Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 72
Fosse often couldn’t help but think that his young lord must be the busiest noble in the world.
He rose earlier than the slaves every day—God, he shouldn’t compare his noble young master to those filthy slaves; he would personally stroke every chick in the coop; he worried about the autumn planting situation; he insisted on harvesting the crops in the fields himself; and what little free time he had in the afternoon was spent fishing by the river, with most of the catch going to the castle servants and field slaves!
Although he had received personal confirmation from the young lord that not all of this was a test from the “great Cat God,” but rather the young lord’s own desire… in most cases, Fosse found it even more incomprehensible.
In Fosse’s eyes, Oliver possessed the noblest bloodline, beauty that even God couldn’t help but adore, and the purest, kindest soul.
If not for that damned Cameron’s expulsion, he should have enjoyed the finest of everything.
Ah…
Quietly watching Oliver—who didn’t mind at all as he held dirty soil with great patience while teaching Farmur and Rebel—Fosse sighed silently.
Whether he understood or not didn’t matter.
As the most loyal and most trusted servant of his lord, he had only one duty.
As long as it was the young lord’s wish, he would support it with all his might.
Actually, this mentality of “not being busy equals emptiness” had formed without Oliver himself really realizing it.
After roughly explaining what needed to be done to Farmur and Rebel, he brought them out of the “cell” and casually reinstalled the stone railing from his game backpack.
Improving saline-alkali land was a major project that would take over half a month just to start, several years to complete, and might even require permanent maintenance. It was absolutely crucial for Laina City.
Of course, Oliver couldn’t expect these two, who had never been exposed to such knowledge before, to immediately absorb everything he had explained.
His real plan was to spend the coming days both looking for more suitable technical workers to join the project, and having these two lead the prisoners in beginning land improvement while reporting their progress to him at the castle daily.
This way, he could provide them with guidance on next steps at appropriate times.
After finishing with the saline-alkali land matter, Oliver glanced at the still-growing cornfield before heading to the chicken coop.
Jonathan had indeed conveyed his instructions to Lucy, and under Lucy’s direction, the grazing areas had been rearranged—spread farther apart and divided more finely.
There were now 5 areas total, each containing about 50-70 chicks.
The expanded range for the chicks meant more feeding and watering troughs needed replenishing, plus they had to monitor the flocks and prevent injuries… making the work for these three people even more demanding.
Though called chicks, at five and a half weeks old they were already stepping into what could be called the juvenile growth stage.
This was clearly reflected in their awkward appearance and rapidly lengthening bodies—adult feathers mixed chaotically with down, pink combs beginning to redden and enlarge, their formerly plump bodies gradually slimming down over two skinny legs.
Even Oliver, who had “parental bias,” found it difficult to claim with a clear conscience that they looked good at this stage.
Whether it was due to maxed-out affection or the imprinting effect, the increasingly ugly… adolescent chicks remained deeply attached to the golden-haired lord they regarded as their “mother.”
Whenever Oliver appeared near the coop, no matter how far away the flock was foraging, they would instinctively trot over in a rush.
They jostled each other to squeeze against the railing closest to Oliver, chirping eagerly. The earliest arrivals often ended up being trampled underfoot by impatient latecomers, letting out angry complaints.
—The scene was always chaotic.
Every time Lucy and the others witnessed it, they couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at the lord’s boundless charm.
His Highness… truly lived up to being God’s chosen.
Even they, who came daily with feed buckets to replenish the troughs, had never received such enthusiastic treatment from these proud and lively chicks.
As the chicks were no longer round and fluffy, Oliver’s desire to pet them had greatly diminished.
Besides, he had already openly stroked them once before they were released from the cages.
So no matter how eagerly and passionately the chicks behaved, their favorite person only watched for a while before turning to the brooders and saying, “The chicks are about to enter their rapid growth phase. With just the three of you, it definitely won’t be enough to handle everything.”
Chicks basically develop full feathers by 6-7 weeks, and these two weeks are also their key growth period—when their digestion is strongest, fat deposition increases, feeding peaks, and development is fastest.
Although growth slows from weeks 8-18 compared to weeks 6-7, feed requirements will suddenly surge. Having only three attendants to care for over 200 chickens is clearly far from sufficient.
Lucy paled upon hearing this.
She thought she had performed poorly or lacked the ability, disappointing His Highness to the point of needing replacements.
Unable to hold back, she knelt on the ground and urgently pleaded, “Your Highness, please give us another chance. We will definitely—”
“Rise, Lucy.” Oliver was taken aback, then chuckled. “You’ve misunderstood.”
Seeing Lucy still wore a frightened expression, he simply glanced toward the silent butler and gave a slight nod.
