Your Majesty, Wonders are Harmful to the Country!

Morning.

The shimmering seawater sparkled under the scattered sunlight, while the salty, damp sea breeze carried a faint fishy scent as it brushed past the jagged reefs.

Bruno had already woken up and quietly left the village, leaning alone against the wet rocks by the shore.

The cold, salty sea breeze blew away the drowsiness of the morning, making Bruno shiver.

It was a bit chilly...

The vast ocean seemed endless, stretching beyond the horizon. The flickering reflections on the waves, constantly shifting with the tide, were somewhat dazzling.

The sea in this world looked no different from the one on Earth, which gave Bruno a bit of relief.

In these past days, the serfs and commoners feared him more than they respected him. This deeply ingrained sense of distance and fear made Bruno uncomfortable.

After all, he had come from a highly developed human society on Earth, where the core values of fairness, democracy, harmony, and the rule of law were deeply embedded in his mind.

Bruno deeply missed his past life a society governed by fairness and law. There, he might not have held the same high status compared to this world, but at least he could play with his phone, enjoy flavorful food, fall asleep in the comfort of alcohol, and stride confidently through bustling city streets.

But here, all he had was a barren land, a group of struggling subjects, a mere noble title, and a sense of confusion about this new world.

"Starting all over again, huh..." Bruno muttered to himself.

He didn't know how long he had been lost in thought when distant, anxious shouting suddenly pulled him back to reality.

Lopida, drenched in sweat, was rushing toward him with a group of people. His face was flushed, his voice hoarse, and his eyes filled with urgency.

He had stayed up late the previous night and slept deeply. At some point, someone had shaken him awake, and when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the stern and rigid face of Old Ford.

Looking around, he quickly realized that his master had disappeared without a trace. Lopida immediately panicked and led a group to search for him.

"There! The earl is over there!" Someone spotted Bruno leaning against a rock by the sea, staring blankly ahead, and immediately shouted.

Lopida shuddered and ran over in a panic, nearly tripping over himself.

"Master, you scared me to death…"

Quiet..." Bruno was poking at something between the water and the rocks with a wooden stick.

"Oh." Lopida quickly obeyed, then called over a servant to send word back to Old Ford.

Lopida decided that from now on, he would never leave his master's side. Old Ford was waiting back at the village, and if he went to deliver the news himself, who knew what punishment awaited him?

After all, according to his master, it was his idea to come to the seaside for food—something that made Lopida want to cry.

Before long, Bruno used the wooden stick to pull out a large clump of dark, wet, and fishy-smelling material from between the rocks.

"Food has arrived," Bruno said, shaking the stick and examining his find before turning to Lopida.

"This is…?"

"I'd rather call it seaweed," Bruno finally revealed a long-missing smile.

It was the season for harvesting seaweed in Idar, but people in this world seemed to have a huge misunderstanding about marine algae. They didn't even know it was edible.

Even if a few desperate individuals had tried eating it in times of extreme hunger, the vast majority still avoided it, treating it as something unworthy of consideration.

Because of this, seaweed was practically everywhere—clogging rock crevices, floating beneath the water—a natural resource provided in abundance by the sea.

"Looks like seaweed soup can finally be on the menu…" Bruno licked his slightly chapped lips, feeling a bit hungry.

With that thought, he turned to Lopida and gave him a sharp glare. "Why are you just standing there? Get people to start collecting! Or do you want me to do it myself?"

"Yes, yes, right away! But…" Lopida hesitated for a moment before gathering his courage to ask, "Is this… really edible?"

Bruno smiled. "Well, since coming to the seaside for food was your idea, it's only fair that you be the first to taste it. If you don't drop dead, then we'll know it's safe to eat."

"Ah? But…"

Seeing Lopida's hesitation, Bruno put his hands on his hips and kicked him in the backside. "Stop dawdling and get to work!"

—

A few small fishing boats bobbed on the waves near the shore. Some serfs stirred the water with long wooden poles, others struggled with ragged fishing nets woven from rope, but most waded into the icy water, gathering handfuls of tangled seaweed.

The commoners weren't idle either. They rolled up their sleeves and pant legs, carrying the collected seaweed to dry on high rock surfaces.

Though both the serfs and commoners were puzzled, they were used to obeying their noble lord without question. So, without complaint or argument, they diligently carried out Bruno's orders.

Old Ford stood a short distance behind Bruno, watching everything unfold. Though he had fainted from shock the previous day, he had rushed over as soon as he woke up.

Seeing the serfs and commoners hard at work, he now understood—these black, slimy things were the "food" that Lopida had convinced Bruno to come looking for.

But… was this really edible? Old Ford had his doubts.

Taking advantage of Bruno's distraction, Old Ford quietly moved closer and said, "My lord, the population census in Idar has been completed."

"Oh? That was quick," Bruno replied absentmindedly.

"It's just that…" Old Ford hesitated. "We nearly ran out of parchment while recording the population data."

"Parchment?" Bruno was momentarily confused, his Earth-trained thinking failing to consider the issue of paper shortages when he ordered the census.

Producing parchment was an arduous task. It required slaughtering livestock, skinning them, soaking the hides, removing hair, allowing for natural decomposition, and undergoing multiple tedious processes. Not only was it extremely complicated, but it was also incredibly time-consuming.

"For now, there's no rush to buy more parchment. I heard from a traveling bard about a new method of making paper. I'll have to give it a try first…"