I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 140 I'll help you kill him
Night fell over Frostleaf Town, and a cold wind howled.

In the alley behind the Frost Tavern, Ivan nervously watched the strange man leaning against the shadows.

Who are you? What's your name?

Ivan asked warily, his eyes constantly scanning their surroundings to make sure no one was paying attention to them.

"You don't need to know who I am."

The man's voice was deep and cold, "All you need to know is that we are all serving that person."

"Then how should I address you?"

Ivan asked back somewhat impatiently.

The man thought for a moment and said, "You can call me Water Snake, nothing else matters."

"So next I'll ask questions, you answer them, and you complete the task as quickly as possible."

"it is good."

Ivan nodded, his hands unconsciously clenching at his sides.

"How many people live in this town?" the water snake asked.

Ivan frowned and thought for a moment before answering as Rhodes instructed, "The population I see so far is around six or seven hundred."

"so little?"

The water snake narrowed its eyes, its tone full of suspicion, "How come I feel like there are more busy figures than just these? And what's going on with all those houses in the town?"

“I am just a slave, I am just reporting to you what I know.”

Ivan rolled his eyes, his tone tinged with displeasure at being questioned.

"How would I know if it's true or false? The time was too short; this is all I could see!"

"Ok."

The water snake nodded helplessly, silently making a mental note, and then asked, "What about the soldiers?"

“I estimate there are more than a hundred soldiers; I’ve seen their training squad.”

Ivan frowned, pondering, and muttered, "But there should be some militiamen, but no more than 150."

"Based on this number, there must be a thousand people in this town, right?"

The water snake countered with a question.

Ivan paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully in agreement.

In fact, Ivan knew that this was a data vulnerability deliberately set up by Rhodes.

Such flaws, when caught, are more believable.

"Do you know how they defeated Earl Falcon's army?"

The water snake leaned forward slightly and asked in a low voice.

"do not know."

Ivan shook his head. "Nobody told me any of this. I only heard that they won a great victory and everyone is bragging about how many people they killed, but there's no other information."

"Shouldn't these kinds of things be easier to find out in taverns?" Ivan countered.

The water snake shook its head. "It's forbidden to inquire about any information about the territory here, and the soldiers are very tight-lipped."

In a remote place like Frostleaf Town, where there are few outsiders, every single one of them receives attention.

The Frostbreath Tavern was also opened by Baron Rhodes, and it was full of his spies.

The water snake dared not ask any questions, fearing it would be captured.

"Then do you know why they collect those rags?" Water Snake's voice began to sound a little impatient.

"Are you crazy?"

Ivan also began to get irritated.
“I’m a slave doing hard labor! I’ve only been here for less than a month, how could I possibly know such confidential information?”

"Watch your attitude!"

The water snake warned sternly and displeasedly, "Remember that your mother and sister are with me. You'd better hurry up and get the information that the lady mentioned."

"lady?"

Ivan's eyes lit up. "Who is this lady you're talking about? Could you ask her to give me a little more time?"

The water snake suddenly realized it had let something slip, quickly shut its mouth, and its tone turned icy.
"That's none of your business. I'll be back, and we'll meet around here again next time."

"I'd better find out the information I need as soon as possible."

After saying that, the water snake didn't give Ivan a chance to reply and turned to leave the alley.

The next second, Vivian's figure emerged from the shadows a few meters away.

"Well done."

Vivian casually made a compliment, then disappeared, chasing after the water snake.

"damn it!"

Ivan couldn't help but curse under his breath, his clenched fist threatening to smash into the wall beside him.

Being a double agent and having to find a way to survive in the cracks is a truly painful thing.

In the end, however, he did not take action. He could only watch the direction the water snake had gone before obediently returning to the manor to report back.

……

……

Nighttime, in the main hall of Winterfall Manor.

Rhodes had already listened to Ivan's report and was lying on the table, tapping his fingers idly on the surface. Ivan next to him kept his head down and didn't dare to say a word.

