The reason there hadn't been any problems until now was that the soldiers had been trained primarily in drills for discipline.
However, as the training intensified, the soldiers' limits became glaringly apparent.
The issue lay in the "bodies" they had developed while living in the barren northern regions until now.
"Of course they're like this when they haven't eaten properly. Look at how frail they are."
Most Northerners were small in stature, having grown up undernourished.
It was only recently that they'd been eating better after coming to Fenris, but even then, it was mostly limited to wheat.
Meat was not something just anyone could eat. It went first to the nobles and knights, while the soldiers' stews were left with only scraps.
In most cases, even the scraps were unavailable, and they had to boil and eat roots instead.
'They grew up barely eating any meat, so it's no wonder their stamina and endurance are so poor.'
As a result, their bodies couldn't keep up with even slightly more rigorous training.
Stamina wasn't something that could improve with training alone. Eating well and resting properly were just as important.
It was essential to consume meat and build a sturdier physique. Though bulking up grotesquely like Gordon would be inefficient, maintaining a proper build would enhance combat effectiveness.
'Meat, huh... It's not an easy resource to secure, but we need more of it.'
No matter how much money one had, certain things simply couldn't be bought. Resources derived from livestock were a prime example.
Meat, milk, and leather were incredibly difficult to procure.
This was because droughts had caused countless animals to perish.
The situation was the same in other territories.
'Bread alone isn't enough. We have to increase meat production somehow.'
This issue had been on Ghislain's mind for a long time.
In an era where wheat was the staple food, he had first solved the food crisis with monster wheat. But that was only the minimum requirement; it wasn't a satisfactory solution.
For not just the soldiers but also the common people of the territory to grow stronger, an environment where everyone could easily access meat was essential. Especially for the future of the territory, children needed to eat well.
Even though Ghislain had outlawed child labor and implemented new laws for education, it would be meaningless if the children were too malnourished and frail.
'In my past life, I used to buy meat whenever I had money to build up my body and strength.'
Though he no longer needed it, having reached a state of enlightenment, ordinary people didn't have that luxury.
"I heard even those crazy elves demand meat every single day."
Elves, accustomed to being pampered, had very refined palates.
They refused to eat grass-like food, claiming it was tasteless. Their demands, whether for alcohol or meat, were ridiculously extravagant.
Still, Ghislain could understand to some extent. Proper nutrition, including meat, was necessary to build strength.
His pride wouldn't allow him to subject others to physical training without providing adequate nutrition.
"Looks like it's time to start on that plan."
Ghislain had many plans. Though priorities occasionally shifted based on circumstances, his overarching vision remained unchanged.
And securing a stable supply of meat and leather was naturally part of that vision.
"Let's start by increasing meat production."
He immediately summoned Gillian and gave an order.
"Lower the intensity of the training a bit. It seems like the soldiers can't keep up."
"I'm sorry. This is my failure—"
"No, it's not your fault. I think we set the bar too high. They're probably feeling weak since they've only been eating bread. For now, just focus on formation training so they don't lose discipline."
"Understood."
Returning to the castle, Ghislain gathered his vassals. The summoned vassals showed evident signs of unease.
'What is he planning now?'
'Please, don't add more work.'
'Maybe he's going to suggest we take a break?'
Although things had improved slightly since more administrators had been hired, the workload remained heavy due to the increased population.
No one would welcome additional tasks.
Sensing their inner thoughts, Ghislain smirked and said, "I have something I want to create."
As expected, it was a new task. The vassals drooped their shoulders, looking dispirited.
Noticing their reaction, Ghislain reassured them, "Don't worry. It's nothing major. It won't require many people for now. Only the mages will need to get involved."
The vassals sighed in relief, but Alpoi recoiled in horror and asked, "Why the mages again? They're already overwhelmed with work! I feel like I'm dying!"
"I'll pull them off other tasks temporarily."
"What is it?"
