Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

After some consideration, Rein initially leaned towards the third option, which was to assume the position of Governor and Marshal of Fishing Port Town.

The reason was simple: there would be plenty of battles waiting for him there!

And through battle, he could achieve significant advancement.

However, Rein hesitated because he did not yet understand the strength of the enemies Fishing Port Town was facing.

As for why the appointment was primarily for Governor and secondarily for Marshal?

Hamilton had mentioned this to Rein during their conversation before.

Generally speaking, the marshals of the empire's small towns are mainly Knights, occasionally they may be Squires or even Knights Bachelor, like Hamilton belongs to the latter category.

But it was quite rare for a Knight Bachelor to serve as a marshal.

And if a Baron were to serve as marshal, it would carry an obvious demotion connotation.

Therefore, as Baron Rein, a normal appointment could not possibly be just the marshal of a small town.

However, it was different for a Governor, who handled all the affairs of a small town and was the top authority.

And it was not uncommon for Barons to serve as Governors of small towns.

However, Rein was now considering another issue.

Although it was not difficult for him to choose among the three options presented by Earl Habbs, the problem now was that he actually wanted to continue serving as Hamilton's deputy in Flashgold Town.

Because Rein's next plan was to head to Golden Coast to study swordsmanship with Master Gandal for a while, continuing as the deputy marshal of Flashgold Town would allow him the greatest chance to shirk duties, as Hamilton would handle many matters for him.

But if he chose to take the position in Fishing Port Town, it meant that he would not be able to travel to the Golden Coast in the short term.

After thinking it over, Rein decided to be frank with Earl Habbs:

"My lord Earl, regarding the appointment, I hope to postpone it for a while, as I am currently at a stage of increasing strength, so I would like to study swordsmanship under a master swordsman. So..."

At this point, Rein felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, as Earl Habbs's gaze was fixed on him.

After all, from a certain perspective, Rein was already going against the wishes of his superior.

Especially since the other party had given him the courtesy of choice.

Following a brief silence in the room, Earl Habbs finally spoke.

"All right, I'll give you one month. However, in that case, I'll arrange your appointment directly. In a month's time, Rein, you'll go and become the Governor and Marshal of Harbour Town."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Rein's face lit up with joy; he hadn't expected Earl Habbs to ultimately secure this position for him.

"Of course, thank you for your understanding and support, my lord Earl."

After discussing these matters, Earl Habbs suddenly changed the subject with a smile, "Rein, I hear you and Cleya have known each other for quite some time?"

"Hmm?" Rein immediately realized that the Earl before him must have thoroughly investigated him.

It made sense—Habsburg Manor also belonged to the Earl, whether it was the estate's Knight steward Lloyd, the swordsmanship instructor Perez, or even the Chief Maid Shadia.

If they knew that Earl Habs wanted to learn about him, none would dare not to report truthfully.

Considering this, it seemed that Earl Habbs's agreement to let him go to the Golden Coast might still be due to Lady Creya's influence.

"Uh... yes, my lord Earl, in a sense, Lady Creya is indeed a mentor on my path as a Knight," Rein candidly replied.

"Haha, very good, Rein, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can always come to me. Remember, Meister County will always be your home."

"That will be all for today, as I have some matters to attend to. Regarding some minor issues, my steward Henrik will assist you with them."

"Of course, thank you for your understanding and assistance, my lord Earl," Rein said, bowing slightly.

The Earl Habbs then rang a bell on his desk.

"Ding-a-ling-a-ling!"

Soon, an elderly man dressed in a tailcoat entered and led Rein to a room on the first floor.

Earl Habbs's steward, Henrik, was actually a noble with the title of a baronet.

Rein nodded politely.

This reminded Rein of an ancient saying from his previous life, "Even a steward in the prime minister's house was a seventh-grade official."

It seemed that in any human society, with a solidified power hierarchy, the situation was pretty much the same.

When steward Henrik opened the door, Rein raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He had not expected the room to contain a model resembling a giant sandbox, which clearly depicted the terrain and layout of the entire County Town, with major streets marked in detail.

Especially the noble estates area, which was simulated with little wooden houses, exquisitely crafted, almost to the scale of a proportionate reduction.

"Baron Rein, these are the available estates; you may choose at your leisure," steward Henrik pointed at the three little wooden houses marked with white labels, saying.

"Thank you!" Rein nodded and took a closer look.

The noble estates area also had a hierarchy.

The outermost circle was for Knights and baronets, who were not considered true nobility in the eyes of some upper-class nobles. They were the most numerous, but in the highly valuable County Town, their estates were also the smallest.

Moving inward was the domain of Barons, who in County Town were considered the core force, significantly fewer in number than Knights and baronets.