Mist Lord

With spoils far exceeding his expectations, Xia Yuan returned to his territory.

"Satir!"

"Owner!"

"These half-elf archers are all under your care. For now, they can be housed in civilian residences. We'll build a barracks later when conditions permit."

"Yes, sir!"

The elven race actually has an inherent dislike for half-elves.

Because of her own experience as a slave, Satir didn't have much prejudice against the half-elf archers, who were also slaves.

Xia Yuan then summoned three craftsmen, Wang Er, Zhang Tie, and Pi Laogen, and instructed them on the integration of the weapons workshop. "After the integration, Zhang Tie will be in charge of the weapons workshop for the time being."

The new blacksmith may be more skilled, but he is still not as pleasing to the eye as the old man Zhang Tie.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tie trembled with excitement and immediately knelt down, kowtowing, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I will do my utmost and never let you down!"

This time, they've really made it big.

He and his two sons had spent their entire lives as blacksmiths, but now that he's taken over the military workshop, it's no exaggeration to say he's soared to new heights. Such a wonderful job and opportunity would have been unthinkable even in their wildest dreams before.

Now that it has come true, how can I not be moved to tears?

Didn't you see how envious Wang Er was, almost crying? Although he arrived earlier than Zhang Tie and was more trusted by the master, he was just an ordinary carpenter and couldn't possibly shoulder the responsibility of the military workshop.

So while I may envy them, I can't really feel jealous.

It's my own fault for being incompetent.

An incredible opportunity fell into his lap, but he lacked the talent to seize it, leaving him with nothing but regret.

"Wang Er, wait a minute!"

After Zhang Tie led the newly arrived craftsmen to settle in, Xia Yuan called Wang Er aside.

"Master, I, I, I will definitely cooperate with Zhang Tie."

Wang Er thought his master suspected him of being upset, so he quickly pledged his loyalty, his legs trembling.

"That's not it."

Xia Yuan shook his head with amusement, not expecting the other party to be so afraid.

Little did he know that with each great victory his territory achieved, its rapid expansion outwards, and its military strength growing daily, he, the lord, was practically a god descended to earth in the eyes of Wang Er and his serfs. He seemed to possess an aura of authority, radiating an unapproachable majesty.

How could we not be in awe?

It's likely that if Xia Yuan sneezed, the serfs would tremble.

Especially with the influx of a new batch of serfs, people like Wang Er, who had no skills but occupied a good position, were even more worried about being replaced.

Fear is only natural.

"I'll give you two choices."

Although Xia Yuan was calm, he was never a mean-spirited or ignorant person.

"First, enter the military workshop and assist Zhang Tie."

"Secondly, he will serve as my attendant and handle miscellaneous tasks for me."

As the first serf purchased by the territory, Wang Er was not only diligent but also had a rare wit, which Xia Yuan wanted to keep by his side.

As the population of his territory grew, he was no longer able to do many things himself, and he did need someone to run errands for him.

Take this incident for example. The grain brought back had to be sent to the granary, the serfs had to be properly resettled, and all other supplies had to be inventoried and stored. How could we possibly manage all of that?

"Sir, I choose option two!"

Without a second thought, Wang Er immediately knelt down and kowtowed, afraid of being too late.

You'd better think this through.

Xia Yuan's gaze was calm as he slowly said, "If you enter the military workshop and make meritorious contributions in the future, you will have the opportunity to get rid of your slave status. It's different for followers; they can only be slaves for generations, and their whole family will be slaves."

Logically, everything in Mingguang Village, including the land, population, and resources, belongs to Xia Yuan as his private property, and he can dispose of it however he wants. However, in order to motivate labor, it might be worth considering freeing some slaves from their servitude and restoring them to civilian status.

"Sir, I choose option two!"

Without any hesitation, Wang Er kowtowed repeatedly.

In his mind, being a servant was never a shameful thing. Who would want to suffer in the armory when they could be a follower by the master's side? Even if they were offered the position of manager of the armory, they wouldn't do it. Sticking to the master's coattails was the best policy.

"In that case, your whole family will work at the lord's manor from now on."

Wang Er's wife is a master cook. Now that the mansion has a cook, won't life get better?

"Thank you for your guidance, sir! I will be careful in everything I do and will never try to cheat or shirk my responsibilities!"

Wang Er was overjoyed; his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Alright, your whole family will move to the lord's courtyard later."

After the upgrade, the lord's courtyard finally resembled a mansion. Although it was only a single courtyard, it had everything: a main hall, east and west wing rooms, a kitchen, a toilet, and a storage room.

That's why Xia Yuan thought of recruiting Wang Er's family as servants in his mansion.

From now on, we'll never have to fight with the sword-and-shield dogs for barbecue again; we can have our own private kitchen. We also won't have to force ourselves to squeeze into the corner public toilet every morning, feeling nauseous.

It's hard to explain just thinking about it.

If the Lord's Courtyard hadn't been upgraded in time, Xia Yuan would have been ready to move into that empty courtyard residence.

Otherwise, it would be too shabby for a lord to live like that.

"Also, organize all the serfs and the purchased supplies properly, make sure nothing goes wrong. Especially the grain we brought back this time, it will be the territory's food supply for a long time to come."

One hundred thousand catties of grain was already the limit Pei Ye could provide for free; it would be difficult to get more after that, and they would have to find their own way.

"Don't worry, sir, I will handle it perfectly!"

As a newly appointed official, Wang Er was extremely vigilant and dared not be careless in the slightest. If he messed up the job and disappointed his master, he might as well just strangle himself with a rope.

.........

After dealing with Wang Er, Xia Yuan turned around and went to the courtyard houses next to the sword and shield dog training camp.

This place will serve as a temporary base for the half-elf archers.

Like the lord's courtyard, the courtyard residence is also a single-entrance courtyard. If you squeeze in, it can accommodate 5-10 families, and it can easily house 35 half-elf archers.

"Owner!"

When Xia Yuan arrived, Satir quickly came to greet him, and Elua was also there.

"Will it be useful in tomorrow's battle?"

Soldiers were imprisoned in slave camps for long periods of time, which easily wore down their bodies and made them unable to fight anymore.

"The situation is better than expected."

Satir replied with a smile, "They haven't been held for long. Eat more today and rest for the night. They should be fine tomorrow."

"That's good!"

Xia Yuan nodded slightly. "Elua, please take a break and stay in the courtyard tonight to look after them."

Half-elf archers include both men and women, some honest and others less so. Only by spending time with them can one discern who can be trusted and who requires caution.

"Yes, sir!"

Elua was also born a slave. Although she was not as magnanimous as Satir, she would never disobey Xia Yuan's will.

This is precisely the time to prove her worth.

"Here, take this!"

Xia Yuan was indeed generous, handing Elua 75 Mist Sprout Crystals to help her upgrade from four and a half stars to five stars. They were both elven slave girls, so he couldn't show too much favoritism.

"Thank you for the gift, Master!"

Elua accepted it with delight, almost bursting into tears. "Waaah, my master finally remembered me!"

loyalty!!!

.........

Xia Yuan and Satir walked one after the other towards the Misty Lighthouse.

Satir was also carrying the bronze gargoyle on her back.

This is a powerful weapon for protecting the borders in the early stages of the territory, so it must be placed in place as soon as possible.