Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 53
With the experience of catching the [Ring of the Cat God], Oliver was no longer easily astonished by the sword from the same series.
Feeling somewhat torn between laughter and exasperation, he stopped paying attention to this sword—though it symbolized extreme luck, once in his hands, it would hardly see the light of day.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the two little chicks that had closed their eyes at some point, smacking their beaks as they dozed off.
European (fake) little yellow chicks.
They truly lived up to their origin and feather color, being genuine symbols of extreme luck. [mfn]Yellow is considered a lucky and prestigious color in China, traditionally associated with royalty, power, and prosperity.[/mfn]
Originally, he had only planned to “casually catch a few fish,” but his body honestly became addicted to fishing, as usual, lingering by the Laina River the entire afternoon…
Oliver only set off on the path back to the castle under the glow of the sunset after nearly depleting his stamina bar.
These two chicks seemed to have genuinely brought him good fortune: not only did he catch the only sword of its kind, but the frequency of treasures appearing that afternoon became exceptionally high.
Although most were easily obtainable wood and stone materials, they also yielded a full 32 [wild seeds] for him.
It could be called a bountiful return.
The fields, warmed by the afternoon sun, emitted the faint, distinctive fragrance of crops.
With a sleeping lucky chick tucked into each of his sleeves, Oliver rode his horse slowly along the ridges to avoid startling the exhausted little ones.
He watched the slaves working in the fields, their faces no longer numb and fearful but relaxed and happy, as if infected by such ease, a slight smile lifting the corners of his lips.
Fortunately, he had ordered the waste disposal issue resolved before the weather turned hot.
Otherwise, the intense stench of sun-baked, mixed human and animal feces and urine would be enough to strike at the soul… simply unbearable in his life.
Speaking of feces, Oliver suddenly remembered something he had carelessly forgotten.
“Fosse,” the noble and elegant Lord said without changing his expression, uttering the filthy term that nearly made the butler faint: “Has that shit river been filled in yet?”
Fosse subtly took a deep breath and ultimately maintained a calm expression: “Yes, it has been completed according to your requirements, my Lord.”
Oliver nodded in satisfaction: “After dinner, summon all the carpenters and blacksmiths in the city. I have new items for them to make.”
Fosse bowed in acknowledgment.
These two incredibly lucky little yellow chicks undoubtedly received the highest treatment all Laina people dreamed of—no, didn’t even dare to fantasize about—that day: not only could they cling tightly to the beautiful Lord all afternoon, but they also got to sleep in his soft sleeves, which carried a faint rose fragrance.
Even after being “escorted” back to the chicken coop, the Lord additionally instructed that a small private room be built for them in the coop as special treatment.
Oliver said seriously: “Lucy, I need you to take good care of them.”
Lucy nodded with utmost solemnity: “Yes, my Lord!”
Just before leaving, Oliver, who had been patiently holding back all day, finally broke his restraint—before the chicks began dozing off, the beautiful Lord, wearing the gentle smile most familiar to those present, naturally reached out his hand and swiftly petted all the standing, dozing chicks.
Lucy was grateful for the Lord’s attention to her work, while also crouching with extreme caution before the two chicks, carefully memorizing their features.
To prevent them from being mischievous and getting mixed up later, she made small marks on their plump bodies—which changed day by day—to distinguish them from their siblings.
“You two are truly remarkable,” she marveled.
In her eyes, she secretly harbored reverence for these two fluffy chicks.
To her at that moment, even their eager manner of eating feed seemed extraordinary.
Though she didn’t know the specifics of what had happened…
These two mischievous escapees who dared to sneak off and follow the Lord had now been fortunate enough to transform into “noble” chicks favored by the Angel Duke!
If asked who Oliver trusted most and found most reliable in the territory, the butler Fosse would undoubtedly be the top choice.
Oliver had just finished dinner when Fosse brought the craftsmen he had requested.
What he hadn’t expected was that there were only three carpenters and two blacksmiths in the entire Laina City.
Although each of them likely had five or more apprentices, the number was still far lower than he had imagined.
Was Laina City that poor?
Setting aside the serfs who probably couldn’t afford to hire craftsmen, there were still a thousand commoners living here.
How could such a small number of craftsmen possibly meet the daily needs of so many people?
“The numbers are too few,” Oliver frowned slightly and looked at Fosse. “Fosse, I need you to bring the male heads of the top ten households who completed the latrine construction the fastest last time.”
He had no intention of teaching this twice.
Once everyone had gathered, Oliver looked at the fifteen anxious men and gave a faint smile. “What I am about to bestow upon you is the wisdom of the great Cat God… Therefore, after learning it, none of you may withhold this knowledge. If anyone asks, you must teach them without reservation.”
Everyone was stunned, then their eyes began to shine.
It was wisdom from the wise Cat God!
“Of course,” Oliver observed their excited expressions and smiled gently, “after accomplishing this, the generous Cat God will also bestow rewards upon the most devout believers.”
After all, love alone couldn’t generate electricity.
