"The priests from the diocese came and went?"
Rockefeller, who had found a job at the bank, heard about the day's events from his brothers at the dinner table.
The first to share the news was none other than the fourth brother, Leo Rosmedici.
"Yes."
As the reticent Leo replied, Rockefeller couldn't help but be curious.
'Why did the priests come? It's not something that happens often.'
"So? Nothing unusual happened, right?"
To this worried question, the fourth brother, Leo, shook his head for a moment and then quietly took out something he had received from the young priest and placed it on the dinner table.
“What's that?”
“It's a silver coin!”
There was no one who wasn't surprised to see the silver coin.
Rockefeller seemed surprised as well, and so were his siblings.
“Did the priests actually give away silver coins? What happened?”
The second eldest, who had heard various stories from outside, raised his voice.
“It's strange. I heard that the priests came to collect offerings for expanding the prayer hall.”
Since the timid fourth child certainly wouldn't dare to intercept the priests' offerings, their doubts only grew.
“Leo, can you tell us in detail what happened today?”
At Rockefeller's words, the fourth child, Leo, recounted in detail what had happened that day, and everyone burst into laughter.
After hearing the whole story, Rockefeller smirked and thought to himself.
‘They came to extort but ended up being extorted instead.’
“Not bad.”
Rockefeller commented, followed by his siblings.
“We should always pretend to have nothing! The church must have helped us because we looked needy, right?”
“Exactly. We should always act like we have nothing. That's how we get pity and silver coins.”
Rockefeller continued speaking to his excited younger siblings who were thrilled over a small silver coin.
"There's nothing wrong with that. If we had pretended to be rich, or if we had let our petty pride as commoners get in the way, we would never have experienced such kindness today. Leo, you did well. Given our current situation, even a single silver coin is precious."
Ever since they started gold panning, they always made sure to have dinner, and today was no different.
"Alright, let's eat dinner."
As soon as Rockefeller finished speaking, his younger siblings, who had reported to him about the day's events, began to devour the modest dinner laid out before them with loud chatter.
It was a simple meal of grain flour and basic vegetables, but for the siblings who had been hungry all day, it was the best feast.
The third sibling, who had been wolfing down the food on the table, said cheerfully, “It feels like we're eating rice every day lately! I love it!”
At those words, the second sibling suddenly became sullen.
Rockefeller was not told, but they had heard some bad news.
"Andrew, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
At Rockefeller's question, the younger brother, who had been somewhat disheartened, began to speak cautiously.
"Rockefeller, did you hear about it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It’s like this... Suddenly, orcs have appeared. Now, the neighboring village and here are in chaos because of the orcs that appeared out of nowhere. The adults are saying we should absolutely not go to dangerous places. What if we can't pan gold because of this?"
It was a story Rockefeller had already heard through the goldsmith.
"I have something I couldn't tell you earlier. I got a job."
"Really? Where?"
"At the bank. I've already finished talking with the goldsmith. So, don't worry about going hungry. I'll earn enough to keep you fed no matter what."
"Is that true? Wow! You really got a job at the bank?"
Rockefeller gave his brothers a look of unprecedented seriousness, instilling a sense of infinite trust.
"Yes, I'll start working under the goldsmith from tomorrow. Although the earnings might not be great at first, at least you won't have to go hungry like before."
The youngest, brimming with anticipation, began to express his idealistic thoughts.
"Wow! Now we're going to be rich. If Rockefeller works at the bank and Andrew and I mine for gold, won't we become rich quickly? Right?"
Just as the excited youngest brother was about to burst into song, the second brother scowled and started to scold him.
"Hey, you fool! How can we mine for gold when there are orcs roaming around? It's dangerous!"
"We just need to keep a good lookout. We have Leo and Lucia here, what's there to worry about?"
"Lucia is too young!"
"But she can still keep watch, right?"
As the second and youngest brothers bickered, Rockefeller, who had been watching, began to speak up.
"No, there's something I have to say about that."
All eyes turned to Rockefeller, and he continued, addressing his younger siblings who were staring intently at him.
"It's better not to mine for gold anymore."
The one most disappointed by this statement was the youngest.
"No, why? If Rockefeller got a job and Andrew and I mine for gold too, wouldn't that be better? Then our earnings would double, right?"
Upon hearing that, Rockefeller calmly shook his head.
"No, it's not a good idea. The rumors circulating these days are too unsettling. What if you guys run into an orc? That would be real trouble. Besides, I've got a job now, so there's no need to be fixated on gold panning."
"But isn't it a shame? Are you saying we should stop doing it altogether?"
The third brother, seemingly disappointed about abandoning gold panning, prompted Rockefeller to start explaining why they should not continue.
"The most important thing is your safety. There's no need to take risks panning for gold when we're not at risk of starving."
"Well, that's true... but still."
"And even though we haven’t been caught panning for gold since it hasn’t been long, I think it’s crucial that the secret that a lot of gold comes from the Montepeltro territory never gets out."
This cryptic remark made the third, including the second brother, start to wonder.
"Is there a reason for that?"
"Of course, there's a reason."
Rockefeller was deeply conflicted about whether or not he should explain this to his younger brothers.
"Because it was a dream that might seem too far-fetched."
"It should be okay to talk about it."
"You see, my plan is to make a lot of money and buy this domain. Because this land is so fertile, it even produces gold."
At this statement, his siblings wore surprised expressions.
"Really?"
"For real?"
"But, is that even possible?"
Though doubts existed, Rockefeller's response was simple.
"Of course, it's possible. The right to buy and sell this land is a natural privilege of the lord. So, as long as you have money, it's entirely possible to buy this domain. Whether the current lord would sell the land to a wealthy commoner is another question, but that can be solved with a higher offer."
Indeed, all it took was money.
A really large amount of money...
His siblings did not deny what Rockefeller said, but they also did not deny the impossibility of such a reality.
"That would mean you'd have to be really rich…"
"I doubt the lord would part with this land for a small sum."
"Right. So, we'd have to become incredibly wealthy."
"Is it even possible?"
"I don't know either…"
Rockefeller said with a smile to his disheartened siblings.
"We can't make enough money to buy this estate by just working in the fields or doing other labor for our whole lives. That's impossible from the start. But remember what I told you before? Answer me. How did I say you make big money?”
The siblings unanimously responded to his question.
"By earning it while sitting down!"
"That's right. Big money isn’t made through labor. It's either through business or somehow generating unearned income. In that sense, I've already taken the first step by getting a job at the bank."
The younger siblings might not understand or accept Rockefeller’s intentions now.
But Rockefeller made his point clear at this moment.
"Even though we, the people in this house, were born without great talents, it doesn't mean we have to live in poverty our whole lives. If we have the effort and will, it’s entirely possible to change such a wretched life. So, you all just need to watch me from now on. I'll show you firsthand how to become wealthy."
