Evil dragon has a warm heart

Chapter 69 - 69 69 Old Groom

?Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Old Groom Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Old Groom “Sir is a genius of the swordsmanship.”

After subsequent bouts purely competing in Battle Qi martial skills, Phantom Beast Knight Eric had no choice but to admit this fact.

Russell, who had been a little clumsy before, had become an extremely skilled master of swordsmanship overnight.

“Radiant Swordsmanship Technique,” a common swordsmanship skill found everywhere, shone anew in Russell’s hands, as elegant as a butterfly.

In terms of pure swordsmanship skill, he was already able to crush Eric.

Russell executed a beautiful sword flourish, sheathed his fine steel longsword, and tossed it to the manservant Ram, smiling as he said, “This is the power of epiphany. Perhaps the Great Dragon has already set its gaze upon me, granting me new insight into swordsmanship.”

“There is no other explanation, Sir has always been under the Great Dragon’s watchful eye,” Charles chimed in, delivering his flattery playfully.

“Such a possibility is not entirely out of the question,” Russell blinked.

He spoke the truth; the Little Dream Dragon was constantly watching him, and indeed, it was the Little Dream Dragon that had brought all this.

Without the Little Dream Dragon, he would never have found the Sword Butterfly Amber Bug, and naturally, he would not have acquired the talent for swordsmanship.

The banquet was very lively.

Russell sat at the head of the long oval dining table, with Eric and Charles on his left and right hands, followed by the Wildcat Sisters and four Knight Attendants further down the table, and finally, Halls, Druk, and Bal—the three new Rangers who had sworn allegiance—at the very end.

Seeing as they had cooperated with Eric in tidying up the Echo Water River Cavern, they had earnestly earned their place at the table, and Russell had reluctantly allowed them to join.

These twelve individuals comprised all of Wuyao Snake Manor’s Battle Qi-capable people.

Sipping on the newly concocted fish soup, Russell asked, “Mr. Eric, after the census in Echo Water River Cavern, how many freemen are left?”

Eric responded in a muted voice, “A total of four hundred seventy-two freemen have stayed behind, all pledging allegiance to Sir, becoming Sir’s serfs.”

“With an additional four to five hundred people, Wuyao Snake Manor is about to break through a population of four thousand,” Russell reflected aloud. “We now have seven hamlets, and the composition of personnel is also becoming more mixed; it is time to establish a formal system of officials.”

Wuyao Snake Manor was currently divided into seven hamlets: Barley Hamlet, Wheat Hamlet, Alfalfa Hamlet, Lentil Hamlet, Pea and Wheat Hamlet, Magic Medicine Tun, and Grotto Village.

“Indeed, now all the affairs of the manor are being managed by Hans in coordination with me, and indeed there are many troublesome aspects,” Charles agreed, nodding.

“Then let us schedule for the day after tomorrow… no, the day after tomorrow, to hold a manor meeting to decide on the candidates for officials,” Russell decided. “Regarding the framework for the officials, Mr. Charles, you work hard for one day, draft it, and submit it for my review.”

“As you wish,” Charles replied with a smile.

Russell entrusting the task of establishing the official system to him was a sign of trust and practically confirmed the position of Chancellor of Records for the manor estate.

The Chancellor of Records is the confidant of the Lord and the executive officer who manages the estate for the Lord, arguably holding the highest status among the civil officers.

The banquet ended.

Russell went to wash up and rest; tomorrow he planned to visit Fluorescent Castle to report on matters concerning the Echo Water River Cavern to Baron Roman, and to inquire about some details concerning Bloodfang Fungi.

Of course, it would be even better if he could find information about the Amber Worm from the castle’s library.

When it came time to sleep, Butler Morris entered the study carrying a bottle of red wine, a nightly ritual shared between master and servant with a glass of red wine.

“My lord, would you consider hiring a few animal husbandmen?” Butler Morris inquired.

“Animal husbandmen?”

