Chapter 119: 119. Wilson's Grievance

After Browning's explanation, Luoning learned quite a bit of knowledge regarding the domestication of Magic Beasts.

Generally speaking, the methods used to domesticate Magic Beasts are a five-part combination of hunger, endurance, beating, rewarding, and training.

For some Magic Beasts with weak willpower, starving them for a meal and then giving them a little food, repeated several times, can make them submit; combined with training and two or three generations of breeding, one can obtain a relatively docile pet.

It is not so easy to domesticate Magic Beasts with fierce temperaments; after all, they are not only violent in nature but also mostly possess high intelligence.

Some fellows would rather starve to death than eat a single bite of food thrown by a human. To make them yield, one likely has to rely on auxiliary items like a Magic Beast Contract Scroll to establish a master-servant relationship from the soul.

However, the Storm Magic Wolf cub that Luoning obtained is somewhat different: for one, it did not stay by the mother wolf's side for too long, and for another, it is so small that it hasn't even opened its eyes yet.

There is an unspoken saying in the Beast Tamer world that a cub will have a deep impression of the first person or animal it sees when it opens its eyes.

Therefore, Browning suggested that Luoning have more contact with the cub these few days to ensure that the first thing it sees when it opens its eyes is him.

At the same time, he also gave instructions that after the Storm Magic Wolf cub opens its eyes, Luoning must appear close to it, use a gentle, friendly, and patient attitude to interact with the cub, and minimize disturbances to it.

In this way, once the foundation of trust is built, it will be nearly enough to make the other party recognize Luoning's identity as master through means like training and rewards and punishments.

A Storm Magic Wolf is still a wolf; humans can domesticate wild wolves into dogs, so domesticating a Magic Wolf into a "Magic Dog" is still quite feasible.

After sending off the Beast Tamer, Luoning and Ailin played with the Storm Magic Wolf cub for a while.

"Shall we give it a name, Brother?"

Ailin gently stroked the cub's head, seemingly feeling that there was one more playmate in Shanlin Town.

Perhaps because it was touched too many times, the cub, which was a bit resistant at first, was now just whimpering without any movements of resistance.

Luoning thought for a moment and said, "I see it is covered in black fur, so let's call it 'Xiao Hei'."

"Xiao Hei?"

Ailin tilted her head and thought for a while, "Brother, can we change it to a more imposing name? Xiao Hei sounds very weak. How about we call it 'Black Tiger'?"

"My father said that tiger-type Magic Beasts are all very powerful!"

"Black Tiger is fine too."

Luoning smiled and agreed, "Looking at its blocky head, this name is quite fitting."

"Hee hee, Black Tiger, Black Tiger~"

Amidst Ailin's joyful shouts, the manservant Galun knocked on the door again, "My Lord, the Administrator Wilson has come; he has matters to report to you."

"Let him come to my study."

Luoning patted Black Tiger's little head and, after letting Ailin play with it, left the temporarily arranged pet room.

"My Lord, long time no see!"

In the study, Wilson greeted Luoning enthusiastically.

"Long time no see, Wilson. How are the arrangements for the craftsmen's lodgings going?" Luoning asked.

"My Lord, although we have been building wooden houses non-stop for these two months, the number of people you brought this time is a bit large, and they are all famous craftsmen. It is somewhat difficult to let them live in separate rooms."

Luoning nodded and frowned in thought for a moment.

"Providing housing for the craftsmen is my promise, but if the houses are limited in the early stages, you can let several of them share one room and promise to change it for them after we expand later. Most of the craftsmen came in groups, so living together shouldn't be a problem."

These people did not come to Shanlin Town as guests, but as workers working for Luoning; they came to start a business.

It is enough that Luoning can provide houses that shelter them from the wind and rain; he did not guarantee anything luxurious.

"Oh, right, have Master Dan live in the Outer Castle, and arrange something better for that potter, Jim."

Master Dan is related to the manufacturing of the Loom, while Jim is related to porcelain; both are pillar industries for Shanlin Town in the future. It is not excessive to treat these two people, especially Master Dan, with courtesy.

Wilson firmly remembered the names of these two people; anyone who could be singled out by the Lord must be extraordinary.

Next, Luoning gave Wilson instructions regarding the work arrangements for these craftsmen.

The carpenters can be arranged to the Ironwood Workshop, where the newly built factory building has a relatively large area and enough space to work;

The two newly arrived masons and five apprentices will naturally join the army of house builders to prepare for Luoning's subsequent population expansion;

The only thing difficult to arrange is the Blacksmith—Kalesi's Blacksmith Shop is not big and cannot accommodate so many people working.

Shanlin Town needs to build a new Blacksmith Shop.

Luoning thought for a moment and ordered, "The day after tomorrow, have the craftsmen come to Shanlin Fortress for a meeting on the morning of the day after tomorrow. Call Kalesi, William, and the others from the town."

"Very well, My Lord, I will notify them by tomorrow."

