A middle-aged man, well-dressed and dignified, strode quickly toward the Boule Chamber in the garden. His name was Eko, and he was the head housekeeper of the Hunter family.

The Hunters had raised Eko since he was young, and he had served the family since the days of Richard’s grandfather. His honor and reputation were long tied to that of the Hunter family.

Before Richard was born, Eko had assisted Viscount Souter in handling the administration of the territory, and he was considered the sole talented individual among the rough and tumble members of the Hunter family capable of handling such domestic affairs. He had always been entrusted with the role of head housekeeper, even after Richard took over the territory’s administration. Though his authority was not as concentrated as it once had been, Eko did not complain, for his life’s mission was to be loyal to the Hunter family.

As he arrived at the entrance to the Boule Chamber, two guards stationed there saluted him.

“Young Master Richard is inside.”

“Understood.” Eko nodded slightly at the two guards in acknowledgment.

Upon entering, he saw Richard seated upright in his chair.

“Good day, Young Master Richard,” Eko greeted him respectfully as he bowed before Richard.

“Uncle Eko, there’s no need for such formality.”

“Young master, we must not abandon our traditions.”

Richard could only greet Eko with a wan smile.

Sometimes, people were just awkward.

Though Richard had told Eko not to worry about etiquette, if Eko were to brazenly assume the airs of a senior statesman before him, Richard would find him repugnant.

Luckily, Eko knew his place and never overstepped his bounds. More importantly, he was loyal and competent, even if his competence was largely experience-based, as far as Richard could tell. Such managerial skills, though basic, allowed him to grasp Richard’s more innovative methods quickly, which was why he had remained firmly in his position as head housekeeper throughout the years since Richard’s ascension.

“Uncle Eko, how much grain do we have left?”

“We have over seven thousand bushels of rye and three thousand bushels of unhusked millet in the granaries. We also have a good supply of dried meats.”

In this world, the staple foods were rye and unhusked millet.

“Young master, these past few years, in order to entice farmers to settle, you’ve lowered the land tax significantly. Practically every farming household within our domain has stored provisions. Even if we run short on grain, we can easily collect thousands more bushels.”

Although the northern lands were bitterly cold, they had relatively fertile black soil, and two rivers, the Da Linghe and Xiao Linghe, flowed through them. The rivers originated from the snowy peaks of the north, cut through the vast ironwood forest, and meandered past the entirety of the Hunter territory before emptying into the northern plains, forming a large delta region. A field of one acre there could yield as much as one and a half bushels of crops per year.

In recent years, Richard had lowered the land tax, encouraged farming, and invested in large-scale irrigation projects, attracting many refugees and escapees from other territories. The standard rate of the land tax across the kingdom was forty percent, and on top of that, local tax collectors often embezzled a significant portion for themselves. It was not uncommon for peasant farmers who worked the land themselves to be left with only half of their harvest, while tenant farmers who rented their land from lords had an even harder time making a living.

Yet Richard only levied a twenty percent land tax in Hunter territory, and furthermore, he completely abolished all extralegal fees and taxes. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the commoners living in the territory; in recent years, the residents of Hunter territory had visibly prospered, with nearly every family stockpiling several bushels of grain.

However, Hunter territory’s prosperity was not necessarily a good thing for its neighbors. The farther away a noble’s territory was from Hunter territory, the less affected it would be; but Willem territory, which bordered the Hunters, suffered greatly.

Before, the peasants in both territories were equally poor, so no one had thought much of it. But once their neighbors suddenly became rich, their own poverty became harder to bear. Consequently, many smallholders from Willem’s territory abandoned their land and moved to Hunter’s territory to start anew, and many of the Willem family’s tenants began fleeing as well. The Willem family, for their part, hated this turn of events with gritted teeth.

“There’s no need. We have enough grain.”

