Inspecting the Territory

The next morning, inside the castle dining hall, Nalant enjoyed a hearty breakfast of white bread and bacon.

Although the bacon didn't taste like much without a dedicated cook and the white bread was a bit rough on the throat, he couldn't deny that being able to eat these every day was already the greatest stroke of luck in this world.

"My lord, the carriage is ready. We can depart at any time!" As breakfast drew to a close, the butler Thomas arrived in the dining hall to report.

"Then let's set off!"

The greatest crisis had been temporarily averted, and the next step was to find a way to develop his territory.

The first step was to inspect the land and get an understanding of Storm Territory.

Although Storm Territory was a "Land of Misfortune," it was a genuine barony, roughly the size of a small town from his previous life.

"Greetings, my lord!" In the front courtyard, Vivian and Quick were already waiting with five subordinates each.

Nalant nodded at the group and swung onto his horse.

The horse he rode today wasn't the scruffy "Little Flower," but the genuine warhorse left behind by Anthony.

The warhorse had a coat of pure white and stood two meters tall; it would become the lord's exclusive mount from now on.

As for Anthony, his body had already been taken away to be cremated. The official story was that he had been killed by a Dark Creature, and in a while, Nalant would send someone to return his remains to Tulip Castle.

The villagers of Wheat Leaf Village had woken up quite late today because last night was the night of the meteor shower, and they had seen a massive downpour of meteors crashing into the territory.

Because of this, the serfs had dragged their families off to hide in the distant woods, but to their surprise, the Dark Creatures they had imagined never appeared.

It wasn't until the second half of the night that the puzzled serfs returned to their homes one by one.

After eating a few mouthfuls of black bread—softened in hot water but still hard enough to kill a man—the serfs began to head out to work in the fields.

However, they had barely stepped out of their doors when they saw a massive procession approaching the village entrance.

Leading the way was a tall, imposing horse, and sitting upon it was a young man dressed in silk formal wear, followed by a carriage and over a dozen guards.

A noble lord!

Seeing this, the serfs immediately shrank back into their houses without a word, while those already on the road quickly ducked into the alleys.

"Is this the largest village in my territory?" This group was naturally Nalant and his guard unit. Arriving at the entrance of Wheat Leaf Village and seeing the dilapidated state of the place, Nalant felt a bit disillusioned.

The filthy, muddy, foul-smelling streets and the crumbling, hole-ridden thatched huts were a sight rarely seen even in the Africa of his previous life.

The only thing worth mentioning was that the main road of the village was quite wide, but despite the width, the ground was covered in spilled excrement, and the pungent, overwhelming stench was something only those who smelled it could truly understand.

"Sanitation must be improved!" Nalant couldn't tolerate this world's greatest vice and silently made a mental note of it.

The procession continued forward, and Nalant finally caught sight of the serfs.

However, seeing them scurrying away like startled groundhogs, he felt somewhat speechless.

It was normal for serfs to fear nobles, though; they were so accustomed to oppression that fear had become a natural reflex.

"Lord Nalant is inspecting the territory! Why haven't you come out to pay your respects yet!"

Seeing the situation, Quick finally couldn't help but shout sternly at the serfs.

Following Quick's shout, the serfs finally stepped out of their homes, timid and trembling, and knelt on the ground to offer their greetings: "G-greetings, my lord!"

The serfs were all dressed similarly in tattered linen tunics, most of them barefoot, with only a few of the young, able-bodied men wearing worn-out straw sandals.

"Rise!" Nalant put on a smile, trying his best to appear approachable.

Only after receiving permission did the serfs stand up with their heads bowed. At this moment, Quick pointed to the carriage in the procession and spoke again.

"Do you see the two skeletons on the carriage? These are the two powerful Dark Creatures that attacked Storm Territory last night! A Headless Knight and a Hellhound! To protect you, Lord Nalant killed them with his own hands last night!"

"Divine grace has descended upon you. Storm Territory will no longer be a Land of Misfortune, but will become a land of prosperity and peace under the leadership of the great Lord Nalant!"

"Cheer, people of Storm Territory! From this day forward, someone will protect you!"

