Waking up the next morning.
His neck was sore—he hadn't slept on such a good bed since arriving in this world. It was too soft. He wasn't used to it!
"Milord!" Two knocks sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Though he had just moved into the residence, servants had already been arranged in advance. Apparently, the merchant guild had set it up for him, and there might even be some involvement from the Diwara family behind it.
The door opened, and a small-framed maid walked in. Most new servants tended to be younger, mainly because his earl's estate had only just been established. Hiring young people meant that after many years, they'd develop a sense of belonging and treat the place as their home. With older servants, that would be much harder to achieve.
"Milord, I've prepared your clothes. Would you like to put them on now?"
"Mm," Shawn replied.
Now that he was an earl, matters of clothing, food, housing, and travel had become more refined. Washing up, dressing, and grooming took a long time. He wore a black-and-white coat, leather trousers, and needed gloves—pure white ones.
As a lord of the land, he didn't need to do much himself, so maintaining cleanliness and propriety was enough.
He had learned this routine from Prince Philip, and he'd heard that many high-ranking nobles followed the same habits. On top of that, he also wore a hat.
Gentlemanly and dignified—that was probably what he saw in the mirror right now!
"The clothes suit you very well, milord," the young maid said with a smile.
Meanwhile, breakfast had already been prepared in advance.
In the dining room, only a few servants were busy.
"Where's Mr. Ross?" Shawn asked one of them.
"I went to call on Lord Ross earlier. He said he stayed up too late last night and has a headache, so he won't be coming for breakfast and asked me to apologize to the Earl." A male servant bowed his head as he spoke.
Stayed up too late!
Impressive.
He must have been so busy traveling these past few days that the great scholar hadn't had time to record everything along the way, so he crammed it all in last night.
"Tell the kitchen to send some food over when he wakes up," Shawn said. Since Ross was busy, he wouldn't disturb him and sat down alone at the table to eat.
Just then, another servant came to report that a girl outside claimed to be Miss Philo Diwara.
Diwara.
Named Philo?
Shawn suddenly remembered the Diwara family he'd encountered yesterday. That girl he'd only seen once—Orlando Diwara's daughter. What was she doing here?
"Please, let her in." He set down his utensils. He hadn't even started eating yet, and someone was already here.
A nearby servant handed him a hot towel to wipe his hands. After putting his white gloves back on, Shawn stood up and headed to the front hall to receive the guest.
Diwara's daughter had changed into a pink fitted long dress today. Her golden hair shone as if coated with wax, and when she saw him appear, she flashed a sweet smile.
"Earl Vigor!" She curtsied.
"Miss Diwara, what brings you here so early?" Shawn noticed several servants behind her carrying things.
"Earl, you've just arrived in Oro City, so you might not be used to the food. We bought some excellent pickled and cured meat from a traveling merchant a few days ago, so I brought some for you to try." Philo curiously glanced around behind Shawn.
Nobles had to observe many formalities, including dining etiquette.
If the maid behind him had a napkin for wiping hands, it meant he was still eating. If not, it meant he had finished. Offering food at that point would be inappropriate.
"I hope I'm not interrupting your meal, Earl."
"Of course not. I was just about to enjoy breakfast. Since Miss Diwara is here, why don't you join me?"
Watching her restless demeanor, Shawn understood that this family hadn't gotten a reply yesterday and would come again today. He might as well discuss whatever they wanted right at the table.
Philo had her servants bring out what they'd brought.
A plate of sliced pickled and cured roast meat, and a lightly sweetened soy milk. This was a southern eating habit—typical of the wealthy residents around Koga City. He hadn't expected this family to be so thorough, even thinking of details like this. No wonder they were the commercial powerhouses of Oro City.
"What do you think, Earl?"
"Mm, not bad. Try some—it's very good."
It did suit his taste, but Shawn would act a bit more enthusiastic, or else she wouldn't be able to continue the conversation.
"I've already had some. I'm glad you like it, Earl. I was worried all the way here! What if you didn't like it?" Her delicate face showed a troubled expression.
"How could that be? You went to all this trouble to prepare it. I'm very pleased."
After a few slices of fatty meat, Philo, sitting beside him, began talking about other matters in the city.
It was like a morning news broadcast—she talked about recent events in Oro City: the orchards in the east were ripe, the mercenary guild in the north had issued various quests, some relocated residents in the south were settling in nearby towns again, or minor incidents among the city's inhabitants.
No matter where you were, even back in his own town of Tylermian, things happened every day—just big or small.
Oro City had a permanent population of about five to six hundred thousand. If you included the surrounding towns and villages, plus passing merchants, mercenaries, and travelers, the area probably held over seven hundred thousand people at once. Such a vast territory was his domain, and of course, he couldn't decide everything himself. Everyone had their duties, and minor matters were left to those in charge of them.
"I heard the people from the south are still increasing. If this keeps up, the environment there might run into problems." Philo watched him with a hint of implication, and Shawn noticed it all.
South of Oro City was what used to be Tacoma City.
After the Tacoma incident, not only had people died there, but many later moved away. Although Freya, along with the Black Feather Knights and the wizard group, had tried to stabilize local order and reassure the people at the time.
Still, they couldn't stop people's fear of that place.
Many began relocating to various locations. He remembered meeting a couple and their family on the airship when he and Freya went back.
"What was the policy there before?" Shawn suddenly asked.
Philo shook her head.
"I don't know. The Earl hadn't arrived before, so no one gave any policy for that area. The local inspectors and soldiers were just maintaining order."
Shawn paused his movements.
If that was the case...
It was rather troublesome.
He turned to a nearby servant.
"Go find Aslant and bring him here."