Development of the Territory

Development of the Territory

"Compared to Frozen Earth Territory, what is the cold wind of Northwind Province?"

In the fortress atop Rhino Horn Mountain, Ryan wrapped himself in a Deerskin Cloak and felt much warmer.

He looked at the thriving village at the foot of the mountain. Ever since he had brought back food, Frozen Earth Territory had been swept up in celebration.

Food was crucial, but more importantly, they had never expected their lord to be so generous as to give them half the food without asking for anything in return.

"Sometimes, free things are the most expensive."

"Master, the food is ready."

A maid called softly from behind him. Soon afterward, Ryan sat before a large wooden table, enjoying the service of several maids.

He had finally begun living this kind of life. These damned rules made Ryan like them immensely.

The steaming venison leg melted in his mouth, and the fragrance of fruit jam made Ryan call for Brandt.

"Brandt, your skill at making jam would sell incredibly well even in the imperial capital."

Brandt replied respectfully,

"Mr. Ryan, every follower of Deer Spirit is the finest bard and winemaker. Jam is merely a sideline."

"Winemaking..."

A longing appeared in Ryan's eyes.

"But that would consume a great deal of food."

He understood this well. He had tasted the Stag Wine brought by the Deer Spirit villagers, stored for over a hundred years. That was not wine—it was countless Gold Punks.

But brewing wine required grain, and grain was the strategic resource nobles valued most even in the South. As for here in the Northlands?

In a place where being able to eat and drink one's fill was already a miracle, how could there be surplus grain for brewing wine?

Even the most depraved noble would not dare brew wine on a large scale, because more slaves would die from that than from working fourteen hours a day in the mines.

Better take it one step at a time.

"How is the Orchid Berry cultivation going?"

Ryan looked toward Old Steward Beard. The white-haired old man was currently brimming with the vigor of an eagle.

"The Orchid Berry seeds brought from the Other Plane are growing very well. According to Arnor and the others' estimates, we can harvest a batch of berries in three months. If Young Master Ryan wishes to make wine, fruit wine also sells quite well in the Empire."

Old Beard offered the suggestion. As a steward, he did not care whether slaves lived or died. The lord's enjoyment came first in his heart.

"One harvest every three months means at least two or three harvests a year. Four harvests during the first few years would be fine too. Even with hunted meat added in, it still would not be enough for over two thousand people in Frozen Earth Territory."

"We still need farmland."

As a transmigrator, Ryan had an immense obsession with farming. He could not go around "borrowing" things all day, could he?

After the meal, Ryan had Old Steward Beard gather a group of villagers from Deer Spirit Village, along with Brandt and the Knight Retainers, before heading toward the surrounding foothills.

Frozen Earth Territory was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only a few gentle stretches that allowed passage in and out, like a large bowl with many gaps along its rim.

Heading south naturally led into Northwind Province, but if he did not expand southward, the Empire's nobles would not care which direction Ryan chose to develop.

Strictly speaking, every lord on the Empire's borders was a Pioneer Lord, free to reclaim unclaimed land.

If Ryan wanted fields suitable for growing wheat, he could only find a solution in the surrounding foothills.

"From Northwind Province northward, the Northern Lands are filled with vast stretches of frozen earth. The farther north one goes, the deeper the frost becomes. At the very northernmost reaches, even the surface soil is permanently frozen. Food simply cannot be grown there."

"My demands are not high. Find one mu of land suitable for cultivation, and I will give you one silver coin. For every additional mu, you will receive another twenty-five copper coins."

Ryan spoke loudly. He understood very well that rewards were indispensable if he wanted to motivate his subjects.

Moreover, his rewards were exceptionally generous. The only problem was that money was useless in Frozen Earth Territory right now.

But the villagers clearly did not think of that. The moment they heard about the silver coin reward, every one of them became fired up.

They had even overlooked the fact that the true overlords of these foothills were the starving beasts, forced to venture out in search of food.

Watching the energized crowd depart, Ryan turned to Rosen.

"Take some men and patrol the area. Drive off the beasts."

Doing so could only protect those commoners to a certain extent.

For commoners who were not even as strong as Apprentice Knights, surviving in such primitive foothills was already the result of adapting to a century of Fierce Winter. Finding soil suitable for growing wheat would not be easy.

Otherwise, no lord would have ever taken a liking to Frozen Earth Territory. Even when it had been without a lord, no one had deigned to come here and develop it.

Baron Ryan's silver coin reward would not be easy to earn.

"Birch trees."

As the lord, Ryan did not personally join the search. He came before a tree whose surface was white as if bleached by wind and snow, and could not help but marvel.

Birch trees were valuable from top to bottom. Even the bark that naturally shed from them was a rare treasure. It could be used as medicine and made into all kinds of ornaments, with no less effect than leather.

For nobles, it was even a high-end material for writing and sending letters.

Looking out over the foothills, he saw quite a few white birch trees. They were all Ryan's wealth.

The entire Northlands was wealth, quietly waiting for him to develop it.

With that thought, Ryan began to look forward to the Northlands.

"When we return, tell everyone that they must not burn trees like these birches, not even their bark. Nor may they chop them down for firewood or use them to build houses."

Ordinary trees would do for building houses. As for firewood, even pine trees could be used no matter how extravagant they wished to be. The value of birch trees lay in the future commercial empire.

"As you command."

Old Beard replied. He did not quite understand why Young Master Ryan valued these white trees so highly. He only needed to follow orders.

At that thought, Old Beard could not help harboring deep resentment toward those commoners and even the slaves.

Young Master Ryan had been kind enough to let them cut down trees belonging to nobles to build houses without charging them money, yet those people truly did not know how to show even the slightest gratitude.

"You must understand that free does not mean without a cost."

Ryan said this every time to the old steward whose thinking had been rigidly shaped by the Clayton Family's teachings.

Exploitation? In Ryan's eyes, the Empire's nobles simply lacked creativity.

About an hour passed when someone returned from the distance with a startled cry.

"Lord, we found a large stretch of land that can be cultivated!"