Lucian couldn't apply for a permanent position in the Rochefort house, as he had his own business to run. He could offer consultation services, though.
So he sent a letter to the head gardener of the Rochefort estate, offering his expertise on the matter of treating plant disease, plant care, and landscape improvements for a reasonable fee.
Three days later, a response arrived. It was a rejection, stating that they had their own methods and that they did not require outside assistance at the moment.
'A polite no,' Lucian thought, disappointed. 'What now? Should I spread a plant epidemic? Something that will make them desperate enough to hire me?'
'No…No plants shall be hurt in the process. It's against my principles.'
He slumped onto his desk. The dim light of a single oil lamp cast long shadows across the room. He was in his small office, located in one of the major cities of the Rechefort duchy.
He bought the two storey building two months ago. It used to belong to a local lord who managed the farmlands in the area. The location wasn't the best, but what wouldn't Lucian do to kick away the tanner the same way the tanner had done to him back then?
It wasn't a scene worth mentioning. The tanner's expression was the same as Lucian's when he was kicked out of his father's workshop (despite being able to afford the rent). The heart wants what it wants, and his wanted to reduce that tanner to tears.
'Embarrassing me before Celine, that's what he gets,' Lucian mused, thinking back on the incident. 'Why does she never show up during my cool moments? Only when I'm at my lowest.'
This got him an idea.
'I'll try to persuade them to resign their job,' Lucian decided. He couldn't just offer the gardeners more money to quit. That would be too suspicious, and news would travel fast to the ears of the nobles.
Instead, he would spread news that he was hiring and looking for experienced gardeners to expand his business, something that would entice them to come to him.
Some people preferred stability over risk, so not everyone would come, but even a few was enough to create a gap in their workforce.
'I'm still short on workers,' Lucian thought as a justification for his actions.
Poaching servants from noble households could be seen as theft or a malicious act, something he could get in trouble for. So he had to be careful about his approach.
Making the offer seem too good to refuse was one thing, but making it seem like it was the employee's own idea to leave was another.
His services should reduce the overall cost for the estate.
A noble estate usually had a fixed number of permanent staff, limited by budgets, housing, and supervision capacity. They couldn't suddenly double or triple their staff without it becoming a logistical nightmare.
But Lucian could. He could deploy a large workforce for short-term, high-intensity projects. The estate would only pay for his services when they were needed, saving money on year-round salaries, housing, and food.
The next day, he contacted a local herald to spread the word, and soon, news of his search reached the ears of several gardeners in the region.
His previous projects, the greenhouses, had already made him famous among the botanically inclined.
That was the first problem. The second one was how to bypass the supervisors who would overlook their work. Getting into the estate was one thing, but getting close to Celine without arousing suspicion was another.
'Well, I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it. First, I need to get in.'
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Lucian presented his proposal to the houses closest to him. Those that needed to cut on the expenses without compromising quality, had commissioned Lucian the same day.
Lucian immediately began to sketch out the terrain of the Baron's garden, labeling the positions of the buildings, the trees, and the plants. He needed to plan out the layout of the proposed changes, from which he would calculate the costs and materials needed.
The return in profit from tending to gardens was painfully low compared to his other businesses, but it was still early days.
"Tell Goblin to prepare one batch of Frost Peachies and a batch of Sun Saires. Dispatch twenty five workers to the Oakheart estate by tomorrow. Make sure they bring their tools," Lucian ordered Jax, who was holding an umbrella above his head to shield him from the light rain.
"Right away," Jax replied, passing on the message to Goblin through the connection between their tattoos.
Lucian continued to plan on the piece of paper, pointing arrows and lines to connect one area with another. He imagined the twenty five workers moving around the garden, planting flowers and trees, trimming hedges, and paving paths. He saw the whole scene in his head, and he had to adjust the plan to make it more efficient.
A few minutes later, Jax interrupted him, "They are on their way and should arrive by noon tomorrow. Anything else?" he asked.
"No," Lucian said, putting the piece of paper away, "I'm done here. We can go shopping before they arrive. Any new requests from Fishbone?"
"He's asking for two more wagons to transport the goods. Says the demand for Beeswax and Honey has been increasing." Jax continued to recite a list of demands, his voice monotone, "Savage wants a shipment of nuts. And Scythe wants to negotiate a deal for a few luxury goods..."
Lucian nodded, taking notes in his notebook. He could buy most things from local merchants in bulk, just like how they often bought his southern goods in bulk.
He rarely sold to final consumers nowadays as it would take too much time.
Just the thought of standing by a stall and screaming his lungs out to attract customers made him sick.
Maybe he would open a store for the public one day, but it would be run by a different person, not him.