LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 38: The Price of Prosperity
Upon arriving in the study, Faelan noticed the Baron had dark circles under his eyes, a pale face, and a haggard appearance, rubbing his finger over some papers. The room, lined with large bookshelves and knightly swords and shields hanging on the sides, would intimidate anyone from a commoner background.
Approaching the study, Faelan lowered his body and respectfully said, "Good evening, Your Excellency, Baron."
The Baron, interrupted, turned his eyes on him and said, "Sit down. Wait for me to finish first."
After a while, rubbing his eyes, the Baron said, "Political officer, right? Welcome to Eladoria. I hope our hospitality meets your satisfaction, and please give my blessings to Baron Arvind on stabilizing Ravengarde."
"Thank you for your consideration of our barony, and Lord Arvind will be pleased with your blessings. My team and I are satisfied with our gains, and the townspeople are nice. As for me, I am in charge of commerce and trade..."
The Baron raised his eyebrows and said, "That is the same. You have noticed the nexus disturbances along the way, right? Crop failures, abnormal weather patterns, and the town has been flooded with refugees."
"The nexus disturbances are not isolated incidents. If left unchecked, the effects will ripple through neighboring territories, including Ravengarde. Famine, displaced populations, and resource conflicts—that is not what Baron Arvind wants, right? We could join a coalition to share our resources and tackle this crisis, eventually restoring order to the region..."
Even though Ravengarde's capability is questionable, having help is better than not. Other nobles only replied with polite words; who knows when their assistance will arrive. They have been searching for ways to fix this crisis, but the mages only talk big.
Faelan leaned back in his chair and said, "I understand your situation and concern. The coalition is a great proposal, but our barony is undergoing reforms and is focused on stabilizing itself. So I have to disappoint you, Your Excellency. The barony has no energy for other matters at the moment."
"Yet, as good neighbors, Lord Arvind knows that helping each other is a responsibility as nobles of the Kingdom. We plan to increase our trade with Eladoria by selling grain, weapons, and medicinal herbs. We hope Your Excellency succeeds in bringing stability to the region. May Almighty Dues be with you..."
The barony has the resources to solve the crisis, but that will harm their interests. They must leverage it to lift the barony's isolation status and develop the economy. Even though it hurts the conscience, my lord is right—developing Ravengarde is the priority at the moment.
The Baron withdrew his gaze, smiled bitterly, and said, "Mn, then I hope Baron Arvind finishes his stabilization efforts soon."
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After Faelan left, the Baron reflected on the day. He recalled the mediocre son of Count Eldric being conferred to Ravengarde. Many nobles had predicted his downfall, counting the days until his son came crying back home. But now it seemed that Arvind was more cunning and a hidden tiger among them. The Baron hoped the region would not become turbulent, though an alliance was not impossible.
He shook his head, stood up, and glanced out the window.
On his way back, Faelan's mind raced with calculations. Time would not wait for them, and today's events showed that the regional dynamics would become increasingly complicated. They needed to speed up trade and develop Ravengarde at lightning speed. The barony had to strengthen its defenses to deter even the boldest threats. But with his lord's reform progress, perhaps they could emerge as a formidable force.
Faelan noticed that darkness was approaching and hurried on his way.
---
Night had enveloped Ravengarde, where the flicker of candlelight glimmered in three villages.
A cheerful atmosphere spread as they welcomed the Festival of Luminescence. Many emerged from their homes with lanterns, walking towards the river, forest, or mountain, led by the temple elder. They offered thanks to Mother Earth for her grace. Children wandered with smiles, while their parents huddled together, praying with hopeful looks at their leader.
In Ashford, the town was lively as the lanterns turned night into day. Townsfolk emerged cheerfully, etched with smiles. This was the first time they welcomed the festival with a hopeful mindset and looked forward to the future. Some of the older generation sighed, glancing around. The roar of beasts and the worry of hunger during the cold winter had changed, like a dream come true, all thanks to Lord Baron.
At the center of the square stood a rudimentary platform, lanterns hanging on the sides, and in the center, a large fire elemental crystal hung, casting a bright light throughout the square. The crystal had been activated to emit fire element.
Everyone from various departments was present today, sitting and facing the crowd. Eldrin waved his hand around, smiling. Ashford was not like before anymore; they had emerged from the storm and would spread their wings, flying above. "May Mother Earth's blessings be upon us."