The mention of pulling back from current duties piqued Alpoi's interest. Honestly, construction projects had become so grueling and monotonous that he felt like he was going to lose his mind.
"I want to increase meat production."
"Meat?"
Alpoi's mouth watered for a moment. In fact, it wasn't just Alpoi—everyone else felt the same.
Though they were eating their fill, it was mostly bread, not meat.
The Fenris territory had suffered little from the drought, but they had raised few livestock to begin with, so meat remained a rare commodity.
Claude, aware of this, stepped forward and asked, "How do you plan to increase meat production? We have so few livestock that there are clear limits."
"The problem with increasing livestock is that it takes a long time to raise animals like buffalos and sheep, right?"
"Exactly. With their limited numbers and lengthy growth periods, it's a challenge. Chickens and pigs grow faster in comparison, but they're still far from enough to feed the population adequately."
"What's the fastest option among them?"
"Well... chickens are the best bet. They lay a lot of eggs, grow quickly, and are the cheapest to raise."
Nodding as if he'd found the answer, Ghislain said, "That's it. From now on, we'll massively increase the number of chickens. To improve the health of our soldiers and people, everyone in the territory should be able to eat chicken at least once a week. That's my goal."
"Pfft."
Claude unintentionally let out a snort, his face twisting into a grimace.
Living creatures were different from other resources. You couldn't artificially multiply them just because you wanted to.
"I understand that you want to be known as the King of Meat to go along with your title as the King of Food, but… you can't just suddenly multiply chickens. It's hard to procure large numbers even from other regions."
"That's why we'll do it ourselves. I'll show you a few ways. First, we'll change the way we raise them."
"The way we raise them?"
"Don't just let them wander around freely. Restrict their range of movement and feed them as much as possible. That way, they'll gain weight and produce more meat."
'Just eating and lazing around? Lucky chickens!'
Claude and the others nodded. It seemed plausible.
Due to the difficulty in feeding people, they hadn't thought of fattening up the chickens. But it made sense to try increasing the meat yield this way.
"That's not too hard. We just need to make some adjustments to the facilities. But even so, it'll only slightly increase the amount of meat. The absolute number of chickens is still too low."
"That's why I said I want to create something. How do we hatch eggs right now?"
"Well… it's rare to let hens brood them. Most of the time, we use incubators."
Hens could hatch over 10 eggs at a time in about a month and a half.
However, due to environmental factors, more than half usually failed to hatch properly.
Incubators were essential for minimizing external environmental influences, playing a critical role in the process.
Of course, due to technical limitations, they were only made in small sizes. Still, they were far more productive than leaving the eggs to hens and were therefore widely used.
Ghislain pointed this out.
"Why not just make a much larger one? If we can stabilize the hatching process, we could quickly increase the number of chickens. If it works, we could produce thousands or tens of thousands in a month!"
"..."
Claude massaged his temples.
'Here he goes again.'
He didn't even know where to begin explaining this time.
After organizing his thoughts, Claude took a deep breath and began.
"May I explain something?"
"Go ahead."
"It's not that we don't make larger incubators because we don't want to. It's because we can't."
"Then let's make them now. What's the issue?"
'Why don't you ever listen? Why don't you take people's words seriously?'
Forcing himself to remain calm, Claude continued.
"The current incubators are barely better than leaving the eggs alone. Their hatching rates aren't great. Maintaining a consistent temperature and humidity is difficult. The larger the incubator, the harder it becomes to regulate these conditions. People also have to monitor it constantly…"
The incubators of this era varied widely in design and materials, depending on the region and the person who made them. Some were wooden, while others were made of stone.
The commonality was that they used fire to keep the interior warm and required regular water spraying to maintain humidity.
In other words, they were labor-intensive and inefficient.
Claude explained this in detail, but Ghislain barely listened. The flaws in the current system didn't concern him much.
What mattered to him was creating something new.
Technical limitations? He didn't care. He'd seen it done in his past life. Since it worked in the future, it would definitely work now.
