Paving the Road

"Mm."

Alice pursed her lips and nodded, attempting to cast the "Summon Water Elemental" spell once more.

As she waved her staff, a puddle of water first appeared on the previously empty ground, gradually taking the shape of a water elemental—a blue humanoid creature only half the height of a normal person.

"Very good. Congratulations on successfully learning your first spell and becoming a noble and mysterious mage."

Aierlan was delighted by Alice's successful casting, clapping her hands to celebrate.

"I did it."

Alice hugged Aierlan in excitement, sharing her joy like a little girl, her entire being floating on air.

"Sister Aierlan, do you think I can help my brother now? Since I've become a mage, can I help him just like you do?"

Alice asked curiously with her hands behind her back, her eyes filled with expectant light.

"Not yet. Your brother is a very powerful lord; you must continue to work hard to improve your magic power before you can help us."

Aierlan refused with a hint of regret.

Alice immediately puffed out her cheeks, looking clearly disappointed and unhappy.

However, Alice possessed the same persistent quality as Lin Lei. After a while, she was full of fighting spirit again, preparing to strive to become stronger.

"My Lord, the barracks you requested are complete. The person in charge of the project just sent word asking you to come and inspect them."

Cress dismissed the servants on either side and spoke softly.

"Built so quickly? I'll go see what this expensive barracks looks like. Go arrange the guard; we're heading to the barracks together."

Lin Lei stopped his idle habit of cracking melon seeds, grabbed the tiger-skin hat and coat hanging on the wall, and walked outside.

He exited the Lord's Mansion, crossed three streets and two alleys to leave the city gate. The new-style barracks were built outside the city of Crouching Dragon Ravine, and it took over twenty minutes to arrive.

"Whoa, impressive. It looks even more imposing than my current Lord's Mansion. This domineering and mighty appearance makes me feel like those gold coins weren't spent in vain."

Lin Lei smiled at Cress beside him, his tone devoid of the heartache he felt when he first spent the money, replaced instead by smug satisfaction at his own foresight.

This barracks was built using a Silver-grade blueprint Lin Lei obtained through a system draw, costing nearly half of his wealth at the time.

The new-style barracks resembled a small fortress. Its walls were only slightly lower than those of Crouching Dragon Ravine, standing six meters high. The materials were Silver-grade stone—specifically, stone derived from refined iron ore; ordinary sand and gravel did not meet the construction requirements.

The barracks had only two gates, north and south, unlike the four gates of Crouching Dragon Ravine. The barracks did not have high foot traffic, as there were no citizens coming and going to farm, trade, or sell, so it did not require many entrances and exits.

Lin Lei stomped his foot and leaped into the air, landing on the wall, taking in the environment of the barracks.

The wall was wide enough for three or four people to stand abreast. It was also very hard; Lin Lei kicked the ground hard, and only a palm-sized crack appeared. There was no hope of breaking this wall unless one was Gold-grade.

At this moment, Cress and the others walked in through the main gate, and Lin Lei jumped down to stand before them.

"Greetings, Baron."

Those remaining in the barracks saluted Lin Lei. Lin Lei looked at the leader, a man in his forties or fifties; this was the architect he had hired at a high price from Flower Territory.

"Well done. Any interest in staying in Crouching Dragon Ravine? I can offer you generous compensation."

Lin Lei smiled and extended an invitation. For a faction to be strong, talent was essential. Crouching Dragon Ravine was currently in urgent need of various experts, which was why he wanted to retain this exceptionally skilled architect.

"Many thanks for your kindness, My Lord, but I am a lifelong worker for Lord Nicholas and cannot change that. Besides, since you have such exquisite blueprints, I imagine you are not in need of an architect like me..."

The middle-aged man refused directly, without the slightest hesitation.

"Damn, a servant of a minor lord actually rejected my invitation."

Lin Lei felt very annoyed inside, but his expression remained calm, showing no signs of anger or joy.

"In that case, Steward, take him, settle the remaining wages, and send him back to Flower Territory. The road is unsafe with many bandits; arrange a few soldiers to protect him."

Lin Lei left after speaking. He had seen enough of the barracks; he could feel a unique magnetic field in the air, likely generated by the layout, which gave the Silver-grade barracks the miraculous effect of accelerating training and cultivating soldiers.

Next, Lin Lei prepared to go to the farmland outside the city. Although the best time for planting had passed, the crops had been sown to some extent, and as the harvest season approached, it was time to check the yield of the Komugi.

"By the way, has any news come back from Blackwater Wharf?"

Lin Lei asked his steward while walking and observing the surrounding buildings.

"Baron, there is no news from Blackwater Wharf yet. It has rained for the past few days, making the road between Blackwater Wharf and Crouching Dragon Ravine exceptionally difficult to traverse; the messenger is moving too slowly. However, so much time has passed that I believe the messenger has reached Blackwater Wharf, and Furell has already received the message."

