Warm Dragon

"Ah, sir, Old Hans is just a foreman. He is very good at whipping the serfs and urging them to work."

Hearing Russell's question, Old Hans smiled bitterly: "But Old Hans really doesn't understand how to develop the manor. Master, you are our lord, the great fluorescent mushroom bloodline, you will definitely lead us to a good life."

Faced with Old Hans' flattery.

Russell shook his head helplessly. The times are different. It is indeed a bit difficult to give full play to the subjective initiative of servants and serfs.

He couldn't help but change his words: "Let's put it this way, Old Hans, you have lived here for a long time. Do you think there are any shortcomings here? Or what is the most inconvenient thing for you to live in the manor, such as whether the roads are good or not, whether there is a shortage of food..."

For the development of the Black-waisted Snake Manor, Russell is naturally ambitious.

The future blueprint can indeed be planned in a colorful way, but he has not yet decided how to take the first step.

It feels that all aspects must be developed.

However, it is like a blank piece of paper, with too many places to draw, but I don't know where to put the first stroke.

In the past, the Black Snake Manor was managed by Old Hans, and he wanted to hear Old Hans' advice.

"This..." After secretly glancing at the young and handsome lord, Old Hans hesitated. He didn't know whether he should give the lord advice.

Although he was the foreman of the manor, he was just a servant beside the lord.

A servant does whatever the master tells him to do.

Giving advice should not be done by him, but by Sir Charles or Knight Eric.

But seeing the serious look on Russell's face, Old Hans felt a warm feeling in his heart. He saw hope like the rising sun in the young lord. It seemed that more than 20 years ago, when he saw the Baron in the fields, he looked around.

This is the inheritance among the nobles.

Although, the Baron seemed to be a little mediocre, not as handsome as the current Master Russell.

"Just say whatever comes to mind, it's just a small talk." Russell cast an encouraging look.

Old Hans smiled a little flatteringly: "Master, if you can build a mill in the manor, I think it will be more convenient for the serfs to grind flour. Otherwise, they have to walk a long way to the town to grind flour, and they often have to queue up."

"Mill?" Russell nodded.

The staple food of the Valley of the Light is flour, mainly bread, and wheat, barley, rye, oats and other wheat crops are widely planted.

Wheat flour is not easy to preserve, so the serfs carry wheat to grind flour when they need to make bread. Basically, they can't do without the mill all year round, and the mills in the Valley of the Light are basically concentrated in the town.

It takes more than two hours to ride a horse from the Black Snake Manor to the town, and it takes even longer to walk.

"It's a good suggestion, old Hans, I will consider it."

"Ah, praise the master, all the serfs will thank you for your generosity and kindness." Old Hans's flattery came out.

Russell accepted it calmly, he was really thinking about the people.

After a while.

Charles rode over: "My Lord Russell, you are either keeping watch for Cordyceps or patrolling the fields. As a noble lord, no one is more dedicated than you. The dragon is watching, the Grand Duke should recruit you to run the court."

"If the Shadow Flame Dragon is really watching me, the Grand Duke should ask me to be the chief minister." Russell joked.

"Who said it wasn't?"

"Teacher Charles, you came at the right time. I plan to build a mill in the manor. Do you think the nearby Youguang River is suitable for building a water-powered mill?"

"Well, the Youguang River from the manor villa to the birch forest is almost unflowing, so it's obviously not suitable. Further downstream, near the Xiangshui River Cave, the water flows very fast, but it doesn't feel very safe."

Russell asked: "Will the free people in the cave attack the mill?"

"Of course, those untouchables who can't even get enough food always want to cross the border to steal things in the manor, and they will definitely not let the mill go."

"Then we can only build a windmill." Russell turned and asked Old Hans, "Where is the windiest in the manor? It's best if it blows all year round."

Old Hans replied: "The place with the strongest wind must be Alfalfa Village, especially the slope near the Bend Blade Mountain, where the wind is always blowing."

The Youguang River Valley is a terrain with a basin between two mountains.

The continuous mountain range in the west is the Bent Blade Mountain. Although it is not very high, it is like a curved knife with the blade pointing outward, guarding the western border of the Valley of the Light.

The ice and snow are also blocked by the Bent Blade Mountain.

"Then find a place in Alfalfa Village and build a windmill." Russell made a decision without hesitation.

Charles touched his chin: "Russell, building a windmill will cost a lot of money."

"Waterwheel mills cannot be built, and animal-powered mills are inefficient. If you want to meet the living needs of the entire manor, at least one windmill must be built." Russell said, "Otherwise, the serfs can only go to the town to grind flour."

The Valley of the Light is too narrow and long, and the distance between north and south is far apart. It may take a day for serfs to go to the town.

It is a serious waste of time.

When the windmill is built, Russell has calculated the time saved, and he can serve the lord and build a beautiful home together.

No one can go against the lord's decision.

The moment Russell decided to build the windmill, it had become part of the Black Snake Manor.

"Old Hans, I need to recruit a hundred workers to build a windmill. Tell the serfs that they can be provided with two meals a day when they come to work, and they don't need to bring their own meals." Russell did not treat the serfs harshly, but he was not generous enough to pay them wages.

Most lords recruited serfs to serve, not only without paying them, but also asking them to bring their own meals.

Old Hans exclaimed: "You are such a generous nobleman. Praise the dragon, and the glory of the light will bless you. You will definitely become a great dragon knight!"

"Teacher Charles, I need you to contact the masters who can build windmills in the town and hire them to come and preside over the construction of the windmill."

"That's a piece of cake." Charles smiled, "Serving the fluorescent mushroom family, even if you don't provide meals, stonemasons and carpenters are eager to work."

"Not only will I provide meals, I will also pay them."

"Not at all, Russell, they will work for anyone." Charles didn't understand why he had to go to the trouble of paying the craftsmen when he didn't have to spend money - most of the craftsmen were serfs of the fluorescent mushroom family.

"It's okay, it's just a little reward." Russell didn't explain.

There were always some differences between his ideas and those of the native nobles, and the moral bottom line must be higher.

"You are so generous." Charles shrugged, it wasn't his money anyway.