Chapter 686: Chapter 425 The Most Important Thing_2
"I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, and I only heard a little bit," Baron stammered, eyes wide with panic.
"It’s okay, just forget about it and there won’t be any trouble," Old Henry patted the shoulder of the young man in front of him, trying to offer comfort, yet a tinge of doubt arose in his own heart.
As one of the oldest surviving serfs of the William Family, it wasn’t luck that had carried him through these long years.
Old Henry slightly lifted his head and looked around, the doubt in his eyes growing heavier.
’So many serfs have gathered here, what in the world could this be for... could it possibly be for war?’ he thought.
Suddenly, Old Henry remembered how, a few days ago in their thatched sheds, they had nearly reached their limit due to the increasingly scarce food, but then, unexpectedly, their meals became richer, allowing them to be at least half full...
’Could it really be war?’ Old Henry pondered, using the limited knowledge he had, observing his surroundings carefully, before quickly dismissing his thought.
They were inside the city, within Intuo City; a war wouldn’t happen here, and surely Lord Jack wouldn’t keep them completely in the dark.
Just as Old Henry let out a sigh of relief, a panicked shout came from ahead:
"My lord, please don’t drive me away, I can still farm! I can still farm!"
Several emaciated serfs suddenly fell to their knees on the ground, knocking their heads and shouting towards the knight in front of them.
Driven away... It suddenly dawned on Old Henry what was happening, and his face went pale.
Was the William Family going to drive away their serfs?!
Yes... yes... It seemed the fields had already been ruined, and there seemed to be no need for serfs anymore, which might explain the recent leisure time.
Old Henry felt as if his backbone had been ripped out, his body hunching over all at once.
"Idiotic things, you’re already free, so stop bothering me!"
The knight ahead frowned, anger showing on his face, and subconsciously wanted to kick a few of the serfs in front of him, but seeing the knight beside him collecting taxes, suppressed the rage in his heart, coldly dismissing them with a remark before turning and leaving.
Old Henry watched this scene, his heart even more desolate.
After waiting in line for a while longer, it was finally the William Family’s turn.
The other serfs, upon hearing the news of their eviction, all showed stunned expressions; only Old Henry remained silent.
"You are free."
After paying the taxes, Jack led his family’s knights on the return journey.
Old Henry stood in place, quite lost and bewildered.
A serf once separated from a noble could hardly survive, a fact known to every serf.
On one hand, because they knew no skills other than farming, and on the other, because the status of serfdom essentially barred them from any employment.
And without work meant no food, which equated to death.
However, before Old Henry and the others could be engulfed by their despair, they saw a knight approach them, then point to another knight not far away and say:
"You’re from the William Family’s serfs, right? Follow him... um, follow him, and you’ll be provided with food."
Though not recognizing this knight, Old Henry and the group of serfs were accustomed to obeying orders, and they would have complied even if the knight hadn’t added the last part, let alone the temptation of being fed.
And so, the William Family’s serfs followed another knight out of the square.
Old Henry, with his sharp eyes, noticed that it wasn’t just their William Family serfs following this knight, but also many unfamiliar faces.
After another hour, they arrived at an open area close to the fields, outside of the city.
There were already many people there, and if he wasn’t mistaken, they would all be serfs... Old Henry thought.
"Welcome to the north of Intuo City. I’ll keep it brief; fundamentally, you are now free to go wherever you want.
However, if you’re willing to work here, the great Lord of Tilamei will provide you with two meals a day and a place to live."
"That’s all I have to say. Now, those who are willing to work, stand to the left, and those who aren’t... it seems all of you are willing."
"Come with me, and I’ll assign you your tasks."
The overseeing knight led Old Henry and the others, turning towards the worksite behind them.
...
"What do you think the Lord of Tilamei is planning to build here?"
Not far away, several nobles having a picnic were surreptitiously observing the empty lot.
"It appears to be some kind of structure... I mean, those serfs are digging foundations."
"Nell, we can see that for ourselves without your commentary," a noble girl said with an eye roll.
Nell chuckled sheepishly, "Maybe the Lord of Tilamei is just finding something for these serfs to do, just randomly digging holes..."
The noble girl was taken aback and then burst into laughter.
Nell joined in the laughter but heard the girl mock, "It seems I’ve overestimated you. Just randomly digging... Ha-ha, surely every decision made by the great Lord of Tilamei has a reason behind it, he couldn’t possibly be so superficial."
"Behind this series of arrangements, there must be some important purpose!"
Nell scratched his head awkwardly.
"Alright, it’s getting late. Watching all day and still not figuring anything out, let’s head back to the Family," sighed a noble holding a telescope, closing the conversation.
What they didn’t know was that Colin’s initial thought indeed was just to give the serfs something to do.
After all, such a large group of serfs, if left idle all day, would eventually cause problems.
And the final decision to dig these foundations outside the city was mainly with the thought that perhaps they could build some factory buildings for future use.
...
"About forty percent of the nobles have left the Tilaimei Plain?"
In the Wizard Tower, Colin nodded at the news Lillian reported, "Actually, that’s less than I expected."
"Forty percent... is quite a lot. Mainly, the rumors about the farmland spread rapidly across the Tilaimei Plain for some reason... There must be a reason behind this," Lillian expressed her concern about the departure of the nobles and anger toward the forces behind the rumors.
"Don’t worry, the nobles can’t take away the real wealth of the Tilaimei Plain," Colin smiled, "The wealth of the Tilaimei Plain comes from this land, from those hardworking serfs, not from them."
"Moreover, I’ve kept the majority of the food stored by the nobles, as they couldn’t carry it too far on their journeys."
"As for the rumor, it is true," Colin said, "The Supreme Council has indeed basically given up on solving the agricultural pollution... However, this news shouldn’t have spread so quickly."
Colin stroked the smooth wooden armrest of his chair, making a mental note to himself.
After chatting with Lillian for a while, Colin glanced at the time, concluded the conversation, and moved to the Silver Chamber.
He adjusted the chamber to meditation mode, lit the incense, and sat down cross-legged.
The time was now midnight.
It was the time he had set for starting his daily meditation.
Four hours later, meditation ended, and he didn’t sleep.
Colin stood up and set the Silver Chamber to witchcraft practice mode.
With the chanting of spells and the manipulation of magic power, a mass of liquid-like orange-red flames appeared before Colin, sometimes stretching into a sword, sometimes condensing into a sphere.
Two hours passed in this way, and then Colin began practicing the Knight Breathing Method.
After an additional hour, at seven in the morning, he finished his practice of the Knight Breathing Method, stepped out of the Silver Chamber on time, and flew towards a polluted farmland hidden behind a Witch Array outside the city.
Shelley was already there waiting for him in this temporary laboratory.
The affairs of the Tilaimei Plain were more complex than he had imagined. Only in the past two days had he finally found time to start researching and addressing the most pressing issue — agricultural pollution.
This was the most critical matter in Tilaimei Plain, second only to his own strength.
Colin took a deep breath and stepped into the laboratory.
He would stay here researching until about nine in the evening, then return to handle the affairs of the entire Tilaimei Plain, typically working until midnight.
Every day was fully scheduled.
As for sleep, once every four days, Colin would take out about three hours to sleep, which is once every five days.
In fact, he was fully capable of going a hundred days without sleep or rest, but to maintain his energy, sleeping once every five days was the minimum.
After all, from the observation over the past few days, it was clear that solving agricultural pollution wouldn’t be easy, and he would likely need to be prepared for a long-term battle.