Chapter 269: Steady Progress! Peace and Prosperity!

Intelligence Six: The Darwin Marquis family in the northern frontier of the kingdom is currently embroiled in internal strife.

The eldest son of the Darwin Marquis died unexpectedly several years ago, leaving the succession vacant.

Under the rules of primogeniture, the second son should have automatically inherited the title.

Unfortunately, Duke Darwin had personal biases, disliked his second son, and instead wanted to pass the title to his third son, so he delayed formally establishing his second son's right of succession.

Two days ago, the Darwin Marquis was fatally attacked by a fourth-rank Shadow Black Panther during a hunt, and after remaining unconscious for two days, he passed away.

Since then, the second and third sons have immediately begun fighting over the title, plunging the Darwin Marquis family into open conflict.

Ding! Today's intelligence has been refreshed!

Time flew by, and more than a week had passed.

As the familiar ding echoed in his mind, Gavise finally woke up completely.

Valuable intelligence had finally arrived again.

Without delay, Gavise rolled out of bed and pulled the bell rope beside his bedside.

Ding-ding-ding!

"Good morning, my lord!"

The lovely maid Carolin entered the room, bowing deeply with a respectful 90-degree bow.

Knowing her lord's private inclinations, she did not rise immediately after bowing but maintained the 90-degree posture.

Originally, the maid intended to please her lord with a pleasing sight.

But suddenly, Gavise sighed, "Ah, what a pity!"

Carolin trembled and looked up, hurt: "My lord, have I done something wrong?"

"Oh, no, Carolin—you're doing an excellent job as my personal maid!" Gavise immediately replied.

"Then why did you sigh?"

Gavise fell silent.

His sigh was triggered by thoughts of the maid Freya.

With Freya's departure, the chance to enjoy two scenic views vanished.

It was somewhat regrettable.

But he certainly couldn't tell Carolin that directly.

After all, Carolin had been exceptionally diligent and well-behaved lately.

Yet if he didn't say it, did Carolin not know?

Obviously not.

"My lord, I know—you're thinking of that little bitch Freya again!"

"Huh? Carolin, haven't you stopped calling her that since she left? Didn't you even invite her to visit Stormhold?"

"I thought after she left, you'd stop missing her—but now I see she's stolen your heart, so I must call her a little bitch!" Carolin declared indignantly.

Gavise was speechless.

What I miss is… the effortless conversation… cough, I mean, the beautiful scenery!

So really, it's not Freya's fault.

If it were Marya, Tamaya, or Fifiya, I'd miss them too!

"My lord, the seamstress has finished making the maid uniforms according to the blueprints you gave me—and she's already delivered them to me!"

At this point, Carolin changed the subject.

"Oh?" Gavise's eyes lit up.

The next two maid uniforms were extremely daring.

First, the skirts were truly short.

Second, the necklines were significantly widened and lowered.

One of them even featured a cut-out design on the back.

All that's left now is a pair of stockings.

Yaobushimuqianbaofenglingmeiyounengdaitiqianshisiwadecailiao ， Geweisikendingyebuhuirangzhe ' Baowu ' Mengchen 。

"Carolin, have you tried them on yet? How do they look… cough, do you like them?"

Thinking of how she looked wearing those two outfits, Carolin's cheeks flushed slightly.

After all, she couldn't fathom how her lord could conceive such shameless maid uniforms.

"I love them!" Carolin nodded, then paused and looked at Gavise. "My lord, how about I wear them for you tomorrow morning? But… only on the third floor!"

Gavise's eyes gleamed—of course he agreed.

Though he couldn't yet indulge in the "nearby grass," admiring the maid… no, admiring his own designs was certainly acceptable.

……

After washing up, Gavise ate breakfast while listening to the civil administrator and old John's reports.

Overall, Stormhold was progressing steadily, and the serfs were living peacefully.

The compensation promised by Ucadi had also been paid two days ago.

Four thousand serfs from the Packer Baron's territory were fully absorbed by Stormhold and resettled around Wheat Fragrance Town.

As a result, Stormhold's population now exceeded ten thousand, reaching approximately fifteen thousand.

As long as this trend continues, Stormhold will surely grow ever more prosperous.

"Civil Administrator Thomas, how are the refugee trade activities going recently?"

"My lord, the refugees, moved by your benevolence, are eager to bring their goods to Stormhold for sale!"

"And more and more refugees are learning that Stormhold guarantees fair prices—so the number arriving daily keeps increasing!"

"Now, about four to five hundred refugees come to trade each day."

"Four to five hundred per day? That's quite a lot—won't the square get too crowded?"

Remember, Stormhold used to have no merchants at all.

Now, with daily foot traffic of four to five hundred, that means hundreds of transactions every day.

Over time, Stormhold will become increasingly vibrant.

Moreover, Gavise's price guarantee isn't a burden—it's turning a profit.

Because these refugees sell their goods below market price.

Gavise then stockpiles them and sells them to the Tulip Caravan, pocketing the price difference.

Though the profit margin is small, the volume is huge—earning at least a dozen gold coins monthly.

And as more refugees arrive, profits will only grow.

"My lord, it's already quite crowded—not just on the square, but I've even set up temporary roadside stalls along both sides of the streets!"

"Really? Then we definitely need to build a spacious trading market!"

"Thomas, go find the carpenters and discuss building a simple goods trading market."

"Requirements are simple: a wooden fence around the perimeter, and thatched roofs inside to shelter from wind and rain."

"Place it on the southern edge of town—capacity for one thousand vendors to set up stalls simultaneously."

"One thousand vendors at once?" Thomas widened his eyes. "My lord, isn't that too many?"

"Not at all. Think about it—the Chaos Wastes have millions of refugees. Once word spreads, even one percent coming here would mean tens of thousands."

"Yes, my lord!" Thomas agreed wholeheartedly.

Moreover, refugees aren't just trading with Stormhold's residents—now that their numbers are growing, they're trading among themselves too.

And with Stormhold's stable, safe environment, they no longer fear fraud or robbery—so even more refugees will surely come.

"By the way, Thomas, keep an eye out—if anyone tries to sell magical herbs like Nightbloom seeds, immediately send someone to notify me!"

"Yes, my lord!"