After being appointed by the king as a noble, my activities would begin the next day. My land, so to speak, was located in a coastal fishing village surrounded mainly by forests on the edge of the kingdom of Solaris. The place wasn't that far from the capital, since it's possible to return in just one day by carriage, and I was currently in a carriage going there.
Being on the edge of the kingdom inevitably also means that the place is considered a maritime point. I don't know to what extent this will be beneficial for me, but I will do everything in my power to turn this place into one of the best in the kingdom. Looking out, the only visible scenery was forest on both sides. The ground, as I had already imagined, had been neglected, so most of the road was dirt.
(Although I already knew, this place really is in the middle of nowhere)
I thought as I looked out of the carriage. There was nothing to see but trees, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With so many trees, many things could be done. Turning this forest into a real city where people could feel comfortable living would only be the beginning. Another thing I forgot to mention is that, apart from me, my whole family has now become a family of barons. As I unfortunately didn't have time to return to my hometown, they will be notified by means of a letter from the royal palace.
(I wonder what their reaction will be)
With this thought in mind, I got off the carriage. As soon as I got off the carriage, I was met by some men. They are probably the residents of the place.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Baron"
Said the man in front, kneeling down. The others behind him followed suit and also kneeled down.
"The pleasure is mine. I hope we have a good relationship from now on"
I said with a soft smile on my face. Here and now, these people and I would work to turn this place into a city. Hearing my words, the men looked surprised and soon began to look at each other.
"Is something wrong?"
I asked, wondering at the men's attitude.
"Ah, no, it's just that... this is the first time we have received this kind of greeting from a nobleman"
Said the man, looking quite confused by his own words. At this point, I could understand what he meant. From the time I spent in this world, I could understand that nobles usually use commoners as pawns. It's not as if all nobles were or thought like that, but most were like that. They are probably surprised to be treated so well by a nobleman.
(But even if that is the case... I am just a baron. I probably wouldn't see any good in being arrogant, and I don't think I could act in such a way either)
Anyway, after that, the men started to guide me to the place that would be my residence while giving me details about the place. They basically sustained themselves by fishing. Once in a while, they hunted animals, but most of the time, they ate fish. Hearing this, I was tempted to ask why they didn't raise cattle, but decided to ignore it. The exact number of people in this place was about 270, even fewer than in my hometown.
Although the number is small, it's not as if we can't increase it in the future. But first, I should make the people who already live here comfortable before worrying about bringing more people here in the future. Another point to mention is that the combat strength is not that great. For a start, the people here are hunters. Although they are good at hunting, they would hardly be good in a war.
After a few minutes of chatting, we finally arrived at the place. My house was basically a small, somewhat crumbling mansion made of wood. Although it wasn't that big, it wasn't that small. In fact, it would be enough for a family to live in peacefully.
"Sorry, this is all we can offer. Our village doesn't have much money, so..."
Said one of the men, almost bowing his head in apology. I honestly didn't care much. It's not like I was stingy about that sort of thing in the first place.
"It's fine. At the moment, it's more than enough for me"
I said with a soft smile on my face. After that, the men started to walk away, going back to their activities. Looking at the backs of the men as they walked away, I let out a sigh and started walking towards what would be my new home.
As soon as I opened the door, a cozy place presented itself in front of me. It was far from being a 5-star hotel, but it was more than enough for me. Another thing I noticed was that the house was quite dusty. It looked like it hadn't been taken care of for years.
Anyway, I started to remove the dust from the house and, after a few hours, the place was completely clean. Looking out of the window, darkness had already taken over outside, indicating that night had come.
As I approached one of the doors, as soon as I opened it, I found myself in the room where the kitchen was. Walking over to the table in the corner of the room, there was a large piece of meat wrapped up in it. It was probably a gift from the villagers.
After unwrapping the meat, I began to cook it with the utensils that were in place. There was almost no seasoning, so I was not expecting much of a taste, but for today, that would be enough. While I was eating, several thoughts about where I should start suggested themselves in my head.
As I already had a capital, it would be easy to start making reforms in this place since I could hire people here and also people from outside. With a smile on my face, I went to the second floor where I thought the rooms would be and soon fell asleep, excited for what tomorrow would hold.