Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 36
Seeing that the Summer Market was about to end, Oliver, who no longer had to painstakingly suppress his desire to shop, decided to invite all the merchants preparing to return home into the castle to have dinner with him.
The dishes on the dining table, of course, had to have the characteristics of Laina.
Although before this day, Laina City had no characteristics to speak of in the eyes of others, aside from being “poor”… but after Oliver’s arrival, this situation had to change.
Besides the specialty fish from the Laina River and the corn grown from seeds produced by the game system, there were also the eggs laid by those twenty-some diligent hens (even though they were just recently bought)!
Of course, Oliver didn’t think these ingredients were too monotonous, nor did he believe that a banquet with them as the main theme might not be as luxurious as a duke’s should be.
Not to mention the sheer number of delicious dishes that could be made with corn, but against the backdrop of widespread famine and soaring grain prices, even the palates of the nobility had to “make do” and become less picky.
This was even more so for these merchants who traveled far and wide, often subsisting on dry rations during their journeys.
In fact, just being invited by the Duke and Lord was enough to make them ecstatic and something to brag about for years to come.
Never mind getting to eat delicious corn and fish; even if they were served grass plucked from the ground, they would probably lie through their teeth and praise its deliciousness.
Of course, the reason Oliver invited the merchants was not only to cultivate a good impression of Laina City being friendly to them, but more importantly, to promote one of the “high-end products” that Laina City would be focusing on in the coming years.
—That was the pickled corn he had meticulously prepared in pickle jars, made using a recipe provided by the game system.
Unfortunately, the number of pickle jars was limited, and time was too tight. He had only managed to make 16 small jars of pickled corn.
He had already tasted the first batch of this pickled corn, and it was surprisingly good.
According to his plan, he would serve 2 jars for everyone to share in the evening, and the rest would be taken by potential buyers as samples.
Oliver placed great importance on this business dinner, as he saw it. Not only did he have Fosse the butler send out invitations to the merchants two days in advance, but he had also been preparing for the next evening’s banquet since the morning of the previous day.
After petting all the chickens as quickly as possible, he spent the better part of the day by the Laina River, concentrating on fishing.
Only after he had nearly exhausted his stamina and caught almost forty large, lively fish did he return to the castle, satisfied, with Fosse and the others.
How could the new cook, Xavier, have ever seen such a spectacle?
Even though he had gradually grown accustomed to this Lord who frequently displayed astonishing divine miracles over the past few days, and who always returned with more than ten fish every time he went fishing by the river in the woods… this time, the number had doubled!
“Your… Your Highness.”
Xavier’s eyes widened at the sight. The thought of having to personally gut so many fish, even with two helpers, made his scalp tingle.
He couldn’t help but ask with difficulty, “So many big fish… are they all really going to be used for the banquet?”
In his eyes, each fish was enormous. Even if simply grilled, a single one would be enough to fill the stomachs of four or five people. The only ones who could receive an invitation from the Lord would be the merchants themselves, not their attendants. At most, there would be just over thirty people. Six or seven fish would have been more than enough. Why would so many be needed?
Not to mention, if he were to add some potatoes and vegetables and make it into a fish soup for people to eat with bread, it would be even easier to fill them up. He wouldn’t even need to use that many fish.
Oliver was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. “How could that be possible?”
Before Xavier could breathe a sigh of relief, the Lord’s next casual sentence completely stunned him—”I’ll need you to work hard. Aside from the few fish to be set aside for tomorrow’s banquet, the rest need to be gutted and sliced before noon tomorrow. If you don’t have enough people, just tell Fosse. He will help you.”
Xavier stared blankly at this radiant, angelic Lord, who smiled slightly and continued to say things that he simply couldn’t believe or comprehend. “…Tomorrow, I plan to give everyone a day off. You will arrange for the other servants to help distribute the food, and have each household come to the castle gate to collect a share. Once they take it home, they can decide for themselves what kind of dish they want to make. Oh, right. You will determine the specific portion size, but each household is only allowed to receive one share of fish and one handful of corn kernels.”
After all, including the slaves, the territory had a population of nearly ten thousand people.
No matter how large each fish was, there couldn’t possibly be enough for everyone to eat their fill.
With limited resources and a shortage of management staff, he had to simplify the distribution process, which meant that larger families would have to suffer a small loss. Smaller families might even be able to luxuriously grill the few slices of fish they received, while larger ones could only make soup and eat it by dipping black bread in it.
The corn kernels Oliver mentioned referred to the old grain from last year’s poor harvest, which was stockpiled in Laina City’s granary, not the batch he had just harvested.
Because he had previously used a small batch as feed for the chicks, Oliver had specifically taken Fosse to inspect it personally.
Even though it was just a spot check, he was still heartbroken to discover that due to insufficient drying and a lack of ventilation and moisture-proofing in the granary, the corn kernels in many of the bags had already grown moldy.
