Chapter 187: Return Home

The returning group seemed larger than when they came. The “freeloader quartet” mentioned by Craig left their own group as a matter of course and mixed into George’s team. As for the reason! It was naturally to celebrate the expansion of the Bolerum Territory.

About ten days after George received the news, His Grace the Duke announced it to the public. Within less than two days after that, the news spread throughout the entire Duchy of Nohan as if it had grown wings.

Although the Duke was a bit vague about the reason for the reward, since the land being divided was originally the Duke’s own direct territory, there was no strong opposition.

However, this also showed that Viscount Bolerum was quite successful in dealing with people! At the very least, he wasn’t the type to make countless enemies. Otherwise, there would definitely be many people coming out to shout and cause trouble at this moment.

Of course, the story behind this reward sparked the curiosity of the public. What exactly was the reason that the merit for the reward was being covered up? Unfortunately, no matter how they asked, those who knew the specific reason kept their mouths shut. So, a blazing fire of gossip burned among the nobles of Kalado.

This fire of gossip naturally spread to Brandenburg as well. George’s friends constantly probed him in various ways during this time.

However, they certainly wouldn’t have thought that this series of events was directly caused by George. They just thought that he more or less knew some insider information that others didn’t. George, knowing the seriousness of the matter, kept his mouth shut, but facing nearly twenty-four hours of accidental assaults a day, George could only say that it was really tiring!

Although George often had to fool the questions of those around him in the past due to his behavioral habits being slightly out of place in this world and era. However, at that time, the other party did not have a very clear purpose. This was the first time George had encountered a situation where he absolutely could not reveal anything and the other party kept pestering him. If George’s spirit wasn’t quite tough, he might have had a nervous breakdown long ago.

Finally, George exchanged a promise of delicious food for temporary peace. However, this meant that four foodies had to be added to the returning group. Heaven knows how these guys explained it to their families; the other party actually unanimously agreed to their behavior, which seemed a bit reckless?

When George asked them with doubts about the specific reason, Aldred gave an answer that made him not know whether to laugh or cry: “The information we passed on to our families—because we performed well in the battle at Brandenburg this time, plus your efforts, we got the opportunity to receive training and guidance from Knight Val.”

George immediately felt like a thousand wild horses were galloping wildly through his mind. They actually used Knight Val as a shield. In other words, this Legend was really taking a hit while doing nothing!

For this reason, George shared this incident as an interesting story with Knight Val. However, the latter said with a rather thoughtful expression: “That is to say, these little guys, in order to taste the delicious food in the Bolerum Territory, used my training as an excuse to deal with their families? But since they said that to their families, if I don’t do something, it seems a bit unjustifiable!”

Hearing this, George began to mourn in his heart for those guys who spoke nonsense. However, he wouldn’t touch Knight Val’s bad luck for such a thing! His answer at that time was without any bias: “Please suit yourself.”

“In that case, I will have a good chat with the little guys’ parents. I think in the next two to three months, they should show significant improvement. I hope they can persist!” When Knight Val made this final declaration, he didn’t forget to lick his lips. This seemed to predict the tragic situation that Ben and others would face in the next nearly a quarter of a year.

‘I say, even if they want to quit, would you really be merciful enough to let them off?’ George certainly didn’t dare to say this sentence directly in front of Knight Val.

However, looking at it from another angle, Knight Val did this for the sake of Aldred and the others’ future. The improvement of strength could be said to be endless, and being able to get the guidance and training of a Legendary Powerhouse was something that most people could only hope for but not reach.

This was also why, after receiving such news, Aldred and their families stopped fussing about their subsequent schedules. In other words, the several Heirs in the Bolerum Territory seemed to be in the midst of blessings without realizing it!

The journey home seemed a bit pleasant. Herbs were under everyone’s feet, and even under the barrier of leather or cloth shoes, they still gave people a tickling feeling. The spring breeze lingered on your face, smiling around you. Not restraining you, not blaming you, not urging you, not embarrassing you, not annoying you, not rubbing you. That kind of vibrant feeling was really somewhat intoxicating.

Of course, walking in the wilderness was only possible before and after setting up camp every day. Most of the time, everyone rode horses on gravel or loess roads that were repaired by people all year round. However, the boundless green grasslands on both sides of the road. The colorful and blooming flowers. The wind rippling with fragments of light. The springs absorbing the fragrance of the soil. They bathed in the spring light, giving people a vigorous feeling.