Avril stood behind Rhodes, massaging his shoulders.

After a moment, Avril spoke up.
"They're back."

"Ah."

Rod responded and sat up, looking towards the front door.

Sure enough, the next moment, Vivian and Lawrence appeared at the door.

Good evening, Your Excellency.

Vivian bowed in greeting, followed closely by Lawrence.

"Okay, let's get down to business."

Rod waved his hand to excuse the formalities between the two and asked, "Have you found out who it is?"

"Master, we've found out."

Lawrence respectfully reported to Rhodes.
"He is the manager of the Ruby Caravan, and his name is Cabin."

Lawrence continued, "The Ruby Caravan is a relatively small caravan. In the past, they didn't trade in the Northern Wastes; they went to the noble territories in the southwest."

"So they came here specifically to target us?"

Rhodes asked, "What is the connection between this Ruby Caravan and Lady Rose?"

Based on the information Ivan just revealed, Rhodes still suspects it's related to Lady Rose.

"As far as I know, there is some, but it's just simple exchanges between caravans,"

Lawrence explained, "But you know, people don't usually have obvious contact when they set up informants, so I think we still need to investigate carefully."

"Okay, I'll leave this to you."

Rhodes nodded in agreement with Lawrence's statement.

If eyeliner is too obvious, it's not called eyeliner, it's called subordinate.

If the other side was so careful when contacting Ivan, then the other side certainly wouldn't be blatant either.

"My lord, how should I answer that water snake question next time...?"

Ivan, who was standing next to him, suddenly asked, "That water snake complained that the data was too vague and hoped that there would be more specific information next time."

"Think of a way yourself. If you were really asked to investigate this information, what would you do?"

Rhodes calmly said, "Then give me a specific plan, and I'll consider what information to give you."

The most authentic information is the information that Ivan can obtain through any means.

Rhodes wouldn't just give it away randomly.

Furthermore, examining Frostleaf Town from Ivan the spy's perspective might allow Rhodes to discover some of Frostleaf Town's vulnerabilities.

If he can't figure it out, then there's nothing Rod can do.

Since we're going to act, we should naturally obtain information based on reality.

You can't just give someone whatever they want; otherwise, it'll be easy for people to see through your act.

"Yes, my lord."

Ivan responded respectfully.

Lawrence turned and left, preparing to deliver a letter to his brother and arrange the next steps.

"Actually, I don't think it needs to be that complicated."

Vivian, who was standing next to her, suddenly spoke up with a suggestion.

A playful smile played on her lips.
“I’ll follow that water snake back to the border town, then see who he contacts, and I’ll kill that person for you.”

Vivian's fingers traced lines in the air, mimicking a cutting motion.

This surprised Rod, who couldn't help but look at Avril beside him.

"It has nothing to do with my sister, it was all my idea!"

Vivian spoke up again, "Your Excellency, you don't know, I was just sitting on the edge of that water snake's bed."

Vivian smiled smugly, her voice filled with excitement and a touch of pride.
"He can't even detect me. If I want to make a move, he could die at any moment."

Rhodes looked Vivian up and down again.

Now Rod was starting to believe that Vivian really was Avril's sister.

Because Avril Lavigne would never so easily utter words that could take someone's life.

"No need, it hasn't come to that point yet."

Rhodes slowly shook his head, his tone firm.

Rhodes knew that Vivian's invisibility ability was very useful, and that her recent training had also yielded results.

But Rhodes did not rashly send Vivian to assassinate anyone, because that would not solve the actual problem.

Those who have grudges against Rhodes now are all nobles; even if they are killed, someone else will take their place.

This is not quite the same as war.

Vivian's abilities would be more suitable for a battlefield setting.

Successfully assassinating the enemy general can at least temporarily leave the enemy leaderless.

If it's an assassination of a nobleman, there are many more issues involved.

More importantly, if even a newly appointed baron like Rhodes keeps a witch, then what about other nobles with more established family backgrounds who might also have other extraordinary abilities?

