Warhammer Divine Throne

The Lake Fairy maintained her smile, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing her requests were somewhat excessive.

There's a saying that's been popular in the Prime Material World: "Gods to gods, mortals to mortals." Her requests had exceeded what deities typically ask of their followers; this wasn't building a temple, but a palace.

She was certain that such demands directed at any Duke would be subtly rebuffed, even by Duke Bastogne, a direct descendant of Arthur, and the most devout Duke of Connet.

The relationship between deities and mortals is not always simply one of faith; knights are willing to die for their Lady but not to surrender all their wealth, illustrating this principle.

After the Lake Fairy departed, Laine formally began developing his territory.

He widened and built roads throughout the land, constructed more workshops along the river, erected sturdier town walls, and thoroughly renovated the castle, all of which required substantial manpower and resources but also promised wealth and opportunity.

Many merchants in Brittania caught wind of this and flocked to the newly appointed Baron's territory, bringing their teams.

Their new sources indicated that Laine was wealthy, and this new noble from Marinburg had substantial riches.

This was a chance to earn money.

In early April, the weather was already gradually warming.

Laine was inspecting his vineyard with his men.

The one managing this vineyard was named Durand, considered a fallen noble, possessing merely the title but unable to afford even a set of knight armor or a warhorse, hence ending up managing the vineyard here.

However, Durand never relinquished his hope of rejoining the ranks of knights, especially after the new Lord was appointed; he threw himself fully into running the vineyard.

The Gene Vineyard was located on a hillside not far from Gene Town. Though not large, covering about thirty hectares, it was fully equipped to complete the entire process from grape planting to wine-making on-site. Twenty hectares were allocated for the vineyard, while the remaining area was for processing workshops. Additionally, a charming small Wine Castle stood atop the hill, reportedly the winter vacation villa of Marquis Ascot for his family, with decorations more luxurious than Laine's castle.

Yet, when Laine visited, the interior of the Wine Castle was barren, as if it had been ravaged by robbers, with nothing left but the walls and floors.

"My Baron?" Durand, dressed in proper noble attire with a round-topped hat and appearing to be in his thirties, respectfully followed behind Laine. He explained quickly upon noticing Laine's displeasure at the barren state of the Wine Castle, "There used to be many things here, but Marquis Ascot took everything, including all the cellared wine underground when he left."

Laine's expression was not pleasant, but he could say nothing since, in some ways, it was indeed the property of Marquis Ascot; what he did was not wrong: "What about the workers responsible for planting and wine-making?"

"Those were untouched by Marquis Ascot; he left all the workers hoping Lord Laine would treat them well," Durand added.

This showed that Marquis Ascot hadn't been too ruthless, at least leaving behind an intact team for himself.

Exiting the Wine Castle, the vineyard workers were diligently working, with Durand speaking into Laine's ear: "Baron, we're encountering some difficulties. It's the season when grapes need abundant water, but we need to draw water from Xinong River and lack sufficient manpower to transport it. Also, the sunshine is weaker this year, making me worry the grapes might not be sweet enough."

"I'll send people over to help you with water transport, and as for the sunshine issue, I'll find a solution." The Baron acknowledged, his tone sounding dismissive.

Durand added to this, saying, "Baron, the grape trees in Gene Vineyard are all at least thirty years old. Provided they are well nurtured, the quality of grapes produced is in no way inferior to Winford's finest grapes."

"I understand what you're saying, but some matters must proceed gradually; let's first tackle the water source problem, and I'll gather manpower to build a canal leading here," Laine suggested Durand calm down; issues need addressing one by one.

Since arriving in this world, he noticed many people possessed the flaw of wanting to resolve matters all at once, not realizing that patience is a virtue and problems should be tackled individually.

"Alright, my Baron." Durand acknowledged the mightiness of the person before him, aware he was the Lady's Divine Chosen Champion.

After inspecting his vineyard, Laine swiftly hosted the village elders from the five villages on his land.

In Brittania, the Lord Nobility was tasked with fair jurisdiction over the peasants. If they heard of criminal cases among the peasants, many master knights would volunteer to adjudicate, not worrying about judgement outcomes since, as Lords, they held the right to govern peasants as they pleased.

Thus, after justice was served, criminals were usually hanged while victims might also face hanging over various reasons, and nobles might claim household food stores under the pretext of justice.

Peasants preferred to avoid such "justice."

Thus came the emergence of the title "Village Elder."

These village elders, generally respected seniors in the village, carefully bore witness to case specifics then issued a verdict. Typically, resolutions involved compensation payments to victims and labor without charge, hence preventing knight lords from overly punishing.

Over time, village elders became the village's actual spokespersons and representatives for peasants, mediating with nobility. Their fair judgement hinged solely on their character since their decisions had no legal basis. Meanwhile, village elders might make unjust decisions over various reasons, but it was a far better alternative than inviting noble lords.

Most who came were elderly, white-haired men. They respectfully sat in the largest and best house in the village, enjoying the poor-quality sweet wine and bread bestowed by the Lord, answering the Lord's inquiries.

"My Baron, spring plowing requires sufficient manpower; we cannot supply you with enough workers," one village elder timidly spoke, placing down the wood cup in his hand, "If it impacts spring plowing, we won't be able to deliver enough grain to you timely."

"Moreover, my Baron, spring has arrived, and beastmen in the forest are making threatening moves, posing a threat to village safety," added another village elder.

"I'll lead a team to purge the beastmen in the forest. How many people can the village spare for manpower without affecting spring plowing?" Laine inquired.

"Um, well..." The power of the Holy Grail Knights was undeniable, but there seemed to be challenging concerns; this season was a precarious time when farmers sow seeds, lacking food at home, while labor was arduous.

"I'll provide meals." Laine noticed the elders' distress and continued.

The village elders thus reported numbers, adding up to roughly three hundred or more.

"Three hundred or more, hmm?" Laine was fairly content with this sum, so he spoke no more.

The construction of the territory needed to proceed swiftly.

The merchants had already gathered in Gene Territory; everyone knew there was substantial business here, resembling sharks drawn to the scent of blood, all approaching as agreements on labor forces were established. A fierce bidding ceremony was set to commence in the Baron's castle.

However, upon returning to the castle gates, a beautiful female knight with flowing golden curls and sea-blue eyes awaited him, mounted on a Pure-blood Elf Warhorse.

"Miss Surya?"