Chapter 16: Heading to the Fief

Mysterious Calamity Main Text Volume Chapter 16: Heading to the Fief. The next day.

Aaron strolled along the castle corridor.

The scene from last night had frightened him somewhat.

And the appearance of that black sun, especially its ability to "broadcast to the whole world" with its babbling, made him even more wary.

Although that round of babbling only lasted less than a few minutes before dissipating on its own, it would clearly bring more changes to that world.

He needed to think things over carefully.

"Lord Aaron!"

Just then, a voice came from behind; it was Court Viscount Feili Getuo.

"Viscount."

Aaron stopped in his tracks and offered a smile.

"Lord Aaron is truly young and promising... To take the castle with a few dozen men by your own strength, such a great achievement is not far off from the legendary heroes."

Feili's face was full of smiles: "If I had known in advance, I would certainly have spoken well of you before the King and requested a title for Lord Aaron. I believe a Baron or even a Viscount would be no problem."

"The size of the title is meaningless; the key is to look at the territory and strength."

Aaron shrugged his shoulders: "If there is nothing else, I will be going now."

He was too lazy to even participate in the infighting of his own family, let alone become the King's blade.

Watching Aaron's back, Feili had a playful expression and muttered to himself: "He won't even engage with me. This Lord Aaron Sotos is indeed a smart man. It's a pity—you may think that way, but your eldest brother is quite foolish..."

As the King's special envoy, he naturally had some confidential missions.

If he could cause discord or even a split within the Sotos Family with just a few words, that would naturally be for the best.

A unified Green Forest did not serve the interests of the Kajashi Kingdom!

After the wedding ended, while the guests were still present, it was the perfect time to hold Aaron's investiture ceremony.

Also under the great banyan tree, Theodore bestowed the soil and tree saplings representing the territory upon Aaron, while simultaneously tapping his shoulder with the side of a sword.

"I swear, I will repay my sovereign with loyalty!"

"I swear, I will guard the territory with my sword!"

"I swear, I will uphold honor, today as it is every day!"

Aaron wore a brand-new Knight's outfit and took the solemn oath; once he stood up, he was a true Knight.

The invested territory was, unsurprisingly, the previously decided Black Stone Manor, the former territory of Wild Bear Saliba, which included a manor, a village, and the large forest nearby.

After completing all this, Aaron took his subordinates directly to the Upper Green Forest.

It is worth mentioning that the maid Tiya wanted to stay in the castle, and Aaron granted her wish and gave her a sum of money.

Black Stone Manor.

This manor was large, with its own mill, winery, and granary... It was clear that Saliba had arranged this place with great care.

And now, all of this had become Aaron's property.

"My Lord, according to our investigation, the nearby village has about 500 people, and the land already cultivated within the territory is about 1,000 Ram."

Behind him, Bazhi said respectfully.

The Ram here was a unit of land area in the Green Forest; one Ram was roughly equivalent to about five mu of land.

"This cultivated area is still too small, and with the existence of the lord, the poverty of the serfs is inevitable..."

Aaron thought to himself and said casually: "We should eliminate the impact of the war as soon as possible. Immediately cultivate the barren land and replant what can be replanted... This winter, I do not wish to see anyone starve to death in my territory. You may temporarily lend some rations to those hungry farmers from my private storehouse, and have them return it after next year's harvest."

"You are truly benevolent!" Bazhi exclaimed.

After all, in this era, people starving to death in winter was the norm!

"It is, after all, my first year as a lord." Aaron shook his head: "Also, what is the response from Sanchez and the others? If they are willing to come, I will accept them as Free Citizens and grant them one Ram of land; for the Squad Leader, it will be doubled!"

The squad he had before worked together quite well, and they were ready-made manpower; Aaron did not want to let them go.

"I have already contacted them one by one. Baker refused, Gelin and Sanchez both have the intention to agree, and there are a dozen other households..."

Bazhi bowed.

Come to think of it, he was the first Free Citizen on this territory.

"Hmm, with this manpower, my manor can pretty much start running... Finally, I am still missing a clerk, or rather, a scholar!"

Aaron nodded; he had been prepared for this.

The scholar in the castle should be able to recommend someone; as long as they can read and understand simple calculations and writing, that is enough. One cannot demand too much.

Once he finished dealing with these miscellaneous matters, he could finally devote all his energy to exploring the dream world.

Within the manor, a Knight certainly does not live in a castle.

That kind of building which combines residence, defense, and fortress functions is not something a Knight's economic strength can build.

The previous Saliba had only mobilized the serfs to build a wooden villa for himself.

At this moment, it naturally belonged to Aaron.

He arrived at the villa. He was not short of maids; the farmers here were very willing to send their daughters into the lord's manor. Even without any benefits, having one less mouth to feed was a good thing.

"By the way, there is one more small trouble."

At this moment, outside the villa, there was a woman of about thirty years old waiting uneasily, holding two children by her side.

This was the wife and children of Knight Saliba; now they should be called widows and orphans.

"Lady Rita..."

Aaron stepped forward, his tone calm: "Have you not left yet?"

"I have... nowhere left to go."

Lady Rita gave a bitter smile; she was likely not Saliba's first wife, and she remained very young and beautiful: "I think... honorable Knight, perhaps you are in need of a housekeeper?"

Aaron recalled that this lady should also be the daughter of some Knight.

She could not go back now... it was highly probable that her father or brothers had also resisted the Sotos Family and died on the battlefield, with even their lands completely stripped away.

But at this moment, a weak woman was pleading bitterly, and having specifically dressed up, the implication contained within was also very obvious.

Aaron shook his head: "I already have a candidate for housekeeper. If Lady Rita has nowhere to go, you may become a Free Citizen on my territory. I will allocate ten rams of land to you; you can hire farmers to till it, which should surely be enough to raise your children to adulthood..."

Rita wanted to say something more, as this clearly did not meet her wishes, but Aaron waved his hand, not intending to entangle himself with this woman.

He had killed her husband, and his family had wiped out her family; even if she truly harbored no ill intent, she absolutely could not be trusted!

If it were before, perhaps he would have kept her, toying with her slowly, watching her desperate, ugly state after her schemes were exposed.

But now?

It was better to focus heart and soul on pursuing the transcendent and immortality!