Baron Quinte

"My Lord, the remaining fish meat has been packed!"

The sperm whale stranded on the beach weighed at least twenty tons, making it a relatively small specimen, yet Nalant and his men had managed to carve off eight or nine tons of meat throughout the afternoon.

After distributing the meat to the serfs, there remained nearly a thousand pounds of fish meat and several hundred pounds of whale oil.

"Good, let's set off and return to the castle!" With a wave of his hand, Nalant led the team back, the three wagons behind him filled to the brim.

He would have Thomas arrange for this whale meat to be dried into jerky, which could then be used to feed the guards.

Although most nobles' guards did not have the luxury of eating meat every day, Nalant knew that without sufficient protein intake, it was impossible to forge an elite force.

His territory was frequently invaded by dark creatures, and he had to ensure that Quick and the other guards maintained peak physical condition.

He intended to begin training them with high-intensity methods from his past life.

The sky had turned completely dark by the time Nalant and his team arrived at Wheat Leaf Village after an hour of travel.

"Vivian!"

As they passed through the village square, Nalant spotted Vivian stepping out of a stone house.

"My Lord!"

"Why are you out so late?"

"My Lord, I was just organizing the registry and lost track of time," Vivian whispered in explanation.

Nalant nodded. Thanks to the enhanced vision of a Title Knight, he could see the exhaustion etched onto her face despite the dim light, and a pang of sympathy struck his heart.

Although the girl had awakened her potential, her long-term malnutrition had left her body very frail.

"Get up here! I'll take you back," Nalant said, extending his hand toward Vivian.

"Thank you, My Lord!" A faint blush rose on Vivian's fair cheeks; after all, they were in full view of everyone, unlike the last time when everyone was busy scrambling for meat soup.

Moreover, she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt the Lord looked much more handsome today. Though he had always been handsome, her heart couldn't help but race whenever she saw him tonight.

"Quick, you all return to the castle at a steady pace!" Nalant commanded once Vivian was seated securely in front of him.

With that, Nalant spurred his horse and rode off rapidly with Vivian.

Feeling the cool night breeze and the presence of the Lord behind her, Vivian couldn't help but slowly close her eyes.

If only it could stay like this forever! A shy thought suddenly popped into Vivian's mind, but she immediately suppressed it. She knew it was impossible; after all, she was just a serf.

"Vivian, do you want to learn how to ride a horse?" Nalant's voice reached her ears just as her thoughts were swirling.

"Ah, may I, My Lord?" Vivian was stunned.

In this world, horses were precious commodities, much like sports cars in his past life.

Even an old horse used for hauling cargo was something commoners could only dream of.

In the Storm Territory, besides Nalant, only Thomas and Quick knew how to ride.

"Of course you can!" Nalant replied with a smile. "I'll start teaching you after dinner!"

As a future marksman, Nalant felt it was necessary for Vivian to learn to ride.

Since Vivian was not skilled in close-quarters combat, learning to ride would provide her with better security should a battle break out.

"Thank you, My Lord!" Vivian's heart was filled with sweetness. She had no particular obsession with learning to ride, but the kindness the Lord showed her made her feel a warmth she had never known before.

By the time they returned to the castle with Vivian, Thomas was already waiting expectantly.

"Welcome back, respected My Lord!" Thomas immediately grabbed the reins as soon as the warhorse came to a stop.

"Thomas, Quick will be bringing several wagons of fish meat shortly. Arrange for them to be stored, and have the servants prepare two pots of meat soup so the servants and guards can have a good meal," Nalant said, dismounting with satisfaction as he gave his instructions to Thomas.

"You are truly a kind and generous Lord. I believe they will feel fortunate for this. My Lord, the bathwater is ready, and dinner is prepared. You may dine whenever you wish after you have washed up."

Afterward, Nalant enjoyed a comfortable hot bath and finished his dinner before he began teaching Vivian how to ride.

The horse provided for Vivian's training was Nalant's own mottled horse, named 'Little Flower'.

Although it couldn't compare to a true warhorse, it was a horse that had undergone basic training and could understand simple commands.

And so, in the castle courtyard, the guards watched with envy as Vivian received instruction from the Lord.

Of course, they knew it was useless to be envious. Not only was Vivian a 'Title Knight', but the 'hand-in-hand' instruction of sharing a horse with the Lord was something he would certainly never do for them.

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, the serfs of the Storm Territory were already heading out with their baskets.

They weren't rising so early to work, but rather to head to the neighboring Barony of Quinte.

Each of them had received over fifty pounds of fish meat the night before, meaning they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry for the next few months.

However, the thrifty serfs wanted to take this opportunity to sell a small portion of the meat to trade for other daily necessities, especially salt, which was essential for preserving the fish.

The journey from the Storm Territory to the Barony of Quinte was not far, taking only half a day.

By noon, the people of the Storm Territory arrived at White Salt Town in the Barony of Quinte.

Inside Baron Quinte's castle, Quinte was enjoying a sumptuous lunch. The wide dining table was laden with honey-glazed bread, mushroom stew, fresh roasted fish, a fruit and vegetable platter, and, most precious of all, a whole slab of Magic Beast meat. This single lunch was worth more than a gold coin.

"My Lord, an incredible thing has happened in the town!" Just as Baron Quinte was eating until his mouth was slick with grease, a servant arrived with a guard to report.

"What is it?" Reluctantly putting down the Magic Beast meat and wiping the grease from his hands onto his clothes, Quinte spoke with impatience.

"My Lord, a large amount of fish has appeared in the town—great, thick chunks of white fish meat, at least a thousand pounds of it. And it was all brought by those wretches from the Storm Territory!" The guard snuck a glance at the delicacies on the table and swallowed hard as he answered.

"Hm? A thousand pounds of fish? How did those wretches from the Storm Territory get their hands on that?" Quinte was startled, involuntarily glancing at the roasted fish on his table; this was a delicacy he could only taste occasionally, and only because he had specifically trained two servants to fish for him.

"It is said that their Lord gave it to them!"

"That Land of Misfortune actually has a new Lord? Come, let's go see for ourselves!" Quinte could no longer be bothered with his meal and headed straight out of the dining hall.