, making it seem very desolate, but his wife Laura was very good at decorating. She added furniture and decorations one by one, and the castle quickly gained a warm feeling."

"After that, Odel tried every means to squeeze into the real noble circles of the capital. And being on good terms with him often meant being able to get scarce orchids at a cheaper price. As a result, marquises, dukes, and even some members of the royal family soon became frequent visitors to his castle."

"Although neither he nor his wife were religious, they still regularly hosted banquets for church personnel—the church also needed a lot of orchids. So before long, some district chiefs, bishops, and high-ranking officers of the Holy Knights began to frequently appear on his guest list. From this point on, he entered the most glorious period of his aristocratic life."

"On his table was high-grade monster meat from the province of Orion, specially prepared for his guests. The meat was tender and had a unique flavor, and it was even once considered to surpass the skills of the famous chef at 'Heart of the Lion.' He meticulously tended the forests surrounding the castle and even dug a small artificial lake. Laura was very talented in gardening and spent a lot of time redesigning and renovating the garden, which was absolutely beautiful. In summer, the view from the second-floor drawing room was like seeing the lake, the shadows of the trees, and the fields of flowers reflected together—a scene that seemed otherworldly."

"Although the banquets he hosted at the castle were lavish, they were also measured, and the guest lists were carefully selected. Fine food, fine wine, elegant taste, and abundant wealth, coupled with the host couple's hospitality, generosity, and love of entertaining friends... all of this made them incredibly popular in a very short time, as if their family had been rooted in the capital for generations. Forty years ago, during the capital's social season, it was hard to find a more desirable banquet than Fairchild Castle."

"At this time, Odell had truly become wealthy. When they weren't hosting banquets, the couple would attend other people's banquets, having dinner at one duke's house one day and afternoon tea at another marquis's house the next. The most popular arenas at the time always had two VIP seats reserved for them; if they went to an auction, the auction house would always prepare a high-class box for them."

The goddess exhaled softly, and the breath caused the flames in front of her to flicker slightly.

"They lived this life of extravagance and being surrounded by flowers for a full ten years."

Then she paused, leaving a meaningful silence. She picked up her teacup again, took a slow sip, as if she needed the tea to moisten her throat, which had become dry from talking for so long, and also to calm her mind.

Harry knew he had to say something at this point.

He saw her hand holding the teacup—long fingers, but her skin was loose and covered with fine lines due to the passage of time.

"So," Harry spoke up at the opportune moment, his voice unusually clear in the quiet room, "how did you come to know them?"

"At the time, I didn't think much of them. I thought they were indulging in pleasure and living a lavish and vulgar life. In addition, neither of them were religious, so even though bishops often mentioned to me that they wanted to invite me to banquets, I never agreed."

She paused, her gaze deepening.

"The turning point came a year after they arrived in the capital. A once-in-a-century drought swept through the empire, leaving many southern provinces with no harvest and widespread famine victims. Every day I received reports from various places, filled with cold and cruel death statistics... Watching so many living lives being swallowed by the disaster, my heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife."

Her voice lowered, and a shadow fell over her forehead, a heaviness that had not completely dissipated even after many years.

"To raise money, I held several charity auctions in the capital, but the results were mediocre." She shook her head slightly. "Back then, the relationship between the royal family and the church was not as harmonious as it is now. Faced with such a disaster, those nobles who were more inclined to support the royal family preferred to donate money to benefit performances organized by the Presbyterian Church rather than support fundraising initiated by the church."

Harry nodded silently. He could understand that point—at that time, the church and the royal family were basically at odds. One claimed that the Goddess of Light was the supreme will, while the other wanted to uphold the glory of the Acronus Empire and regarded the first Emperor Acronus as a god.

The church and the royal family are essentially vying for dominance over faith and public opinion.

In the face of such a natural disaster, whoever provides relief faster and more effectively will win more gratitude and followers. After all, people are always more likely to remember those who helped them in their most difficult times.

Donating money to someone is helping that person. Clearly, during that period, the influence of the royal family prevailed.

Therefore, the donations this goddess could receive from the nobles were probably not much.

"Of course I know the reason." The goddess's tone was calm, but beneath the calm, one could hear the restrained anger. "In the eyes of those short-sighted nobles, the Church could not compete with the deeply rooted Acnosian royal family. The master of this continent was ultimately that ancient imperial family. In that era... although the Church's power was already undeniable, its recognition among the nobles was still far from sufficient. That was the most difficult time for the Church."

She paused here. Her eyes were fixed ahead, somewhat unfocused, as if she were completely lost in that memory filled with helplessness and frustration. In the flickering light, the once clear outline of her face appeared somewhat blurred.

His pale face was filled with sorrow. This moment of distraction lasted for several seconds.

Then she seemed to suddenly wake up, her gaze quickly focusing back on Harry.

She realized that it was inappropriate for her to show the vulnerability and sentimentality of a clergyman in front of a magician—magicians were incapable of empathizing with clergymen.

She lowered her head slightly in a hurry, and when she raised her face again, she had regained some composure and had a slightly apologetic smile on her face.

"Sorry, I've gone off on a tangent. The details of these old stories might be boring for you."

Harry was a little surprised—the goddess would apologize to him for these things.

But he quickly hid his surprise, and a knowing smile spread across his round face.

"Please don't say that," he said sincerely. "It's precisely these vivid details that make the past stories feel real. I'm very grateful that you're willing to share these...precious memories with me."

"I'm glad you don't mind." The goddess's expression relaxed a little. She gently smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on her skirt, as if trying to erase that inappropriate sadness from before.

The goddess took a breath and continued, "At that time, the amount of money I raised was far less than I had imagined. Without enough gold coins, we couldn't buy enough food, and going south to provide disaster relief became empty talk. The original trip south was postponed. During that period, I could hardly sleep at night. Just thinking about what kind of life the disaster victims were living made my tears flow uncontrollably."

"Later, a white-robed archbishop told me that Odell's wife, Lady Laura, was willing to hold a charity gala at the castle to raise funds for the disaster-stricken people, and promised to give all the money raised to the church. I knew that I had to go there in person. This lady had such kindness, and no matter what her purpose was, I should thank her in person for reaching out at such a time."

“And so,” she looked up at Harry, her gaze refocusing, “I stepped into Odell’s castle for the first time.”