12: Territory Development

"Breathing Technique? Vassal Knight?"

Hearing these words, both familiar and strange, Spartacus Bulk found it hard to believe.

He was clearly just a Slave!

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"What, you're not willing?" Lister frowned.

Spartacus Bulk looked terrified and stammered, "No, no, I am very willing, it's just..."

"Haha." Lister smiled. "It's just that you don't understand why I chose you."

"There aren't many reasons. The reason is that I have high expectations for you. I believe you can become a Bronze, Silver, or even a Golden Knight. It's as simple as that."

A Golden Knight!

Spartacus Bulk was so shocked he couldn't speak, feeling a sense of dizziness as if he were about to faint.

Red, who was standing by, also showed a look of surprise; he hadn't expected Lister to value this young man so highly.

He began to scrutinize the boy, without any doubt or contempt, only deep curiosity—this was absolute trust in Lister.

If the Lord said this boy could do it, then he could.

Finally coming to his senses, Spartacus Bulk's eyes welled with tears. He knelt before Lister in gratitude and swore, "Noble Lord, I swear in the name of the Desert God and the holy light god that I will be loyal to you until death."

Lister's lips curled up upon hearing this. He turned to Red and instructed, "Red, from now on, he's in your hands. For his Breathing Technique, let him learn your 'Wild Ox Breathing Technique'."

"Yes, Lord Lister, I will do my best to teach him," Red replied respectfully.

Actually, Lister originally wanted Spartacus Bulk to learn a better Breathing Technique, and the same went for the loyal Red.

But unfortunately, besides his own family's 'Silver Wolf Breathing Technique', he didn't have any high-quality Breathing Techniques, so he could only wait until later... In the afternoon.

Lister didn't practice. Instead, he summoned the craftsmen and farmer representatives in Ironthorn Town to arrange the future development direction of the territory.

After his thoughts over the past two days, he already had a rough plan in mind.

Of course, his urgency was also due to the divination information from noon.

[Divination 1: In the afternoon, a ley line in the Ironthorn Forest will have a geothermal fountain gush out. A large number of wild beasts will fight each other for it.]

[Divination 2: Viktor Roy, the most neglected son of the Duke of the Pedan Kingdom, was recently sent to the western part of the kingdom to Pioneer Territory. Three days later in the afternoon, while passing through Ironthorn Territory, he discovers an egg left behind by a dying Purple-Eyed Magic Lion.]

[Divination 3: Eric Alexander, the spear of the north, recently killed a Black-Horned Three-Headed Python that invaded his territory.]

Geothermal Fountains were a resource rarely seen even in the Pedan Kingdom, and now one had appeared in Lister's territory.

Its appearance meant that beneath the ley lines of the Ironthorn Forest, there must be hot springs.

In this territory adjacent to the cold northern regions, if developed well, it could not only provide heating for the Serfs but also improve the efficiency of next year's spring plowing.

Lister could even use pipes to let the hot spring flow into the castle. Soaking in a hot spring while tasting fine wine—the thought alone was wonderful.

The second divination also brought him quite a surprise.

The Purple-Eyed Magic Lion was a powerful magic beast. Adults generally reached the strength of a Silver Knight, and the probability of reaching Golden Knight was not low.

Fortunately, it was already dead; otherwise, Lister wouldn't have known how to resist.

He was determined to get the egg left by the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion. As for the Duke's son, whose luck was so good it made him a bit envious, he could only say sorry.

As for the third one... it had nothing to do with him... Coming back to his senses, Lister looked at the several people he had summoned and gestured for them to sit.

He took out a map of the territory and arranged, "Although the spring wheat has been harvested and there is still some time before the Winter Wheat planting, the development of the territory during this period cannot revolve only around this one task."

"Currently, there is little Cultivated Land and many farmers in the territory. The Cultivated Land allocated to each person is completely insufficient, so we need to vigorously reclaim wasteland."

"My requirement is that before next year's spring plowing, including the existing land, at least 10,000 danmu must be reclaimed. Each farmer should be allocated a minimum of 4 danmu. All Cultivated Land must be distributed; not a single piece can be left idle."

"At the same time, I will set up a reward list based on everyone's reclamation performance. Whether you can get it depends on yourselves."

"Next is the issue of houses and streets. During my previous inspection, I found that many houses in Ironthorn Town are severely aging and need to be renovated and rebuilt..."

"The streets are too filthy, with various odors floating around. This not only affects the town's appearance but also easily causes infectious diseases. They need to be cleaned daily to maintain hygiene."

"The former will be completed by craftsmen, and for the latter, I will establish a new job position called a Cleaner, with a daily wage of 6 copper coins."

Saying this, he took out a design drawing and spread it on the table. "This is the sewage pipe I designed. The daily sewage from all the Serfs' residences in the town must be discharged through the pipes to a designated area, and then handled uniformly by the Cleaners."

Several craftsmen observed it carefully. After finding it feasible, they couldn't help but admire Lister's talent for construction.

Then, Lister continued, "Finally, I want to set up monitoring posts on the outskirts of the Ironthorn Forest, specifically responsible for monitoring wild beasts that might wander out and harass the Serfs. The daily wage is 8 copper coins."

"These are the primary development tasks for the territory at present. I will arrange others later. You all go back and notify everyone to make preliminary preparations, and act immediately after the Cold Wave passes."

"Yes, Lord," all the representatives said respectfully... Ironthorn Forest.

Although called a forest, it was entirely within the Ironthorn Territory and didn't cover a large area, filled with various interlaced and tangled thorns.

If one wasn't careful, they would be pricked by the barbs on the thorns. However, if handled properly, with its hard and flexible characteristics, it could also be made into good weapons and thorn armor.

At this time, Lister led Red and others to search carefully for the geothermal fountain.

Soon, they were attracted by a burst of violent beast roars and followed the sound to the location.

They saw more than a dozen wild beasts fighting each other. On the ground behind them, steam was slowly rising from a small opening.

Seeing this, Lister's eyes lit up, and he ordered, "Red, kill them all."

"As you command."

Under the encirclement of Red and the other knights and Soldiers, these wild beasts had no power to resist and were soon completely wiped out.

Coming to the small opening, Lister reached out to feel it, and his expression immediately turned joyful. It was indeed a geothermal fountain vent.

Red and the others nearby also showed joy and surprise. Just by following Lister out for a patrol, they were able to discover such a precious resource.

The holy light god was truly too gracious to their Lord.

Then, Lister turned and instructed, "Red, this geothermal fountain is very important. Arrange for people to establish a restricted area here; it must be monitored every day."

"Yes, Lord Lister."