A single unit of grain weighed approximately 125 kilograms, so over 10,000 units of grain equated to a total weight of over 1,250,000 kilograms. This was more than enough for Tie Mu City’s annual consumption, and there was thus no need to break their own rule by levying a second round of taxes.

Of course, Richard was no saint. He only strove to maintain the rule of collecting a twenty percent land tax once per year; if there was a genuine need, he would collect taxes regardless.

“As such, I intend to expand the ironwood forest guard to five hundred men. Uncle Eko, please cooperate in supplying the necessary equipment and accommodations.”

“Yes sir.”

Eko didn’t ask why, knowing his loyalty and diligence in performing his duties was his greatest strength.

“I’m leaving now, unless anyone has any objections.”

“Mm.”

After Eko left, Richard met with a few more individuals to discuss various tasks. Finally, a man dressed in civilian clothes approached Richard.

“Big Brother Colen, how has Rain’s Silk been developing?”

“Thanks to Young Master Richard’s guidance, most of the circuses performing in the northern lands as well as larger inns and taverns have been infiltrated by our people. We’ve also made strides in placing spies within large merchant caravans.”

“We now have over thirty core members, with nearly two hundred spies in the periphery.”

“Excellent. Thank you for your hard work, Big Brother Colen. This is a difficult task, unlike the glory of serving in the city guard.”

Despite its flowery name, “Rain’s Silk” carried Richard’s lofty aspirations for this fledgling intelligence agency. “As fine as the rain, as pervasive as the silk.” “It is my honor to serve Young Master Richard.”

Colen was an orphan raised by the Hunter family, who governed the Hunter region. The territory had only recently come under Richard’s purview, and the Hunters’ domain had once been plagued by snow pirates. These raiders attacked merchant caravans and plundered villages, and Colen lost his parents to their assaults when he was still young.

Colen, an orphan who had been taken in by the Hunter family since childhood, had also received their training and martial education alongside Richard. Due to his reserved yet observant nature, Richard chose him to lead the intelligence department.

“Accidentally reveal the news of the iron ore discovered in the valley in the northern lands to the House of Willem.”

“Yes, sir.”

To simply carry out orders without question had always been the style of Richard’s subordinates. When Richard spoke with them in a conversational tone, they were free to express their opinions, but when he issued orders, their only response would forever be “yes, sir.”

The northern valley was located within the Hunter territory’s ironwood forest, where some hunters accidentally discovered iron ore while pursuing their prey.

After learning of this, Richard did not rush to develop the area, instead choosing to suppress the news and continue purchasing iron at high prices. The Hunter family had not yet been prepared for a full-scale war with the Willers.

Now, however, this news would be the last straw that broke the Willers’ back.

After Colin left, Richard once again fell into a quandary.

“Would you like to place the human race’s headquarters?”

This prompt had appeared every time he entered Wooden Iron Castle since his arrival, but it ceased to do so once he left the premises. After some experiments, Richard concluded that the headquarters could only be placed within an existing castle; it couldn’t be built in the wilderness like the recruitment reward buildings.

However, Richard didn’t want this golden finger exposed before the eyes of the world. The waters of this world ran deep, and though he had spent years here, he still wasn’t sure of its limits. Even after all his experimentation, he had yet to find a way to break out of the northern border’s boundaries.

The Hunter family was just a minor noble clan who had barely made a name for themselves. To the eyes of the truly powerful noble clans, they were nothing but lucky newcomers.

It would be one thing to suddenly recruit soldiers and keep their origins secret, but with such a conspicuous building, even if Richard could control the skies over Tie Mu City, word would inevitably leak out under the watchful eyes of the masses.

But a human race castle was too powerful. The Crusaders, a tier-four unit, were already at the level of knights, and with a few knights and angels thrown into the mix, they’d be unstoppable.

Richard lifted his hand, then set it back down. “Wait a little longer; don’t take any chances. There will be a better option soon.” 

His final mutterings seemed aimed at convincing himself.