Lin Lei furrowed his brows and said to Cress, "If it takes this long for a single person to deliver a message, and we encounter an attack by fish-men, with our slow support speed, the only thing we'll be able to do when we arrive at Blackwater Wharf is collect their corpses."

Cress wisely did not respond, standing to the side and quietly watching Lin Lei vent his dissatisfaction.

"What are Furexi and the others doing? I think it's time to build a road that runs through the entire territory, connecting Green Goblin Town, Blackwater Wharf, and Crouching Dragon Ravine."

"Baron, Furexi is currently following your requirements to build entertainment facilities like the Cuju field in the city. Even working day and night, they won't be finished until at least winter."

Cress pulled out a notebook, checked it, and explained to Lin Lei.

"Ugh... fine. Put the construction of roads between the territories on next year's plan. It's too late for this year; we'll start this project when spring arrives next year."

"Very well, my lord."

Cress took out a quill and recorded Lin Lei's requirements in his notebook as instructed.

As they spoke, Lin Lei and his party gradually arrived at the farmland outside the city. Looking out, a few scattered farmers were still watering their crops and weeding.

The farmers of Crouching Dragon Ravine were organized into groups, with every twenty households forming a hamlet. Each hamlet had a hamlet chief elected to oversee everything, and the supreme commander of these chiefs was Old Man Ma of the Department of Agriculture.

Every farmer was permitted to clear three acres of land for themselves. Lin Lei would not collect a single cent of tax on these three acres for the first three years—a three-year tax exemption—and he provided farming tools and seeds for free. However, this did not include livestock; livestock were too expensive, and the territory could not afford the burden.

Beyond their three acres, farmers were allowed to clear additional wasteland, and the territory would recognize whatever amount they managed to cultivate. There was only one condition: these lands did not enjoy the tax exemption policy. One-third of the grain harvest had to be paid annually, which was much better than the one-half demanded by other lords.

Lin Lei had calculated that three acres were basically enough to keep a household from poverty, ensuring they could eat every day and would not starve to death.

Although Lin Lei stated that the extra land would be taxed, people continued to clear land in an endless stream. It was only when the land near Crouching Dragon Ravine had all been developed that this craze slowly subsided, to the point where many later arrivals had no land left to clear.

"Go, call all the hamlet chiefs in this vicinity over. Tell them the Lord is inspecting their cultivation progress and to hurry up."

Cress spoke to a farmer nearby who was checking the fullness of the crop fruits.

The farmer looked at the group of people dressed in extraordinary attire, retreated in fear, and knelt on the ground. Upon hearing Cress's command, he nodded frantically and ran toward a nearby shed.

The sheds were built by the farmers themselves, mostly used for resting after finishing farm work. The hamlet chiefs usually stayed there to relay orders or hold meetings for the other farmers.

They did not wait long before the young man who had just run off returned, accompanied by an old man with gray hair, his back hunched as he walked toward Lin Lei.

Lin Lei didn't actually want such elderly people, but there was no choice; young and strong men were also very popular in the slave market. The slave traders wouldn't agree to sell only the young ones and insisted on including several hundred elderly people in the deal.

"Greetings, my lord. I wonder what instructions you have for coming to White Jade Hamlet?"

Sabir, the old man, bowed and said respectfully.

Lin Lei did not speak. Having been in this world for so long, he understood that he could not speak directly to people of this social stratum. Not only would it lose the dignity of a lord, but it would also lower the sense of oppression he held over them; if they became too familiar, rebellion would be nine times out of ten.

To him, silence was sometimes a good way to maintain his rule, even if Lin Lei hoped to respect human nature.

Because doing otherwise would only make the farmers anxious and cause other nobles to view him as a thorn in their side.

Those who dare to go against the tide of the world are Champions, but their ends are rarely good, as seen in the Dark Ages of medieval Europe.

"The Lord has come to inspect the hamlet. Is there anything unusual happening here?"

Cress stepped forward on behalf of Lin Lei to speak with Sabir, his tone inadvertently revealing an air of arrogance.

"Thanks to the blessing of Mother Earth, all our fields have received the artificial fertilizer provided by the Lord. The yield per acre is higher than in the territory where I lived before. With favorable weather this year, it will be a great harvest."

Speaking of grain, Sabir unconsciously displayed an excited expression. As a farmer who had tilled the land for generations, the grain harvest was directly related to their survival. Lin Lei was not at all surprised by his display.

He only felt that it was a bit disgusting when the old man kissed the top of his shoe. Indeed, after finishing his sentence, the old man knelt down and lightly kissed Lin Lei's shoe.

Lin Lei knew this was how people of low status expressed gratitude to nobles. Even though he hated it, he suppressed the urge to kick him away.

Having heard nothing of interest, Lin Lei did not linger and continued toward the next hamlet.