"Ah, Sir, Hans is but a foreman. Having Hans whip the serfs and urge them to work, that I am adept at,"
Upon hearing Russell's question, Hans couldn't help but smile bitterly, "But to ask Hans to develop the manor, truly, I am at a loss. Lord, you are our leader, the great Luminescent Mycelium Bloodline, you will surely lead us to better days."
Facing Hans's flattery,
Russell could only shake his head helplessly. Times had changed, and indeed it was a bit challenging to harness the initiative of servants and serfs.
He thus changed his approach, "Let's put it this way, Hans. You've lived here quite a while, do you think there are any shortcomings? Or for you, what is the most inconvenient aspect of living on the manor, like are the roads good, is there lack of food..."
When it came to the development of Wuyao Snake Manor, Russell naturally held great ambitions.
The future blueprint could indeed be planned colorful and various, but he still had not decided on the first step to take.
It felt like everything needed development.
Yet it was like a blank sheet of paper; with so many places to draw, he didn't know where to place the first stroke.
Hans had always managed Wuyao Snake Manor, and Russell wanted to hear his suggestions.
"This..." Sneakily glancing at the young and handsome lord, Hans hesitated, uncertain if he should offer suggestions to the lord.
Although he was the manor's foreman, when you came down to it, he was merely a servant by the lord's side.
A servant is to do whatever the lord commands.
Giving suggestions was not his place, but rather that of someone like Lord Charles or Mr. Eric.
But seeing the serious expression on Russell's face, warmth swelled in Hans's heart. In the young lord, he saw hope as bright as the rising sun. It was like twenty years ago when he saw the Lord Baron in the fields, just as spirited.
This was the legacy between nobles.
Even though the Lord Baron seemed a bit plainer in appearance, not as handsome as Lord Russell now.
"Just speak whatever comes to mind, this is merely a casual chat," Russell offered an encouraging glance.
Hans smiled somewhat ingratiatingly, "Sir, if a mill could be built within the manor, I think, it would make grinding flour more convenient for the serfs. Otherwise, they always have to travel far to the town to grind grain and often have to wait in line."
"A mill," Russell nodded.
The staple food in Glowing Valley is flour, primarily bread, with widespread cultivation of wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other cereals.
Flour isn't very easy to store, so the serfs need to carry their grain to be ground into flour only when they need to bake bread, which is virtually all year round. The mills in Glowing Valley are mostly concentrated in the town.
From Wuyao Snake Manor to the town, it takes over two hours by horse and even longer on foot.
"That's a good suggestion, Hans. I will consider it."
"Ah, praise be to the Lord, all serfs will be grateful for your generosity and kindness," Hans's flattery rolled off his tongue easily.
Russell accepted the praise as his due; he was indeed considering the welfare of his subjects.
Before long,
Charles rode over, "My Lord Russell, when you are not keeping watch over the caterpillar fungi, you are inspecting the fields. There is no noble lord more diligent than you. The Great Dragon watches, the Duke should invite you to take charge of the court."
"If the Shadowflame Dragon truly watched me, the Duke should ask me to be the chief minister," Russell joked.
"Who could disagree."
"Mr. Charles, your timing is perfect. I plan to build a mill in the manor. Do you think the Glowing River nearby is suitable for a watermill?"
"About that, from the manor's annex to the Birch Forest, the stretch of the Glowing River is almost still, obviously unsuitable. Downstream, near the Echo Water River Cavern, the flow is quite rapid, but it feels unsafe."
Russell asked, "Will the freemen from the cavern attack the mill?"
"Certainly, those wretches who can't even fill their bellies are always thinking about crossing into the manor to steal. They will certainly not spare the mill."
"Then we can only build a windmill." Russell turned and asked Hans, "Where in the manor is the wind strongest, and preferably blowing all year round?"
Hans replied, "The windiest place is definitely around Alfalfa Hamlet, especially the slopes near Curved Blade Mountain, where the wind is always howling."
The Glowing Valley lies between two mountains in a basin-like terrain.
The continuous mountains to the west are Curved Blade Mountain. Although not very tall, they resemble an outward-curved blade of a knife, protecting the western boundary of the Glowing Valley.
The snow and ice are also blocked by Curved Blade Mountain.
"Then let's find a place in Alfalfa Hamlet to build a windmill mill," Russell did not hesitate and made the decision on the spot.
Charles stroked his chin, "Russell, building a windmill mill will cost quite a bit of money."
"The watermill cannot be built, and the animal-powered mill is inefficient. To meet the needs of the entire manor's livelihood, at least one windmill mill must be constructed," Russell said. "Otherwise, the serfs will only be able to grind flour in the town."
The Glowing Valley is too long and narrow, with a great distance between north and south. It could take a serf an entire day to travel to the town and back.
A serious waste of time.
Once the windmill mill is built, the time saved, Russell had it all planned out, can be completely devoted to serving the Lord, building a better home together.
No one can defy the Lord's decision.
The moment Russell decided to build the windmill mill, it became a part of Wuyao Snake Manor.
"Hans, I need to recruit a hundred workers to construct the windmill mill. Tell the serfs they will be provided with two meals a day, and they don't need to bring their own food," Russell was not harsh with the serfs but wasn't generous enough to pay them wages either.
Most lords summoned serfs to serve without pay, and the serfs even had to bring their own food.
Hans exclaimed, "You are a truly generous noble, praise the Great Dragon, may its radiant blessing protect you, sir. You will surely become a great dragon knight!"
"Mr. Charles, I need you to go to the town and contact the master craftsmen who know how to build windmill mills, to hire them to oversee the construction of the windmill mill."
"That's a small matter." Charles chuckled, "To serve the Fluorescent Fungi Family, even without providing meals, masons and carpenters would jump at the chance."
"Not only meals, but I'll also pay them."
"There's no need for that, Russell, they would work for anyone." Charles didn't understand; it was clear that no money needed to be spent, so why go out of the way to pay the craftsmen—most of whom were serfs of the Fluorescent Fungi Family.
"No matter, it's just a little compensation," Russell didn't explain.
His principles were always somewhat mismatched with those of the native nobility; the moral bottom line definitely had to be raised a bit.
"You really are generous," Charles shrugged, it wasn't his money being spent after all.