Chapter 103: Want to Bet With Me? (3)
In front of the Lord’s Castle, countless tents had been set up, and lots of people were bustling about.
The faces of the wandering people were familiar to me. They were all people who had once lived in the territory. As the rumors said, it looked like they had been gathered from all directions.
But for those who had been captured, everyone seemed oddly cheerful. The firewood farmers, confused and clueless, were being dragged along by Ghislaine.
Claude, who was busily moving around, spotted Ghislaine and clicked his tongue in dismay.
“Wow, today’s haul is quite impressive. You really outdid yourself. You’re like a fisherman, but not!”
“Chasing, ambushing, and exterminating are my specialties, you know. I’m good at ambushing too.”
“Yes, yes, that’s a perfect talent for a slave trader. If you had gone down that path earlier, you would have made a name for yourself across the continent. Ouch!”
Just after Claude threw out a teasing remark, he quickly dodged back after receiving a smack.
It was a kind of talent to make comments that earned him a slap in a situation where one should keep quiet.
“Stop the nonsense and handle this quickly. We’re busy.”
“Understood!”
He quickly recorded the personal details of the firewood farmers and recited them in one breath.
“They will stay here for a while. Those who want to go back will be returned to their original homes, and those who don’t will be provided with houses in the new village we are establishing. We’re also recruiting laborers for construction, so feel free to apply anytime.”
The firewood farmers nodded in agreement.
After all, their homes were already destroyed, and they had little to carry. So, the offer of free houses was more than they could have hoped for.
“We’ll also distribute food supplies for the time being. This is a personal contribution from the Lord, so be grateful.”
As Claude rapidly spilled out the information, he gestured to the soldiers.
Soon, soldiers arrived carrying sacks filled with wheat, meat, and vegetables.
The eyes of the firewood farmers widened with surprise.
The food they had during their time hiding in the mountains couldn’t even compare to this bounty.
Seeing them gulping down their saliva, Claude continued speaking.
“This is an order from the Lord. If it runs low, we’ll give you more, so please don’t be stingy and eat your fill. Don’t start being all picky and end up eating spoiled food because you hoarded it. If you get a stomachache, it’s just a headache for me.”
Claude pointed to one side. The firewood farmers’ gazes followed his gesture.
In the direction he pointed, sacks of food were piled up endlessly.
There were countless piles stacked up.
As if that wasn’t enough, new sacks were continuously being brought in.
The Firewood Farmers looked at Ghislaine with bewildered expressions.
“Really? You’re giving us houses, jobs, and food?”
“If you had just followed quietly earlier, you wouldn’t have gotten into this mess,” Ghislaine clicked his tongue and gestured.
As the soldiers untied the bound Firewood Farmers, they flattened themselves on the ground, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.
“Thank you, thank you, Lord.”
“I won’t do it again.”
“I will work hard.”
The Firewood Farmers, who had been trembling in fear of losing their heads, let out sighs of relief.
They still couldn’t fully trust him, but they began to think that he was somewhat different from the other Nobles.
“Alright, I’ll guide you to the new village soon. Until then, don’t get into any trouble and behave yourselves.”
One of the lower Stewards led the Firewood Farmers to temporary living tents.
In the crowd of Firewood Farmers moving quietly, a child turned around. It was the same child who had been biting his lip and holding back tears in the mountains.
Ghislaine winked at the child with a playful expression.
“See? I’m a nice guy, right? Am I right?”
Claude, who was listening next to him, rubbed his ears as if he was hearing things. Ghislaine snorted in dismissal.
The shy child deeply bowed. Ghislaine tossed an apple he was holding to the child and smiled.
“This is for you to eat all by yourself. Don’t share it.”
The child bowed again and chased after the adults.
This kind of thing kept happening.
They went out to find the escaped Territory Residents, provided them with houses, and consistently distributed food.
Repairs were made to the existing homes, or new ones were built, so there were no complaints.
Rumors began to spread that the new Lord seemed like a good person, mixed with hopeful expectations.
As if to answer those rumors, Ghislaine busily moved around.
Even while wrestling with mountains of paperwork, he devoted himself to training and touring the Territory every single day.
“Young Master, take a break! You should’ve studied like that earlier!”
Belinda exclaimed in shock at his tireless working as if there was no tomorrow.
She worried about his health, but there was another reason.
“What about agriculture? Are you only focused on other things? It’s been a whole month already!”
He was working hard, but it felt like the really important tasks were being pushed aside.
All he had done in the past month was bring people in, give them houses, and feed them, hadn’t he?
“Oh, that? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of time. The right amount of people have gathered, and I was just about to start soon.”
Now that the Territory Residents had regained their strength and had places to live, it was time to begin the important work.
“We will establish the farmland.”
The news of recruiting Laborers brought a crowd of Territory Residents flocking in.
The word had spread that those who participated in building the houses received generous pay.
Even the Old Man and children volunteered to help to the point where Ghislaine had to send some back.
Seeing the energetic expressions of the Territory Residents, Ghislaine smiled with satisfaction.
“Oh, everyone is so full of energy. It’s a good sign. We’ll wrap this up quickly.”
Claude had already taken care of the location for the new farmland and the supply of Farming Tools needed for the cultivation.
Claude had already taken care of the supply of farming tools needed for the work.
Ghislaine was in a position where he just needed to lead the territory residents around.
The territory residents couldn’t hide their questions as they plowed the land behind Ghislaine.