Rhodes has now realized that this world is becoming increasingly complex, so he is not taking it lightly.

Vivian is my trump card, and I can't use her lightly.

"Don't worry, Vivian, you'll have your chance to prove yourself in the future."

Rhodes stood up and gently patted her shoulder, just as he would with Gunther and Durant.

"Ok."

Vivian shrugged indifferently, "It's up to you. I'm going to eat hot pot."

Vivian gave a simple bow, then jumped into the shadows and disappeared.

After she left, Rod couldn't help but look at Avril.
"Is she really just an alter ego of yours?"

……

……

The meeting between the water snake and Ivan was just a minor incident in Frostleaf Town.

Rod has to handle many small things like this.

Rhodes is now more looking forward to the Snow Rabbit's infrastructure team.

Rhodes' attitude toward the Snow Rabbit and the conditions he offered were a major event for the Earth Ear tribe.

Without any hesitation, Sheryl returned to the cave and convened a meeting of her people, selecting ten of the strongest Snow Rabbits to work for Rhodes.

It also includes Rabet, who has consistently opposed it.

"This is definitely a trap! Absolutely!"

Labette frowned and said fiercely, his rabbit teeth grinding together.

"These evil humans don't want us to work for them; they want to lure us all out, capture us, and sell us for money!"

"Let's hurry back to the cave while there's still time!"

He gripped Sherry's sleeve so tightly it almost tore the animal hide apart.

Sherry turned away helplessly, her long ears drooping, her eyes filled with exhaustion.
“Labette, you’ve been talking about this the whole way.”

She pointed to the soldiers in front of her and said, "Those soldiers who picked us up didn't look like they were going to mess with us. They led us all the way, but they didn't make a move."

“They’ll make their move once they get to that town!” Labette retorted.

"Can you just shut up? I'm annoyed."

"Sheri said somewhat irritably, her long white ears twitching slightly."

“I told you that if you didn’t want to come, you didn’t have to, and I could choose someone else. You insisted on coming anyway.”

Sherry sighed and shook off Labette's grip on her clothes.

"I must follow you, I must protect you!"

Labette retorted loudly.

This caused the soldiers in front to frequently turn around.

However, they were speaking the language of the Snow Hare people, which the soldiers couldn't understand. "Keep your voice down, the wilderness isn't safe, being too loud will attract wild animals," the soldier warned impatiently.

"Ok."

Sherry quickly responded with a smile.

She turned around and glared at Labette.

She had lost all patience.

"enough!"

Sherry tried to keep her voice calm, "None of the dangers you mentioned have occurred!"

"Just you wait, it will definitely happen."

Labette muttered stubbornly in a low voice, his ears twitching uneasily.

Sherry sighed deeply, the white hair on her face trembling slightly with each breath.

"No matter what happens, I hope you will stop talking."

Sherry was really annoyed; she didn't want someone like Labette to meet the lord.

Sherry was terrified that he would offend the lord and cause her to miss the opportunity she had worked so hard to obtain.

"Once we get to town, please don't speak your broken Imperial Common. Thank you for your cooperation."

Even after Sherry finished giving her warning, Labette continued muttering to herself without stopping.

It's just that the loud noise has turned into a quiet muttering.

Sherry ignored Labette.

Following in the footsteps of the soldiers, they finally arrived at Frostleaf Town before nightfall.

But this time Rhodes did not receive them; Lawrence was in charge of them.

"My lord has other matters to attend to, so I will arrange the work for the next few days."

Lawrence's tone was calm and even, with a hint of arrogance.

Having worked in Frostleaf for the past six months, Lawrence has gradually integrated into his role.

He gradually transformed from a humble and flattering businessman into a noble butler with a touch of arrogance and sharpness.

"Yes, thank you for your help, Your Excellency Lawrence."

Sheryl bowed in greeting, and the other snow rabbit people followed suit.

Except for the stubborn Labette.

