Buying Grain

Nord instructed Abel to hand out the baked bread. The wheat bread rewarded by the system was completely different from the black bread they had eaten earlier. Its golden crust gave off the distinctive fragrance of wheat after baking; it was crisp on the outside and quite soft within.

Although Colin was the village chief, his family was not much better off than the other villagers. They occasionally got to eat some of the meat Ryman brought home, but they had never tasted such finely made bread. Art and his sister each held a large loaf, stuffing their little mouths full as they ate with great relish.

Ryman and the others were also enjoying this rare delicacy. Only after taking two bites of the wheat bread, Colin went back to eating the hard, black bread. Seeing Nord looking at him, Colin merely smiled unconcernedly.

"Lord Nord, the bread you brought is truly delicious. Only Manton City, the capital of the Himan Kingdom, has wheat bread like this. The Himan Kingdom has fertile land and excellent wheat harvests, which is why they can make such exquisite bread. The last time I ate it was twenty or thirty years ago, when I was still a strong young man. Now, I'm already an old man."

"Village Chief Colin, have you traveled outside before?"

"Yes. I was sixteen that year, and the village had run out of food. The villagers could only head into the mountains to survive. A Mercenary Group happened to be passing through, and since I wanted to see the outside world, I begged them to take me along."

"What happened afterward? Why did you come back and become the village chief?"

"Our leader was the illegitimate son of a noble. He could not inherit his father's territory, so he went out to seek a way forward with his martial skills. We traveled everywhere with him, making a living from missions issued by local lords. Since he had noble blood, we did fairly well. Later, he wanted to obtain the status of a Knight and took part in a conflict between two nobles. Not only did he die, but the Mercenary Group also suffered heavy casualties."

"With the leader gone, the Mercenary Group soon disbanded. I returned to my hometown. After all those years traveling, I had saved up a little money, so I built this small wooden house, married, and had children. Later, when the previous village chief died, the villagers chose me as the new chief."

"Since you used to be a mercenary, do you know much about the nearby towns? I have some questions for you."

"I would be honored to serve you, Lord Nord. I have been to all the nearby towns. The closest to us is Crison Fort. Its current lord is Viscount Ollie Crison. They say he is a greedy noble who likes to exploit commoners and levy heavy taxes. Many farmers cannot survive, so they flee into the mountains or become bandits. Public safety around here is not very good."

"Oh? Have bandits ever come here?"

Colin smiled proudly at the question. He lowered his head, took a bite of the black bread, and chewed hard before continuing.

"No, they have not. Our village is close to the mountains, and we often go hunting there. We also have mountain folk blood, so the people here are fierce. Besides, there is nothing worth taking from this village, so no one has set their sights on us. Even if they came, they would not have an easy time of it!"

"I believe you have that strength. Does Crison Fort have a market? Can we buy construction tools and grain there?"

"Crison Fort does have a small market, but there is not much to buy. I suggest you go to Twain City instead. It is the only town nearby, and it has a large market with more goods. May I ask why you need to buy tools and grain...?"

Surprise and excitement showed through Colin's wrinkled face. He stared directly at Nord, his eyes filled with expectation.

Nord did not disappoint Colin. He stated his intentions directly.

"I plan to build a manor and pay the villagers with grain. What do you think?"

"That is wonderful, Lord Nord! Thank you for your generosity. I will definitely arrange for the villagers to help you build a fine manor. With grain, the villagers will be able to get through this year's hardship."

Unable to hide his excitement after hearing Nord's answer, Colin assured him about the villagers before turning to give instructions to his eldest son.

"Ryman, tomorrow, gather some of the village's best hunters and follow Lord Nord to Crison Fort. You must protect Lord Nord's safety."

"No problem, Father. Rest assured, I will protect Lord Nord."

Ryman was also somewhat excited by the news, but after hearing his father's instructions, he calmed down and began considering whom he should bring tomorrow.

While Colin and Nord discussed the details of buying grain, Reed quietly walked over to Ryman. With a pleading expression, he carefully said,

"Big Brother, take me with you tomorrow too. I promise I won't cause trouble."

"We are going there to handle serious business tomorrow. The grain is extremely important to the village, and we also need to protect Lord Nord. We will not have time to look after you."

"I don't need you to look after me. I'm strong and healthy, and I can do my part for the village. Besides, I can learn a thing or two by following Lord Nord."

As he spoke, Reed puffed out his somewhat thin chest, which did not make his argument very convincing.

Ryman looked at his younger brother. He had already grown into an adult. Though still somewhat thin, he truly needed some experience. Over the past two years, this brat had been leading the village youths around causing trouble. It was time to keep an eye on him.

"Fine. Bring your Hunting Bow tomorrow and come with me. But you must obey orders, understand?"

"Understood, Big Brother. I knew you would help me. I'll definitely perform well tomorrow."

When Reed heard that his brother had agreed to his request, a smile immediately bloomed across his face. Even the bread before him seemed to taste sweeter.

"Daddy, Uncle, where are you going? Can you take little Lysa with you?"

Lysa curiously watched the Ryman brothers talking. When she heard that her father and uncle were going somewhere, she opened her big eyes and asked adorably.

Hearing his daughter's question, Ryman smiled.

"Little Lysa, Daddy is going with Lord Nord tomorrow to buy grain. You're still too young to come along."

"Is grain that yummy bread? Then Daddy, come back early! The big gray wolves come out at night."

"Dad, my sister is still little, but you said I'm a man now. Can I go?"

Art asked unwilling to be outdone. The moment Reed heard his nephew say this, he burst into laughter.

Ryman shot his younger brother a glare, but Reed did not care. He reached out and rubbed his nephew's little face.

"You can't go either! Little Art, only I can go."

After saying that, he winked at Art, his face full of teasing.

After hearing his uncle, Art snorted. He ignored the little uncle who always liked teasing him, turned his face away, and could only vent his frustration on the bread in front of him, taking a fierce bite.

After dinner, Nord agreed on a time with Ryman before going upstairs to rest.

Today was his first day arriving in this territory and activating the system. It was also the first step toward his future life. He believed tomorrow would be full of surprises.

Thank you all for your recommendation votes and support. I will do my best to keep updating, with one or two chapters each day.