Riding Through the Fief! Planning the Blueprint!

Early the next morning, Lan Tian put on the noble attire befitting a baron. The city lord had sent it over the night before.

It was the symbol of a baron's status.

He then went to the livestock market in the eastern part of the city and picked out a horse.

It was a brown gelding, four years old, of moderate height at the shoulder, and looked docile and sturdy.

After paying for it, he led it back and tied it outside the clinic for the night. At first light the next day, he prepared the saddle and tack, brought dry rations and a waterskin, mounted up, and galloped down the official road beyond the north gate.

A horse was far faster than two legs, and the forty-li journey took less than two hours.

When he reached the fork at the edge of his fief, he reined in. The horse slowed its pace and followed the dirt road, half-covered in wild grass, into the heart of the territory.

His view of the fief from horseback was far broader than it had been on foot, and he could take in the rolling contours of the entire range of hills.

He rode slowly along the stream, reviewing the details he had not been able to see clearly yesterday as he went.

Though he had walked quickly yesterday, viewing the land from below had always limited his perspective. Many terrain features could only be seen clearly from a higher vantage point.

When the horse reached the crest of a relatively tall hill, Lan Tian pulled on the reins and stopped. He straightened in the saddle and looked around.

The entirety of the fief unfolded beneath the morning light. To the south lay open flatland sloping gently downward; to the northeast were several low, connected hills; and to the west, the stream wound through the valley between the hills, its surface glittering as it flowed southeast.

Vegetation along both banks of the stream was denser than elsewhere. Reeds and wildflowers grew interwoven, and waterbirds occasionally skimmed up from the surface and flew away.

The eight hundred mu of land felt even larger than it had when he stood on the ground yesterday.

The horse turned twice atop the hill, its hooves rustling through the grass beneath them.

Lan Tian drew his gaze back from the distance and looked down at the land now bearing his name. The sense of belonging in his heart was even stronger than yesterday.

He jumped down from the horse and led it along the hilltop for a while.

Horses could sense terrain better than people, so he simply let go of the reins and allowed it to walk on its own. He watched the gelding choose the gentlest route down the slope, follow the stream, and lower its head to drink at a stretch of riverbank.

Standing on the riverbank, Lan Tian surveyed the surroundings and gained a clearer understanding of the terrain throughout the fief.

In the middle section of the fief, the streambed was roughly three paces wide. The water came up to his knees, flowed gently and clearly, and ran over smooth pebbles and fine sand.

He crouched down and scooped up a handful of water to inspect it. It was crystal clear and free of impurities, cool and sweet to the taste, and safe to drink.

The stream flowed down from a valley upstream, and its source was likely a mountain spring. Its flow should remain stable throughout the year and would not dry up during droughts.

With this stream, eighty percent of the fief's irrigation problem was solved.

No matter what he planted in the future, as long as he built channels to divert the water, his harvests would no longer have to depend entirely on the weather.

He sat by the stream for a while, tying the gelding beside an old willow tree to graze. He then took out the rough map he had drawn yesterday from his storage ring and revised several markings against the terrain he had seen today.

He clearly marked everything on the map: where the main house should be built, where the first experimental fields should be reclaimed, where a simple cart road could be built from the official road, and where the upstream water intake should be placed for the greatest convenience. It was far more detailed than yesterday's rough sketch.

After finishing the revisions, he rode around the boundary of the fief and confirmed the boundary markers in all four directions.

To the southeast stood a solitary old oak tree. Its crown was enormous, and even three or four people together could not wrap their arms around its trunk. A long-weathered iron plaque hung from it, the writing upon it already too blurred to make out.

To the northwest was a shallow, dried-up gully. Its bed was thick with brambles and wild vines, naturally forming a clear boundary.

Using these distinct markers, he drew the four boundaries of the fief more precisely on his map.

By the time he had finished confirming everything, the sun had already risen to its highest point.

He found a shaded slope, tied the horse nearby to graze, then sat against a tree trunk to eat dry rations and drink water while considering his next steps.

He could not reclaim all eight hundred mu at once. He did not have the energy or manpower for that.

He would start with the gentle slope near the stream, a sun-facing stretch of around a hundred mu. Its soil was the best, its water source the closest, and it was the most suitable place for the first batch of experimental fields.

Clearing the weeds and shrubs, turning the soil, and diverting water for irrigation would take at least one or two months.

He had stockpiled quite a few medicinal herb seeds in his storage ring. Once the experimental fields were ready, he could plant them immediately.

What should he plant first?

The high-year Sun-Moon Grass leaves and rhizomes he had brought back were still being cultivated. If he transplanted several plants directly to the fief and combined that with the catalyzing effect of his third soul skill, Sun and Moon Shine Together, they should grow into a fine batch of new plants.

At that thought, he added another note in the blank space on the fief map: Transplant Sun-Moon Grass seedlings; use Sun and Moon Shine Together to catalyze growth; establish the first medicinal herb cultivation area.

After finishing his rations, he mounted up and rode back toward Nuoding City along the way he had come.

The horse's steps were light and brisk, while he ran through the image of the fief in his mind once more from atop its back.

The stream, the gentle slopes, the old oak tree, and the dried gully—these markers had already been firmly etched into his mind. Even with his eyes closed, he could picture that stretch of green land.

By the time he returned to Nuoding City, it was already evening. He tied the horse in the newly built makeshift stable behind the clinic, fed it fodder and water, then returned indoors and spread today's fief map and revised plan across the table. He carefully copied them into a formal version.

After writing the final stroke, he set down his pen and stretched lazily.

The on-site inspection of the fief had come to a successful conclusion. Next, he simply had to turn the plan into action step by step.

There was no need to rush the land reclamation. He could begin by clearing a small patch and proceed gradually. At the same time, he could speak to Alfred about recruiting retired veterans to help. With enough manpower, everything that followed would be much easier.

He put away the maps, arranged the next day's tasks in his mind, then blew out the lamp and lay down on the bed with his eyes closed.

Outside, the horse quietly snorted in its stable from time to time, its hooves occasionally rustling against the dry hay.

The fief was beginning to take shape, research into the poisonous mist at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well continued to advance, and the new income brought by his title had made his funds more abundant. Everything was moving in a better direction.

As long as he developed the fief properly, his foundation in Nuoding City would be completely secure.

He turned over, and the last thought that crossed his mind was to visit City Lord Alfred tomorrow and settle the matter of recruiting retired veterans.

Once the manpower was in place, land reclamation could proceed several times faster. He would strive to clear the first batch of experimental fields before winter, so he could plant them directly next spring.

Thinking of these things, his breathing gradually steadied, and he drifted into sleep.