HTLCCBFT Chapter 6

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 6

After Oliver woke up, Fosse, who appeared calm on the surface, had actually been deeply concerned all along. He was truly worried that his young master, who had just fainted, would insist on going back to the fields to cultivate the land.

Now, having received these instructions, his anxious heart gradually settled. He gave orders to the footman Johan, who had been waiting nearby.

Upon hearing it was the summons of the lord, Ed, who was in charge of farming, though utterly surprised, quickly washed his face and hurried over.

For the people across the vast territory, the responsibilities he bore were actually quite important.

However, he spent his days dealing only with slaves and rarely had the chance to enter the castle, let alone have a direct audience with the lord.

Following behind the expressionless footman, Ed nervously rubbed his hands together, feeling a few bits of mud that hadn’t been completely washed out fall from between his fingers.

For the vast majority of lords, as long as they could maintain their extravagant lives within the castle, they remained indifferent to the plight of those beneath them—unless the day came when taxes couldn’t be collected or the castle ran out of wine, at which point they would summon people in a rage to demand answers.

As for the previous eight lords of Laina City, each had died under mysterious circumstances shortly after taking office, making it even less likely for them to concern themselves with farming matters.

But this new lord was different.

Ed had witnessed the new lord’s miraculous actions with his own eyes yesterday.

Not only did he possess an angelically beautiful appearance that surpassed everyone’s limited imagination, but he also had an incredibly soft, kind, and radiant heart.

To actually take pity on the lowliest serfs, to personally handle the heavy farming tools, to till the hard soil with his own hands… If not for having seen it with his own eyes, who would dare believe such a thing?

Lost in these wandering thoughts, Ed followed the footman, who soon stopped before a door.

“We’re here,” the footman Johan warned him with a glance, his voice low and serious. “My advice to you is, if you don’t want to anger Mr. Fosse, don’t rudely stare at the esteemed lord later. And no matter what His Lordship asks you, answer truthfully. Don’t try any tricks.”

Those in the castle were the closest to the noble lord, especially footmen like Johan who could approach the lord personally—their status, though unspoken, was elevated.

Ed licked his dry lower lip and said nervously, “I understand.”

“Your Grace, Mr. Fosse,” Johan announced respectfully from outside the door, bowing as he made his request. “The person has been brought.”

A moment later, after quietly consulting the duke, Fosse said coolly, “Enter.”

Johan bowed his head respectfully, carefully pushed the door open, then stepped aside, allowing only Ed to enter.

The reception room used by the lord was, of course, the most spacious and brightly lit place in the castle.

But Ed’s heart felt as if it were trapped in a small box; he didn’t even dare raise his head.

He swallowed hard with difficulty, then took a few tense steps forward, knelt on one knee on the soft red carpet, and bowed deeply.

“Rise,” Oliver said, knowing that according to the customs of the time, it was neither appropriate for him to offer the man a seat before he had done anything commendable, nor was the man permitted to speak first. He got straight to the point: “There’s no need to be nervous. I have a few small matters to ask you about.”

“God bless you, my lord.” Ed spoke his respectful words carefully, then lifted his head to gaze directly at the owner of that clear, melodious voice.

Despite Johan’s kind warning earlier, when Ed’s eyes met that face—described as the deity’s unique masterpiece, breathtakingly beautiful and exquisite—he couldn’t help but fall into a brief daze.

…Why would such a beautiful person appear in an ominous place like Laina City?

“I would like to know the specifics of the farming plan on the estate.”

It wasn’t until Oliver spoke again, unhurriedly, that the mesmerized Ed slowly regained his senses.

Since the question pertained to his area of expertise, even though his heart was still pounding excitedly in his chest, Ed quickly organized his thoughts and began explaining in meticulous detail.

Oliver listened with great attentiveness.

As the steward Fosse had previously outlined, at least in Laina City, there were two main farming periods each year: barley and oats, collectively referred to as spring wheat, were sown in spring and harvested in autumn; while wheat and rye, known as winter wheat, were sown in autumn and harvested in summer.

The greatest advantage of rye was undoubtedly its hardiness—it could yield a decent harvest even in relatively poor soil and harsh climatic conditions.

Most importantly, the nobility, led by the lord, disdained eating foods made from coarse, unappealing black flour, preferring instead to subsist on bread baked from the more finicky white wheat flour.

Especially in recent years of widespread crop failures, it was thanks to rye that the starving slaves managed to barely survive one winter after another.

In fact, the optimal planting period for this year was nearly missed—because last winter was particularly cold and long, and the frozen ground didn’t begin to thaw until mid-spring.

The supervisors, of course, didn’t care if the slaves had to exert more effort to till the land, but farming tools were precious. If the soil was too hard, forcing the use of an iron hoe could easily damage the tool.

After the soil thawed, weeds grew rampantly and had to be roughly cleared.

Just as Oliver was about to nod in understanding, he suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but ask, “What about the oats?”

Ed hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, aside from a small portion taken by the castle cooks to make oatmeal, most of the oats are used for brewing.”

