Chapter 205: Birth Policy

The labor process for Village Chief Haen's wife had lasted too long, to the point where she had no strength left by the end; this was a very dangerous sign.

However, after Aierlong arrived, he immediately used the Exhilaration Technique, giving her strength in an instant, and it was within those two minutes that the Exhilaration Technique lasted that she successfully gave birth to the child.

Although there was a small tear, under the effect of the Healing Spell, the bleeding stopped quickly and she recovered.

"Many thanks for your help, Mr. Aierlong. Please, you must stay for a simple meal this evening!"

Village Chief Haen's elderly mother was already bustling about preparing dinner, bringing out the good grain and dried meat they usually saved, and even specifically slaughtering a live chicken.

It was hard to refuse such hospitality, so Aierlong could only agree.

When Luoning arrived at Haen's home, although there was the sound of a baby crying in the humble little courtyard, the adults were all smiling, and the atmosphere was harmonious and happy.

"My Lord, you have returned!"

Aierlong, with his sharp eyes, saw Luoning outside the courtyard and immediately stood up to welcome him out.

Haen was stunned for a moment, then his heart began to race; he had not expected the Lord to have returned to the territory and to have deigned to come to his home.

"Lord, your arrival is truly an honor for our family!"

He hurriedly followed him out, somewhat flustered as he welcomed Luoning in, while his family members also nervously moved stools and wiped the table.

"It looks like everything went smoothly. Congratulations, Village Chief Haen!"

While offering his congratulations, Luoning took the child from the hands of the man's elderly mother and held him in his arms.

The child did not look very good-looking; in fact, he was a bit ugly.

However, all children look like this when they are just born; once they grow a bit older and their features settle, they will look much better.

"Have you chosen a name?"

"Not... not yet." Haen shook his head.

Luoning smiled and said, "How about I give him a name?"

"Yes!"

Haen was so pleasantly surprised he was almost unrecognizable. "Of course, yes!"

It was already a supreme honor for his child to be held in the Lord's arms, but he had not expected the Lord to want to name him as well!

If this were to get out, the other village chiefs would probably be green with envy.

"A boy or a girl?" Luoning asked.

"It is a boy."

Luoning handed the baby in his arms to Ailin, who was eager to try holding him, while he rubbed his chin and thought seriously about a name for the child.

After a while, he spoke slowly: "Let's go with Gailun."

He explained, "I saw this name in a book: Gailun, an upright, brave, and powerful Knight. I hope your child can be like the one described in the book, and also become such a Knight, becoming a hero of the Wubei Territory!"

"Gailun, Gailun..."

Hearing the Lord put it this way, a light shone in Haen's eyes; he seemed to see the handsome image of his child in the future, holding a sword and riding a horse.

"Many thanks, my Lord, for bestowing the name. I will teach him well so that he may serve you in the future!"

That evening, because the Lord was a guest, the Haen family prepared an unprecedentedly sumptuous dinner.

For this, they not only killed chickens and ducks but also specifically ran to the castle to buy two live fish.

Although their culinary skills were a bit inferior to those of Mrs. Bandele at the castle, they had already tried their very best.

Given the host family's enthusiasm, Luoning did not stand on ceremony and ate and drank as he pleased.

However, when he left, he still left behind three gold coins, saying it was to thank Haen for his hospitality and as a gift for meeting Gailun.

This meal was simple for Shanlin Castle, but for the Haen family, it was a huge expense, and Luoning did not want his arrival to cause them to overspend.

On the way back, Luoning said to himself, "The hygiene of the residents' living environment is still a bit lacking."

Even for Village Chief Haen, the structure of their house made Luoning frown.

Their bedrooms, kitchen, and chickens and ducks were basically kept in interconnected rooms, and the smell was truly unpleasant.

The dinner table had been moved to the courtyard; otherwise, Luoning really might not have been able to eat.

"Gailun, when Wilson returns, tell him to have the residents separate their living quarters from the chicken coops when they build houses in the future."