However, the road everyone walked on was not always far from human habitation. Although they did not deliberately pass through the main towns in various territories, villages built around the road were not uncommon. What really surprised George was that the spring plowing in some villages was about to end. The moist land seemed to be waiting for people to turn it over and scatter various seeds like a hungry person. The top of the furrow showed a pale red, while the places on both sides of the ditch showed scarlet and maroon.

Bursts of south wind blew the rich scent of wheat into the village, and also to the side of passersby. Looking from a distance, the soles of those farmers’ shoes seemed to be smeared with oil, and they couldn’t be idle. Nature delivered beautiful letters to people, and people read these familiar handwritings: willow catkins were flying, elm money was falling, butterflies were bidding farewell to the rapeseed petals on the ground, and pea flowers were about to turn into fat green tender pods.

Seeing this scene, George couldn’t help but think, ‘When I return to the Bolerum Territory, the spring plowing there should be over! I don’t know how they did? Although after leaving Brandenburg, Diqila messaging paper was already usable. But without seeing it with my own eyes, I still feel a bit unsure! I hope they can cooperate happily with those Druids! If there is no problem this time, can I let go a little bit in this regard in the future?’

There were many interludes during the journey, and with a large number of peers, it was not easy to feel lonely. Even Knight Val seemed to be amused by the interaction between Chrispian and Aldred several times. Overall, the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Of course, this also had something to do with George not telling those friends who had sought their own death about what Knight Val was going to do. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so active now. But George didn’t have the obligation to inform them, did he?

Although there was the drag of the wounded, under the clever arrangement of Knight Val, the time spent on the journey was not much more than when they came. At noon on the sixteenth day after setting off, George was already able to vaguely see Poitou City in the Bolerum Territory.

That night, George, who had returned home, took a nice hot bath. Eating those long-lost delicious dishes. The creamy mushroom chicken puff pastry box as an appetizer was not only exquisite in shape but also refined and appetizing. Following that was the fresh and sweet red meat, fish, and vegetable soup. The feeling of the thick soup slowly flowing over the tip of the tongue gave people a sense of taste satisfaction.

The assorted seafood baked rice made from casually caught fresh seafood that day had just been brought to the dining room, giving off an alluring fragrance. What people loved most was the thick layer of Cheese on top that could be pulled into strings, rich, delicious, and overflowing with sweetness; below were the distinct, fluffy, and fragrant rice grains, and the secret sauce with complex flavors. One layer of rice, one layer of sauce, compared with the previous Cheese, it was not inferior at all, looking good and tasting even better. It made Ben, Green, Chrispian, and Aldred completely abandon their year-round etiquette and start gobbling it up. George, on the other hand, was still eating slowly and rhythmically, using his taste buds to taste the flavor.

The final salad was the Italian-style milk carrots improved according to the tastes of Easterners from before he crossed over; not only crisp and delicious, but also left a lingering fragrance in the mouth. Although the taste might seem a little bit heavy, for these guys who had been guarding the border for a few months and whose mouths were about to go completely bland, it was just right.

As for dessert after the meal, George did not arrange for anyone to prepare it. In his opinion, this was not a banquet, and there was no need to use expensive sugar. Of course, the most critical point was that these guys were going to stay in the Bolerum Territory for at least two months.

If after entering summer, they continued to stay here like every summer vacation. Then adding up before and after, it might be nearly half a year. Moreover, based on George’s knowledge of those guys, their integrity could support them to do those things.

In order not to exceed his household budget too much, George decided from the beginning that he could not give them too good treatment. To prevent these guys from taking a mile when given an inch. Of course, this practice received serious protests from the four.

However, when George said: “Tomorrow’s breakfast is sandwiches.”

The whole atmosphere instantly turned cold. The four people who had to bow their heads under the eaves had to silently submit to George’s tyranny. However, in their hearts, they didn’t think George would serve such dishes to entertain them. Because this was really too un-noble-like.

In this world, sandwiches were invented early on by a dominoes lover. As one of the easiest delicious meals to eat, sandwiches were widely accepted as the most economical, affordable, and hunger-satisfying food. However, it was rare to use them as a formal meal; rich people disdained to eat them, and poor people couldn’t quite afford them. The most common occurrence was in picnic baskets.

But reality was often cruel. When the four came to the dining room the next morning, they found that their thoughts were severely slapped in the face by reality. The smoked meat sandwiched in the middle was cut into very thin slices, plus there were a dozen thin slices of pickled cucumbers and pickled onion slices, making the few of them feel like crying without tears. The only consolation for them was that the white bread used in it was added with honey. Perhaps this was George’s conscience discovering! But how they arranged George in their hearts was not clear.