Lawrence didn't pay much attention, but he kept it in mind.

He wouldn't give scores; his job was simply to relay everyone's performance to Lord Rhodes.

“We are ready to begin work at any time, Lord Lawrence. Please lead the way,” Sherry said.

"It's already evening, let's start tomorrow morning."

Lawrence stood tall and straight, looking down at the snow rabbit man before him.

"You haven't eaten anything, have you?"

"Yes, Lord Lawrence has been on the move and has only eaten some dried meat."

Sherry couldn't help but lick her lips, savoring the taste of the jerky.

The dried meat was shared with them by the soldiers.

"Come with me, there should still be some food left in the slaves' mess hall today."

Lawrence turned around and waved for them to follow.

"They actually fed us leftovers?!"

Labette said in a low, dissatisfied voice.

"Shut up, Labet!"

Sherry glared at him, her face full of displeasure.

Sherry quickly urged her people to follow, ignoring Labet behind them.

Then, guided by Lawrence, they walked through a series of alleyways.

People he encountered bowed or nodded to Lawrence, which made Sherry realize Lawrence's status.

Lawrence nodded in response frequently.

He liked the feeling and had fully enjoyed the pleasure that power brought.

This was something he had never experienced when he was a businessman.

The slaves' dining hall was a spacious wooden hut with a dozen or so tables arranged in an orderly fashion, each with six chairs next to it.

Lawrence went in first.

Sheryl was about to follow.

Meanwhile, Labette quickly caught up with Sherry and emphasized in the language of the Snow Rabbits, "Sherry, I will never eat the leftovers of their slaves."

Sheri ignored him and went straight inside.

Labette then turned to the other members of her tribe and repeated in a low voice,

"Although we Snow Rabbits haven't had a full meal in a long time, we must never eat their leftovers."

"This is an insult to us! We'd rather starve than eat their leftovers!"

The other snow rabbits also just glanced at Labette and ignored her, following Sherry into the cafeteria one by one.

They were still savoring the taste of the dried meat from lunch.

When the women in the slave dining hall saw Lawrence arrive, they all bowed and greeted him: "Lord Lawrence."

Lawrence waved his hand slightly: "They are the lord's newly hired workers. Go and bring up the leftover food from tonight to them."

"Yes, Lord Lawrence."

The women quickly responded and deftly ladled all the food out of the pot, placing each plate on the table.

The slaves only had two dishes, a soup, and some black bread for dinner.

There wasn't much work to do in winter, and both dishes were pickled wild vegetables, mainly to provide salt for the slaves' bodies.

There were some bones and bits of meat in the soup, though.

Although it is very simple, the dishes are all served separately and very neatly.

Each snow rabbit person was given a wooden plate with four compartments, three large and one small, containing two pickled vegetables and a bowl of soup.

The largest compartment contained two large, thick loaves of black bread.

This is Roddy's request.

Rhodes liked order, and even the slaves' meals couldn't be mixed together like pig swill.

At the very least, the dishes shouldn't be served mixed together.

When Sherry saw the neatly arranged food box, her ears perked up in surprise.
"Is this leftover food?"

"Yes, we made too much today, and the slaves didn't finish it."

Lawrence said casually.

"But shouldn't leftovers be all mixed together?"

Sheryl asked hesitantly, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

"Our leftovers are the food that was left after the distribution, not the food that the slaves ate."

Lawrence felt his words were a bit convoluted, and waved his hand impatiently.

"Hurry up and eat. After you finish, I'll take you to rest. You need to get up early to work tomorrow."

"If you want to gain the lord's approval, you need to produce results as soon as possible."

"Okay okay."

Sherry nodded quickly, disregarding etiquette, and immediately sat down. She grabbed a piece of black bread with her paw, put it in her mouth, and took a big bite.

Human bread is really delicious!
Sherry couldn't help but squint her eyes.

The human Aura once taught the Dir tribe how to make bread, but it was too much work, and they never did it again after that Aura left.

