It was late at night, and everything was quiet.
Only the crackling sound of the firewood burning in the fireplace could be heard.
Little White's body was curled up in front of the fireplace, and the fur on the side of its body was slightly yellow from being too close to the fireplace.
Colin stretched and stood up from the mountain of government documents.
"I've seen the tax documents for the past few months. You've done a good job. The measures of reducing taxes to attract business are quite effective, and you can continue to implement them."
Colin said to the tax official, Quincy, as he walked to the fireplace. He picked up the little cat that was greedy for the temperature of the flames and almost caught fire. He hugged it in his arms and then laid it down on the rattan chair in front of the fireplace.
"Meow —"
Little White made a sound of dissatisfaction, as if angry at the stupid human for disturbing its rest. But soon, it calmed down under Colin's caress, and lay on Colin's chest and closed its eyes again.
"Yes, Lord Viscounts. Your approval is my greatest honor. "Quincy bowed to Colin and let out a sigh of relief.
He obviously didn't expect Colin to be so patient and have the ability to understand the complicated tax documents. He was quite nervous before.
Most of the nobles in this world didn't have the mind to manage the mundane affairs of the territory. They basically threw it to the stewards and tax officials to manage. They themselves were either immersed in pleasure, hung around with the noblewomen, or just wanted to show off their martial prowess.
It was rare to see a lord like Colin who was willing to spend time on these boring government affairs.
Quincy couldn't help but be 120% alert, reminding himself that he couldn't be careless in his work in the future.
"Alright, it's getting late. Quincy, you should go back and rest."
"Yes, Lord Viscounts."
After Quincy left, only Colin and Steward Eamon were left in the study.
Colin stroked Little White's soft fur and said, "Today is the last day of the Winter Veil Festival, and the snow has stopped. From tomorrow onwards, let the slaves continue working."
"Yes, Master. You let them rest for the entire Winter Veil Festival, which is already very benevolent. "
Colin's mouth twitched. He was still not used to the way the nobles of this world exploited their slaves.
"What are the next main tasks?"
Eamon flipped open the sheepskin scroll in his hands, and after checking it for a bit, he reported, "Master, the work in Icestone City has basically been completed. The next work is mainly to repair the Red Castle and the water conservancy project."
Eamon paused and raised his head to look at Colin. Seeing that he had no objections, he continued, "This time, with a large amount of surplus labor, I plan to renovate the Red Keep.
The warehouse, stables, training ground, and cellar also need to be expanded. This is the design plan that I asked someone to draft. Please take a look. "
Colin took the design and looked at it while asking, "How much is the budget for the renovation of the Red Castle?"
"About 30,000 gold coins, Master."
Colin pondered for a moment and felt that the cost was still acceptable.
The Angele family's current financial situation was no longer as poor as it was half a year ago. Moreover, they had the support of the rich half-elves behind them, so Colin could also splurge a bit.
Moreover, this time during the slave rebellion, Colin had gathered a large number of slaves. If he didn't make good use of this nearly free labor, then it would be too much of a pity.
"Alright, then we'll do it according to your plan."
"Yes, Master." Eamon nodded and then said, "As for the second project, the water conservancy project. My plan is to split it into two phases, the near and far.
The near phase will be completed within three to four months. The main task is to divert water and irrigate it to serve the upcoming spring plowing.
For the long term, it can be slowed down to three to five years. Dredging the river, strengthening the dam, expanding the irrigation system … all of these will take a longer time and cost a lot. "
Colin looked at the water conservancy project plan that Eamon handed over and nodded seriously, "This is worth doing. Water conservancy is the foundation of agriculture. Even if it costs a lot, it needs to be done well."
"Yes, Master. Also, the half-elven kingdom has many experts in the field of agriculture. I want to hire some to come to Icestone City to instruct the slaves. I wonder if you can introduce me to them. "
"Of course, I will write a letter to Queen Aisha and have her send some people over."
"Thank you, Master." Eamon put away the parchment and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master, recently more and more rebel soldiers have gathered in Icestone City. Although they can't withstand a single blow from the Black Cavalry … with so many slaves gathered in the city, I'm still a bit worried …"
Colin narrowed his eyes and asked faintly, "How many slaves do we have now?"
"We just finished a count the day before yesterday. We currently have eighty-five thousand slaves."
"Mm, that's quite a lot. However, it's not a big problem. " Colin waved his hand carelessly, "As long as we give the slaves food to eat and let them see the hope of becoming free citizens, they won't rebel."
Eamon still said worriedly, "Master, there are many slaves and their backgrounds are complicated. We can't investigate them one by one. I'm worried that there will be people with bad intentions who will intentionally incite the slaves to rebel."
Only then did Colin open his eyes, a serious expression on his face.
"How about this, there are two measures." After thinking for a moment, Colin ordered, "First, let the slaves live together. Don't let the slaves who are familiar with each other stay together to prevent them from associating with each other.
Secondly, we will implement a system of exposing and reporting. Anyone who finds someone suspicious in the slave gathering area or tries to mislead the public can take the initiative to report it. If the exposure is successful, the informant will receive a reward of ten silver coins. "
"Yes, Master."
Colin picked up the coffee beside him and took a sip before asking, "Is there still no movement from Marquis Dawson and Count Oman?"
"No." Eamon shook his head. Eamon shook his head. "Master, I'm guessing that they're waiting for winter to pass. After all, it's not a good time for war."
"Mm." Colin nodded, agreeing with Eamon's judgment. "Moreover, they're probably waiting for the famine to fester.
There's still more than half a year until the next autumn harvest. Right now, only the slaves at the lowest rung of society can't eat. When the commoners run out of food as well, I'm afraid the Northern Frontier will descend into even greater chaos. "
"Master, the rumor you asked me to pay attention to before is becoming more and more intense. Even many citizens of Icestone City are beginning to believe that the reason the trolls were able to successfully invade the Northern Frontier was because of the Duke Of St. Hilde's failed plan to lure the enemy. "
"Has Frostwinter City not responded to this?"
"Not at the moment."
Colin couldn't help but frown. He didn't understand why the Duke Of St. Hilde didn't come out to refute the rumor and instead allowed this rumor, which severely damaged his reputation, to spread freely in the Northern Frontier.
Could it be that the Duke was seriously injured in the duel with the Sacred Samurai?
Eamon saw that Colin's expression wasn't right and asked, "Master, should we take action to stop this rumor from spreading in Icestone City?"
"No need." Colin smiled and shook his head. "Right now, our most important task is to strengthen ourselves. We don't need to care about other things. Just watch the show calmly."
"Yes, Master." Eamon nodded in response.
Then, the old butler looked at the clock on the wall and reminded, "Master, today is the last day of the Winter Veil Festival. It's almost midnight. We still need you to preside over the Angele family's vigil ceremony."
Colin finally remembered this matter and sighed helplessly. He stood up as if he was dealing with a chore and walked out.
Dang dang dang …
When the clock struck twelve, Colin, who was presiding over the vigil, finally stopped praying. He raised his head and looked at the pitch-black night sky outside the window.
The stars were lonely and the crescent moon was hazy.
Thus, a brand new year had quietly arrived.
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