Oliver was increasingly realizing how effective the tactic of “fabricating a deity” was—it allowed him, as the divine messenger, to skip all the time-consuming explanations, progress pushing, and motivation boosting for workers. Instead, he could simply and brutally achieve all his goals under the name of the “oracle.”
The selected workers would only feel sincerely honored… Of course, as their true employer, Oliver had no intention of letting these craftsmen suffer.
What he intended to teach them to build were compost bins for the over thousand Laina commoners living in the town area east of the castle.
Unlike the serfs whose homes were scattered across the fields and who could luxuriously have a latrine per household for composting…Residents living in the relatively dense urban areas had only two options for dealing with waste: either continue using chamber pots and emptying them into compost pits as before, or travel further to use the long row of public toilets built near the former “Shit River.”
However, the disposal of other daily waste—especially kitchen scraps—became a troubling issue for many after losing the convenience of the “Shit River” for casual dumping.
The most common practice now was to save up several days’ worth of waste, dig a sufficiently deep pit in their private plots, and bury it.
But their plots were already small, and they couldn’t bear to sacrifice too much space. Moreover, the buried waste not only failed to provide nutrients for the crops but often hindered plant growth.
After noticing this, Oliver decided to teach them how to make a simple compost bin that every household could own.
To be precise, it was a dual-purpose bin for composting and breeding earthworms.
Composting, in essence, involves enhancing microbial activity to accelerate the fermentation and decomposition of organic matter, including waste, weed leaves, and food scraps.
Mixing microbe-rich compost with soil not only increases microbial content and nutrient levels but also improves soil texture, making it looser and enhancing aeration, water retention, and drainage.
The reason people here had long overlooked the immense potential of composting was primarily due to improper methods.
They simply piled unsorted garbage haphazardly in fields or pits. This disorderly approach not only produced foul odors and attracted disease-carrying insects but also meant most waste failed to meet the environmental conditions needed for fermentation. Instead, it slowly rotted due to excess moisture.
Even when luck allowed it to break down into usable compost, the process was highly inefficient—taking one to two years.
Oliver knew well that the key to composting lay in controlling moisture, composition, and regular stirring.
The addition of earthworms was not only because their castings are regarded as “golden soil” in agriculture, providing abundant nutrients for crops, but also because the worms themselves would become one of the best natural feeds for future chicken pastures.
“Each household will eventually need three wooden baskets,” Oliver indicated, directing their attention to the materials prepared in advance by his manservant Johan. “But to start, only one will be used.”
In his view, the design of this compost bin was very simple, and the required materials were easy to obtain.
First, line the bottom and sides of the basket with several layers of torn, low-cost paper to prevent the earthworms from escaping. Then, add a finger’s depth of leaf mold as a habitat for the worms, followed by earthworm seedlings dug from the fields.
The daily kitchen waste added would serve as food for the earthworms and did not need to be completely dry; a certain amount of moisture was allowed.
This not only created a slightly damp environment suitable for earthworm survival but also saved people the effort of having to dry the waste deliberately.
Once the first fermentation bin was full, the second basket would be placed on top.
After laying several layers of paper along the sides to prevent earthworms from escaping while keeping the bottom open, continue adding kitchen waste.
As long as food exists, foraging earthworms will instinctively climb upward.
When the second layer is full, you can add a third layer. Meanwhile, the compost in the first layer will be nearly complete. Once the original components become visually indistinguishable and it resembles brown soil, that signals completion.
Mix the finished compost into the soil at a rate of 1-2 shovels per square meter. With regular fertilization, this will enhance soil fertility. Once the first batch of chicks matures, providing more eggs and hatching more chickens, every Laina household will eventually be able to raise poultry. This area will then become the prime grazing zone among the cultivated lands.
Oliver had naturally considered the possibility that there might not be enough earthworms in the fields initially.
Thus, he taught the carpenters to craft a wooden compost fermentation box—a relatively complex process in terms of technique and materials that doesn’t require earthworms, though it needs monthly stirring.
“Using these two storage methods, the great Cat God can transform them back into fertile soil in just three months during summer and autumn.”
After explaining both composting methods, Oliver noticed how late it had gotten and dismissed everyone to return home.
The lumber was once again provided by the benevolent and generous Lord. They needed to produce about 3,000 perforated compost boxes.
Half would be made by the three carpenters and their apprentices, while the remaining workload would be shared among the ten households.
To encourage their enthusiasm for teaching the techniques, Oliver not only exempted them from regular duties for half a month with food and wage subsidies, but specifically reminded them: if they could teach others to make the boxes, as long as the final products met quality standards, it would count toward their work quota.
Only those who worked most diligently would earn the Cat God’s approval.
When leaving the castle, everyone’s minds remained in a daze.
…In just three short months, could all that waste that once filled an entire river of excrement truly become fertile land?
In the eyes of the utterly stunned crowd, the beautiful golden-haired Divine Messenger radiated a sacred glow of wisdom, embodying the great compassion of the Cat God.