"Alright, I understand the current issues. Let's start improving it. The mages will work on building a new incubator. Make it as large as possible and minimize the need for manual labor. Got it?"
In his past life, the tribulation had forced cities to become fortified strongholds.
In such limited spaces, raising large numbers of pigs and sheep wasn't feasible. It was better to use that space to raise warhorses for battle.
But meat was still necessary, so chickens became the go-to option. As a result, every city eventually established large hatcheries.
Having seen these facilities firsthand, Ghislain believed it should be possible to replicate them now. But the mages didn't share his certainty.
After blinking in confusion for a while, Alpoi asked, "You want us to build a large incubator?"
"Yes."
"How are we supposed to do that when we don't know how?"
"Just scale up the small incubators and make sure the temperature and humidity are automatically regulated. Experiment a few times to find the right settings. It's not that hard, is it?"
Ghislain's tone was one of obvious confidence.
To mages dedicated to pursuing enlightenment, something like a chicken hatchery or incubator seemed utterly mundane, so their lack of enthusiasm was understandable.
Still, Ghislain thought that with focused research, they'd solve the problem quickly.
Contrary to his expectations, however, Alpoi responded with a dumbfounded expression.
"There's no such thing as humidity control magic."
"What? Why not? There's temperature control magic, so why isn't there humidity control magic? That doesn't make sense."
"It's not there because no one thought to create such a spell..."
Frowning, Ghislain crossed his arms.
Even among mages, there were many spells unknown to other schools of magic. As a non-mage, Ghislain couldn't possibly know the intricacies of the vast magic realm.
But he was certain such magic had existed in his past life. Otherwise, the large hatcheries wouldn't have been possible.
To maintain consistent temperature and humidity in a hatchery of that scale, magic was the only viable solution.
'Ah... So they must've developed new magic back then.'
During those desperate times, the brightest mages and scholars had come together to create whatever was needed for survival.
It was likely that humidity-related magic had been developed during that period.
There was no choice but to start researching it from scratch now.
"Use any method necessary. Apply all the magic you know to create it. I'll provide plenty of rune stones for experimentation."
But instead of replying, everyone just stared at Ghislain, their gazes expectant.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Ghislain leaned back and asked, "What?"
"How do we create humidity control magic?" Alpoi asked.
Ghislain, looking exasperated, replied, "Why are you asking me?"
"Because you know everything, my lord. You've made cosmetics, improved farming, cured diseases, invented hot-air balloons... Surely you know more details about this, too. Not just magic—also the structure and technology for the incubators."
Alpoi's words made the others nod in agreement. Though the lord hadn't personally made anything before, he had always provided critical theoretical knowledge.
Even the new materials developed by the dwarves had been based entirely on the resources and guidance Ghislain had provided. That alone was enough to make research feasible.
But this time, he was asking them to create a magic that didn't exist yet, so naturally, they had questions.
"..."
For a moment, Ghislain was at a loss for words.
Was this a side effect of his success? Having pushed through and succeeded so many times, this reaction was understandable.
But this time was different from before.
The cosmetics? He had studied the technology in preparation for taking over the capital to secure future income.
Farming? He had learned about it to ensure self-sufficiency for the mercenary base.
'I don't even know magic. And I don't know the details of how to build an incubator, either.'
How could one of the Seven Strongest on the continent go around asking how to raise chickens?
'That... was Claude's knowledge.'
Clicking his tongue, Ghislain glanced at Claude, who was blinking innocently.
'It would've been great if that guy had reincarnated with me. Or if I'd just asked him more back then.'
In any case, creating the incubator itself shouldn't be too difficult. If it were hard, it wouldn't have been adopted by every city.
Though magic wasn't available now, he had provided the concept. With some effort, they'd surely figure it out.
And so, he answered firmly.
"I don't know, that kind of magic."
Alpoi's face immediately twisted into a grimace.
[T/L: Please support me and read 185 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]