On his right, Anika's eyes glanced around and noticed Bramir chatting with old men, their arms moving vigorously as they spoke. She then noticed an old man with a staff approaching them, radiating warmth and nature. Upon noticing him, Bramir addressed him respectfully. He should be the elder of the Land Spirit Temple in Ashford.
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Shankar glanced at the cheerful townsfolk, a smile spreading across his wrinkled face. "The risk you've carried seems worth it, my lord, although the consequences have yet to be seen."
"I know what you mean, Shankar. Treating the serfs better does bring clashes with traditionalists. We are short of people, and the serfs were wasted on farming alone. If I have to sacrifice noble interests for Ravengarde's development and power, it is worth it," Arvind said, glancing at the crowd below with a satisfied smile, believing that treating serfs better was worth the risk for Ravengarde's development and power.
Shankar nodded, understanding the implications of Arvind's words.
A few minutes later, Arvind stood, walked to the stage, and began his speech. He spoke about how they had made changes through their own efforts, including military improvements.
"I see you are tired from waiting. I finished my speech and wish you all a happy Luminescence Day. May the gods bring light and happiness to you all..." The townsfolk cheered loudly, their voices resounding through the square, as Arvind descended from the stage.
Aldric glanced at the cheerful townsfolk with mixed feelings. Observing how Ashford had transformed over the previous months, he thought, perhaps my lord is right, but my lord should focus on military campaigns and maintain a noble aura. Not wasting money on civilians, but solely on equipping knights with weapons. With strong military power, Ravengarde will definitely become a big tiger in the region and eventually, Ashford will become prosperous.
An elder from the Land Spirit Temple prayed and performed a traditional ritual. The townsfolk followed along below, and with a wave of his staff, a surge of nature energy came from all directions and surrounded his staff. With his command, the energy enveloped everyone present, healing illnesses and bringing them the warmth of Mother Earth.
The nature energy was a general energy, like a forest, unlike elemental energy which is akin to individual trees. This was the energy that shamans derived their power from. However, it is weak compared to active elemental energy.
Upon seeing Arvind's stunned expression, Erik sneered, "It's just a fair. How can it be stronger than our almighty Dues, the true god? Even the shamans are not as powerful as mages and knights who get their power from elemental energy. My lord, you have to remember all things are made up of elemental energy..."
Arvind regained his composure and nodded to Erik. Atheron is really not to be underestimated. There are many things that, in his previous life, were considered fallacies but are possible here. My knight level is still weak compared to the big tiger, especially the empire, which is rumored to be guarded by legendary powerhouses. It is said that they can manipulate space and bend reality, feats considered impossible at the Sky Knight level.
That night, all over Ravengarde, people engaged in traditional dances, magic performances, and shared food with their families. Anika smiled a lot and was exhausted from dancing around.
The next day, as the morning sun rose above the horizon, its rays glared into the eyes of the townsfolk who stood waiting for their turn to be recruited. Chatter buzzed around the square, with people of various ages, from young to middle-aged, aspiring to work in the two departments recruiting today and become the glorious workers who would bring money and smiles to their families.
On the right side, Aldric walked around, scrutinizing the long line. Upon arrival, he said to the foreman, "You should consider the strong and muscular among them. We need them to construct our barracks. Keep in mind, the weak are not eligible. Have you got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Great! Keep it up," Aldric nodded, satisfied, arms crossed. They won't have to sleep on the ground anymore. Previously, tents reinforced with wood served as their barracks, which was disappointing, considering the Barony's condition was better than not.
Arvind's father's count barracks were magnificent, with senior knights leading the knight order and many apprentice knights. They were the count's sharp sword, yet now Aldric had become a leader despite being one of the middle leaders there. The Barony's military was still weak and could not compare to the count's, especially the new recruits, whose combat effectiveness was questionable.
Despite that weakness, the Barony is not to be underestimated among barons. The average baron has two intermediate knights who can be eliminated by me alone, and with Erik, the soldiers won't stand a chance except against barons with long histories.
He shook his head, turned back, and noticed the soldiers assisting with the recruitment. Approaching the junior knights, he said smugly,
"Do you see that wall? It was built under my management. We didn't have the luxury of experienced foremen and masons to assist in building, but with my experience serving as a knight under the count, we built it, and now it is almost complete." He pointed at the towering wall surrounding Ashford. As they offered their admiration and praise, he raised his head high, as proud as a peacock.