These lines were custom-tailored by Thomas for Nalant's inspection. It was standard procedure for noble lords to use their great achievements to rule and pacify their subjects.

Upon hearing the announcement, the serfs couldn't help but lift their heads slightly.

"Ah, they really are the bones of Dark Creatures. No wonder we didn't encounter any last night!"

"This lord is too powerful! I heard Baron Doke was killed by a Hellhound!"

"That's right, this lord is amazing!"

With the remains on the carriage in plain sight, the serfs finally understood why they had seen a massive meteor shower but no Dark Creatures attacking.

For a moment, the serfs actually forgot their fear and began to whisper among themselves!

Every time Dark Creatures invaded, the ones who suffered the most weren't the lords, but the common folk.

Storm Territory used to have a population of ten thousand, but after invasion upon invasion, the population was now less than a tenth of what it once was, so it was no wonder they were so excited.

Listening to the occasional praise for his lord, Quick was very satisfied and continued.

"These two skeletons aren't all. Besides the Death Knight and the Hellhound, under the leadership of the lord, the guard unit also eliminated twenty-six Skeleton Soldiers. Their bones are piled up outside the castle right now; you are welcome to go and pay your respects at any time!"

"Long live the lord!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

After hearing this, the serfs knelt on the ground one after another.

"This standard procedure really is useful!" Seeing the change in the serfs' attitude, Nalant couldn't help but praise the routine in his heart.

"Very well, my people. I now permit you to leave. You may go to work in the fields, or you may go to the castle to see the bones of the Skeleton Soldiers!" Satisfied, Nalant waved his hand, signaling for the serfs to disperse.

"Thank you, my lord!" Following this, the serfs scattered like birds and beasts; some returned to their houses, while others headed toward the castle.

As the serfs dispersed, Nalant and his party continued forward.

"Vivian, do you know how many people are in Wheat Leaf Village?" If he wanted to develop, population was an essential factor.

Although Wheat Leaf Village was dilapidated, Nalant was relieved to see that it wasn't small in scale.

"I apologize, my lord, I don't know the exact population of Wheat Leaf Village. However, there should be about a thousand people. I heard that a long time ago, Wheat Leaf Village was a small town," Vivian replied respectfully.

"Hmm, it used to be a small town? Then go and summon the village chief!" Nalant nodded.

Normally, when a lord inspected his territory for the first time, all the villagers were supposed to gather in advance to wait and welcome him; Thomas had suggested this last night.

However, Nalant had rejected the proposal. Such pageantry was useless; it was more beneficial to him if the serfs were working hard in the fields.

Soon, a guard was sent to find the village chief, while Nalant arrived at the center of Wheat Leaf Village, where there was a large square.

Seeing the square, Nalant was certain that Wheat Leaf Village had indeed been a small town, as the five-to-six-meter-wide streets and the square were standard features of a town.

Five or six minutes later, the village chief was brought over.

However, the chief's entrance was even more "arrogant" than Nalant's; he was actually brought in lying down.

"L-little one... g-greets... the lord!"

"What is going on?" Nalant looked at the village chief, who was struggling to stand up to pay his respects, with some confusion.

"My lord... this..."

Facing Nalant's inquiry, the few serfs who had carried the chief knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound, and even the young guard who had gone to find the chief hesitated.

"My lord, the chief must be too hungry to have any strength left!" Vivian took the initiative to answer.

"Hmm?" He was a village chief, after all. The other serfs hadn't starved to death, so why was he in such a state? Nalant was even more puzzled.

"My lord... a few days ago, Lord Anthony said that the lord had ordered a grain levy. The chief went to plead for mercy, asking if it could be collected in the next quarter... because the count had already collected the taxes for the previous quarter... In the end, Lord Anthony confiscated all of the chief's grain and forbade the villagers from lending him any..." By the end, Vivian couldn't bring herself to continue.

This was the reason the serfs and guards hadn't dared to speak up. It was the grain levy order issued by the lord that had caused all of this. If they spoke of it, they would be suspected of complaining about the lord, and if the lord were to get angry, he might even have them hanged in the town square.

Only Vivian, through her contact over the past few days, knew that her lord was not cruel, which was why she had spoken up so cautiously.