View the Progress

Victor stood at the edge of the field, with Rabik and several Sugar Beet Plantation managers following behind him.

Victor surveyed the beet patch before him, then squatted down, reached out and parted the beet leaves, grasped the beet root, and prepared to uproot the beet.

One of the stewards behind Rabik wanted to help, knowing that although the beets hadn't fully grown yet, the soil was so bad that Victor couldn't pull them out by force.

But just as he took two steps, Victor gave a low shout and pulled the beetroot out of the ground.

"What the hell? How can the Marquis be so strong?"

Just as the steward was muttering to himself, Rabik had already walked past him and stood beside Victor.

Rabik watched as Victor simply patted the beet roots a few times, knocked off the dirt, and carefully examined the beets in his hand, then silently stood behind Victor.

Victor suddenly spoke up, "Is this land the new sugar beet field we reclaimed this year?"

Rabik quickly stepped forward and explained, "Yes, Marquis Excellency, this is the land we reclaimed this year. Before this year, we planted alfalfa for silage. I was there when we first started planting beet seeds."

Then Rabik gestured with his eyes to the managers behind him to quickly cooperate in speaking.

"Yes, Marquis Excellency, this land was all newly reclaimed this year."

When the planting first began, Lord Rabik stayed here for several days straight.

"That's right, Lord Rabik sometimes even guides us on how to plant!"

"Lord Rabik is also a skilled worker; he's even better at operating a heavy plow than I am!"

With each of them chiming in, the supervisors praised Rabik to the skies. In their descriptions, Rabik was a diligent and responsible worker with excellent farming skills, even surpassing those of the experts at the Agricultural Technology Institute!

Rabik's face immediately fell. He only wanted the stewards to testify to his words, not to praise him so exaggeratedly in front of Victor. If he displeased the Marquis, he would be in deep trouble.

He cursed inwardly, "How could I have let those idiots become managers? Now my flattery has backfired! If the Marquis really asks me some technical questions about growing sugar beets, and I can't answer them, the Marquis will definitely be angry!"

Fortunately, Victor didn't ask too many questions. He only casually inquired about the planting and harvesting times of the beet field, and Rabik actually knew the answers, providing the correct information.

Victor walked around the beet field a few more times, gave it a quick look, and then left with Rabik.

Once they were in the carriage, Victor asked Rabik, "Those managers have been following you for a long time, haven't they? Their flattery is just as embarrassing as yours."

Rabik broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this and hurriedly explained, "No, Marquis Excellency, I promoted them after the sugar beet garden was built. They were originally serfs Golden Sunflower Territory, but their sons and brothers are all serving in the army."

"There shouldn't be any problems managing the manor, right?"

"They did a good job, and we'll be checking in regularly. They'll report anything to me immediately!"

When Rabik got to this point, he was not only sweating but also trembling all over, probably worried that Victor would be angry.

Victor Rabik's reaction, Victor didn't press him further. After all, it was just a casual remark to give Rabik a warning. Victor patted Rabik on the shoulder to reassure him.

Rabik was originally a merchant from the Golden Sunflower Territory, working under Powell. He was skilled in business negotiation and bargaining, and also adept at calculations, making him a competent individual.

Victor promoted him because of this strength, and of course, he was also very lucky. The previous head of the Commerce Department was found out by Victor to have taken kickbacks when purchasing supplies for the territory, which allowed him to become the new head of the Commerce Department.

However, Rabik's biggest flaw is the habit he developed when he was a businessman: he likes to flatter and fawn. Victor often gives Rabik a nudge to prevent him from losing himself in his daily boasting.

Victor that Rabik had calmed down, Victor continued, "Don't be afraid, you did a good job, but you'll have to do even better in the future."

After all, you'll get 0.5% of the bonus the Sugar Industry Merchants' Guild takes from its profits. Since you're getting so much money, you'd better perform well."

Rabik, who had just calmed down, was startled by those words again. He instantly calculated the amount of the prize money, but before he could say anything, he was speechless. His face turned red with anxiety, and he started sweating profusely once more.

Victor Rabik like this, Victor could only cover his head. He had never realized Rabik was so emotionally sensitive before.

Fortunately, Rabik was able to recover on his own this time. After a short while, Rabik said, "Marquis lord, this money is too much. I can't accept it!"

