Chapter 177

Time arrived on the second day, and Gervas once again reached Baron Kane's fief.

Today, this land would be formally brought under administration.

Immediately, Gervas issued his first decree: all subjects were to gather at Kane Town.

Baron Kane's fief comprised one town and seven villages in total.

After nearly a decade of cultivation by Baron Kane, the population had reached seven thousand souls.

This scale had already reached the normal level for a border barony, naturally several times better than Gervas's Storm Fief.

"We greet my lord!"

Over seven thousand serfs gathered on the open ground outside the castle; as Gervas ascended the castle walls, those who had already heard the news knelt and kowtowed in greeting one by one.

Of course, the numbness on the serfs' faces showed that they did not care who the lord was.

If there was any single emotion to be found, it was a slight unease.

Worrying whether the new lord would exploit them even more ruthlessly!

"All rise, my subjects!"

"I know you must be very anxious right now, not knowing whether I, this lord, can lead you to a good life!"

"And I, Gervas Gale, can responsibly tell you here that becoming my serf is absolutely your fortune."

"You will live a life that all serfs in other fiefs will envy!"

"Of course, now that I have said so much, there must be some among you who do not believe it!"

"Therefore, I, Gervas Gale, have decided: today, outside this Kane Castle, three hundred pots of meat soup will be simmered, so that every one of my serfs can taste the meat soup!"

"Additionally, every serf will also receive a loaf of black bread!"

"And most importantly, all of this is free; it is my, Gervas's, gift!"

Buzz!

The pretty words Gervas had spoken earlier had indeed immunized the serfs; they took them merely as this new lord's empty boasting.

But upon hearing about the meat soup and a loaf of black bread for each person, all the serfs erupted in commotion.

There were seven thousand people here!

One loaf of black bread per person; how many loaves would be needed to accomplish that?

Could it even fill the entire castle?

Moreover, there were three hundred pots of meat soup; surely each pot would require at least as much meat as a cow leg?

A mere seven thousand loaves of black bread could naturally not fill the entire castle.

They could not even fill a small storage room.

And the total value of these black breads was only about ten gold coins.

But the immediate effect made Gervas feel it was very worth it!

In an instant, he had established his authority among the serfs of Baron Kane's fief.

Three hundred large cauldrons were set over firewood, and smoked meat chunks were poured in!

And the black breads were continuously transported over from Storm Fief on carriages.

As the serfs ate the meat soup and black bread, the new lord's benevolent voice of conversation kept reaching through the crowd.

Of course, transforming the entire Baron Kane's fief was not merely about bestowing grace.

First, Kane Town had to be renamed; Gervas waved his hand and changed it directly to Wheat Fragrance Town.

One wheat field, one wheat fragrance; henceforth, it would be Twin Sisters Town.

Besides the name change, there was also the arrangement of the castle, and the original Kane family's assets needed to be organized.

A fief does not need two castles.

Therefore, Old John and others proposed that this Baron Kane Castle needed to be demolished.

Of course, it would not be demolished without reason.

Instead, the green stone materials from Baron Kane Castle would be used to expand Baron Storm Castle.

After all, Gervas was now a viscount; if he did not expand a viscount's castle, it would already be mismatched with his status.

Fortunately, when the castle of Storm Fief was originally built, sufficient expansion space had been reserved.

Therefore, only moving the materials over would accelerate the construction speed.

This was at least ten times faster than mining stone anew to build a castle, and the cost was also at least ten times lower.

"Very well! Then demolish it!"

Hearing his subordinate's proposal, Gervas nodded and gave his approval.

As for the assets of Baron Kane's fief, they were numerous breeding farms.

It had been mentioned before that Baron Kane's fief, due to its abundant water systems, had created a unique breeding industry; in particular, duck farming was the pillar industry of Baron Kane Castle.

Of course, half a month ago, officials from Iron Wolf City had been dispatched to pack up and take away all the chickens and ducks.

After all, the assets of Kane Fief had already been converted into one hundred gold coins.

"Old John, I entrust this matter to you; quickly refill these breeding farms!"

"Yes, my lord!"

【Ding! Daily intelligence refreshed...】

【Intelligence One: On your new fief, there are a total of seven lakes, among which the lake named Silverlight Lake has the smallest area.

But legend has it that a serf once saw a school of beautiful fish emitting a silver glow in the lake.

After the matter spread, Silverlight Lake was named accordingly.

Naturally, the silver fish from the subsequent legends never appeared again, so many believed it was merely a false lie.

However, in fact, that serf did not lie; what he saw was a precious sea fish named the Lightning Silver Fish.

The Lightning Silver Fish is a migratory species, its body brimming with dense magic power, even comparable to the flesh of a Third-Rank Magical Beast.

Back then, they reached Silverlight Lake via the river mouth.

But later, they abandoned it because there was no suitable spawning ground here.

Now, another batch of Lightning Silver Fish will migrate to the Storm Domain's waters, and one group will once again attempt to head toward Silverlight Lake.

The spawning environment the Lightning Silver Fish favors most is a clear lake teeming with aquatic plants.

Therefore, if a large amount of aquatic plants could be thrown into Silverlight Lake at this time, the Lightning Silver Fish would regard this place as an excellent migratory destination.

Thereby making this a precious lake that Lightning Silver Fish will visit every year henceforth!

And after spawning and reproduction end, the lives of the Lightning Silver Fish will reach their end; they will drift to the shore to await being devoured by various predators, avoiding rotting in the water and thus affecting water quality.

【Intelligence Two: The two Iron-Shell Lizard cubs you carried back from Black Pine Forest have reached the age for contracting.

If you wish to tame them as Magical Beast mounts, then having them sign a Master-Servant Contract with the knights at this very moment is undoubtedly the most suitable course.

Not only will both parties benefit from the contract, but accelerating the advancement of realms will also strengthen emotional bonds early on, making them better combat partners.】

【Intelligence Three: The slave trader Overseer Ku Po will return from the Chaos Wasteland again this morning, and among the slaves he brings back this time, there will be fifty Barbarian warriors.

However, since he has always felt that trading with you carries a risk of loss, Overseer Ku Po chose to take a detour through the Storm Domain.

Thus, he chose to pass through Baron Kane's domain...】

【Intelligence Four: As a coastal family, the Hou Jue family of Marquis Marquis Aosiding, although their foundation and power are not as overwhelming as the Duke Hernand family,

their naval strength within the kingdom is not to be underestimated.

For instance, just a few days ago, the Marquis Marquis Aosiding family's naval fleet annihilated a pirate gang possessing seven pirate ships of various sizes.

Currently, the vast majority of pirates were killed in the encirclement and annihilation on that day.

But some pirates who were not combat pirates were captured and brought back.

Among these pirates were three blacksmiths, eight carpenters, two stonemasons, and several tailors, leatherworkers, and bamboo weavers.

Including their families, this group of craftsmen totals eighty-five people.

Originally, whether keeping such craftsmen for oneself or selling them off, that would be the most suitable way to handle them.

But to demonstrate the Marquis Marquis Aosiding family's zero tolerance for pirates daring to offend the family's merchant ships, these craftsmen will also be executed the day after tomorrow.】