Wilson wrote everything down, "My Lord, we have already sown the cabbage according to your Ridge Tillage Method and applied the Urine Fertilizer according to your method. After more than a month, the growth is very good. Do you have time to go and inspect it?"

The first batch of crops planted in Shanlin Town using the Ridge Tillage Method was cabbage, and now that two months have passed, it has indeed grown up.

Chahar, who had been standing to the side, also reported, "My Lord, according to Maxin's report, several piles of manure at the Fertilizer Base have already turned the black color you mentioned, and they no longer emit a foul odor. I went over to take a look, and it should meet your requirements. When would you like to go and check it?"

Luoning nodded, "Then let's make it tomorrow. We'll go to the Fertilizer Base first, then go to see the cabbage planting situation. Oh, right, Wilson, have you planned the experimental fields?"

Wilson nodded, "My Lord, with the assistance of the four Village Chiefs, I have planned out ten mu of land in each village."

These forty mu of land are specifically for Luoning to cultivate wheat.

Luoning is prepared to have people farm them intensively, then select the large and plump wheat ears as seeds, and it is also a base to test the effect of the fertilizer.

To obtain seeds with excellent traits, he could only think of this method.

As for the other wheat fields, regarding the original planting methods, Luoning has already requested the Village Chiefs and Group Leaders to take the lead in collecting dead branches and leaves to burn into Fire Manure before the spring plowing, while applying a small amount of fertilizer, and ensuring that the irrigation and weeding work of the wheat fields can be carried out effectively.

In short, one must absolutely not grow food with the mentality of "Seven Gods bless us" like before.

The conversation lasted for Along time, mostly Wilson and Chahar reporting on the situation in Shanlin Town over the past month, and Luoning also asked many questions.

Overall, the agricultural affairs of Shanlin Town are basically moving in the direction Luoning envisioned; the only problem might still be the shortage of manpower.

When Luoning returned, he thought about whether to detour to Muma City to buy a batch of Slaves, but considering that winter was approaching, it was not only difficult to transport so many Slaves, but Shanlin Town also did not have that many houses, so he ultimately had to give up.

"My Lord..."

Wilson was a bit hesitant, appearing as if there was something he wanted to say but dared not.

Seeing this, Luoning smiled and said, "Wilson, you have done a good job with your work recently; if you have any thoughts or opinions, feel free to bring them up."

Having received affirmation, Wilson gathered his courage and said, "My Lord, could you recruit an assistant for me?"

He hurriedly explained: "Regarding agricultural matters, I have the Village Chief and Group Leaders to assist me, so I can handle them quite easily. But my Lord, when it comes to the arrangement and supervision of the Slave labor, as well as logging and construction, I am finding it difficult to manage everything on my own."

When he first applied to be Luoning's Administrator, Wilson never imagined that the position would be this busy. After all, the previous Administrator, Pulinsite, had looked quite idle.

But ever since he became Luoning's Administrator, Wilson had not been able to get a good night's sleep.

Although he thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiastic and respectful titles given to him by the Village Chiefs, Group Leaders, and the commoners, and also enjoyed the process of being busy and seeing the results, the Lord's retinue was growing larger and the tasks were becoming more numerous; he was struggling to keep up on his own.

He felt sorry for his ordinary Riding Horse, fearing that it would be worked to death from running too much every day.

Luoning nodded slowly.

"I understand your situation. The affairs of Shanlin Town are indeed increasing, and it is truly strenuous for you to be responsible for everything alone."

"One assistant is clearly not enough."

The main issue was that there were still three places—Qingzhu Village, Ziguo Village, and Huitu Village—that lacked Administrators, and Luoning needed Wilson to train a few people.

"How about this: I will give you five slots. Go into town and recruit five Assistant Administrators. Each assistant will have a daily wage of about three copper coins. It is best if they are literate; if they are not, assign them other tasks."

Wilson's eyes widened, and he was pleasantly surprised.

He had only needed one assistant, but he had not expected the Lord to approve five at once.

"My Lord, you are truly generous!"

Luoning chuckled. He had money now; five Assistant Administrators only cost five gold coins a year in total, which was nothing.

"Let them follow you and learn well. If they perform well, I will later arrange for these people to serve as Administrators in the three northern villages. By then, Wilson, I will promote you to 'Administrative Chief,' responsible for all administrative affairs of the seven villages in Shanlin Town."

"Of course, your salary will also be increased," he added.

Administrative Chief was a Civil Official position he had invented, ranking one level higher than an Administrator.

Hearing this, Wilson's eyes shone with light; this single sentence swept away all his recent fatigue.

He had long since seen the extraordinary nature of the Lord before him.

Although he was currently trapped in Shanlin Town and was only a minor Baron, Wilson believed that sooner or later, Luoning would venture out.

He had been very worried that if the Lord left Shanlin Town in the future, he might be left behind to remain an Administrator of a small town.

But now that the Lord had said this, it meant that he would also have the opportunity to follow in Luoning's footsteps to leave Shanlin Town and venture out into the wider world to carve out a future.

"Rest assured, my Lord, Wilson will certainly not fail your expectations!"

(End of chapter)