A Fiery Winter

A Fiery Winter

Besides the foothills discovered by the Bain Family that were suitable for farming, two other places had revealed similar conditions. Ryan estimated that nearly five hundred mu of farmland might ultimately be developed.

All three locations were roughly two or three kilometers from Rhino Horn Mountain, so they were not far away.

Thus, once the locations had been confirmed, the entire Frozen Earth Territory plunged into intense development under Ryan's will.

"None of you better think about slacking off. The lord has already told you that the ten best-performing slaves will become citizens of the Frozen Earth Territory."

"There are only ten spots. This will be your only chance in your lives to escape slavery, and you will not even have to go down into the mines!"

"I'll tell you this as well: the five best workers each day can each collect an extra piece of black bread from me!"

"The single best worker of the month will receive five jars of jam from the Bain Family."

Up on the foothills, thankfully it was not snowing today. The slaves, wrapped in thick linen clothes, swung hoes and shovels. On the snowy ground in the distance, the blessed Bane shouted loudly, while the other members of the Bain Family and several villagers close to them acted as overseers.

"What are you doing? That's the edge of a terrace! If you dig through it, the next terrace will have to be pushed back. This is the lord's land, Mud Legs. Are you looking to die?"

"And you, whoever you are! The lord said that every time you dig a palm's depth, the Bain Family must personally inspect the soil. Do you need me to chop off your claws so you can measure how long a palm is?!"

"And you lot, you're here to turn the soil over. Not even a grain of dirt can fly outside the terrace. Why are you swinging that high? Are you trying to fling all the soil away?"

Boom! Boom!

Quite a few bonfires had been lit across the fields, warming the area around them.

"The lord is kind enough to let you Mud Legs warm yourselves by the fire so you don't fall sick. Remember to spread the ash from the burned wood and wild grass evenly over the fields, then have those turning the soil mix it in."

"And over there, that's manure. Do you know that's manure? This stuff is worth more than your lives. Do you know how much manure there is in the entire Frozen Earth Territory now?"

"The lord said that burying this manure in the soil can keep the ground warm and make it more fertile."

"Do you know what fertile means? It means the lord can harvest an extra ten jin of wheat from every mu. Ten jin—your lives aren't even worth ten jin."

At the top of the slope, Bane listened to the overseers' roars and nodded in satisfaction. His Bain Family was about to rise and prosper. Right now, all these people were practically begging to attach themselves to them.

Even the slaves were the same, because the lord had entrusted the nomination rights for those ten spots to the Bain Family.

With such immense favor, it would be hard for the Bain Family not to rise.

Unable to suppress his excitement, Bane's gaze swept toward the slaves in the distance who were cutting trees to build houses for the Bain Family. In an instant, his pupils shrank to needle points!

"Who told you to cut down the trees here?!"

Like a snake whose tail had been stepped on, Bane roared and charged over. The physique of an Apprentice Knight filled his tall body with an oppressive presence.

"The lord said these trees cannot be cut down. Every winter, their trunks must be wrapped in hemp rope. In ten years, even the soil beneath our feet will become suitable farmland."

"Besides, these trees block the cold northern winds and heavy snow. Do you want these fields to turn into permanently frozen land?"

"Get lost! Go cut trees down at the foot of the mountain. That place will become terraces anyway."

Bane stared at the two or three fallen trees in alarm. If word of this reached the lord and made him dissatisfied with the Bain Family, then everything would be over.

As for how the slaves would transport the trees cut at the foot of the mountain up here, he could not be bothered to care.

...No, he still had to care. These were not yet the Bain Family's slaves; they were the lord's slaves, brought here to develop the Frozen Earth Territory.

"Fine. As a future farm lord, doing some work myself during the early stages of starting out isn't anything shameful."

Bane simply joined in himself. In truth, seeing this, many slaves and commoners felt considerably more at ease.

The Bain Family had not instantly turned into high and mighty lords. The gap between them was still not that great.

With that in mind, some of the commoners also became full of drive, because the lord had said so as well.

Those who took part in this development would be exempt from taxes for the coming year. At the same time, anyone who showed exceptional ability in certain areas would have a chance to become a steward of the Frozen Earth Territory.

What did certain areas mean? Skilled work, naturally. Some people were good at management, some at blacksmithing, some at carpentry. In short, anyone outstanding in a particular field could become an important figure in the Frozen Earth Territory.

As for taxes, there was no way they could pay them this year. But if the lord pursued the matter, many commoners would become slaves because they could not afford the taxes. A year without taxes was simply an enormous blessing to commoners.

If it was such a boon to the commoners, it meant even more to the slaves.

If they could become commoners, they too would enjoy the tax exemption. They would then have an entire year to save up wealth and seek better homes and food.

At this thought, many slaves turned their thoughts toward the village being built beneath Rhino Horn Mountain.

Around seven or eight hundred people would reclaim fertile land on the three foothills this winter, while the rest built houses beneath Rhino Horn Mountain.

Centered around a cross-shaped road, rows of houses and courtyards had begun to take shape. In just half a month, many people's hands had gone weak from cutting trees and become covered in blisters, yet they remained tirelessly enthusiastic.

Because the baron lord had said that, this winter, for houses built according to the squares on the blueprint, first, they would not have to pay for the trees they cut down, and second, all the houses would belong to them.

Those two points alone were enough to kindle a fire of striving in everyone's hearts.

They did not have to pay land fees for their houses, did not have to pay for cutting trees, and did not even have to pay for the firewood they stored.

Together with the one-year tax exemption for participating in construction, they did not dare imagine how comfortable their lives would be in the coming year.

Although the lord had also said that they had to build three identical houses before they could receive one of them, was that really a problem?

For that reason, blazing flames showed in the slaves' eyes as well.

Because the lord's plans included slums—simple shacks that could provide warmth and shelter from the wind and rain. And since they would all be built by the slaves themselves, there was naturally no need to cut corners.

From this, the slaves saw a future where they would not freeze to death or starve to death. What the lord had said when he brought them to the Frozen Earth Territory had truly come to pass.

Then could freedom from slavery and becoming commoners still be far away?

For a time, everyone worked with blazing enthusiasm.