King of the North: My Lord's Diary Weekly Summary

"In the early stages of establishing a territory, the most important factors are serfs and peasants."

They represent the workforce, directly impacting the speed of construction and production capacity of the territory.

Just as Wayne was pondering what policies he should adopt to attract more people, the information in the population column made him frown.

"Blacksmith Soel".

Basic information: 46 years old, 20 years of blacksmithing experience, has worked in several baronies including Baron Becken, expects a salary of 20 gold per year (equivalent to the purchase power of the gold, excluding labor income).

Expected benefits: In addition to the Northern Blacksmith Exemption Act, the recipient expects a house, a settlement allowance of 15 gold, and 10 acres of private land. (Same as above)

Services offered: At least two days per week can be dedicated to forging ironware for the lord; other services are negotiable.

"Stonemason Ebin..."

"Hunter Suren..."

"Maid Mia..."

Wayne flipped through several pages of the booklet but didn't find any information about a single farmer.

He quickly asked Simon beside him, "Sir Simon, may I ask which page contains the peasants and serfs?"

Simon smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I forgot to explain to you. Regarding the farmers, we have a requirement—you cannot make any changes to their treatment before they enter your territory."

After all, as lords, if we internally continue to improve the preferential treatment we give to people in order to attract them, we will not be the ones who ultimately benefit.

The basic treatment for farmers in the North was uniform: at least 3 acres of standard farmland, up to one-fifth of the taxes, and up to three days of labor service per week—it was just not as harsh as that of the lords.

Of course, you can rest assured that the appointment of the new baron will become news in the North, and those who need him will come to your territory on their own. As for how many people to keep and what kind of treatment to give them, that is all up to you.

Incidentally, your initial purchase details, origin, and profile will also be circulated among the people of the North to help them make a judgment.

As for serfs, we generally advise obtaining them locally—after all, the population of the North is not large, and sometimes even barons and viscounts acquire slaves through conquest.

Hearing this, Wayne finally had a more concrete understanding of the population and social conditions in the North.

He nodded: "Thank you for clearing up my doubts."

After thinking it over, Wayne decided to keep 50 gold coins as working capital. Even if he left the duchy, gold coins would not be as easy to convert into cash as they were now, but they would still be a reliable item to improve public satisfaction, trade with caravans, and even manage personal relationships.

With the remaining 200-odd gold coins, he decided to go all in on the technician's annual salary.

Wayne filled out the information of ten blacksmiths who were interested in his services—the first two who agreed to his treatment would be escorted to his territory.

He then used the remaining 120-odd gold coins primarily to hire some carpenters and stonemasons, as well as a dozen professional servants and several cooks.

The former was mainly used for early-stage infrastructure construction—his soldiers could be used as labor for chopping wood and mining, but infrastructure construction was still too much of a burden for them.

The latter can provide him with some of the management experience of other lords, including the selection of lord's house locations and management measures for self-owned camps.

As for a steward, he simply couldn't afford one—the cheapest one required a hefty annual salary of 70 gold coins.

The gold coins were naturally handed over to the Duke, who would exchange them for trading vouchers bearing the Duke's seal and a portrait of the owner—effectively preventing the escort of technical personnel from being robbed in the bandit-infested North.

Furthermore, the technicians were not afraid that their lords would default on their debts—the vouchers were equally valid in duchies.

Total spending: 970 gold coins.

Wayne pushed the parchment, now filled with writing, toward Simon: "That's all for now, Your Excellency. When will they arrive in my territory?"

"Resources will arrive before you reach the territory, and as for technicians and livestock... it will probably be within a week."

Edmund handed the list to the butler who had just entered and was waiting: "Father?"

Duke Quinto, who had been observing quietly, finally spoke: "Baron Wayne, your territory documents."

He took out another parchment stamped with sealing wax from the drawer:

"After signing, you will be the legal owner of that land, enjoying all the rights of a lord, such as taxation, conscription, and trials—and of course, corresponding obligations, including responding to my call, abiding by the rules of the North, and maintaining the security of the roads and borders."

Wayne took the document, carefully read the terms and the Northern Regulations, and signed his name after confirming that everything was correct.

"Well then, good luck."

The Duke stood up, signifying that he was seeing the guests out: "Toch, arrange for them to have breakfast in their guest rooms, and then send someone to escort them safely to their respective territories."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The butler bowed slightly.

"Baron Wayne, please follow me."

Wayne took three booklets: a geography handbook of the North, a lord's handbook, and a rules handbook. After bowing, he followed Butler Toki out of the study.

What do you think of him?

The Duke took out another thick notebook from the drawer, opened it, and each page contained a portrait and related notes.

However, most of the portraits have been marked with a bright red cross.

Simon pondered for a moment and gave his assessment: "He is only slightly better than others, and he is not well-suited to the rules of the North—he has not even expanded his military forces because of that young knight who has not yet reached the second tier."

I plan to talk to Ethan and the others and ask them to keep him for a few months so he can help us clear the land over the Ice Scar River.

The Duke looked at the confident expression on his heir's face and slowly exhaled.

This was the first time Simon had misjudged someone his own age.

"This probing was led by Kesa himself. He received instructions from the central government, and his goal was to kill this kid."

But it was he who got slaughtered.

……

"call--"

As Wayne stepped out of the main building, he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

The Duke's aura was so strong that I was so nervous that it took me until now to realize that he had tacitly approved of last night's attack.

However, Wayne didn't feel any ill will towards the Duke's actions—his rules had provided him with a lot of convenience, at least allowing him to exchange gold coins for real resources.

Moreover, he had, after all, passed the Duke's threshold.

Although perhaps if he could protect these southerners, his elder brother might be able to reach the territory alive...

Having enjoyed the most lavish meal he'd had in days, Wayne looked back at the exquisite and luxurious castle one last time before leaving the manor.

Will he have such a manor or estate in the future?

He glanced at the silver book mark on his hand, and with a thought, a transparent card that only he could see appeared in his hand.

It definitely will!

Now, they will be escorted to the Duke's territory by the troops arranged by him.

And then... let's get started!