And when they wanted to cause some trouble for George because of this after the meal. Knight Val went straight to them: “I heard before that you little guys came to the Bolerum Territory so early this year to receive my training. It’s rare for you to be so eager to learn and improve. I really can’t bear to let down your expectations.”

Hearing this, the faces of the four youngsters suddenly became quite ugly. After looking at each other, Ben, who was the leader among them, had to stand up to block the way: “It is certainly our honor to receive the guidance and training of Knight Val. But you seem to have quite a lot of daily affairs to complete! If we delay your big things because of our matters, that would be bad.”

“You don’t have to worry about this at all. Although I newly obtained a Manor as a fief due to my merits, I will definitely try my best to do what I promised your fathers. So just now, I have temporarily entrusted the management of the Manor to George. In the next two to three months, although I can’t make you undergo a reborn change, I can definitely point out and correct the detours you have taken in the past.” Knight Val paused slightly here, “Of course, you may have to suffer a lot in the middle, I hope you are mentally prepared.”

If before, the few people thought it was George instigating Knight Val to fix them. Then now, they had to suspect whether their fathers were too eager for their sons to become successful. After hearing their made-up reasons, they contacted Knight Val hoping he would take more care of them. Although it couldn’t be said to be lifting a rock to smash their own feet, this situation was really depressing enough.

Facing this unexpected situation, Aldred started his own indirect approach: “You handed over your Manor to George to be responsible for, are you really that relieved? Of course, I’m not doubting George’s character, but as the Acting Lord, does he really have that much energy to pay attention to that?”

“You little guys don’t need to worry about this aspect. The civil officials in the Bolerum Territory have been trained by George, and they are absolutely capable of handling these jobs! Less nonsense, even if there are three months, time is still very tight! Why don’t you hurry up and follow me.” Saying this, Knight Val didn’t wait for the four to argue anymore, and unilaterally settled the matter.

Under the powerful aura of Knight Val, Ben, Green, Aldred, and Chrispian could not make any resisting actions. They had to obediently follow him to the training ground.

Was Knight Val really so unscrupulous and bored, just because of a few words from the little guys, he wanted to train them well? No, that’s not the case. His approach was carefully considered. This was a way to increase allies for himself and the entire Bolerum Territory under the circumstances of unstable external environment. It had to be said that Knight Val’s calculation was quite shrewd.

Meanwhile, George was once again struggling with the mountain of documents in the Territory. However, this time, George didn’t need to sign on the documents for the time being. Because he had too much data to read. Relying only on the data given by the System was far from enough.

Town: Greywood Town

Affiliation: Bolerum Territory, Duchy of Nohan

Specialties: White Sandalwood, White Sandalwood Oil

Characteristics: Military Glory (Duchy Characteristic)

Town Characteristics: None

Town Technology: None

Town Population: 1354

Annual Population Growth: +5%

Agricultural Income: 120 Gold Coins

Mineral Income: None

Commercial Income: 400 Gold Coins

Taxes: 200 Gold Coins

Construction Income: 30 Gold Coins

Other Income: 14 Gold Coins

Looking at the simple data in front of him, George knew that he had a headache enough. In fact, as compensation for Greywood Town itself being attacked and dilapidated. Its taxes this year, except for the checkpoint toll tax, were ordered by His Grace the Duke to be allocated to the Bolerum Territory. But just from the feeling, it was far from enough!

From the data, this small town really had no special features and no products. Except for guarding a trade route from the Bolerum Territory to Karada, it was almost no different from other remote small towns.

The only specialty, White Sandalwood, had no obvious advantages in wood quality compared to other trees. Of course, the most important thing was that there were no skilled people in the Territory who could make sandalwood incense. The two raw materials, White Sandalwood and White Sandalwood Oil, could not exert their true value. Although if used, even the sandalwood incense made would basically be low-end goods. But at least it was deep-processed and had additional added value, wasn’t it?

And once the tax checkpoint was removed, there might be some articles to be written about providing some accommodation for passing Caravans. Combining these documents in his hand, George sighed leisurely: “Chicken ribs! Chicken ribs, it’s truly tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away! But if it wasn’t chicken ribs, it wouldn’t have been taken out as a reward this time! If the attached land is included, we seem to be content.”