On the morning of the fifth day, Lind got up early and went to the temporary platform built by the river.
At this time, everyone in the territory was crowded under the platform, waiting for the lord they had never seen before to speak.
Lena did not run off with the knights this time as she had before, but stood to the side, planning to see what Lind was going to do.
Standing on the platform, Lind felt a bit emotional. The original Lind had planned a lot for the future, but never thought he would gain power so easily. So the upcoming task would be quite simple: to develop the territory while avoiding being dragged into rebellion by Lena.
However, Lind felt some confusion regarding the talk of Lena rebelling in the future. After spending these two days together, he thought Lena’s intelligence did not seem like that of someone who would rebel.
“Dear subjects, although many of you may not have seen me before, I want to tell you that I am your lord. From today onward, everyone shall abide by my orders.”
Upon hearing Lind’s words, many knights near Lena began to stir. For them, Lena was the true master of this land. Although Lind was the nominal lord, he was merely a useless son-in-law in reality.
If Lind’s status on the marriage certificate was indeed that of a son-in-law, these knights would probably have started shouting, “No way! The son-in-law of the Lars family has become the master!”
Lena stopped the restless knights beside her. Last night, Lind and Lena had talked for quite a while. Although Lena fell fast asleep shortly after Lind began to speak, she still vaguely remembered what Lind said about “dispersing authority.”
If authority gets dispersed, there will be no respect; if orders cannot be uniformly issued, they are easy to contradict.
Lena didn’t really understand, but who cares? Someone is helping to govern the territory, and she was just happy about that.
“Today, I come to Graywhite Territory for three matters.”
“First, I announce in the name of the lord that all debts involving the lord, including those to Duke Lars and Lady Lars, will be forgiven. No matter why you came to this land, whether you are serfs or free people, starting today, you shall bear no debts to the lord or the Lars family.”
The cheers and shouts that were expected did not emerge because, for those indebted serfs and free people, high debts were the same whether they existed or not. Duke Lars knew they couldn’t repay; in fact, no one had come to collect the debts.
Ironically, the debts that were practically impossible for the serfs and free people to repay were merely trivial amounts to Lena.
Among the subjects brought by Lind, there were also quite a few who owed money to the original owner of Lind’s body. However, because both Lind and the original owner were relatively lenient lords, these original subjects were not too surprised by Lind’s cancellation of their debts.
“The second point is that all serfs in Graywhite Territory will have the opportunity to become free people. In the future, I will issue a series of tasks and work. As long as you complete these tasks according to the requirements, you will receive corresponding points. When you reach the standard with these points, you can apply to become free people.”
The crowd began to stir, mainly among the subjects Lind had brought from the original territory, as they were more trusting of a lord who was willing to take his subjects to safety.
However, the serfs of the Lars family were somewhat skeptical, mostly indifferent.
The conversion of serfs into free people was not unheard of, but the conditions were usually extremely harsh, typically akin to pie-in-the-sky promises. Only a few serfs who became trusted retainers of a noble could change their status.
However, this was when the importance of the tasks became evident. Lauri, a veteran interspersed among the subjects, quickly asked Lind, “My lord, what are the specific tasks? How long do I need to work to become a free person?”
Lind smiled, trying to present himself as approachable. It seemed that in inheriting the protagonist’s abilities, he also inherited part of the charm attribute. To the crowd, Lind indeed exuded an aura that made him easy to approach, adding credibility to his next words.
“The main tasks include bridge construction, road paving, and house building. Stronger individuals can also choose mining and participating in the future army, which earn more points. For women, children, and those not physically fit, there are lighter tasks like fishing and weaving.”
“I swear in the name of the goddess, any diligent serf, if they work hard for about one to three years, can become a free person. For those who make significant contributions to the territory, I will personally burn their bondage contracts and grant them the status of a free person.”
Upon hearing specific task details and the oath made in the name of the goddess, the serfs of the Lars family finally began to whisper among themselves. These were things they could do, not unrealistic conditions like slaying a dragon, and at least it seemed genuinely feasible.
At this point, someone from the crowd, Tuo, began to ask questions again.
“Can free people also do these tasks?”
“Of course, anyone can undertake these tasks. Upon completion, there will also be corresponding points which can be exchanged for food and goods within the territory or directly for money. If the points of the free people reach the standard, there will be additional monetary rewards.”
Afterward, Lind added, “I have already sent people to post notices in the central area of the territory regarding the specific rules and terms. There will be literate people taking turns standing guard to explain them to you. If anyone has questions, you can go to the central area during your free time to learn more.”
However, after Lind finished speaking, it was not the serfs but the knights beside Lena who were the first to rush to the central area to learn about the rules.
One of the female knights beside Lena rushed over, panting, and said to Lena, “Miss, this guy, he actually plans to turn the serfs into free people. I checked, and if it’s knights like us, we can achieve the standard for free people in just half a year.”
Lena seemed confused and asked, “Isn’t this good? What’s wrong with turning serfs into free people?”
Perhaps due to Lena’s clear ignorance, she did not realize what serfs meant to the nobility. She simply empathized with the serfs and thought that if she were a serf, she would definitely do everything possible to become a free person.
“Miss!”
The female knight said worriedly, “If all the serfs become free people, and neither serfs nor free people owe money anymore, who will work for the territory? I think this Lind Ror doesn’t understand governance at all.”
For the nobility, serfs meant cheap labor, which could be exploited until the last drop of blood was squeezed from them.
And these nobles, who only knew how to constantly raise taxes and labor hours to extract wealth, completely failed to comprehend the benefits of liberating serfs.
Lena could not understand either, yet she displayed surprising wisdom and the ability to empathize at this moment.
“Knight Susan, are you a serf?”
“Of course not! Miss, I am a noble knight of the Lars family!”
The knight named Susan seemed taken aback by Lena suddenly asking this question.
“Then do you owe our family money?”
“No, you and the family have always treated me well. I have never been in debt.”
“Then why do you work for me?”
Hearing Lena’s profound question stunned Susan for a moment. After a long time, she spoke some difficult terms about a knight’s beliefs and the honor of the family.
“Then why can’t serfs have beliefs and honor? I think what the lord is doing is fine. Those who can persist in completing those tasks have already qualified to become free people or even knights.”
Upon hearing Lena’s words, Susan was finally at a loss for words and retorted, “But miss, we are nobles, and we have noble blood running through our veins. Those serfs are nothing but slaves.”
“So what?”
Lena said carelessly, “Grandfather also said that our Lars family ancestors were blacksmiths.”