Fosse understood instantly.
After Oliver made his promise to Jonathan, he had incidentally mentioned the new arrangements for Lucy to Fosse.
Unlike Jonathan, who had only recently demonstrated his abilities, Lucy—who had already contributed greatly during the charcoal-burning process—was due for her well-deserved reward.
The brooding phase was essentially over; what followed was the care of young and adult chickens.
Though still important, at least the most critical and urgent period had been perfectly navigated.
Ensuring all purchased chicks survived and grew up healthy and strong… even with Oliver’s game system and the brooding knowledge he provided, the roles of Lucy and the other two should never be underestimated.
“His esteemed Highness has already stated that you have performed well.”
Thus, Lucy was astonished to hear the usually reserved and aloof Butler Fosse actually praising her!
“Because such a benevolent Lord is the master of Laina, as a reward for passing the first trial set by the Cat God, Lucy,” Fosse announced expressionlessly, “from today onward, you are a free person.”
Lucy’s expression instantly vanished as well.
She stared blankly with wide eyes, as if a series of thunderclaps had just struck her ears, leaving her mind buzzing.
She was a slave.
How could she possibly not be a slave anymore?
A free person?
Fosse had no patience whatsoever for this suddenly foolish slave… former slave girl.
Seeing Lucy standing there dumbfounded, he barely endured it for a short while before losing his temper and scolding in a low voice: “Disrespectful!”
How dare she not bow to the Lord and thank him for his grace!
Yet even the scolding voice of Butler Fosse, whom Lucy usually feared the most, couldn’t bring her back to her senses quickly.
Finally, Jonathan and Ziken, who were genuinely happy for her but had recovered faster, took action.
They had no choice but to steel themselves and stomp hard on her feet several times before she regained her voice through the pain.
“Ah—!”
She couldn’t help but let out a gasp, her face quickly flushing bright red with shame as she realized she had been disrespectful to the Lord.
Her mind was filled with both joy and confusion, but most of all, endless gratitude.
Suppressing the urge to sob, she hastily knelt down and said in a trembling voice: “Honorable Lord, may the Cat God’s glory forever shine upon you. Thank you for bestowing your grace upon this servant, you…”
“This is the reward you deserve.”
Oliver had been patiently waiting, even stopping Fosse from taking further measures, allowing this pitiful yet resilient little girl to digest the good news.
Hearing this, he smiled and interrupted her, casually dropping more rewards that would make her head spin: “The great Cat God never overlooks the diligence and wisdom shown by believers. Do you remember? I said that the chicks you’ve been caring for are very important to Laina.”
Though over two hundred chicks might not seem like many, they represented the crucial first step in the poultry farming enterprise he had planned for Laina.
“Johan.”
Oliver felt that if he stayed any longer, Lucy would start crying again.
Being someone who only knew how to comfort and pet chicks and cats but not how to console little girls, he unhesitatingly passed this troublesome matter to the manservant: “You all have half a day off today. Take Lucy to see her new home and help her move her belongings.”
As for building the shaded chicken coop, that could be left to Jonathan and Ziken for now.
Once Lucy’s emotions had settled somewhat, he would mention the “Cat God’s second trial” to her—training new brooders and ordinary caretakers to prepare for the hatching and expansion plans scheduled six months later.
Completely unaware of the Lord’s intention to pass off this hot potato, Johan felt flattered and immediately accepted the task.
The expansion of the chicken area meant Lucy no longer needed to live in the castle to perform her duties.
As a free person, she was entitled to own property.
This included housing, money, and land for personal cultivation.—and most importantly, freedom and dignity.
Although freedom was only relative compared to slaves: commoners still had to work for the lord, serve in the military if war broke out, and fulfill annual obligations…
Yet becoming a free person remained the ultimate dream for every serf—no, it was something they dared not even fantasize about in their most beautiful dreams.
Dazed and bewildered, Lucy was led out of the castle by Johan. Trembling, she stepped onto the clean paved road.
Unlike the scattered huts of serfs in the fields, the town area where free people lived was peaceful and harmonious. Wide streets were lined with new houses featuring charred cedar wood exteriors.
Street vendors called out their wares, blacksmith and carpenter shops buzzed with noise, and the butcher shop—though with the least inventory—always had the best business. Even the children chasing each other excitedly through the streets wore clean, beautiful clothes.
To Johan, who had grown accustomed to these sights and could view them objectively, everything here paled in comparison to the beauty within the castle.
Lucy, who had been holding back her emotions the entire way, finally trembled and crouched down.
Under the curious gazes of children her own age, she broke down in uncontrollable sobs.
Father, do you see this?
—All of this was the path illuminated for her by that most sacred and beautiful angelic lord.