That's two or three hundred taels of gold! That's about the cost of maintaining a full squadron of regular soldiers. How could I possibly be entitled to that much?

Seeing Rabik's resistant expression, Victor knew he meant what he said and chuckled, "It's not like I'm giving it to you right now. If you don't do a good job and the territory's sugar industry earns less, not only will you not get a bonus, but I'll also fine you off your salary; if you lose money, you'll take your men to the mines and dig stones for me!"

Fortunately, after this brief period of intense emotional turmoil, Rabik had regained his composure. "How could that be? We certainly won't let the territory lose money!"

Besides, with Your Marquis leading the way, we'll only make a fortune!

Victor: "It's good that you have confidence. Don't let it slip by, or you'll regret it!"

Rabik immediately declared, "Marquis lord, I can pledge my loyalty!"

Victor raised his voice. "Failure to do that isn't as simple as being fined and forced to do hard labor; it could mean being beheaded!"

Rabik immediately deflated. "Then forget it!"

Seeing Rabik's expression, Victor suddenly laughed, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. After looking around this time, you did a great job!"

Entrusting the Sugar Refinery and Sugar Beet Estate to you was definitely the right decision!

As for the reward, I said I'd give it, and I'll give it. As long as you can do it, you'll get whatever amount is due. You can distribute the rest among yourselves. I won't ask any more questions, but you must ensure that everyone, including the serfs on the manor, receives no less than 1 gold!

Rabik relaxed at this point and had no objection to Victor's request. "Those serfs were all old men who had been working on the territory for more than two years. They could be freed from their serf status next year."

"After gaining Freemen citizenship, they'll probably be short of money. Giving them this bonus should motivate them to work harder, which is a good thing!"

Victor nodded. "Well, to put it bluntly, I'm just making demands; the actual work is still up to you."

This year marks a true year of development for our territory's sugar industry. Not only will we need to grow and process sugar beets ourselves, but we may also purchase raw materials from other territories for processing in the future. A good start will greatly help our work in the future.

Therefore, Rabik, your work is extremely important. You must focus your efforts here, as this is the largest source of funding for the territory in the future.

I can tell you something else. If you do well, it won't just be a bonus; there will be even better things waiting for you!

Rabik immediately understood what Victor meant after hearing Victor words. He was somewhat excited, but quickly regained his composure. "Yes, Marquis Excellency, please rest assured!"

"Okay, no need to make any promises, I believe you!"

It's getting late, hurry up and make the carriage go faster, I need to get home for dinner!

Rabik quickly ordered the carriage to speed up and head towards the Wood Fort Town.

In the following period, various tasks in the territory proceeded in an orderly manner. The river dredging project, originally intended for immigrants, also began the construction of the dams planned by Victor. As a result, tens of thousands of serfs who arrived in the territory throughout June were all involved in the project, which even affected the expansion of the territory.

However, the Machine Factory provided a large number of machines and tools, and the Animal Husbandry Department also dispatched all the livestock at its disposal. With an ample supply of cement, the entire project progressed rapidly.

The work that was originally planned to be completed by the end of the year was already half finished by July.

Victor was observing the construction of the project next to a river dam that was halfway completed. Although the scene was spectacular, it was orderly and well-organized. It was clear that the project was progressing very smoothly and that there was no shoddy workmanship due to rushing.

Just then, Zarack arrived with a group of men. "Marquis lord, what brings you here?"

It's all muddy here, dirty and smelly. If you want to know the progress of the project, just call me and I'll come and report to you!

Victor shook his head. "I'd rather see for myself to be at ease. Zarack, the progress you reported before was too fast, and I was a little unsure, so I came to check it out."

However, it certainly exceeded my expectations; you did a very good job."

"Of course, Your Marquis, you had already planned out a scheme for us; all we had to do was execute it."

"With General Manager Powell and Secretary Weber giving us their full support, wouldn't we look incredibly incompetent if we couldn't even do this?"

After exchanging a few words, Victor asked Zarack a few more questions before preparing to leave the construction site.

As Zarack saw Victor off, he said, "Marquis Excellency, this dam is rather small. It should be completed by the end of the month. You can come and take another look then!"

"The end of the month? I doubt it will work!"

Why?

"I'm leaving the territory!"

It was only then that Zarack remembered that it was already July, and according to the previous arrangement, the Marquis was supposed to travel to the Raine Kingdom with Duke Alex in August.