King
Chapter 788 - 788 55 Sky Pit_1

788: Chapter 55, Sky Pit_1 788: Chapter 55, Sky Pit_1 Upon completing his mission, Hudson refused to stay and returned directly to his territory.

He had no wish to be involved in the affairs of the Arcane Academy, especially when it meant dealing with a group of astonishingly well-respected elders.

Even the king had been scolded like a child in their presence; Hudson had no desire to invite hardship upon himself.

Besides, the current Arcane Academy had nothing to offer.

It was best to let these old fellows take the lead, and he could come to share the achievements once the institution was established.

The title of “Founder of the Academy” was not just for show.

Once the elders had passed on to meet the Lord of the Dawn, Hudson, as the honorary principal, would definitely have the qualification to take over.

He was not afraid of a time endurance contest with a group of old men whose average age exceeded 160 years.

Unless they could break into the Sanctuary, the end of their lives was not far off.

They probably knew they didn’t have many good years left, hence their decision to establish the Arcane Academy and openly confront the Clergy.

They wanted to lay a better foundation for the younger generation before they died.

The revenge of the Clergy could only intimidate middle-aged people.

It had little deterrent effect on those who were already halfway into their graves; likewise, it lacked the power to deter a young person like Hudson.

This was a result of upbringing.

In Hudson’s case, he had been hearing terrifying stories about the Clergy ever since he ventured out of his home.

However, the actual events that unfolded around him revealed that the Clergy was not as invincible as it appeared.

At the very least, within the Alpha Kingdom’s territory, the decision-making power did not fall to the Clergy.

If Hudson weren’t so rational, he would undoubtedly have been a vanguard against the Clergy.

It had nothing to do with reason; he simply found the Clergy disagreeable.

No one likes to be taken advantage of, and yet the Clergy had done just that.

To put it crudely, even the king didn’t make as much mess as they did.

Be it Caesar III or Caesar IV, they would consult with the aristocrats in the country when it came to significant matters, rather than labeling people as heretics all the time.

Ultimately, it came down to a problem of “security.” Under the monarchical system, the safety of nobles’ lives and possessions were guaranteed.

Outside of war, Hudson rarely saw nobles being executed in the Kingdom.

As beneficiaries, they naturally felt a sense of belonging.

Under theocracy, everything changed.

A single word, “Heresy”, could topple a king from his lofty position, let alone a nobleman.

This uncontrollable power must be toppled if it cannot be controlled.

…

“Count, these are all the major and minor issues that have occurred in our territory recently.

Apart from a letter from Governor Piers requesting additional workers for the construction of the Blood Moon Defense Line, everything else has been carried out according to your orders.”

Under the traditional feudal system, the administration was straightforward.

As long as the Lord kept out of trouble, there was hardly any.

The situation in the Mountain Domain was no different.

Commerce could be essentially ignored, whereas industry and agriculture were the Lord’s own businesses.

The economy of the territory was being developed according to a planned economic model, with all resources and labor controlled and allocated by the Manor House.

Long-term development was not being considered at the moment.

However, in the short term, this was undoubtedly the most scientific economic system, capable of focusing resources on big projects.

“The canal project has been completed, those slaves who remain are useless, send them to the defense line!

Liaise with the others, we’ll offer more Orc Slaves in exchange for experienced agricultural serfs to contribute to land reclamation.

We can provide all the steel needed for this project, we’ll see what we can get for it from the others in our territory.

If there’s nothing to trade for, just redistribute the extra labor force.”

Hudson said with a look of distaste.

The Orc Slaves had made a significant contribution to the development of the Mountain Domain, but they were truly challenging to manage.

They were fit for menial labor, but anything more complicated, they would make a mess of it.

A single human serf could match the work efficiency of three or four Orc Slaves when it came to land reclamation.

Consequently, they turned out to be cheaper.

The greatest advantage of Orc Slaves was that they could be treated as disposable.

They were transitionary labor, and it wouldn’t matter how many of them died.

“Alright, Count.

We will proceed with these arrangements immediately.

Besides this issue, the team we sent to purchase serfs has returned.

Things didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped, the Columbia Country’s nobles still harbor illusions about the Black Forest People.

Very few nobles are willing to sell serfs, and even then the quantities are small.

Only two profligates, in order to settle their gambling debts, sold many.

We bought 1,586 serf households in total, amounting to more than 11,000 people.

With the expense of 96,794 Gold Coins, we’re far from reaching our target.

These people have already entered the Kingdom.

Given their current progress, they should reach our territory in about two months.”

Hearing Jacob’s report, Hudson furrowed his eyebrows.

The main constraint on the development of the Mountain Domain currently was the lack of population.

Initial funding was nonexistent, and they couldn’t buy slaves.

After the formation of the Prairie Seven Kingdoms, even with money, slaves were unavailable.

Hudson had tried various ways to increase the population.

Encouraging fertility was a long-term policy.

For now, it couldn’t quickly solve the population problem.

They had exhausted all options within the Kingdom.

The war had already caused a significant loss, and the emerging nobility were all trying to grab people.