Aldric noticed another line on the left. After instructing the three regarding the recruitment, he walked over, arms crossed behind him, and scrutinized the area. "Choose strong and muscular men; they have to work in the mine. Hey, are you listening? Forget it. Where is your chief?"
The recruitment staff, sweating profusely, quickly pointed and calmed his beating heart as Aldric moved out of sight. Earlier, Chief Bramir had informed him that these workers were for water wheel construction. Who knew what the chief's thought was? He waved his hand to continue.
Upon noticing Bramir selecting workers, Aldric said, "Bramir, when will you start mining iron ore? Our department desperately needs it. The soldiers have been complaining about not having iron weapons. To make swords and shields from blacksmith Rurik, it all depends on the speed of your department's supply of iron ore. Anyway, this recruitment should be for mining..."
Bramir stopped his quill pen, stretched, and said sarcastically, "Who got a huge sum of funds before? It was us, not your department! Look at us; we have to scrape every pebble just to get enough workers for our project. The minerals should come later. But since this is a fair, why doesn't your department mine yourselves? That would solve everything..."
"That's your department's job, not ours. Anyway, you must mine it, and my lord will prioritize us over you. Haha..." Aldric's laugh echoed as he walked out.
Bramir's back trembled, and kicked the table, causing it to bang and roll to the side, leaving the townsfolk and apprentices wide-eyed, mouths agape, some leaning backward, scared away by the big tiger's talk.
After taking deep breaths, Bramir steadied himself and said, "What are you standing there for? Quick, time is up! And you townsfolk, don't you want your job anymore?" The recruitment resumed, but the seed of a headache for Bramir began to grow as time passed.
The recruitment concluded smoothly. With Aldric's swift actions, they arrived at the military camp with the workers. They began to dig the foundation, some cutting trees with axes, led by experienced workers. They quickly cut dozens of logs on the ground, each following their task like an ant colony, with logistics assigned to another group.
On the building site, Aldric walked around, pointing out deficiencies and smiling with satisfaction. "My lord's new construction method really speeds up the work. It's unbelievable that the townsfolk can be so efficient, unlike the chaotic workers in Silverhold City."
In the north side of Ashford, dozens of wheat fields lay adjacent to the muddy road. Warm breezes swayed Bramir's clothes as his eyes squinted at the Luna Stream, about 40 meters wide. The river flowed gently northward, said to originate from the tall mountains in the west.
A few minutes later, his apprentice approached with an experienced serf and said quietly, "Chief, we found that the shoreline soil seems looser than our initial survey. The soil is mixed with sand, and water is seeping, causing it to lose stability when standing. This may risk collapsing during construction. So we have to stop the workers first and wait for your instructions."
"You've done a good job," Bramir said, rubbing his chin. He glanced at the old serf and asked, "What are your thoughts on the loose soil? Any solution to suggest?"
"Sir Steward, during farming, when the road turned muddy, we used bamboo and stone so we could walk again. So... I think we can use that idea."
Bramir tapped his forehead in realization and said, "Clever solution, thank you."
The older man smiled sheepishly and followed them, the others giving him a thumbs-up.
In Elador city, dozens of people surrounded the caravan with their families. Children grabbed their mothers' legs, glancing curiously at Faelan, who was busy counting the craftsmen and listing their information on parchment.
On the way back, they decided to bring many craftsmen with their families, even an apprentice most craftsmen being skeptical about the promises of a better life. It wasn't that Ravengarde was tempting enough for the craftsmen, but the crisis left them helpless. High food prices, elemental poisoning, and turbulent weather made them just want to stay away from it all.
Now, they have bought hammers, molds, chisels, saws, and various tools required by blacksmiths, carpenters, and masons. They also bought various ores, several chicken chicks, and a dozen pairs of cattle to supplement animal husbandry, hoping these animals could benefit the barony. The expensive wine for my lord cost 10 gold coins each, which pained him. With all these purchases, they were left with only 60 gold coins from 130.
"Enough! With these thirty craftsmen, let's prepare to set up. We need to arrive at Ravengarde early—the weather is starting to worsen," Faelan said, waving his hand to stop. Jen and the others nodded, and the craftsmen and their families entered the wagon. Faelan grabbed the reins, and they began their journey back.
As they journeyed back, the story of Ravengarde and their caravan spread through the marketplace, even reaching the ears of many merchants. The desolate and isolated barony began to be considered a potential trade route by many merchants. However, the bad reputation of Ravengarde still could not be forgotten.
To be continued...