The dining room was on the castle's first floor. This was not where the lord's family ate, but where civil and military officials dined when they visited the castle. The lord's own dining room was better appointed.
...The food on the table steamed: mutton soup, bread, sausages, vegetable salad, fruit, roast mutton...
Su Qin sat at the eastern end of the long table, with Luke and Nack on either side. They were telling him about things inside the castle.
"My lord, there are so many rooms in the castle, I could barely take them all in."
Nack spoke with an envious expression.
Su Qin smiled. "In theory, this castle should be able to house quite a few people, but only the first floor has any life to it right now. You can find two rooms on the first floor and stay there for now."
The first floor had always been intended for guests and ministers who could not return home!
After thinking for a moment, Su Qin asked Nack, "By the way, Nack, do you think you're suited to the position of provisioning officer?"
Nack thumped his chest. "I think I'm suited to this position!"
"My lord, some of the servants who stayed behind and I made today's food. Each time a dish was finished, I required whoever made it to take a bite first. I tasted it too. There were no problems!"
Su Qin nodded. Leaving his logistics to Nack should be fine. After all, his loyalty exceeded 90, which made him a diehard loyalist.
Suddenly, there was a creak.
The door had opened, and a group of people filed in. Most looked exhausted. The registration work that afternoon must have kept them busy all afternoon.
Su Qin immediately beckoned to them.
Only after Su Qin formally announced the start of the banquet did everyone begin using their knives and forks. Some initially whispered among themselves, but after noticing that Su Qin did not interfere, they began talking loudly.
Some talked about a strange creature that had recently appeared in Pentos, while others talked about arranging marriages for their daughters. The topics were all over the place.
Su Qin looked with satisfaction at the ministers and officials around the long table.
Looking at the newly appointed minister of internal affairs seated to his left, Su Qin asked, "Telang, did today's work go smoothly? Did you encounter any difficulties?"
He also checked his main attributes.
[Tron Augustus: politics 2, intelligence 2, loyalty: 75]
Not bad! he thought.
Anyone whose loyalty exceeded 50 would not casually betray him.
The older Telang looked at the newly appointed Baron of Gulltown.
He dared not show the slightest negligence. Su Qin had killed quite a few people, and his authority and methods had also made these minor nobles begin to fear and trust him.
He spoke slowly. "My lord, today's work went smoothly, but there are too many people to register. We finished registering the permanent residents today: 2,131 people in total, in around 500 households."
"Their detailed addresses and populations have all been recorded. I had the refugees form groups first. We'll register them tomorrow."
Su Qin nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work. You've done very well."
"My lord, it is my honor to serve you."
Su Qin nodded, then turned to his right and addressed the captain of his personal guard. "Aila, how is recruitment for the personal guard going?"
Su Qin spoke in a fairly serious tone. Military affairs came first. Aila did not dare take this lightly either. The lord was a terrifying tyrannosaurus!
So Aila immediately replied, "My lord, I successfully recruited 100 men from Gulltown's local residents today. There is one issue: everyone is asking when weapons will be issued."
Su Qin nodded. "I'll distribute the weapons once they're ready. For now, have everyone train with wooden spears."
Aila nodded to Su Qin, while reminding him, "My lord, warriors need weapons!"
Su Qin smiled. "I'll visit the training grounds tomorrow afternoon for an inspection. Have everyone prepare their wooden spears as early as possible in the morning."
After those brief questions, Su Qin asked no more and began listening to the interesting things they discussed at the table.
That night after the banquet, Su Qin spent some time reading books from this world. He understood the language of Westeros and could read its writing, but could not write it.
Afterward, he went to bed very early.
Early the next morning, while the sky was still dark, Su Qin got up and dressed. Naturally, he wanted to wash his face after getting out of bed.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Luke sleeping on the floor outside.
Su Qin smiled, quietly stepped over his legs, and went downstairs without a sound.
When he reached the second floor, he saw two soldiers standing guard by the stairs. They were not asleep, and Su Qin walked toward them.
Seeing the Baron of Gulltown approach, the two guards immediately perked up, feeling a little uneasy. Could he have caught us slacking off?
After walking over, Su Qin asked, "How many shifts do you divide the night watch into?"
The two exhaled and exchanged a glance.
One said, "My lord, six men take turns on watch each night, three hourglasses per man."
Su Qin touched their clothes. They were not thin. He asked, "Do you feel cold at night?"
"My lord, our clothes are all lined with wool. We won't get cold here in Runestone Territory."
Su Qin looked at the sturdy young men and asked, "Are you two married?"
The two exchanged a glance. The one on the left was a little shy, while the other looked quite at ease.
The other man replied, "My lord, I'm already married. Rick isn't married yet."
Su Qin nodded. "I'm awake now. Go and rest!"
The two exchanged a glance.
"Yes, my lord!"
Soon.
Su Qin reached the ground floor. By the light of the torch beside the well post, he could already see a maid drawing water at the well, so he slowly walked over.
Yira was drawing water. She needed to prepare for today's breakfast. As the least favored maid, she had been assigned this sort of work early in the morning.
Last night, she had heard the other maids say that the new Baron of Gulltown seemed to have a decent face.
The lord had even given her an extra glance yesterday, which had made her rather happy.
Because she was not good-looking and had some dark spots on her face, the previous lord had disliked her.
As a result, the other maids ostracized her. With her head lowered, she was struggling to pull the rope and hoist a bucket of water from the well when it suddenly felt much easier.
Turning her head, she discovered that the lord had deftly helped her lift the water.
The moment she turned, she saw the new Baron of Gulltown, and she was stunned! The lord actually got up this early!?
Yira watched the lord pour the bucket's water into a basin. It looked as though he intended to wash his face.
So Yira silently walked over to await his instructions. Washing his face required some attendance.
Su Qin deftly hoisted a bucket of water, poured it into the basin, and carried it to the washstand nearby.
The maid seemed rather quick-witted, so he asked as he washed.
"What's your name?"
Hearing the lord's question, Yira immediately straightened and replied:
"My name is Yira, my lord."
Su Qin scrubbed his hands carefully, washing his hands and face. Without soap or anything of the sort, washing felt far less satisfactory.
Su Qin asked again, "What time is it?"
Yira looked at the lord, glanced east, and thought for a moment. "The sun will rise in about one more hourglass."
One hourglass was roughly one hour. A day in Westeros had 24 hourglasses.
After washing his face, Su Qin held his hand out toward Yira, needing a towel.
Yira immediately walked over, selected a towel from the washstand, and handed it to him.
Su Qin wiped his face and looked directly at Yira. Yira immediately lowered her head.
Su Qin was amused. Servants really were afraid of their lord, so he said:
"Raise your head. Don't you want to look at an Easterner?"
Yira immediately raised her head upon hearing this. The lord before him actually had short hair and black eyes, and was rather handsome.
She immediately lowered her head again.
Su Qin saw the maid's face. She was indeed not pretty, but she was not that bad either. He could not make out the details clearly, though her voice was pleasant.
After wiping his face, Su Qin said, "From now on, you'll be responsible for my clothes, bedsheets, and washing. You'll also taste and test my food. During the day, stay by my side and await my call."
"Tell the head maid that these are my orders!" With that, Su Qin left. He needed to organize a few things before breakfast began.
The maid remained there, standing in a daze for a while.
Then she hurried back to the maids' bedroom in the west. She needed to change into a fresh set of clothes.
She could not believe that the lord would actually make her his personal maid, responsible for his daily needs. That was a position with real power!