“Brewing?”

At a time when food was severely scarce and the slaves were on the verge of starvation, they were extravagantly using precious grain to brew alcohol?

Hearing this unbelievable answer, Oliver nearly laughed in frustration.

He didn’t bother asking, “Who made this foolish decision?”

There was no one else it could have been but the former lord, who had no regard for the lives of the slaves.

“From now on, halt all brewing plans until the granaries are replenished,” Oliver declared without hesitation. “As for the freed-up manpower, assign some to the mill and others to assist in the fields.”

Although the people here primarily subsisted on beans and bread, the mill was a coveted position of privilege precisely because of the mandatory usage decree uniformly imposed by lords across the regions. After the wheat was sent to the mill, one-sixteenth would be kept as the milling fee each time. While this might seem insignificant, it was undoubtedly an amount that pained countless families already struggling to feed themselves. Worse still, many unscrupulous millers, with the tacit approval of the lord, would deduct even larger shares as fees, leaving the people resentful but powerless to protest.

“From now on, the mill is forbidden to charge any fees,” declared Oliver, the new lord. It was only natural for him to dismiss those currently working at the mill—former confidants of the previous lord—who had been embezzling profits. “If people wish to use homemade hand mills to grind their flour, they must not be prevented. In fact, they should be encouraged.”

In the past, clever slaves had secretly crafted small, hand-pushed mills to grind their own flour and save on fees. But they were soon discovered, not only losing their mills but also being forced to pay hefty fines.

In Oliver’s view, these so-called “cunning and miserly slaves” were not only resourceful but also rare talents skilled in handicrafts.

“By the way,” Oliver paused before adding, “record the names of those who managed to make such small hand mills. I will have other tasks for them in the future.”

Ed knew this would be a challenging task, but he replied without hesitation, “Yes, Your Highness.”

“You’ll find it difficult to manage alone, so when the time comes…” Oliver glanced at Fosse, who stood respectfully with his head bowed. Fosse immediately understood. “Your Highness need not worry. I will have Noel accompany him.”

With Noel, the duke’s personal knight, by his side, Ed could set his mind completely at ease.

Oliver continued, “Separate the fields with ridges. The spaces between can be used to plant legumes, but scatter the varieties when sowing.”

Setting aside the cook’s dubious culinary skills, legumes could serve not only as a staple food but also help restore soil fertility.

Not only could they help rejuvenate the soil, but they could also mitigate the risks posed by natural disasters.

Speaking of soil fertility, Oliver recalled the original reason he had summoned everyone. “During the reclamation these days, do not neglect the areas overgrown with weeds.”

People of this era were already aware that continuous cultivation on the same land would deplete its fertility.

However, with a severe shortage of fertilizers, the process of restoring soil fertility was too slow, often taking several years. This led to the unfortunate cycle of land being overworked, becoming increasingly barren, and eventually abandoned to lie fallow.

Oliver’s game system could produce fertilizers in large quantities, but it lacked the necessary prerequisite: experience points to level up the ‘farmer’ vocational skill.

Even the simplest low-grade fertilizer required the ‘farmer’ skill to reach at least level 1.

Moreover, Oliver believed that the game system’s items should only be used for emergencies. To supply the entire territory’s farmland, a solid foundation had to be built from the ground up.

Unfortunately, he was no expert in agriculture.

Oliver sighed inwardly. After a moment’s thought, he recalled a fragment of knowledge about the ‘three-field system’ he had picked up from somewhere. “After reclamation, do not rush to plant everything at once. First, divide the land into three sections. “In simple terms, it involved dividing the farmland into three sections: one for sowing spring wheat, one reserved for winter wheat, and the third left as fallow land, enclosed with simple fences for households to raise poultry and livestock.

Animal manure and marl were currently the best natural fertilizers available. Though the three-field system appeared to reduce the cultivated area by two-thirds, based on his historical knowledge, the long-term benefits were evident—it significantly improved land utilization efficiency. ¹Marl is a sedimentary rock/soil consisting primarily of clay and calcium carbonate, often containing variable amounts of silt and sand. It’s known for its fertility and is used in agriculture to improve soil texture and pH balance, enhancing plant growth.

Oliver knew he shouldn’t rush things. Smiling, he stopped here for now: “That’s all for the moment. You may go.”

No matter how one looked at it, Laina City was a place in need of rebuilding from the ground up.

As an amateur thrust into this role temporarily, he could only take things one step at a time, doing his best under the circumstances.

“Now then…” After Ed withdrew, Fosse saw his beloved young master shed his earlier composure and decisiveness, a gleam of eager anticipation sparkling in his beautiful eyes. “Fosse, let’s go fishing first!”

He had had enough of those pungent, smelly cured meats!

• 1
  Marl is a sedimentary rock/soil consisting primarily of clay and calcium carbonate, often containing variable amounts of silt and sand. It’s known for its fertility and is used in agriculture to improve soil texture and pH balance, enhancing plant growth.