30: ID card

The night after dinner, the wind blowing across the training grounds grew colder and more rapid, causing the campfire to flicker much more violently.

However, the knights were currently gathered around the campfire, discussing things excitedly.

“Today, under the leadership of the Baron, we saved the daughter of the Earl of ‘Dawns Sword.’ How do you think the Earl of ‘Dawns Sword’ will thank our Baron?”

“There will definitely be no shortage of thanks, but that's not important. Didn't you notice that Miss Daisna kept staring at our Baron when she woke up? I feel like she might have taken a liking to him.”

“Exactly, I noticed it too. With our Baron's handsome and dashing appearance, they are a perfect match for Miss Daisna.”

“Hehe! I said it before, the Baron will definitely be able to marry a lady from a great noble family. The daughter of ‘Dawns Sword’—he's really going to take off now!”

“Awesome, the prophet has spoken!”

Lister, who had ‘just’ arrived in the darkness, looked helpless. Why did he feel like his knights loved to gossip just as much as his divination did?

With a light cough, he slowly stepped out of the darkness, followed by various respectful greetings.

After a slight nod, Lister went to an open space to begin his cultivation. Seeing this, the knights also ended their post-dinner banter and began to cultivate along with him.

Although Lister had many things to do every day, he still tried to set aside a period of time for cultivation. After all, cultivation was like rowing against the current; if one did not advance, they would fall back.

Time passed quickly during cultivation. Today he made some progress; though it was small, he felt that as long as there was progress, it was good.

Taking it one step at a time and building a solid foundation was the most important thing for him right now... In a room on the third floor of the castle.

Lister, accompanied by Red, arrived at the door of his room and saw Brutus, whom he had previously instructed Thomas to summon.

“Lord Lister, I offer you my greetings.”

Lister nodded slightly and said, “Come in.”

After sitting in the main seat, he continued, “I called you here so late because I have an important matter regarding the development of the territory that I need you to handle.”

“Based on Hobbes's (Brutus) report this morning, I found that besides the information registered with the magistrate, the subjects in our territory do not have any clear items to verify their identities.”

“This situation isn't just in our territory; it's the same throughout the entire kingdom. But I feel this leads to much inconvenience and trouble, and even poses potential dangers.”

Hobbes's eyes lit up upon hearing this. “Lord Lister, I understand. You're worried that if outsiders drift into our territory without identification and commit a crime, it would be very troublesome to search for and capture them if they flee the territory quickly.”

“Correct.” Lister nodded appreciatively. “Currently, our territory's population isn't large, so even if such a thing happened, it would indeed be relatively easy to notice and capture them.”

“But the territory is about to enter a period of rapid development and will need a large population. Once there are many people, such incidents will become very troublesome.”

“Therefore, I have decided that starting tomorrow, all subjects in the territory will re-register their information, and we will produce and issue them an item that can verify their personal identity. It will be called an Identity Card.”

“As for those outsiders, whether they are farmers, merchants, or even nobles, they all need to register their identities. Then, we will issue them a temporary Identity Card to distinguish them from the local subjects.”

“For this matter, I will establish a specialized inspection post. You, Hobbes, will be responsible for their management and personnel appointments.”

“Yes, Lord Lister. I will certainly not fail your trust. Your wisdom is beyond my reach,” Brutus responded respectfully and praised.

Smiling, Lister continued, “Starting tomorrow, the public security patrol levels in the territory will be divided into three levels: Level One is the lowest, and Level Three is the highest.”

“I will give you more detailed instructions in document form. The overall person in charge is Red, but since he is my Knight Captain, most of the management will still be handled by you, Hobbes.”

“If you discover any relevant talents, you can recommend them to me. After passing review, they will be given official appointments.”

“Do you both understand the arrangements mentioned above?”

“Understood,” the two replied with a respectful bow.

After the two left, Lister went to Daisna's room to take a look. Although her injuries had recovered, her spirit had not, and she was still in a deep sleep.

After giving a few instructions, he glanced at North's room, who also hadn't woken up, and then left directly.

Before resting, he still performed a divination, but there was no noteworthy information... The next morning, the dazzling sunlight wanted to ‘attack’ Lister's handsome face, but it missed its mark.

Lister, who had woken up early, found that Daisna and her servant still hadn't woken up. He then enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the main seat in the first-floor hall.

Flora, who hadn't fully recovered yet, wanted to attend to him, but he scared her back with his domineering manner.

Regarding this worrisome little maid, he thought to himself that he would definitely have to educate her properly in the future.

After breakfast, he had Thomas carry a large basin of raw meat and went with him to the third-floor room.

This raw meat was naturally food for the Little Bai Ze. Despite its small size, its appetite was terrifyingly large; it finished the entire basin of raw meat in just a few bites.

“Good grief, at this rate you're going to eat me out of house and home!” Lister grumbled slightly.

However, because it ate so much, it also grew quickly. Its small frame was visibly larger, which was quite a comfort to him.

Since Red had taken men along with Brutus early in the morning to execute the tasks he had arranged, the training grounds were much quieter.

The morning cultivation ended quickly. During that time, another Apprentice Knight successfully advanced. While he was happy, he also offered some words of encouragement.

Just as he returned to the castle, he heard the news that the farmers had begun planting Winter Wheat today.

After resting for a while, he took Lianna and several Apprentice Knights and headed toward the Cultivated Land outside Ironthorn Town.

Compared to the usual bustle, Ironthorn Town seemed exceptionally quiet today. Within Lister's sight, a large number of Ironthorn Town subjects were moving toward the Cultivated Land.

They mostly walked in groups of twos and threes, holding various farming tools that were somewhat crude and worn.

Winter Wheat planting was one of the two most important events of the year for the subjects of the Ironthorn Territory. It was divided into the planting of Wheat and rye.

However, because the Ironthorn Territory was located in a relatively cold region in the northwest of the kingdom, it was not suitable for planting Wheat.

rye, however, was completely different. It had an extremely strong adaptability to soil temperature and could be planted in cold regions without any issues. Therefore, it became the only Winter Wheat planted in the Ironthorn Territory.

Just a few steps into the Cultivated Land area, the farmer in charge, Charlie Hunter, came to his side and bowed respectfully:

“Greetings, Lord Lister.”