"Tell them not to worry about theft; the territory's public security will be further strengthened, the rule of law will follow, and thieves will be severely punished."

Gailun hurriedly wrote this down.

Aierlong said from the side, "My Lord, this should be impossible to complete smoothly in the short term, right? After all, this involves every resident's family environment, and they don't have that much time to renovate."

"Of course, this is Along process."

Luoning nodded and said, "This is the residents' own business; the Lord's Manor only advocates and suggests it, and we will allow them to expand and renovate their houses free of charge."

Living hygiene seems like a small problem, but its impact is not small.

With a good living environment, people are healthier, and children will grow up better.

"Aierlong, I didn't expect you to know how to deliver a baby."

Luoning changed the subject. "When did you acquire this skill?"

Aierlong was a bit embarrassed. "My Lord, you misunderstand. I only used the Exhilaration Technique to help them give birth, and then used the Healing Spell to avoid accidental situations like bleeding."

"That is also quite remarkable."

Luoning said with a smile; being able to reduce the risks of childbirth is not something everyone can do in this era.

It is just a pity that Aierlong is the only Magician with the Light Attribute; if there are too many women giving birth, he will be too busy to handle it, so it is destined that he cannot assist with births on a large scale.

The four of them walked and chatted as they went.

When Luoning learned that there had been six newborns in Shanlin Town in the last month, he decided to implement a birth policy in the Wubei Territory; after all, childbirth is also one of the ways for the population to grow.

After a discussion with Aierlong, Luoning preliminarily determined two policies.

The first is aimed at pregnant women: during pregnancy and for three months after giving birth, pregnant women are exempt from corvée labor, and they are prohibited from participating in heavy physical labor.

For those who force pregnant women to participate in heavy physical labor, leading to miscarriage or even death, they will be given varying degrees of whipping depending on the circumstances.

Secondly, for successfully giving birth to a baby, one may fell ten trees and build a house of about ten square meters free of charge, and at the same time, for the next three years, one may apply to the Lord's Manor for a grain reward of 100 jin in the child's name each year.

These two policies are substantive and can allow families who give birth to receive tangible benefits.

Luoning believes that with their promulgation, they will surely bring a positive change to the birth rate in Wubei Territory.

"My Lord has always been kind to the territory's residents."

Aierlong stroked his gray-white beard, which he had grown at some unknown time, "May the light shine forever upon you and the residents of Wubei Territory."

It had been Along time since Luoning had heard such mystical-sounding words from him, and he couldn't help but smile for a moment.

He looked at Aierlong's current cultivation state; relying on his own practice, he had raised his level progress to the level of an Advanced Mage at 33/400.

Although the speed is not slow, it will probably take another three years to break through and become a Great Mage by relying on his own efforts.

Returning to the castle, Aierlong delivered the finished Spell Scrolls to Luoning's study.

"My Lord, the Magic Beast Leather purchased last time has been used up. The success rate this time has increased significantly; there were five failures in total, and the final finished product is fifty sheets."

Luoning looked at the pile of Spell Scrolls placed before him and nodded with satisfaction.

If he were to sell all fifty of these Spell Scrolls, he would have an income of another 850 gold coins.

Although the net profit is only 355 gold coins after deducting the 495 gold coins spent on purchasing materials, this is only the profit for a little over a month.

If converted to a year, by relying on selling Healing Spell Scrolls, Wubei Territory would have a net income of over two thousand gold coins.

Aierlong is truly a little expert at making money.

"Keep twenty Spell Scrolls, and sell all the remaining thirty."

As Luoning spoke, he stored these Spell Scrolls into his Space Ring.

These are strategic supplies, and Wubei Territory needs to stockpile them.

When necessary, Luoning can also distribute these items as rewards to his subordinate Knights.

"Aierlong, I can see your contribution to the territory, and your ability is also very important to Wubei Territory!"

Luoning looked toward this Light Attribute Magician, "So this time, I have decided to raise your strength." (End of this chapter)