From sailboats to star destroyers (Source: Web)

Chapter 53 Return to Galtilan

Although only 5 days have passed in the main world, a full two and a half months have passed on the continent of Galtilan.

Therefore, when Miao Meng arrived at his territory again, he was still somewhat surprised by this group of buildings, or rather, this large manor, located on the edge of a cliff.

"Sir, you're back. You must have had a long journey."

The butler, who had been prepared to welcome them, immediately clapped his hands, signaling the guards to open the gate and let the orderly procession enter.

More than two months have passed. For a normal person, they would have long forgotten the face of someone they only met once.

However, this was not the case with medieval or professional butlers. Even if they hadn't seen each other for years, a butler could recognize the other person's identity immediately upon meeting them again.

Therefore, when the soldiers at the gate announced that a fully armed team had arrived, the steward immediately guessed who it was and then led his servants out to greet them.

Although Miao Meng had made arrangements before leaving, he didn't have high hopes. Regardless of whether the manor was built or not, he was prepared to live in his own modern house.

However, seeing the manor built in just two months was still quite delightful. Even though the transplanted flowers and plants hadn't fully grown yet, it was enough to tell what a beautiful scene it would be in the future.

The entire estate covers a vast area, stretching from the hillside to the flat land at the foot of the mountain, a distance of several kilometers from one end to the other.

Of course, the entire middle area wasn't all buildings. There was a not-so-high city wall on the outside, but the middle area was actually just open space. Fortunately, there was a road big enough for a horse-drawn carriage to pass through, leading directly to the houses on the hillside.

Some shrubs have been planted on both sides of the road, but the lawns and shrubs are now only sprouting a few buds and look bare.

"Well done, Rodney. I suppose the funds I left behind before I left have been used up. Now that I'm back, I'll replenish them. Here's an extra two months' salary for you."

Miao Meng sat in the carriage as they traveled along the rugged path. Although he knew that the road was not straight to make it easier to go uphill, he still felt a bit of a bumpy ride.

However, considering the level of architecture in the Middle Ages, the current situation is already quite good, so Miao Meng is quite satisfied with the butler's work ability.

"Thank you for your generosity, but I still want to tell you that quite a few guards have chosen to leave during this period."

The steward wasn't particularly happy when he heard about his reward; on the contrary, he was a little uneasy. During the time his master was away, quite a few guards had already taken the money and run away.

This would be considered a dereliction of duty for a housekeeper, but his job responsibilities did not allow him to cover it up, or rather, if he did, the subsequent exposure would only lead to an even bigger mistake.

"That doesn't matter. Let those who want to leave settle their bills and leave. Oh, and later, arrange for someone to inform Earl Gerry that I'm back."

Before leaving, Miao Meng had already explained to everyone how long he would need to go, using the excuse that he was going back to sort out his family assets and alchemy laboratory.

Although two or three months is not a short time for those nobles, it is still within an acceptable range. After all, it is normal for it to take two months to cross borders.

So the first thing Miao Meng did upon returning was to have his steward send a message to Earl Gerry, lest the latter think he had really run away with the money.

After all, what he did before was too much like a conman, swindling a lot of money with a bunch of magical items, and even getting a soul crystal from the count.

Then suddenly, for some reason, they need to leave for an extended period, ranging from several years to a few months. This sounds like something only a con artist would do.

"Your will, Your Excellency."

The butler wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he had already arranged for people to be on standby. However, since the master hadn't given the order, he couldn't overstep his bounds.

After the carriage arrived at the main house of the manor, the two sides stopped communicating. Miao Meng got out of the carriage, looked at the two-story house, and shook his head.

Although I had expected it, after observing it up close, I realized that the house was really nothing special. The main structure was made of wood, with only a small part made of stone.

The finishing details are not refined enough. Although a layer of paint has been applied, some traces of splicing can still be seen, and even the sturdiness is just average.

Although I don't know if there are tornadoes here, judging from the extent of the damage, it definitely wouldn't withstand an earthquake or artillery attack.

Then I went inside to check out the interior. The windows were narrow and small, the lighting was extremely poor, and the insulation was not very good either.

This house is cold in winter and hot in summer. Even if the fireplace is always burning in winter, it would probably be difficult to keep people warm. If an ordinary person lived here, they would develop a lot of health problems within two years.

The butler, naturally, noticed the expression on his master's face. Observing people's expressions was a butler's duty, so he also became uneasy.

It was obvious that he had messed up. Although the design had been approved by the owner, the final result did not meet the owner's expectations. Needless to say, what would happen to him?

After browsing through the rooms from the first floor to the second floor, and looking around at all the rooms, Miao Meng went straight through the main building and arrived at the back, or rather, a little higher up on the hillside.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. You've done a great job in just two months."

Miao Meng never considered that house as his main house from the beginning. In his plan, the design there was just a facade, a reception room. His actual living place was a little higher up.

Otherwise, the house wouldn't have been built on the hillside; it should have been higher up. Of course, it couldn't have been built on the mountaintop, as that would have placed too high a demand on the building's quality.

"I'm sorry to have disappointed you." The butler bowed, expressing his incompetence in the matter.

Miao Meng ignored the butler's behavior and instead emptied the cabin, allowing his real butler, Earl Black, to direct the crew to begin assembling the ship according to the design blueprints.

Then, right before Rodney's eyes, a pristine white and bright house appeared on the open space at a speed visible to the naked eye.

To accommodate all the building materials for this house, Miao Meng's ship girl form's cabin was completely crammed full; it was a huge warehouse that could hold up to 80 tons of cargo.

Therefore, after the warehouse was emptied, the house made of interlocking panels that was pieced together took up a much larger area than the previous house, and it was also taller.

This prefabricated house, which looks like a set of building blocks, might not have been assembled in five days if special access to the investigation bureau hadn't been used.

As for the foundation of this flat land, it had already been prepared long ago; he had the butler make the preparations on the design drawings before he left.

However, this time the warehouse was completely full. After it was taken out and reassembled, only about 2/3 of the original foundation was used. The remaining 1/3 was left empty and could only be used next time.