Lord: Starting from the Pit-Dwelling Courtyard

Chapter 167 July 14th

Outside the town hall window, militiamen were already hanging colorful flags.

Old Hall's voice came from afar, directing people to set up a long table.

Preparations for the harvest festival had already begun, and Ron looked away from the window.

"What are their habits?"

"The roots of the ground potato prefer sunlight and dislike shade, but the vines and branches do not like direct sunlight. Through experiments and comparisons, I found that the yield of ground potato vines exposed to direct sunlight is 30% lower than that of vines in the shade."

Tang En even took notes on this, truly befitting his background as an agricultural official.

"Therefore, I suggest increasing the planting density of ground potatoes on the tower, as long as the roots are exposed on the cliff."

Ron was very surprised by Ton's discovery.

Ron asked, "How much more can that be?"

Tang En confidently stated, "Originally, it was about three mu, but now I am confident that I can increase it to ten mu. The experimental field at the first tower is the best evidence of that."

Ron's lips twitched slightly.

Each tower adds ten acres of sweet potato fields; this is forcing themselves to be tough and build a large number of tall towers for Fengshou Town.

Ron said seriously, "I understand. I will do my best to build the towers for you during my stay in Harvest Town, and try to increase the number of towers to ten after the Harvest Festival."

Tang En replied matter-of-factly, "Ten towers would yield a hundred acres of land, enough to keep us busy for half a month. Please come again in half a month and build ten more towers for us."

Ron's lips twitched slightly; this guy was really going to drain him dry!

Ron nodded helplessly, "I'll do my best to arrange it!"

Ron mentally made a list: the south city wall of the main city should be built, the smelting furnace in Tieling Town should be improved, the second phase of the Gorubike Fortress should be planned, and the tower in Harvest Town should be built.

He wished he could split himself into four pieces.

"Young Master, everything has been arranged," Old Hall's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Okay!" Ron replied, patting Ton on the shoulder. "We can talk about these things tomorrow. Today is a great day to celebrate our harvest."

Tang En couldn't help but grin as he thought about the bumper harvest.

He served as an agricultural official his entire life. Fengshou Town had the least amount of land under his jurisdiction, yet its harvest was the highest in history.

As for his improved experimental varieties, they won't be harvested until next month, after which all will be kept for seed to continue expanding the planting area.

Kind.

Those are the foundation of the territory's future food supply. Perhaps in a few years, earth potato will no longer be the territory's staple food.

I came out of the town hall.

Colorful flags hung from the town hall all the way to the city wall. Mrs. Moriel and her team of strong women had sewn them from coarse linen, in red, yellow, blue, and green, which fluttered in the wind of the wasteland.

Old Hall directed the militia to set up long tables along the main street, with coarse linen tablecloths covering the surfaces and pottery jars used to weigh down the corners.

Tang En and his men wove the sweet potato vines they had just picked that morning into rings and placed them in the center of each table.

On the long table, black bread was piled up like a small mountain, wild vegetable and meat soup was topped with oil, roasted sweet potatoes were arranged on a large wooden plate, and thin slices of meat from an unknown wild animal were sizzling on a hot plate.

A stack of white bread appeared on the long table left for the militia and city guards. It was sifted bread made from rock starch without any sawdust, which Ron had specifically ordered.

The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes mingled with the savory flavor of meat broth, wafting from one end of the long table to the other, drawing in the people who had been squatting on the street corner.

Reynolds squatted on the street corner, eating a piece of roast meat bigger than his face, his face glistening with oil.

After their injuries healed, their mercenary squad chose to go to Harvest Town to serve.

Reynolds was chosen by Hilden to become his knightly apprentice because of his outstanding chivalry and literacy.

Hilden planned to keep him by his side for a period of time to train him properly before sending him to the knight training camp in the main city. There, the lord had the most suitable facilities and venues for training knight apprentices, and the lord himself would teach them. It was a holy land for knights in the hearts of everyone in the territory.

Those knights who broke through with Ron's help were especially grateful.

Under Ron's guidance, more and more people became knight apprentices and knights, and Ron was gradually deified by these people.

When Thun led Green's squad down from the North Wall for their shift change, Shanlier stuffed several skewers of roasted meat into their hands.

Ron walked out of the town hall and stood on the steps looking out onto the main street.

The streets were full of people, not the silent lines of people waiting for relief, nor the tense queues when alarm bells were ringing.

Everyone was laughing. He picked up a glass of light ale from the table and raised it to the crowd.

"From now on, July 14th will be our harvest festival. On this day, all farmers will have a day off to celebrate the harvest together. Gentlemen, drink to the fullest."

Upon hearing the lord's address, everyone erupted in deafening cheers.

Ron downed the ale in his glass in one gulp, the liquid sliding down his throat with a slightly astringent taste. He turned the glass upside down and waved it at the crowd, which cheered even louder.

Transporting ale from Gorubak Castle was not cheap, so apart from the territorial officials and the city guards and militia, ordinary citizens only had water with a little honey in their cups.

This is the best offer the territory can make right now.

This method of holding banquets proved to be very effective.

The entire town of Harvest was filled with laughter and joy, and many ordinary residents improved their relationship with the Green people as a result, with many even starting to put their arms around each other.

Nothing in the tribe can be solved with just one meal; if one meal isn't enough, then two will do.

Matic gazed at the harmonious scene in his territory and fell into deep thought.

In the past, when the kingdom held the harvest festival, only nobles and high-ranking knights could participate. The scene was solemn, as if it were a religious ceremony, which always made Matic very uncomfortable.

But today's harvest festival bonfire dance made Matic feel more comfortable and relaxed than ever before.

Soon, some people started dancing wildly around the campfire, which made many people laugh heartily.

Matic couldn't help but burst into laughter. The next second, he felt himself being pulled, and by the time he realized what was happening, he had been dragged to the campfire.

It turns out the person who pulled him was Leonardo da Vinci.

"Let's dance together on happy days!"

Matic hurriedly waved his hand, but Leonardo da Vinci grabbed one of his hands and started gesturing wildly.

The next second, Hilden joined in, grabbing Matic's other hand and starting to dance in circles with the group.

From initial awkwardness to complete integration, Matic only needed a few minutes.

Ron, watching from the stands, couldn't help but chuckle.

Old Hall chuckled and said, "Young master, this bonfire party was absolutely worth it."

Ron clapped his hands in response to the sounds produced by the simple musical instrument.

"Proper relaxation is good for physical and mental health. Since arriving in the wasteland, the people of the territory have been suppressed for too long. Every day, apart from busy work, they have no rest at all. Over time, that will only make people numb and lose their enthusiasm for life. If the people of the territory all show a numb and hopeless look, such a territory will not last long. Only when the people are strong and prosperous can I, as the lord, be truly strong and prosperous."

Old Hall was silent for a few moments, then lowered his wine glass slightly.

"Young master, what you just said—that a powerful and wealthy lord is the true master of his people"—I've remembered.