34: As dazzling as the sun!

The next morning, Lister woke up early; he no longer had any attachment to sleeping in.

This was both for the sake of his cultivation and to set an example for everyone.

After washing up, he prepared to go downstairs for a meal.

Passing the second floor, he saw Daisna standing at the top of the stairs.

Before he could speak, Daisna said with a look of gratitude, "Lister, you were right yesterday. The living are what's most important. I will live well, and I will definitely take care of the families of Morrison and the other knights."

"It's good that you understand," Lister smiled gently, feeling relieved at the young girl's realization.

Then, the two of them went to the hall together to eat.

No longer blaming herself, Daisna regained her previous cheerful personality, and her smile infected everyone in the castle.

After the meal, magistrate Brutus and Knight Captain Red arrived at the castle 'on time'.

Daisna gestured to the two of them, then excused herself to Lister and turned to leave, consciously avoiding interrupting his work.

Then, at Lister's signal, Brutus began his daily report on territory matters, with Red adding a few words from time to time.

It had to be said that the two were very efficient; it only took one day to complete the new information registration for all the subjects.

The temporary ID cards issued were somewhat crude, but they would suffice for a few days until the new, specially-made ID cards were all produced.

Ending the report, Lister gave a few instructions, and the two hurried away... After the Winter Wheat sowing began, the weather grew increasingly cold. Thick clothing made of hemp and kudzu appeared on the subjects, but it was still difficult to withstand the bone-chilling cold.

"You've only just recovered; there's no need to come out and freeze with me. Even taking a carriage would be fine," Lister said softly to the girl on horseback beside him.

Daisna huffed indignantly, "Don't look down on me. I'm not one of those delicate noble ladies."

"Even though I'm not a knight, I've trained with my father since I was a child. My physique isn't any worse than those Apprentice Knights."

"Achoo!" Suddenly, the sound of a sneeze rang out.

"You, oh you," Lister chuckled, shaking his head, then took off his cloak and draped it over Daisna's shoulders.

Daisna's face instantly turned Red, whether from her previous bravado or from the cloak that radiated masculine pheromones.

Upon entering Ironthorn Town, various sincere greetings rang out, and Lister responded to each with a smile.

Daisna, beside him, was somewhat surprised. Those greetings from the bottom of their hearts couldn't be faked; even her father's prestige in the Tulip Territory didn't reach this level.

Today, Lister didn't go directly to the Cultivated Land area, but instead took Daisna to Ironthorn Town's only 'school'.

Calling it a school was only because the children were sent there; there were only two teachers teaching inside.

Furthermore, they only knew how to write a few characters; more rich and profound knowledge was beyond their reach.

Currently, the school only accepted children under twelve and charged one copper coin every three days, so not all subjects sent their children.

At this time, the two teachers were holding classes for the students and would occasionally talk about the Lord's kindness to them.

Suddenly, an active boy caught sight of the figures standing quietly outside the door.

"The noble Lord is here!"

The boy's excited shout drew the attention of the other children, and the peaceful atmosphere instantly boiled over.

"Oh, the Lord blessed by the holy light god is here!"

"The Lord is the greatest!"

At that moment, Lister, with his back to the sun, radiated a dazzling light all over his body, like an incarnation of the sun, making it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open.

Since it wasn't his first time here, the children were very affectionate toward him.

Looking at the children cheering and jumping around him, Lister smiled and took out some prepared desserts to distribute.

Although he usually liked peace and quiet, he also enjoyed lively environments; it seemed contradictory but was actually quite reasonable.

"Thank you, Lord! The Lord is the best!"

The children who received the desserts thanked and praised him from their hearts, then couldn't wait to stuff them into their mouths to taste.

At this time, a little girl noticed Daisna nearby and praised, "Sister, you're so beautiful. Are you the Lord's wife?"

Daisna's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. Before she could respond, Lister, looking embarrassed, spoke first: "Don't talk nonsense. This sister is a Cou— er, she's my good friend, not my wife."

"Hmm." The girl tilted her head and said innocently, "But Sister is so pretty, why can't she be the Lord's wife?"

With a dry cough, Lister gave her a few more pieces of dessert. After ushering the girl away, he turned to Daisna and explained awkwardly, "I'm sorry, children are innocent. Don't take it to heart."

"It's okay, I know," Daisna said softly. She seemed not to care, but the blush that hadn't fully faded from her cheeks and the strange feeling in her eyes clearly showed her heart was not that calm.

However, this also lessened her previous sense of constraint, and she joined Lister in playing with the children... After finishing their interaction with the children, Lister and Daisna went to the Cultivated Land area.

According to the report from Charlie, the person in charge of the farmers, the work of plowing the land was nearly half-finished.

It would take about ten more days for the Winter Wheat sowing to be completely finished.

Lister nodded slightly and praised, "Well done, Charlie. From now on, you will be in charge of all farming matters."

This speed wasn't considered fast, but for the subjects of the Ironthorn Territory using crude farming tools, it was already the best result produced by working with all their might.

Of course, this situation wouldn't last forever; Lister already had some ideas in mind.

"Thank you, Lord," Charlie said with immense gratitude.

Although he was already the person in charge of the farmers, the meaning behind being spontaneously elected by the subjects versus being actively recognized by the Lord was completely different.

The latter was what all the subjects wanted most.

Without saying more, the two continued their inspection with Charlie. During the process, Daisna's extensive knowledge of agriculture surprised Lister greatly.

With Daisna's pointers, some agricultural knowledge that had troubled Charlie suddenly became clear. This completely changed Charlie's initial thought that Daisna was just an ordinary noble lady, and he was filled with admiration.

At this, Daisna looked at Lister with a bit of pride, her eyes seemingly saying, 'How's that? Am I impressive?'

Lister's eyebrows twitched, and he silently gave a thumbs-up to show his admiration.

Soon, the morning inspection ended, and Lister and Daisna returned to the castle.

As the two were having their meal, a large caravan carrying a vast amount of goods slowly made its way into Ironthorn Town...