Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

Garret's smile remained unchanged. "This is a great suggestion. I've heard that Flame Lion meat is incredibly tender and can help restore strength quickly. Its magic crystal is also quite valuable. And since it blocked your path to Damm Town, presenting it as a gift makes it even more meaningful."

However, beneath the table, his foot twisted in frustration, wrinkling the carpet. He stood up, intending to take the Green family members on a tour of the estate. While admiring the scenery, he hoped to find a suitable moment to bring up the issue of the Firefeather Eagles.

Just as Garret was about to speak, he frowned, his sharp hearing, honed as a second-level knight, picking up hurried footsteps outside the door. A figure quickly appeared at the entrance—a striking female knight with a confident demeanor. She brushed back her hair, her flushed cheeks glistening with sweat. Spotting Rylee, she seemed delighted and waved her hands as if greeting an old friend.

Garret, knowing his daughter's personality well, watched this scene with a deepening gaze.

"Hi, Rylee, remember me?" Clarina, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her figure, stood in the doorway. The breeze played with the strands of her blue hair as she took light steps to sit beside Rylee.

"I heard there were important guests arriving, and I had a feeling it would be you. Looks like I guessed right!" Clarina beamed, counting on her fingers. "It's been six, seven, eight—eight months since you last visited."

Rylee, catching the scent of her perfume, discreetly shifted three centimeters to the left. The proximity had felt a bit too close for the occasion. He remembered the fiery young woman next to him—Clarina, Garret's daughter, and one of the few noble girls in the Earl of Brain's circle with whom he got along well. Every time he visited Damm Town, he would run into her.

With a courteous smile, Rylee responded, "Miss Clarina, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Is it? I'm glad to hear that." Clarina tossed her hair playfully.

Cough, cough.

"My dear daughter, I'm about to take the lord of Hawkeye Town on a tour of our estate and the town's sights." Garret, noticing his daughter's overly enthusiastic behavior toward Rylee, tapped the table and suggested, "Would you like to join us?"

Garret didn't need to ask to know the answer. He grabbed a bag of biscuits, intending to feed them to any animals they might encounter during the walk, and turned to lead the way.

"Of course!" Clarina quickly followed, tugging at Rylee's sleeve to hurry him along.

...

The outer courtyard of Damm Manor was built to be particularly grand, perhaps due to the influence of the first lord, who had retired from the battlefield as a veteran. Rhett had noticed this when he arrived but knew it wouldn't be polite to immediately wander into someone else's knight training ground.

Once outside the fortress, Rhett again cast his gaze toward the outer courtyard. Covering 30,000 square meters, it was divided into flatland, sand, and forested sections. He noticed that Kurth had stayed outside the manor, observing the surroundings. Not every territory had an earth-element mage, so the outer courtyard here had to be manually constructed. The security measures weren't very thorough, with some walls barely over a meter high. This allowed Kurth to observe the fifty or so knights training in the sand, practicing a technique of burying themselves in the sand to hide their presence.

Although this plain wasn't a desert, certain areas had loose soil that could function like sand. Kurth noticed the determined expressions on the knights' faces—none of them were slacking off.

As Kurth pondered the scene, Rhett and the others arrived at the manor gate. Garret noticed Kurth's focus on the training ground and raised an eyebrow. "So, what do you think of my knights?"

Kurth had to admit that the fifty knights, including five first-level knights and over thirty apprentice knights, represented a formidable force. "I can see that the training methods here are very advanced. The level of these knights is quite impressive," he replied honestly.

"Good eye!" Garret laughed, pleased with the compliment. After all, his father's methods were far from ordinary. Every person who had earned nobility on the battlefield had unique skills. Garret's father, Rocky, had been a scout on the battlefield, excelling at gathering intelligence and detecting enemy movements. His ability to uncover crucial information had earned him his title. After retiring, he passed on his knowledge of stealth and endurance training.

Ten minutes later, the group arrived near a field of lower-tier magical plants. Looking at the thriving crops, Rylee seized the opportunity. "This magical plant field looks excellent, Baron Garret. Do you have any spare water-element plant seeds? I'm willing to trade seeds of other elements for the same tier."

"Trade seeds?" Garret glanced at Rylee in surprise, then at Rhett without asking for further explanation. Instead, he squinted and, after a moment's thought, said, "Well, if Lord Rhett needs them, I happen to have over thirty Ice Crystal Lily seeds. I was planning to plant them next month..."

"But... If you can offer earth-element seeds in return, that would be even better." He looked at Rhett, awaiting his response.

Garret's reaction hinted at some hidden secret, though it might just be a subjective impression. Even if there were secrets, mutual respect for privacy was a common noble courtesy, so it wasn't proper to pry.

Rhett agreed readily. "No problem."

"I don't usually carry plant seeds with me—they're all back at the fortress. This deal might have to wait a bit, but I assume Lord Rhett isn't in a hurry."

"Of course."

"As I was arriving, I noticed a large-scale planting of Ironwood trees in the Red Iron Mountain area. Is that right?"

"You mean the Ironwood trees? You noticed them too. Yes, that was my decision. You've probably heard that some depleted mines can emit a residual energy over the years. And it seems I was fortunate to come across a residual heat from the Red Iron Mine. Now, the soil around Red Iron Mountain produces trees that are even harder. After experimenting with a few magical plants, I settled on Ironwood since it showed the most improvement in hardness," Garret explained nonchalantly when asked about the trees.

...