24: Screw the citizens of this kingdom!

"Haha, good."

Lister offered a few more words of encouragement, while also telling Red that he only needed to focus on his breakthrough these next few days, and others would handle everything else.

Red expressed his gratitude once more before rushing off, clearly unable to wait any longer to advance to a Silver Knight.

Lister was also quite expectant. After a moment of anticipation, he had Thomas summon Hobbes (Brutus) along with the heads of the farmers and craftsmen of Ironthorn Town... During this period, Charlie Hunter, the head of the farmers who lived in a family of five, had become a complete workaholic.

He left home almost every day before dawn and only returned when the moon and stars were bright.

In the past, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to do this. Back then, the sole purpose of his work was to ensure his family's survival.

Beyond that, there was nothing to look forward to, and life was devoid of passion.

All of this was because the high taxes were like a mountain, often crushing him until he couldn't breathe, leaving him to repeat a mechanical life day after day.

But since Lord Lister arrived, he had changed; he had gained hope and passion for life.

Especially when Lister announced a fifty percent reduction in the lord's taxes, he was moved to tears, and his reverence reached its peak.

In order not to let Lord Lister down, he worked so frantically every day just so Lister wouldn't think that the farmer representative elected by the subjects was an incompetent man.

The others felt exactly the same way as he did.

Today, he was once again summoned by Lister to the main hall on the first floor of the castle, which made him feel incredibly honored and joyful.

Soon, Lister's figure appeared from the stairwell.

Charlie Hunter and the other heads, who were waiting quietly, along with the newly appointed 'refugee' magistrate Hobbes (Brutus), immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Lord Lister."

Sitting down in the main seat, Lister nodded slightly and gestured for everyone to sit.

After scanning the room, he spoke, "I have summoned you today to arrange the upcoming development matters for the territory."

"Now that the Cold Wave has passed, we need to restore life to our devastated territory. We cannot waste any time."

"Head of craftsmen, how is the repair of the houses in Ironthorn Town that were damaged by the Cold Wave coming along?"

Hearing this, the head of craftsmen, Malo Regan, said respectfully, "Reporting to the Lord, more than half have been repaired. All can be completed before the Winter Wheat planting season."

"Well done." Lister showed a look of praise. "What is your name?"

"Thank you for the praise, Lord. This humble one is named Malo Regan," Malo said excitedly.

He hadn't expected Lister to take the initiative to ask for his name. In the past or in other territories, no lord would ever pay attention to a commoner like him.

For a moment, a great sense of honor welled up within him.

Nodding, Lister continued, "While inspecting the territory earlier, I noticed that the farmers are still using the two-field system for Cultivated Land. While this method has its merits, the efficiency is too low. Therefore, I believe we must switch to the three-field system."

As soon as he finished speaking, the head of farmers, Charlie Hunter, let out a small gasp of surprise.

But the next moment, he noticed Lister's gaze and said with a panicked expression, "I am very sorry, Lord Lister. This humble one lost his composure."

"It's fine," Lister said, not minding it. He asked in a gentle tone, "I remember your name is Charlie Hunter, right? Is there something you don't understand about what I just said?"

Charlie Hunter looked excited, clearly not expecting Lister to remember his name. Malo, standing nearby, was also filled with envy; it seemed he would have to work even harder.

Amidst his surprise, Charlie quickly said respectfully, "Yes, Lord, you remembered my name correctly. This humble one is foolish and indeed doesn't quite understand what you said."

"I can roughly understand what you mean by the two-field system, but I completely don't understand the three-field system."

He didn't know what the three-field system meant?

Lister was somewhat surprised. He looked at the others and saw that they all had confused expressions. A thought suddenly occurred to him:

'Could it be that this world, or rather this kingdom, doesn't have the three-field system of farming?'

After asking Charlie Hunter again, he confirmed it: the Pedan Kingdom actually didn't have the three-field system.

Heh, that really is a strange thing!

But on second thought, he felt it wasn't a bad thing; it was even a fortunate thing worth celebrating.

Although it would be a bit troublesome initially, if he taught the subjects this farming method, it would become unique to their Ironthorn Territory.

The advantage of significantly increased farming efficiency and output would immediately put other territories to shame.

As for worrying about it leaking out—no, given his current status in the hearts of the Ironthorn Territory's subjects, it was unlikely anyone would do that. To do so would be to betray the entire territory.

Lister was no saint. Since he could profit first from this farming method that only he knew, he would try to keep it hidden for as long as possible. If it was discovered later, that would be a problem for the future.

Thinking of this, he explained, "The two-field system is the current farming method of the territory. Simply put, the three-field system divides the Cultivated Land into three parts..."

After a series of detailed explanations, everyone understood what the three-field system meant. They were filled with admiration for Lister's ability to think of such an efficient planting method.

The look in Brutus's eyes as he watched Lister was even more filled with absolute, floor-level admiration.

As a highly educated individual, he knew very well what the three-field system meant for the kingdom. If it were spread, it would definitely cause a revolutionary change and a massive shock.

However, the moment this thought arose, he snuffed it out. Although he was a subject of the kingdom, his previous experiences had already left him disillusioned.

Now his identity was Lister's Chief magistrate, and all his thoughts had to start from Lister's interests. As for the kingdom's subjects?

To hell with the kingdom's subjects!

Lister didn't know what Brutus was thinking. He continued, "Hobbes (Brutus) will be primarily responsible for the three-field system, and Charlie, you will assist him. You must ensure all farmers learn and implement it as soon as possible."

"This method can only be used in our territory. Anyone who dares to leak it will be betraying the entire territory. Is that understood?"

Seeing Lister's serious expression, Brutus and the others' expressions tightened as they said, "Understood! Lord!"

Nodding with satisfaction, Lister took out a small bag of cotton seeds he had prepared long ago.

"These are the seeds of the baoyang flower. Next, they will become the most important planting focus of our territory besides crops, and will also be the territory's trade export resource in the future."

"Charlie, I need you to set aside one-third of the high-quality land and then arrange for the farmers to plant them."

As soon as he finished, Brutus reminded him, "Lord Lister, as far as I know, planting the baoyang flower is not easy. Given our territory's environment, I'm afraid it will be very difficult."

"You don't need to worry about that. When the time comes, I will arrange for sprites to help with the planting."

Hearing this, Brutus was shocked beyond measure. However, seeing the calm expressions of the others around him, he realized that he seemed to still know too little about the young lord before him.