I Am the Baron

Chapter 16: I Am the Baron

On the third day after arriving in White Bear Territory, Lynn still rose early.

While eating breakfast with his five brothers, Old Albert came alone to report in.

"My lord, do you have any plans for today?"

What Old Albert looked forward to most now was continuing to inspect the territory alongside his lord.

He had already arranged for the promotion of compost and heavy plows yesterday.

He had sent his son, Little Albert, to demonstrate composting for the serfs. Tonight, he would most likely return home reeking from head to toe.

The territory's other stewards were all experts in farming as well. With Old Albert's repeated instructions, nothing could possibly go wrong.

As for Old Albert, his most important task at present was to serve his lord well and hope that his lord might produce some new technique.

He knew what mattered most.

The heavy plow alone was more important to White Bear Territory than a hundred men like him.

If an assassin suddenly appeared to attack his lord, Old Albert would even be willing to push his own son forward to take the blade for him.

Of course, Old Albert had more than one son.

Lynn drained the last half cup of hot milk, picked up a towel, and wiped the corner of his mouth. "I plan to inspect the forests around the territory."

Before coming to White Bear Territory, Lynn had already made a rough plan.

Before Spring Planting, he would improve the territory's agricultural standards as much as possible, then explore the surrounding area and use the map function to search for resources.

He would then make more detailed arrangements based on whatever resources he found.

However, Lynn had not expected things to go so smoothly.

In less than two days, composting and heavy plows had been introduced without the slightest obstacle.

Naturally, he needed to strike while the iron was hot and find peat as soon as possible to make up for compost's shortcomings.

The moment he heard that his lord intended to inspect the forest, Old Albert's hair stood on end. He immediately asked, "My lord, which direction do you plan to inspect?"

"I plan to look to the north first."

In truth, Lynn could only explore in two directions: north and west.

South of White Bear Territory lay Yagna's hometown, Shallow Beach Territory. The two territories were separated by a forest of unclear ownership, connected by a dirt road. It could be reached on foot in a single day.

To the east, beyond the White River, stood steep mountains nearly a thousand meters high.

This mountain range stretched for hundreds of kilometers from north to south. Few people ventured within it, and it served as a natural watershed in the Marsh Duke's territory.

On the other side of the mountains was a count's territory under the duke. With White Bear Territory's current strength, expanding east by crossing those mountains was impossible.

The remaining two directions were both endless primeval forests, as well as the directions in which White Bear Territory could theoretically expand.

The Baron of White Bear Territory, also known as the Pioneer Baron of White Bear Territory, possessed the right to expand his lands outward.

Without a moment's hesitation, Old Albert began trying to dissuade him. "My lord, the north is where the Wild People gather. It's dangerous!"

The Wild People he spoke of were the native inhabitants of the Northern Territory.

Around two hundred years ago, the Southern Border had begun sending military settlers north because of overpopulation and severe pressure on land.

To put it bluntly, they slaughtered and enslaved the still-uncivilized natives of the Northern Territory, then forcibly occupied their homes and land.

The so-called Northern Kingdom and the Northern Territory Conquest King praised in legend had both been built upon the bloody suppression of the native people. After decades of brutal wars of conquest, the relatively warm and habitable lands of the Northern Territory had all been occupied by immigrants from the Southern Border.

The small number of surviving natives of the Northern Territory had been forced to migrate into the colder northern ice plains to escape pursuit, where they came to be collectively known as the Wild People.

Of the three dukes enfeoffed by the Northern Kingdom, the Marsh Duke's territory lay in the northern region, and he bore the responsibility of defending against the Wild People.

White Bear Territory was considered the northernmost territory under the Marsh Duke's jurisdiction. Beyond it lay the gathering grounds of the Wild People.

In a sense, White Bear Territory was the bridgehead against the Wild People's southward advance.

Whenever the duke wished to campaign against the Wild People, he would usually pass through White Bear Territory and head north along the White River, using the waterway to transport baggage and provisions.

That was also why White Bear Territory directly belonged to the Marsh Duke.

"There's no need to worry. I doubt the Wild People would want to test the sharpness of my sword. Besides, White Bear Territory hasn't suffered any Wild People raids in the past thirty years. Perhaps they've already moved farther north into the wilderness."

As the leader of Horse Bandits who had roamed the Northern Territory, Lynn naturally had no fear of Wild People who could not even afford armor.

In his eyes, the Wild People were the most suitable source of population for White Bear Territory.

One major reason he had chosen the north for his first exploration was to search for traces of the Wild People.

In an agricultural age, more people meant more strength. White Bear Territory's mere three thousand people could not possibly support his ambitions.

"My lord, it's precisely because they haven't come south for nearly thirty years that it's dangerous! The Wild People are extremely cunning. If their numbers are insufficient, they won't emerge from the forest lightly. Thirty years is enough for them to breed two generations. In the past two years, serfs have already spotted Wild People. They must be preparing for war right now!"

When Old Albert had still been a little brat, he had personally experienced a war against the Wild People.

Thirty years ago, a small group of Wild People clad in animal skins and with disheveled hair had used the cover of night to raid White Bear Territory. They killed the serfs of a farmstead and stole several hundred head of livestock.

The Baron of White Bear Territory at the time immediately led his knights into the forest in pursuit. After investigating, they discovered that a large group of Wild People had already appeared in the northern forest, possibly numbering over ten thousand.

Upon receiving the news, the previous Marsh Duke swiftly gathered five hundred elite knights and advanced north along the White River. They penetrated more than three hundred kilometers into the forest, slaughtered until heads rolled, and destroyed the Wild People's lair, finally buying these thirty years of peace.

Thirty years had passed, and few who had personally experienced that war remained.

Yet Old Albert still remembered the White River dyed red, as well as the corpses drifting downstream.

In recent years, suspected Wild People had once again appeared in the northern forests.

Serfs gathering firewood occasionally saw human figures flash through the forest.

However, there were few of them, and they fled at the sight of people, so it was still impossible to confirm that they were Wild People.

But Old Albert had already caught the faint scent of blood that came before war.

Over the past two years, he had overseen the renovation of the fence around the castle, added four watchtowers, and built a new granary inside the castle.

Once war broke out, everyone in the territory could hide in the castle and rely on stored grain until the duke's reinforcements arrived.

"Wouldn't that be ideal? As a baron, I have a duty to scout enemy movements. As long as we confirm traces of the Wild People and report them to the duke, he'll immediately arrive with a large force of cavalry. The danger to White Bear Territory will naturally disappear as well."

Though he said that, if Lynn truly discovered solid traces of the Wild People, he naturally would not report them to the Marsh Duke.

The Wild People were the most precious population resource. Slaughtering them would be far too wasteful.

"But, my lord—"

"No more. I am the baron! I'll bear all responsibility!"