After declaring the edict, Patrol Knight Captain did not stay in the castle for lunch, but led the other patrol knights away from Coastal Town.
He said that due to the invasion of dragon beasts, border patrols needed to be strengthened in the near future.
“Young Master, the study has been tidied up, you can use it anytime,” a middle-aged butler in a proper tailcoat came to report.
“Thank you, Mr. Carter,” Baron Allen responded with a smile.
Carter did not have a surname; in this world, commoners and servants were not entitled to surnames.
He was previously in charge of one of the Earl’s villas, and at Baron Allen’s coming-of-age ceremony, he was assigned by the Earl to serve as Baron Allen’s butler.
Although his position reached the ultimate goal for a servant, a butler, his treatment had declined compared to before.
However, he did not complain; having been sold to Butterfly Castle since he could remember, thirty years had passed, and he had long considered himself a part of Butterfly Castle.
Although he had not interacted with Baron Allen before, being able to follow a direct bloodline of the family, Baron Allen, was also a good outcome.
“It is my honor to serve you,” Carter bowed slightly, “Do you have any other instructions?”
“Oh, right. Have the acting town mayor, all the village chiefs, as well as Leighton and Knight Commander Hartefilia, come to my study. I need to understand the situation and assign tasks.”
Compared to the Earl’s study, it was not too large, so the dozen or so people standing seemed a bit crowded.
“Please all take a seat,” Baron Allen sat on the stool behind the desk, and Carter, the butler, brought stools for everyone with two male servants.
After everyone was seated, Baron Allen looked around: one teacher, one Knight Commander, one acting town mayor, and eleven village chiefs—this was the current leadership of the entire town.
“Acting Mayor Hans, please start by introducing the basic situation of the town.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Acting Mayor Hans quickly stood up to report, “The entire Coastal Town has 89,000 hectares of land, with 37,000 hectares cultivated, divided into 11 villages. The population is 7,631 people, in 1,258 households, of which 198 households, 782 people, are freemen, and the rest are serfs.”
Subsequently, each village chief also introduced the population and farmland situation of their respective villages.
“I understand the general situation. Hans, you are officially appointed as the mayor and will continue to be responsible for managing the serfs,” Baron Allen said.
“Hans thanks my Lord for his trust! I will definitely manage the serfs well and grow crops for you, my Lord!” Hans vigorously patted his chest to assure him.
Baron Allen looked at Hans, who was about to continue with other miscellaneous assurances, and directly interrupted, “The village chief positions will also remain unchanged. Help Hans well, manage the serfs, and go to work.”
After everyone had left, he instructed the remaining two, “Leighton, you will serve as the town’s tax official and my personal advisor. Knight Commander Hartefilia, you will continue to lead all the knights, be responsible for patrolling the territory, and also guide my training, as previously my father personally guided me, and I was not assigned a knight instructor.”
“Yes, my Lord,” both nodded in response.
Boiled sturgeon, roasted monster deer meat, a serving of apple puree, barley beer with hops, and white bread made from fine wheat flour.
This was today’s dinner, a Western-style meal that did not suit Baron Allen’s taste.
But there was nothing he could do; although he knew how to cook some dishes, the custom in this world was that nobles were forbidden from entering kitchens, storerooms, and other places where servants belonged. If you went, you would violate noble etiquette and be considered a joke.
So, even if Baron Allen wanted to cook himself, he couldn’t go to the kitchen.
However, the court was an exception—a large portion of the court’s chefs and servants were appointed by minor lords.
However, the Tricolor Violet Family, having offered unstable ore and copper mine locations, maintained close relations with successive Black Heart Iron Dukes and did not need to become chefs or servants to gain intimacy.
And this close relationship will certainly not be broken within these two generations.
After all, his eldest brother is in contact with dragons at the Black Heart Iron Duke’s place and could become a Dragon Knight to protect the Blackheart Iron Duchy at any time.
His second brother serves as the executive officer and messenger for the prime minister in the Black Heart Iron Duke’s suzerain state, which is the Steel Mountain Ridge Kingdom, making him a confidant of the prime minister. (The prime minister manages all administrative affairs of the country.)
So, in this world, commoners are basically servants to nobles, and nobles are servants to great nobles. Only by becoming the ruler of a kingdom are you not a servant. It’s a classic case of big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimp.
But fortunately, in my territory, I will not be a servant.
However, if I want to develop into the industrial era, I will certainly have to abolish slavery and liberate the workforce.
Then the problem arises: position determines perspective. At that time, I will have to weigh which is more beneficial to me before deciding whether to abolish the slave system.
Moreover, the industrial revolution requires a large amount of iron, and in this world, a large amount of iron needs to be infected by dragons.
While naturally occurring iron ore can be born, it is certainly not enough.
What a hassle! Never mind, let’s not think about these distant things. Slowly developing my territory is the most important thing right now.
After finishing the dinner, which was already getting cold, Carter, the butler, directed the maids to clear the tableware, and the personal male servant attended to Baron Allen rinsing his mouth.
After the routine was finished, the servants left, and Carter looked at Baron Allen with anticipation: “At the Earl’s villa, I once heard that noble lords would have a drink with their butler in the study and discuss matters of the castle. I wonder, my Lord, do you also have this tradition?”
Baron Allen gave a noble, nonchalant smile: “If it’s a tradition, then let’s continue it. I’ll go to the study to read for a bit; you can come over after you’ve finished your tasks.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Baron Allen went to the study and flipped through a very realistic autobiography.
It told the story of a knight who knew that Riot Bear liked to collect stones with magic power. While Riot Bear was hibernating, he took out all the magic stones collected by Riot Bear, one by one, stole them to sell for money, and then continued his journey wandering the continent.
As he read, Baron Allen became immersed in the story.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking at the door pulled Baron Allen’s mind away from the book, “Come in.”
Carter took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and walked in, “My Lord, you have been reading for a long time. Reading at night is bad for your eyes; you need to be more careful.”
Baron Allen closed the book, rubbed his somewhat sore eyes, “Mr. Carter, you’ve finished your work, so let’s have a drink together.”
One glass of red wine each. They gently clinked their glasses.
Baron Allen imitated his predecessor from memory, swirling the wine, then took a sip, but couldn’t taste much.
Setting down his glass, Baron Allen asked, “The castle’s expenses should be fine until the end of this year, right?”
“Yes, you brought 30 carts of supplies from Butterfly Castle, which is completely sufficient. But there isn’t much fresh fruit.”
I remember there were originally only 5 carts, so five times that would only be 25. It seems the Earl added another 5 carts for me. It looks like although he didn’t say it, the Earl actually cared deeply for his predecessor.
“Don’t worry about the fruit; there are forests on both sides of the town, so there should be plenty of wild fruit,” Baron Allen took another sip of red wine and continued, “Are the Small Elves and Elf Insects well taken care of?”
“Yes, the two Small Elves and eight Elf Insects have all been fed jade powder and are resting in the insect room.”
Baron Allen leaned back in his chair: “Approximately how much gold are the things I brought worth?”
“My Lord, you brought 6,232 gold coins. There are two paintings, each worth about 100 gold coins. Besides that, there are several sets of crystal tableware, also worth about 100 gold coins.”
Only 6,532 gold coins? It’s still a bit difficult to develop the territory with just this much money.
Baron Allen drank the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Seeing this action, Carter wisely excused himself: “My Lord, be careful with your eyes, get some rest early, and I wish you pleasant dreams.”
“Good night to you too, Mr. Carter.”