The main reason was that the Bloodscale Tribe attacked nearby human settlements, leaving the Earth Ear Tribe with nowhere to exchange rye.

The other snow rabbit people were equally unceremonious, picking up the bread and tearing and gnawing at it, then chewing it quickly like rabbits.

The pickled vegetables were also delicious, and the Snow Rabbit people ate them with great relish.

Standing still, Labet couldn't help but swallow hard as he watched his tribesmen wolf down their food.

His Adam's apple bobbed noticeably, and there was a hint of struggle in his eyes.

But Labette was bound by his earlier boastful words.

Lawrence was unaware of their conversation.

Seeing Labette frozen in place, Lawrence looked at Sherry: "Why isn't this big guy eating? Can you guys stop wasting your time?"

"Good good!"

Sherry quickly turned her head and pulled Labette down to sit.
"Eat quickly, don't waste time!"

Labette swallowed hard again, his face flushed red, and he clenched his fists nervously.

"I……"

After hesitating for a moment, he looked up at Xue Rui.

Sherry didn't have time to pay attention to him; she was focused on chewing her bread.

"Elder Labette, please eat quickly."

A member of the tribe nearby took a moment to remind him, then lowered his head and continued eating.

Labette controlled herself, pondered for a moment, but still couldn't resist raising her paw and grabbing at the black bread.

Then a gurgling sound came from his stomach.

He held the black bread in front of him, gritted his teeth, and took a big bite.

The next moment, Labette's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but grin, revealing a goofy smile.
"good to eat!"

Upon taking the first bite, Labette went into a frenzy, shoving bread into his mouth relentlessly.

Even though they were the last to start eating, they were the first to finish.

Lawrence was dumbfounded.

No wonder he's the strongest among these snow rabbit people.

After the snow rabbits had finished eating and were leaning back in their chairs with satisfied burps, Lawrence led them to their lodgings.

This was a separate slave dormitory, which Lawrence had prepared in advance.

After giving them a few words of advice and telling them to get some rest, Lawrence left.

"Is black bread delicious?"

Sherry looked at Labette and asked with a smile.

Labette burped, and his face immediately turned bright red.

He wanted to say something, but in the end he lowered his head and remained silent.

Sherry didn't let him off the hook, saying, "If it were really like you say, we would have fainted by now."

"If this is not a problem, I can always work a little more tomorrow!"

Labette turned his face to the side and loudly assured them, "I've done more than any of you."

"You ate the most too."

"Hahahaha!"

Xue Rui's words immediately drew laughter from the tribespeople.

She looked at her people and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

It had been a long time since everyone had been this happy, since they had been hunted down by the Bloodscale Tribe.

I really hope that these days can last forever.

……

……

The next morning.

Lawrence arrived at the dormitory wearing a thick fur coat.

The snow rabbits were already prepared and were sitting at the table waiting.

Lawrence nodded slightly upon seeing this, and then treated them to breakfast.

After Sherry and the other snow rabbit people had eaten and drunk their fill, Lawrence led them to the construction site.

"This is a cellar that was only half-dug before. We've only dug the first layer; we still need a second layer of ice cellar."

Lawrence pointed to the cave on the ground and explained.

The cellar was more difficult to dig than I had imagined.

Soft soil layers are prone to collapse, while rocky or hard clay soils are difficult to excavate, and require a lot of time and effort.

The most important consideration is the stability of the internal structure to prevent collapse.

It's important to understand that the cellar wasn't just an ordinary cave, but a spacious area.

The construction of deep ice cellars is even more difficult.

Lawrence handed the drawings to Sherry.
"Since you can handle it, then the rest is up to you."

"The lord's requirement is a two-story building, with a basement level for storage and a second floor for use as an ice cellar."

"The lord wants more than just this. If this matter is handled well, you will have food to eat in the future."

"Please rest assured, Lord Lawrence!"

Sherry patted his chest and confidently assured, "I will definitely satisfy your esteemed lord!"

(End of this chapter)