I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 252 Waiting
"My lord, this land is not poor; it's just that Luc Loch has too high a vision. After all, not all land is suitable for a knight's castle. Isn't it a bit too hasty to convert it into a flax plantation?"

The river flowed, wildflowers bloomed, and Grimbald stood on the wet ground after the rain, leaning on a short sword without a scabbard, gazing at the manor before him and muttering to himself.

His sword tip sank into the damp earth. The blade was rough but sharp, and upon closer inspection, the edge was wavy. This was the iron sword he was rewarded with after killing little Joseph; his original chain hammer was now tucked into his waistband.

“No, Luc is not a person who does things as he pleases. We have also learned a lot about his deeds during this time. It can be said that in terms of territory development, Luc is absolutely God’s favorite.”

Byrne stood before his entourage, crushed a clump of madder with his toe, and shook his head: "Besides, we are merely the overseers of this land; we have no right to speak on how the Riverside Manor is constructed."

While the cider was being made in Knightsburg, the master and servant from Saxony were brought back to Knightsburg, and Jean replaced them as tax collectors in Tihar village.

Construction of the church in Tiha village is halfway complete. According to Byrne, the stonemason Saul is in high spirits, after all, once the church is built, he can graduate and bring Luke a well-trained team of stonemasons.

"Sir, do you think Luke will really give us a fiefdom?"

The fat man pulled an apple out of his horse's saddle at some point, wiped it casually a couple of times, and then started eating it himself when he saw that Byrne wasn't eating it.

"Damn, this apple is really sweet."

Byrne glanced at the fat man who was eating and praising the food, and sighed inwardly. After years of wandering, his followers had gradually forgotten the family traditions and had started eating raw fruit.

"I trust my judgment, and I also trust Luc's abilities."

"Hmm, I don't doubt the master's judgment either." The fat man finished the fruit in a few bites, casually spat out the pit, and said with his bulging belly:
"I just wonder if Riverside Manor might not cooperate."

"Heh, then we'll see if the swords in our hands agree." Byrne sneered. As the second son of the count, he understood why Luc had sent him.

If necessary, Byrne wouldn't mind causing some bloodshed at Riverside Manor.

“Peter is responsible for calming people down and managing the planting progress, while you and I are responsible for collecting taxes and looking after these people.”

Byrne flicked the iron sword Jason had forged and said in a stern voice, "God above, I hope these guys can see the situation clearly!"

As Byrne and his companion entered the Riverside Estate, in a free farmhouse near the mill, a fat woman with a pockmarked face kicked a skinny man off his straw mat.

"Damn it, pull your pants up! I think I hear horses' hooves outside!"

"Hey! You stupid bitch, are your eyes on your ass? Even if a knight came, you can't kick here!"

The man grimaced and clutched his groin while hurriedly pulling up his pants, cursing under his breath.

Seeing this, the fat woman spat out a mouthful of saliva: "Hurry up, old bearded York. Other knights are one thing, but Knight Luc is a Holy Knight, a guardian of God. Kelly's husband next door heard it with his own ears when he went to Cooper Castle for drinks. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to kill the Baron's tax collector so casually. If he knew about our relationship, he would definitely put us on trial."

"Ha, those noble gentlemen also keep mistresses, why doesn't anyone judge them?"

Old Beard York pursed his lips, seemingly unconvinced, but his hands moved even more nimbly.

York quickly dressed and peered through the crack in the door at the approaching figure.

"It's not Knight Luke, it's another knight, but he's flying the same flag."

"Damn it, why are you worrying about this?!" The fat woman glared at the man in front of her, thinking he'd been screwed over in the head.

“What do you know? Haven’t you heard that Sir Luke is going to turn this place into a flax plantation? It’s one thing for the serfs, but I heard that our land is no exception. I don’t want to give up growing wheat and switch to some damn flax!”

York was indignant, his dry beard trembling like weeds.

"Who told you that, Old Beard York?"

The plump woman, already dressed, looked at the married old man with a puzzled expression. "How come I heard that our three households are still allowed to cultivate crops on our land?"

"Who told you that?" York asked, turning his head.

“Ryan.”

Luc stayed at the Riverside Estate for a while, and the fat woman managed to get to know the burly and handsome Ryan.

"I heard it from someone not long ago," York said, withdrawing his gaze and speaking in an uncertain tone.

As Peter and his group drew closer, York stopped and, before leaving, asked the fat woman for a piece of bread. After he left, the fat woman watched York's retreating figure thoughtfully.

……

"Sir, the lumberyard is running out of timber."

Inside Knightsburg, after Luc had once again checked the progress of Thorstein's ships, old Eck approached with some concern.

"What's going on?" Luc frowned.

After Berry's death, Luc found that his workload had increased rather than decreased. The problem of connecting the three territories occupied most of his energy. Not long ago, little William even fell down, which frightened the entire Knightsburg.

Medieval medical conditions were terrible. Even with the help of Cluny to establish a pilgrim hospital and the support of the enlightened Hugo to develop herbal medicine, one could still die on the spot if one was not careful.

A pregnant woman died during the recent baby boom, resulting in the death of both mother and unborn child, and a new cemetery was added next to the church.

The reason why little William fell was both funny and sad: he was bumped by Charles's son, a male dog named Charles II by Luc, who looked most like little Charles.
Strictly speaking, if we're talking about who Luc's first partner was, then the answer would be Charlie.

Therefore, he hoped that his son, William, would also have a hunting dog to accompany him as he grew up.

Fortunately, the fall wasn't serious, and the puppy didn't hurt anyone. Plus, Julie, who had become William's personal maid, arrived in time and took the wailing William away, so it was a close call.

Although Luc didn't think it was a big deal, Robert's family was so frightened by the news that their legs went weak. They went to Knightsburg to apologize and almost knelt down to kowtow.

After finally getting rid of them, George came to report new investigative information.
That knight looks kind of familiar?

Thinking of this, Luc couldn't help but recall George's words before he left.

"It's nothing major, sir. But as you know, building barrels isn't easy. Little Myman is building ships, and Ryan, like you, has many things to handle. Strictly speaking, we don't have enough barrels."

Old Ek's words interrupted Luc's thoughts, and he rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

How many barrels do we have in total?

"There are twenty barrels at the Treff Bridge, ten at the brewery, and ten more newly made. That's all."

"Old Baron Poons and the County of Macon have their own barrels; they don't need us to provide them."

Luc nodded. This was the drawback of an agricultural-based plantation: it couldn't concentrate resources on developing a particular industry.

The only solution is to continuously expand the size of the manor.

But this can't be rushed.

"This was our oversight. Let's make ten barrels of cider. I'll figure out what to do with the extra apples. We can't let them rot."

Luc brushed the dust off his trousers; after being a plantation owner for so long, he'd developed a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder when it came to cleanliness.

"Lynn has already submitted the Inquisition's proposal to Cluny. I wonder if Golden Lion Kahn will interfere as well?"

Luke smiled and shook his head slightly. In any case, this was not something he could decide. All he needed to do now was wait quietly.

Waiting for the Viking ships to be built, waiting for the flax plantations to take shape.

What Luc didn't know was that on the night Byrne and his party stayed at the tax collector's cabin at Riverside Manor, in the deep darkness, Old Beard York secretly met with a blurry figure in a forest.

".I see"

York nodded repeatedly, memorizing the other person's words. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed two pairs of eyes with an eerie light staring intently at them from beside a thick tree trunk.

"Damn it, what's going on?"

The man in black next to York's face changed drastically, and he cursed, "You bastard, you actually betrayed me!"

(End of this chapter)