King
Chapter 164 - 164 113 Caryo-Dalton_1

164: Chapter 113, Caryo-Dalton_1 164: Chapter 113, Caryo-Dalton_1 As winter gave way to spring, the earth once again burst into vibrant life.

The scars left by the war had already faded from the counties of Layton and Wharton.

The joy of the harvest was the most heartwarming.

The spring grains were stored away, and the days of hunger had ended.

The Mountain Domain was also immersed in joy.

Master Hudson, in a buoyant mood, even invited the domain people to taste white bread once, elevating his status as a benevolent lord to new heights.

Even the diminished slaves finally enjoyed a lunch without eating dirt on this day.

It was all thanks to the Northland Nobles’ bad examples.

Originally, Master Hudson never added dirt to his bread.

Ever since he heard the rumors about orcs eating dirt, the low-quality bread given to them contained an extra 10% of salted soil.

The results were excellent, and the cost of salt alone in the domain decreased by a third.

The expenditure on food also reduced considerably.

It also helped to deter people and greatly accelerate the pace of clearing new lands.

Especially the lagging areas, they ramped up their efforts, fearing they would have to eat dirt for survival after consistently ranking last.

In the end, Master Hudson was merciful and did not let everyone eat dirt directly.

However, life was indeed hard for those who lagged behind in clearing new lands.

Changes in leadership were a basic operation, food resources were at a minimal level, and various welfare benefits were delayed.

The slow-paced working groups in the mining areas were also affected.

The elimination of the slow was evidently a strategy that Master Hudson mastered.

Yet, he ended up becoming the person he despised the most.

After all these struggles, the results were significant.

The mining area’s production capacity was climbing continuously, and its monthly turnover broke through the threshold of 15,000 gold coins.

Given this production value, repaying the debt was still a distant dream.

It was all due to opening up new markets.

Master Hudson, who got hooked on advance payments, couldn’t stop at all.

The cost of expanding production was a direct drop in the net profit of products.

The main reason being that the middleman directly took a chunk of the profit.

Everything was worth it.

Making concessions led to the Mountain Domain becoming the largest iron commodity trading center in the Southeastern Province.

Incessantly moving carts depicted a scene of prosperity.

Booming business greatly boosted the confidence of the creditors.

To provide better services to the merchants, Master Hudson even halted the construction team of the Manor House and built inns, taverns, etc., as quickly as possible.

Looking at the soaring turnover, Hudson was not relieved.

Making up for price with volume was never a good business model.

Compared to the super profit from producing weapons and equipment, creating these everyday items could never compete.

Even with the inclusion of supporting service industries, the domain’s net earnings had dropped by twenty percent compared to its peak period.

Thankfully, publicly listed companies do not need to disclose their financial statements.

Otherwise, the stock price would have plummeted nonstop.

The prosperity could mask any crisis, and the bustling scene helped Hudson successfully create the image of a wealthy man.

As for the debts, as long as they were not required to be repaid in hard silver, they could all be ignored.

Even if someone came to collect the debt, it would be evidence of blooming business.

As long as the mines were not emptied, this drama could go on.

Mad collection of wealth was ultimately invested in the development of the domain.

The constantly constructed slag roads had already completed seven miles and was still extending at a rate of three miles per month.

With no machinery and relying purely on human labor to finish these tasks, this speed was attributed to the cooperative terrain.

Along with the repair and widening of the existing roads, the total mileage of the main road that could accommodate two carts had directly crossed eighteen miles.

There were even more winding paths.

However, as they did not meet Master Hudson’s high standards, they were not included in the statistics.

The results of land reclamation greatly exceeded expectations.

Internal competition was effective.

The initial plan of 20,000 acres, directly increased to 33,000 acres.

The data immediately made Master Hudson discard his guilty conscience.

The facts proved that laziness was indeed unacceptable.

Of course, the increase in labor in the later stage was one of the reasons for exceeding expectations.

The only underperforming area was the marshland, which after all had a short development time and only managed to isolate a few hundred acres of land.

In this aspect, Hudson was the least anxious.

The several rows of trenches would not lie, and once they were connected, it would become a network of water channels.

The elevated soil in the middle was perfect for planting rice.

Hudson had even delegated someone to buy the seeds.

Even though the Alpha Kingdom did not have a habit of eating rice, it did not affect Hudson’s decision at all.

If it did not sell, we would eat it ourselves and take it as an opportunity to improve our lifestyle.

Given the Mountain Domain’s situation, there won’t be surplus food to sell for a long time.

Behind the evident results, there was most definitely a dark truth.

The serfs were fine.

Although there was some attrition, including the children carried by pregnant women, the population increased slightly.

The loss of slaves was quite significant.

It might be due to a lack of experience in managing slaves for the first time, resulting in a loss of more than five hundred people in less than two months.

Half of them perished in the marshlands.

Most of them were foolish deaths.

Carelessness during work, trying to shirk duties, and complete disregard for safety measures.

The supervisors were also helpless in this situation.

The constant reminding was like playing a lute to a bull, a pig, a rat…