[Current Balance: £117,113,796 5s. 7d.]
---
It was almost night time, dinner time was approaching. The entire family was busy conversing, especially with Kassandra. Alaric excused himself from the ongoing conversations in the main hall, making his way down the familiar hidden staircase towards the secure area beneath the mansion.
He walked past the now-empty general vault where the family business funds were managed by Jonathan, his mother, and aunt Linette... heading towards a specific, heavily reinforced door at the far end. He produced a unique key and unlocked the first heavy padlock, then a second, more complex one.
The door swung open silently, revealing Alaric's private vault room.
It was overflowing...
Neatly stacked piles of gold pounds sterling, silver shillings, and copper pence filled the large room almost floor to ceiling, glinting in the light from the single lantern hanging inside. It was an obscene amount of physical currency.
Alaric grinned, surveying everything. 'Hehe... even if I were to be giving away fortunes, I should still be the richest man in the world...'.
His eyes fell upon a sturdy table near the entrance, upon which sat several thick, leather-bound ledgers... they copies prepared specifically for him by Jonathan, detailing the performance of the businesses Alaric had funded.
He walked over and picked up the first one, labeled 'Kenway Farms & Livestock'. He opened it, scanning the neatly written figures. 'This is my mother's handwriting...'
'Farm Profit (Net after all Expenses):''1712 (Mid-Year Start):'
'Jun - Aug: £7,700 total profit. Alaric's Share (30%): £2,310.'
'Sep - Dec: £7,700 total profit. Alaric's Share (30%): £2,310.''1713:'
'Jan - Apr: £7,700 total profit. Alaric's Share (30%): £2,310.'
'May - Aug: £7,700 total profit. Alaric's Share (30%): £2,310.'
'Sep - Dec: £7,700 total profit. Alaric's Share (30%): £2,310.''1714:'
'Jan - Apr: £7,700 total profit. Alaric's Share (30%): £2,310.'
'(Note: Figures consistent due to long-term contracts established early)'
'So, from the farming and livestock business alone, my share over the past two years is £13,860,' Alaric calculated quickly. 'Not bad for a passive investment.'
He closed the farm ledger and picked up the next set... three thick volumes detailing the sales of the products (Celestial Salve, Ramen, Hot Sauce, Beauty Mask, & Celestial Tea).
He began flipping through the pages, skimming past the weekly and monthly breakdowns, the detailed contracts with merchants across England and now even reaching the continent as evidenced by finding the tea in Rome, the lists of distributors...
He noted the significant expenses listed... salaries for hundreds of workers... two hundred dedicated security personnel trained by Thulani, whose own salary had rightly increased for his dual role as combat instructor and business security consultant; funds allocated for new transport wagons, and the generous provisions for the entire Kenway household and all employees, ensuring loyalty and well-being.
The total operational expenses listed were substantial, exceeding £3,000 annually, including the mansion upkeep and core staff salaries... it was a massive sum considering a London doctor, one of the highest-paid professions, earned perhaps £200 a year.
Yet, despite these significant costs, the profit margins listed for the Celestial products were astronomical, impossible even.
Alaric quickly scanned the final summary pages. His eyes widened slightly. The net profit accumulated in his name alone, after all expenses and the small percentages allocated to his family members were deducted, was staggering.
He closed the final ledger, placing it back on the stack with a soft thud. He looked around the room again, at the literal tons of coins stacked against the walls. 'To think they had to reinforce the floor and expand this room just to hold my share of the physical cash profits...', he thought with amusement.
It was almost comical.
He walked over to the nearest towering stack of gold pounds, running his hand over the cool metal coins. Enough was enough... time to digitize it all in the system.
Alaric smiled and placed his hand flat on the massive pile of currency. He opened the System interface mentally.
[Money Deposit: + £249,855,944]
[Current Balance: £367,019,740 5s. 7d.]
In an instant, the vast majority of the coins in the room vanished without a sound, absorbed directly into his System balance.
'I'm rich... as fuck, fuck Elon and fuck Bezos...'
---
Minutes passed after Alaric returned from the vault beneath the Kenway Mansion. Kassandra and the entire Kenway Household (Bernard, Linette, Eleanor, Leonard), along with Reuben, Thulani, Matteo, Flavia, and Oldgate, were gathered around the large dining table, the initial shock of Alaric's arrival in the city slowly giving way to excited conversation.
The main topic, naturally, was the utterly one-sided spar they had just witnessed.
"By the Saints," Bernard exclaimed, shaking his head as he looked at Kassandra with awe, "I've seen Thulani here toss grown men like sacks of grain, but you... milady, you handled him, Reuben, and the Maestro like they were green recruits!"
Matteo grunted, still nursing his pride but unable to deny the truth. "Her skill is... beyond measure. That speed, that strength... and that weapon..." He trailed off, looking thoughtful.
"Where did you learn to fight like that, Kassandra?" Flavia asked, leaning forward, her earlier exhaustion forgotten in her professional curiosity. "Your style... it has elements I recognize from ancient depictions, but mixed with something... else. Something faster, more brutal."
Kassandra took a sip of her Celestial Tea, offering a polite but vague smile. "I have traveled much, seen many things over the years," she replied evasively.