Since the corn seeds produced by the game were indeed unbelievably high-yielding, Laina City was no longer so dependent on the old grain—moreover, the condition of this corn was completely unsuitable for continued storage.
It was better to distribute it to everyone, who had been constantly hungry, in the name of a celebration.
It certainly wasn’t enough to last the winter, but if they ate it sparingly, it would be enough to feed everyone for more than half a month.
Oliver stressed, “When you take people to inspect the corn, all the moldy kernels must be thrown into the compost heap. No one is allowed to eat them, or they will face severe punishment from the Cat God.”
The Lord didn’t speak quickly, nor did he, like other minor nobles he had been fortunate enough to serve, like to put on airs and use flowery language whenever he expressed an opinion.
Yet when these words entered Xavier’s ears, they plunged him into a state of bewilderment. He simply couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
A day off?
He felt dizzy. Was the Lord referring to the holy day that only the noble priests who served the gods in the capital’s temples were qualified to celebrate?
In Xavier’s limited understanding, whenever that day came, the temples would close their gates to the commoners who came seeking help or to pray.
Only the invited nobles could be seated. These high and mighty dignitaries would drink fine wine with refined grace, tasting and critiquing the delicacies on their plates, all while listening to beautiful priests sing hymns. At the grand banquet, candles would burn all through the night…
While Xavier’s mind was wandering, Oliver suddenly thought of the misdeeds committed by the former head cook, who had been dissatisfied with the loss of her special privileges.
If everyone was treated the same, not only would it directly incite conflict between the two classes, but it would also be truly unfair to the freemen who still had to pay taxes every year.
For the purpose of appeasing the freemen, he added, “The generous Cat God is willing to bestow food upon the slaves, but the portion they receive can only be half that of a freeman. Oh, right, every adult freeman can also receive a cup of pale ale.”
Although Oliver didn’t consider alcohol a good thing at all, it was a luxury that most commoners dreamed of.
In any case, he had no intention of selling that long-overstocked batch of pale ale on the cheap. He might as well just give it away to the commoners at this celebration.
Oliver said with a smile, “There are too many things to do. The people in the kitchen definitely won’t be able to handle it all… Fosse?”
Fosse bowed unhurriedly. “Your esteemed Highness, please rest assured.”
Oliver said with a grin, “I always have faith in you, my dear Fosse.”
“I… I understand, my Lord.”
Xavier was stunned for a long time before he snapped out of it with a shiver under Fosse’s sharp gaze and replied with the utmost respect.
Although Xavier was the first to be deeply shocked, he was certainly not the last.
When the stewards herded them to gather near the castle gates, and they watched the Lord—so delicate and beautiful it was impossible to look away—stand on the steps and announce to them that “tomorrow is a holiday for the Summer Market celebration,” everyone’s face was a complete blank.
“Oh great, wise, and gentle Cat God.”
Awakened by a familiar voice, the deity, whose consciousness was hazy in the distant divine realm, opened His eyes. He saw His most beautiful believer smiling faintly.
His slightly curled, long hair glittered like gold, making his skin appear dazzlingly white. He radiated an elegant and holy light, just like a true angel. “He has seen your recent efforts and piety, and has thus made a generous decision.”
“From this year on, the last day of the Summer Market will be a holiday granted by the merciful Cat God to the diligent people,” Oliver said with a smile. “Anyone who has contributed labor or wisdom to the construction of Laina City in the past year is qualified to come to the castle to receive a portion of food. Of course, this will be determined by the magnitude of your contribution.”
Taxes were, of course, one of the most important contributions.
Oliver did not intend to force absolute equality. Once resources were no longer scarce and development entered the next stage, freemen or slaves who had made outstanding contributions deserved better treatment. Oliver’s decision to establish a holiday wasn’t purely a whim. The reason was quite simple.
The starting point of his efforts was his desire to prevent so many people from living in the constant fear of starvation.
Now that the imminent threat of starvation had been averted, the next step was to improve the people’s sense of well-being.
A temporary boost was easy to achieve, but a long-lasting one was much more difficult.
He had made many efforts: ensuring people could have fish soup every few days, eliminating the stench and sight of feces by building latrines, and repairing houses to give the common folk a true shelter from the elements.
The corn he had personally planted was about to enter a long harvest season, and during the downtime, he could also encourage everyone to raise poultry…
But for someone who had once lived, studied, and worked in modern society, what could boost people’s happiness more than “good food” and “holidays”?
“On this day, those of you who work so hard ordinarily will not need to do a thing,” Oliver said in a gentle voice.
“You can further repair your own homes, go into the woods to gather your share of dead branches and wild fruits, or cook whatever food you wish to eat. At night, the great Cat God enjoys a lively atmosphere and will allow you to light a bonfire in the square, sing your favorite songs, and dance your favorite dances. Of course, the operation of Laina City relies on the efforts of many, like our dependable guards and clever kitchen maids… For those of you who cannot rest with everyone else on this day, the Cat God will grant you the right to rest on the following day.”