“Wait, why are we cultivating land that can’t be used?”
“Are we the only ones who will end up regretting it later when the crops don’t grow?”
Having lived their whole lives farming, they knew better than anyone what kind of land the Penris Territory had.
Didn’t the previous lords ever think about trying to cultivate new fields before?
They had given up because the soil was poor and the input was lower than the output.
“Let’s just do as we’re told for now.”
“It seems there’s no one around who knows about farming. Tsk, tsk… But we can’t outright refuse.”
“Well, they’re offering money and food, so we’ll do it… but honestly, it’s a bit scary. I’m worried about what they might say later.”
“Have you heard the rumor? It’s a bet between the lord and the chief officer. Whether crops grow here or not.”
“Oh dear, our lord is in trouble. I guess he didn’t realize this is land where crops don’t grow.”
The laborers whispered with worried expressions.
They were anxious about the lord possibly retaliating if they lost the bet.
Still, no one had the courage to step forward and advise the lord.
Everyone started plowing the land as the lord instructed.
It was natural for people who had been starving to work hard when offered money and food.
With the territory residents competing eagerly, the cultivation work was finished in just a few days.
As the season turned and they sowed seeds, it would soon be revealed that the lord’s actions were pointless.
The territory residents, anticipating the future that was soon to come, had dark expressions, but a smile never left Ghislaine’s face as he looked over the newly cultivated land.
“It seems the useless land will finally be useful.”
Seeing that smile, the territory residents were restless.
Why does the lord look so pleased while overturning useless land?
What if he realizes he was wrong and gets angry?
Worried, they couldn’t even smile back and only stared into the distance.
However, their uneasiness was short-lived. After the work was done, when Ghislaine gathered the people, the territory residents exchanged looks brimming with mixed expectations.
“Thank you all for your hard work. It’s wonderful to see everyone working so hard.”
Satisfied with the unexpectedly quick progress, Ghislaine smiled and patted the laborers’ shoulders.
People started to whisper among themselves, sticking close together.
“More today?”
“Probably. He looks happy.”
For ordinary folks, working alongside the lord was quite a burden.
Yet the territory residents prioritized supporting Ghislaine over Claude or others.
There was a good reason for that.
Claude was the most dreaded supervisor since he constantly nagged while they worked.
“You have to finish all the work before you leave, huh?”
He was so picky and grumpy it was exhausting.
Belinda sat listlessly, watching the laborers work with a dazed expression, suddenly getting irritated on her own.
The laborers who approached Belinda tried their best to act oblivious and just keep working.
She kept mumbling something about wanting to kill someone, and according to those who overheard, it seemed like the chief officer had made a few enemies.
Someone was mumbling about killing someone, and according to those who heard it up close, it seemed like the Chief Officer had gotten himself into some trouble.
Gillian and Kaor exuded an intimidating aura from the moment they arrived.
Their sheer presence made it hard for anyone to breathe, causing the Territory Residents to subtly steer clear of them.
It was ironic that even though the Lord was undoubtedly the most fearsome being in the territory, he was also the easiest person to work with.
Of course, there was a crucial reason why the Territory Residents preferred to work with Ghislaine.
“Here, take this and enjoy a drink. Work hard again next time like you did now.”
When people worked hard, Ghislaine generously rewarded them.
He quickly wrapped up the work and handed out a few extra silvers to the laborers on top of their usual pay.
The Territory Residents accepted the money with shining eyes.
“Thank you, Lord!”
“I’ll use it well!”
“Just call me anytime!”
Despite the established wages, Ghislaine had a clear reason for giving additional bonuses to those who worked hard.
He understood that appropriate rewards were the biggest motivation to get people moving.
In fact, the Territory Residents working with him labored even more diligently than others.
Seeing the happy residents, Ghislaine furrowed his brow slightly.
“Why do they save money when I told them to spend freely? Time is important, you know. Tsk tsk…”
Even though he had allocated a budget for giving extra pay to diligent workers, no one seemed to spend freely.
It looked like poverty had become ingrained in them.
The strong belief in saving up the territory’s money prevented them from thinking about buying time with it.
In a situation where work speed was more critical than money, this was not going to work.
“I can’t keep nagging them. Sigh.”
Sure, if he pulled each one aside and scolded them, things could be corrected, but that wasn’t the best approach.
Once tasks were assigned, it was also essential to trust them.
From the start, Ghislaine was not the type to kindly teach his followers anything.
He could only occasionally emphasize things to remind them.
Seemingly willing to spend on behalf of his stingy followers, Ghislaine continued to circulate money throughout the territory.
“Alright, everyone, move busily. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
The territory was overflowing with tasks.
So many facilities had been neglected and were in disrepair that they had become unusable.
As the needed repairs were attended to and the agricultural land expanded, the previously uneasy atmosphere of the territory began to shift to one of vitality.
For the residents who had been struggling to survive, even this much was a blessing.
“Our Lord may not know much about farming, but it seems he’s trying to make things work somehow.”
“I heard he was a bit of a troublemaker? A real disaster, they say.”
“Come on, that must’ve been when he was younger. Look at him now, releasing loads of money and giving out work. If he were a troublemaker, he’d be busy drinking and partying instead of doing this!”
With a full stomach comes a good heart.
At first, the Territory Residents feared Ghislaine, but they quickly grew fond of their new Lord.
Just as the Territory Residents began to sing praises of their new Lord in unison, Ghislaine called for the Mages.
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