"One picks up techniques here and there. As for strength... I was always stronger than other children, even when I was young. It is just how I am." She conveniently omitted the millennia of combat experience and the Isu heritage part.
Oldgate chuckled. "Stronger than children? Lass, you broke Thulani's greatsword with a practice blade! That ain't just 'strong'!"
Kassandra merely shrugged with a mysterious glint in her eyes. Reuben and Thulani exchanged glances; they knew Alaric possessed similar impossible strength, but seeing it in this woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere was still jarring.
Alaric, after popping down to check the vault, came back to the party, smelling faintly of cigars. Kassandra's face totally lit up when he walked over, and he slid onto the bench next to her, jumping right back into the conversation.
"Say, 'Laric," Bernard called out, kicking back in his chair with a big grin. "Reuben here's told us bits and pieces of your adventures together up until Italy, but he clammed up after that. How 'bout you, lad? Where did your travels take you after you left young Reuben mooning over the fair Flavia in Monteriggioni?"
Alaric chuckled, taking a sip of tea Jonathan had put down for him. "Honestly, Unc, my travels weren't nearly as wild as you might think after that..."
"...didn't really bounce around too many places. Headed south, mostly. Went to an island in the Aegean Sea... place called Thera." He nodded towards Oldgate. "Captain Oldgate here was the one who made the charter possible, braved the storms for us."
Oldgate let out a huge laugh, almost spilling his ale. "Bah! It was your coin that made it possible, lad, not my bravery! Though," he added, looking more serious, "that storm we hit south of Crete... that was no jest."
Alaric nodded grimly. "Aye, we encountered a massive storm... one with multiple waterspouts dancing around us like devils. Felt like the sea itself was trying to swallow La Providencia whole."
Oldgate gave a dramatic shudder. "Aye, it felt like forever until we finally got out of that hellish situation. Thought we were goners for sure a few times there."
Before anyone could ask more about the storm or Thera, the dining room doors swung open, and a bunch of servants came in carrying big silver trays loaded with food. Right behind them was the Kenway family's head chef, Baker, looking super proud.
"Master Alaric!" Chef Baker exclaimed, bowing slightly. "Welcome back home, sir! It is wonderful to see you looking so well!"
Alaric smiled warmly. "Chef Baker. It's good to be back. Have you been well?"
"Always, Master Alaric, always!" the chef replied enthusiastically. "And I have been honing my skills, sir, always striving to meet your high standards!"
Bernard chuckled loudly. "High standards? I'd wager Chef Baker has long surpassed your meager cooking skills, 'Laric!"
Everyone laughed, including Alaric.
The servants started dishing out the food efficiently. Chef Baker stepped forward proudly as the main course was put in front of everyone. "Tonight, Masters and Madams," he announced, "I present a new creation I have been perfecting... simple fare, perhaps, but hearty. I call it... Fish and Chips!"
Plates piled high with golden, crispy battered fish next to thick-cut fried potatoes were set down. It smelled amazing, though totally new to the Italians and Kassandra. The Kenways looked curious. Everyone dug in, and the conversation started up again... questions about Alaric's trip, Kassandra's edited background, Oldgate's sea voyages, and how well the Kenway businesses were doing.
After the main course, while plates were being cleared and dessert was brought out, Kassandra leaned towards Alaric during a lull in the chatter. "Alaric," she asked quietly, "I heard your family mention a woman living in this mansion named Caroline earlier? I haven't seen her since we arrived..."
Alaric raised an eyebrow, thinking. He hadn't really noticed during the welcome-back chaos, but Kassandra was right. Caroline, his younger cousin-in-law, wasn't around. He subtly stretched out his senses, scanning the mansion and the grounds nearby.
'Strange... I don't sense her signature anywhere nearby,' he thought, feeling a little uneasy. 'Where could she be?'
Just as Leonard was about to answer Kassandra, maybe saying Caroline was visiting somewhere else, there was a soft but clear tapping sound at the big window looking out onto the gardens.
Tap-tap-tap.
Everyone stopped talking and looked over. A small, grey pigeon was sitting on the windowsill outside, pecking at the glass like it really wanted in.
"Well, now," Bernard remarked, surprised. "Looks like we have a visitor."
Everyone knew right away, it was a messenger pigeon. Alaric immediately pushed his chair back. He grabbed a small piece of leftover fish from his plate and walked over to the window. He slid the latch and opened it just a crack.
"Come on then," he murmured softly. He held out his forearm, and the pigeon hopped right onto it, cooing quietly. Alaric gave it the fish bit, which it gobbled up.
He then carefully untied the tiny rolled-up scroll from its leg. As soon as the message was off, the pigeon cooed again, took off, and flew away into the dark sky.
Alaric closed the window and walked back to the table, unrolling the small piece of parchment. His eyes flew across the tight handwriting.
As he read, his easygoing look vanished completely. His eyes widened just a tiny bit, his jaw clenched, and a serious, grim look took over his face. He finished reading, slowly rolled the scroll back up, his expression hard to read but definitely troubled.
The happy, relaxed vibe in the room totally disappeared. Everyone watched him, waiting anxiously.
Oldgate finally broke the tense silence. "Well... what is it, lad? Bad news?"
Alaric looked up, his eyes sweeping over all the worried faces around the table… his family, his friends, his allies, his love. He held up the small scroll.
"...You should all read this."
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