Turmoil

That day, Romain felled a full five trees.

This earned him 10 points of Gathering Experience.

Because his arms had been exerting force for so long, when the fifth pine fell, Romain felt his arms grow extremely sore and weak. Though he could have continued, he saw no need to force himself.

Besides, it was already late, so Romain returned to Origin Manor with Gevra.

Bob, his attendant and chef, had prepared dinner.

Buttered bread, charcoal-grilled lamb chops, fried ham slices, radish vegetable soup, and a large jug of milk.

After taking his seat, Romain poured a cup of hot milk for himself and Gevra.

Seth suddenly said, "My lord, some farmers came to see me today. They hope you will distribute land to them as soon as possible. Even if the taxes are raised from fifty percent to sixty percent, they can accept it."

Romain picked up a fragrant lamb chop and slowly bit into the meat.

He said, "Why should I distribute land to them?"

Seth replied, "Those farmers say you have violated the land lease agreement."

Romain did not deny it. "Mm. So what if I have? They can go ask the Black Iron King to punish me."

He had now consolidated all of Sigg Town's resources.

If he distributed land, that would mean scattering the labor force as well.

All those farmers would return to the old ways, cultivating the plots allocated to them.

The land was measured in tens of thousands of mu. If everyone in Sigg Town were scattered across it, they would be nowhere to be seen.

Who would still cultivate his land?

Seth felt this was inappropriate. He was Romain's retainer, and he knew Romain was not someone who disregarded human lives.

As one of the most outstanding of the duke's illegitimate sons, Romain had gone to great lengths to come to Sigg Town not to destroy it, but to build it.

After all, he was the lord here.

This matter was bound to carry enormous hidden risks.

He felt that Romain should proceed step by step, first ruling according to the methods used by other nobles so the people of the territory could feel secure, then gradually changing the traditions of the past.

For example, they could first deeply plow and fertilize one hundred mu of land. If it proved effective, they could expand the area next year.

That was the safest approach.

But Seth had never expected Romain to flip the table right from the start.

Without any precedent, he had gone all in. Anyone would find that difficult to understand.

Romain was extremely stubborn about this matter and would not heed anyone's advice.

After dinner, Romain returned to his room to rest.

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, Romain woke up.

He clenched a few slices of white bread between his teeth, hastily finished breakfast, then went to the storage room, slung his axe over his shoulder, and headed for the northern forest to continue chopping trees.

Yesterday's exhaustion had not fully faded.

So that morning, Romain only felled three large trees and two smaller ones.

Gevra watched Romain chop away with rapt attention. Sitting on a log with her chin propped in her hands, she watched with great interest and did not find it boring at all.

Gathering Experience +1

Romain glanced at his Gathering Experience. He had accumulated 20 points and needed another 80 to level up.

At that rate, after another four or five days of chopping trees, he could raise Gathering Experience to Level 2.

Romain placed considerable importance on the Gathering skill, as it was related to quarrying and mining.

Advancing from Level 1 to Level 2 was relatively easy, but Level 2 to Level 3 required 380 experience points. It was clear that the required experience would only keep increasing. Romain would need dozens of days to reach Level 3, and going from Level 3 to Level 4 would take even longer.

Therefore, Romain intended to first improve his various Level 1 life skills.

His Level 2 Planting skill was sufficient for the time being.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crash!

Another towering tree fell.

Romain let out a heavy breath, and Gevra immediately offered him a handkerchief.

Just as he was about to rest for a moment before continuing to chop, a faint commotion came from Origin Manor.

A male slave ran anxiously from the manor toward him.

"My lord, something has happened. Please come and see!"

When Romain returned to the manor, he saw from afar that several hundred farmers had gathered on the slope below.

The spear-wielding guards formed a line to block them. Aaron and Green stood before the guards, while two fully armed War Knights stood on either side like guardian statues. There were bloodstains on the ground; clearly, blood had already been spilled.

Mol and the other stewards hid in a safe spot, not daring to step forward and speak.

Meanwhile, Seth stood tall before them. Facing a crowd far more numerous than himself, the steward showed no fear. Instead, he sternly rebuked their offensive behavior.

Romain was too far away to hear what they were saying.

When he appeared in person, the already agitated crowd became even more restless and surged forward together.

Aaron stepped forward, shielding Seth behind him. His raised round shield stood like an immovable reef, blocking the crowd's advance.

Romain shouted, "What are you doing?!"

The crowd immediately fell silent, everyone staring unblinkingly at their noble lord.

He stood on high ground, his dark brown hair falling over his shoulders. He resembled a young lion who had only just come of age. Though his shoulders were not especially broad, his strong build supported his imposing bearing. His expression was calm, and when his crimson eyes narrowed, they possessed the fierce sharpness of an eagle's gaze, making people afraid to meet them directly.

When he came before them, more than a dozen old farmers stood at the front of the crowd. One of them stammered, "Lord, we want land to be distributed."

Romain raised his chin. "I refuse!"

The crowd behind the old farmers began to stir again.

The old farmer said, "The land you have allowed us to cultivate is too little. We need more land."

From the boundaries Romain had drawn, they had clearly understood the exact extent of that plot. And since Romain forbade them from cultivating land beyond it, the meaning was obvious.

The farmers who had plowed yesterday had also calmed down from their delight at seeing the Heavy Plow.

Based on their farming experience from previous years, they knew that this patch of land alone could not feed everyone.

After a day of brewing discontent, the farmers who could endure no longer finally gathered and launched this large-scale disturbance.

The old farmer before him spoke weakly and humbly, yet with extraordinary resolve. "We need land to be distributed. Only then will we not starve to death. Even if you raise the taxes, we can agree to it."

As though he had not heard him, Romain said, "Have you done what you were supposed to do today? How much fertilizer have you piled up? How much land have you plowed? Have you taken Laxus's newly forged Heavy Plow out to use?"

The old farmer shook his head. "Lord, please show mercy. We cannot see any hope of surviving."

Romain said impatiently, "Tell me! What will it take to make you obey me?"