Your Majesty, Wonders are Harmful to the Country!

The journey back to Idar City was not particularly difficult. In just half a day, the city of Idar was already visible in the distance.

Bruno, along with Old Ford and a few attendants, rode ahead on horseback, while the serfs, under the escort of other guards, trudged slowly behind them.

"Lord Bruno, are you serious about freeing the serfs?" Old Ford suddenly asked on the way back.

"I've thought it through, and I do plan to do it. Is there a problem?" Bruno replied.

"Releasing serfs to become freemen is already a rare occurrence, let alone doing so on such a large scale," Old Ford said.

"But we're not releasing all of them—out of more than three hundred serfs, only forty-five will be freed. Besides… didn't I say they'll only be freed after the Hanging

Garden is completed?" Bruno countered.

"But if this sets a precedent, then if Idar needs to build more projects in the future… wouldn't we have to release another batch of serfs each time?"

Old Ford thought deeply about this issue. After all… his lord was not the kind to sit still and do nothing. Today, he wanted to build a garden—who's to say he wouldn't suddenly decide to build a fortress tomorrow?

This idea had to be squashed before it took root…

"Then we'll release them," Bruno said indifferently. "There are plenty of serfs anyway; losing a few won't make a difference."

"My lord, buying serfs costs money…" Old Ford tried to reason with him.

"Didn't you just say the salt production profits will multiply several times this year? Money should be spent, not hoarded in a cellar. How much does it even cost to buy a few serfs?"

Hearing this, Old Ford was practically fuming. If it weren't for the fact that Bruno's father and grandfather had managed the Stuart family's wealth wisely, the family fortune would've been squandered long ago. If another wastrel like Bruno were to take over in the future, what would they do then? Of course, he couldn't say that outright, so instead, he cautioned, "My lord, money shouldn't be spent so recklessly… even if we have money, we should use it wisely."

"This is using it wisely," Bruno finally spoke seriously. "Think about it. Even you find it unbelievable that serfs could become freemen, so imagine how much more unbelievable it must be for them. Given that, wouldn't they work as hard as they possibly can? With the motivation of freedom, the project's progress might even double… and with daily competition among the work teams, just wait and see, Old Ford—the construction of the Hanging Garden will go much smoother than we expected."

"If they truly want to become freemen… what you're saying isn't impossible," Old Ford admitted, deep in thought.

"Serfs may have a low status, but they're not fools. And you and I both know that many of these serfs were once lawful commoners before being forced into servitude. How could they willingly remain as serfs for generations?"

"Besides…" Bruno paused before continuing, "even if some of them are too dull to realize it, the daily meals of fish and white bread are real. And each work team has dozens of people—if a few try to slack off, the others will punish them for dragging the team down. In the end, the surplus labor value they generate will far exceed the resources we provide them."

"That… actually makes a lot of sense…" Old Ford murmured, deep in contemplation.

"Think about it, Old Ford. Nothing in this world is set in stone. If more and more freemen appear in Idar, the territory may become a much better place," Bruno said with a smile.

…

Before long, the group arrived at the gates of Idar City on horseback.

As soon as they entered the city, Shabi's presence became immediately apparent.

"My lord, you've finally returned! I've missed you so much!" Shabi said, grinning as he hurried over.

Bruno suddenly noticed that in just a few days, Shabi seemed to have become… slightly more shameless.

"Oh! Shabi…" Bruno kept his gaze straight ahead. "How's the task I assigned you going?"

At this question, Shabi's face immediately turned sour. "My lord, the collection of waste has been going well… but…"

"But what?" Bruno asked.

"But there have been some… unpleasant rumors in the city," Shabi said hesitantly. "People are saying… saying that you abandoned me, and that I've gone mad… so I started collecting waste everywhere…"

Shabi quickly summarized the gossip that had been circulating in Idar City.

Bruno burst into laughter upon hearing this.

So this was medieval-style gossip?

Who would have thought the people of this world were such avid rumor-mongers?

But… this particular rumor didn't seem too favorable for Shabi.

Bruno patted Shabi's shoulder reassuringly. "Relax, relax. Once the waste you've collected proves its worth, these rumors will naturally disappear."

The group continued chatting as they walked further into the city.

Surprisingly, Shabi was doing quite well in his role as Waste Collection Overseer. In just a few days, the dreadful stench that once permeated Idar City had lessened significantly.

Even the streets were no longer littered with piles of waste, making the city look much cleaner.

Though it still fell short of Bruno's standards, it was undeniably an improvement.

Good job. Go to the castle later and collect your reward," Bruno said, pleased.

"Thank you, my lord!" Shabi said gratefully.

"By the way, anything else interesting happen while I was away?" Bruno asked.

"Something interesting? Well… yes, actually. It's about Mr. Arnel."

"Arnel… who's that?"

"…"

"My lord, He's the one who stole your white bread, the guy who claims to be the son of Duke Luen and the disciple of Grand Mage Golan Gorwen."

"Oh! Him!" Bruno finally recalled.

It wasn't that his memory was bad—it was just that the written language of this world was entirely different from the one he was used to. The sentence structure, word formation, and script were all vastly unfamiliar, making it difficult for him to remember names.

"What did he do this time?"

"He… he set your stable on fire… using a Fireball Spell… and also burned a cart along with it…"