Windmill Mill

"Ah, my lord, Old Hans is only a foreman. Old Hans is quite skilled at whipping serfs and urging them to work."

Hearing Russell's question, Old Hans immediately gave a bitter smile. "But asking Old Hans to develop the manor... Old Hans truly does not understand. My lord, you are our lord, of the great Fluorite Mushroom bloodline. You will certainly lead us to a good life."

Faced with Old Hans's flattery,

Russell helplessly shook his head. Times were different; trying to bring out the initiative of servants and serfs was indeed somewhat difficult.

He could not help changing his phrasing. "Let me put it this way, Old Hans. You've lived here for a long time. Do you think this place lacks anything? Or for you, what is most inconvenient about living in the manor? For example, are the roads good? Is there enough food..."

Russell naturally harbored great ambitions for the development of Wuyou Snake Manor.

The blueprint for the future could certainly be planned in dazzling colors, but he had yet to decide how to take the first step.

It felt as though every aspect needed development.

Yet it was like a blank sheet of paper. There were too many places to draw, and he did not know where to make the first stroke.

Wuyou Snake Manor had always been managed by Old Hans, so Russell wanted to hear his advice.

"This..." Old Hans secretly glanced at the young and handsome lord, hesitating. He did not know whether he should offer his lord advice.

Though he was the manor's foreman, strictly speaking, he was merely a servant by the lord's side.

A servant did whatever his master told him to do.

Offering advice was not something he should do. It should come from Lord Charles, or Knight Captain Eric.

Yet when he saw the serious expression on Russell's face, warmth rose in Old Hans's heart. In the young lord, he saw hope like the newborn morning sun. It was just like more than twenty years ago, when he had seen Baron Lord among the fields, equally radiant and spirited.

This was the inheritance of nobility.

Though Baron Lord had seemed somewhat ordinary-looking, not as handsome and dashing as Lord Russell was now.

"Say whatever comes to mind. It's only a casual chat." Russell gave him an encouraging look.

Old Hans smiled somewhat ingratiatingly. "My lord, if we could build a mill in the manor, I think it would be more convenient for the serfs to grind flour. Otherwise, they always have to travel a long way to town to grind it, and they often have to wait in line."

"A mill?" Russell nodded.

The staple food in Glimmering River Valley was flour, mainly bread. Wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other grain crops were widely cultivated.

Wheat flour was not especially easy to store, so whenever the serfs needed to make bread, they would carry wheat to be ground into flour. They basically could not do without a mill all year round, and the mills of Glimmering River Valley were mostly concentrated in town.

From Wuyou Snake Manor to town took more than two hours on horseback, and much longer on foot.

"A very good suggestion, Old Hans. I will consider it."

"Ah, praise my lord! All the serfs will be grateful for your generosity and benevolence." Old Hans's flattery came readily to his lips.

Russell accepted it calmly. He truly was considering the welfare of his subjects.

Before long,

Charles rode over. "My Lord Russell, you are either keeping watch over Worm Grass at night or inspecting the fields. As a noble lord, no one is more diligent than you. Dragon's Gaze, the Grand Duke ought to summon you to preside over the court."

"If the Shadowflame Dragon is truly watching me, then the Grand Duke ought to invite me to serve as chief minister." Russell made a joke.

"Isn't that so?"

"Teacher Charles, you came at just the right time. I plan to build a mill in the manor. Do you think a watermill could be built on the nearby Glimmering River?"

"Well, along the stretch of the Glimmering River from the manor's secondary estate to the birch woods, there is almost no visible current. It is clearly unsuitable. Further downstream, near Xiangshui River Cave, the current is quite swift, but it does not seem very safe."

Russell asked, "Would the freefolk of the cave attack the mill?"

"Of course. Those lowly commoners who cannot even fill their stomachs are always thinking of crossing the border to steal and plunder from the manor. They certainly would not spare a mill."

"Then we can only build a windmill mill." Russell turned to Old Hans. "Where in the manor is the wind strongest? Ideally, somewhere windy all year round."

Old Hans replied, "The windiest place is definitely around Alfalfa Tunic, especially the slopes near Curved Blade Mountain. The wind always howls there."

Glimmering River Valley lay in a basin between two mountain ranges.

The continuous mountains to the west were Curved Blade Mountain. Though not especially high, they resembled a curved blade with its edge facing outward, guarding the western border of Glimmering River Valley.

The ice and snow were also blocked beyond Curved Blade Mountain.

"Then find a place in Alfalfa Tunic and build a windmill mill." Russell did not hesitate and made the decision directly.

Charles stroked his chin. "Russell, building a windmill mill will cost quite a bit of money."

"A watermill cannot be built, and an animal-powered mill is inefficient. To meet the needs of the entire manor, we must at least build a windmill mill," Russell said. "Otherwise, the serfs can only go to town to grind flour."

Glimmering River Valley was too long and narrow, with great distances between north and south. A serf going to town might need an entire day for the round trip.

It was a serious waste of time.

Once the windmill mill was completed, Russell had already planned how to use the time saved. They could fully serve the lord and build a better home together.

No one could defy the lord's decision.

The moment Russell decided to build the windmill mill, it had already become part of Wuyou Snake Manor.

"Old Hans, I need to recruit one hundred workers to build the windmill mill. Tell the serfs that anyone who comes to work will be provided two meals a day and will not need to bring their own food." Russell did not mistreat the serfs, but neither was he generous enough to pay them wages.

When most lords summoned serfs for labor, not only did they provide no compensation, they even made the serfs bring their own food.

Old Hans praised him. "You are truly a generous nobleman. Praise the dragon, may Radiant Light Blessing protect you. My lord, you will surely become a great Dragon Knight!"

"Teacher Charles, I need you to go to town and contact master craftsmen who know how to build windmill mills. Hire them to come oversee the construction of the windmill mill."

"That is easy." Charles smiled. "To serve the Fluorite Mushroom Family, even if meals were not provided, the masons and carpenters would eagerly compete for the chance."

"Not only will meals be provided, I will also pay them."

"There is absolutely no need, Russell. Work is work no matter whom they work for." Charles did not understand. Since there was no need to spend money, why go out of his way to pay the craftsmen? Most craftsmen were serfs of the Fluorite Mushroom Family.

"It's fine. It is only a little compensation." Russell did not explain.

His ideas would always differ in some ways from those of the native nobility. His moral bottom line had to be set somewhat higher.

"You really are generous." Charles shrugged. In any case, it was not his money.