“Yes, I was thinking of hiring a pig husbandman, and also a horse husbandman, to allow Fox to return to his duties as a manservant,” Morris said. “Moreover, since you, my lord, enjoy fish, perhaps we could hire a fish husbandman to fish exclusively for you, my lord.”

Animal husbandmen are a form of hired help similar to long-term workers.

Unlike serfs who only knew how to farm, Old Hans could herd sheep for the lord and would be called a sheep keeper; he could feed pigs for the lord and would be called a pig keeper; he could keep bees for the lord and would be called a bee keeper; he could raise cattle for the lord and would be known as a cattle keeper, and so on.

Fish keepers, horse keepers, chicken, duck, and goose keepers, even pigeon keepers and dog keepers were not uncommon.

Besides these old keepers, there were many other types of hired workers, such as fence overseers who looked after the lord’s hedges, grazing land allocators who helped the lord assign pastures to serfs, fallow land managers who assisted the lord in implementing crop rotation, rangers who watched over the forests, and so forth.

Of course.

Generally, it was the larger lords who would employ full-time workers. A small lord like Russell did not need as many hired workers.

Most of the work involving dividing grazing land, caring for forests, and managing fallow fields fell upon the shoulders of the manor’s overseer, Hans—Hans, in turn, could distribute the work to several hamlet leaders, who could even pass responsibilities down to the serfs in charge.

In short, Wuyao Snake Manor was too small, with too few people and not a large enough workload, so naturally, they kept the number of hired workers to a minimum.

For Mr. Luo Man, as long as the serfs farmed diligently and provided food on time, there was no need to hire people for detailed management of the estate.

Now that Russell had arrived with only this little bit of land, it was natural to treat it with great care.

“Indeed, we need pig keepers and horse keepers, and it would be best to also recruit a fish keeper, not only to help me catch fish but also to harvest river clams and snails,” Russell said, “How about this, discuss it with Hans, and later, let’s have a meeting in the manor’s secondary hall, so everyone can discuss the division of labor among the servants and the selection of hired workers.”

“Yes, Sir, I will contact Hans tomorrow,” the butler replied.

“Then, have a good rest, Mr. Morris.”

“Have a good rest, Sir,” the butler answered.

Clang, their wine glasses clinked together, both finished their drinks, and then they left the study together.

Meanwhile, in the stone house at the small market,
Charles was enthusiastically welcoming the wildcat sisters, like a flamboyant bee: “Katie, Catherine, make yourselves at home here. I’ve reserved the upstairs room for you, and I’ll stay downstairs. Just call if you need anything,” he said.

“We’ll be moving out soon, Sir said he’s going to build a row of dormitories at the small market, and we’ll move there once it’s finished,” Catherine explained.

“Of course, of course, but feel free to stay here until the dormitories are built,” he assured them.

“Charles, you’re a good man,” Katie said with a smile.

Charles’s mouth immediately spread into a huge grin: “I’m just doing what a gentleman should do, Katie, Catherine; please don’t mention it.”

“Then, good night,” they said.

“Alright.” Although somewhat reluctant, Charles still offered a courteous bow, “Then, good night to you, two beautiful ladies.”

“Good night, Lord Charles,” Katie and Catherine responded with a curtsy, then turned and went upstairs.

After the wildcat sisters entered their room, the cook emerged from the corner and asked anxiously, “Sir, if you’ll be staying downstairs, where will I stay?”

“You can sleep on a straw mat in the kitchen,” he said.

“Ah!” the cook was reluctant.

Impatient, Charles waved his hand: “I’ll compensate you with an extra copper coin a day for the straw mat.”

Immediately, the cook scurried off with her bedding to the kitchen: “Don’t worry, Sir, I’ll stay in the kitchen and won’t disturb your rest,” she declared.

The night was long.

Charles was somewhat sleepless, tossing and turning on the hard bed the cook had slept on, his mind filled with the images of the wildcat sisters.