Midsummer Festival, one of the traditional festivals of the human kingdoms of the old world, was held every June. On this day, people would light bonfires to celebrate the arrival of summer.
Ever since Laing came to Baron Zeon's territory, it had undergone tremendous changes. More wooden buildings had been built, and roads that extended in all directions covered the plains, connecting the five villages and towns.
New canals drew clean water from the Sinon River to irrigate the farmlands.
The serfs were happy to find that they still had things to do even during their slack time. The knights had issued all kinds of conscription orders, and as long as they were willing, they could participate in many paid jobs, making their lives much better.
More projects were still under construction. Along the Sinon River, many workshops had already begun to take shape, and many freedmen had moved to Baron Zeon's territory, looking for opportunities to rise up.
Tomorrow was Midsummer Festival, and all the serfs would gather at the lord's castle. They would each receive a cup of ale and a piece of rye bread according to their names on the list. This was the knight's mercy.
In the baron's castle, Laing was also holding a banquet with his retainers. Participating in the banquet were his tax officer Gasparton, his butler Katzenberg, his elder brother Angran, the paladin Alfred Frey, and the two ranger knights Lopes and Olivier.
Unknowingly, the baron's own subordinates had gradually thickened. Lopes and Olivier had recruited a few knight squires, and as for the big man Angran, Laing explained that he was his elder brother who had been chased here because he had committed a crime, so he had taken him in.
It didn't seem to be a problem.
The Nords in the north were quite tall, and although Angran was indeed too tall, no one paid much attention to him.
Wine and food were served, and candles burned on the large wooden table and walls. Ever since Laing treated the serfs differently, they had indeed exploded with labor and enthusiasm, and the progress of the project had sped up. Even though many parts of the tower and the spire were still being renovated, and the walls were still being added, the craftsmen had quickly finished preparing the banquet hall for the baron's use.
Laing raised his ivory wine cup and said to everyone present, "Everyone, let us drink together. I wish you all good health!
"I wish everyone good health!" Everyone raised their glasses, and beer foam splashed everywhere. Angelo was the fastest. He downed a large glass of Aiur beer, burped, and continued to eat and drink.
Everyone looked at him with fear in their eyes.
At first, everyone in the territory thought that the Baron's brother had come here to ask for shelter and food.
However, since the baron took the initiative to ask him to train himself, everyone saw the strength of this big guy.
He grabbed Laing, who was the champion of the Goddess of the Lake Contest, and gave him a good beating. The mid-legendary Knight of the Holy Grail had no power to fight back in front of this big guy. He was beaten black and blue, and his face was swollen.
Laing did not mind at all. His injuries were usually completely healed in a single night. Therefore, when he went to find his elder brother again the next day, he was beaten black and blue, and his teeth were scattered all over the floor.
After a long time, everyone knew that the Baron's brother was immeasurably strong. They were all in awe of him.
Everyone sat down again and continued eating.
Then, a dining car was pushed in from outside the banquet hall. The dark elf Olica pushed the dining car into the banquet hall.
"Oh! Heavens, this smell, could it be? "
"Praise the Lady!"
"My Baron, you are too generous!"
Smelling the sweet smell, some of the people had already guessed what was pushed in.
"Thank you, Lady, for giving us such delicious food. Today, I take it out to share with everyone. I hope everyone can work hard and do their best." Laing stood up and walked to the front of the dining car.
Lifting the lid, small white bread appeared in front of everyone.
This bread was very small, not even as big as Laing's fist. The surface of the bread was baked to a golden color, exuding a sweet smell, and delicate cream was smeared on it.
"It's Queen's Bread! It's really Queen's Bread! " Gasparton stood up. The tax official's face was very excited, and he was even about to cry. "My Baron, what have we done to deserve such a gift from you?"
"This is a reward for everyone's hard work," Laing said with a smile. "It is also a reward for the recruitment work that is to come."
So, the small round white bread was given to everyone. Each person only had one piece, and it was the size of a palm. Aside from Laing's brother, Angelang, everyone treated it like it was a treasure. They carefully cut it up with their knives and forks and chewed it carefully.
Only Angelang smiled at his brother. He grabbed the World Eater geno prototype and swallowed it. He nodded with satisfaction and gave his brother a thumbs-up.
Laing saw this and laughed.
This bread was made from the wheat flour that the Lake Goddess Witch Morgiana had given him. He added eggs, milk, honey, and vanilla. He also used beer yeast to replace the normal dough. After a careful fermentation, he baked it to make the bread. It was called Queen's Bread.
This kind of bread might not be rare to Leon, who came from the Celestial Empire in his previous life, but in this world, this kind of bread was truly a super luxury. Even the king couldn't enjoy this kind of super luxury for every meal.
At least, when he was a White Wolf Knight and participated in the White Wolf War God's Holy Sun Ceremony, he was given barbecued meat and wine.
The 15 pounds of wheat flour that the Lake Goddess Witch had given him was a real luxury. Many Dukes did not have that much in stock. It proved that the Lake Goddess was rich, and it also proved that she liked Laing a lot. Laing knew that he would only express his gratitude.
Of course, Laing knew that he could not give out too much of this. He could not make it a habit. Everyone only needed to taste a little. This kind of thing was too precious. He could not let them think that the Baron had a lot of it. It would be too stingy of him to give them a little. He could not let them get used to this kind of luxurious food.
Gratitude for one litre, hatred for another.
The reason why Laing gave the serfs food and grading them based on labor efficiency was the same. If you ate well, no one would be grateful. Once these serfs got used to the excellent food of their lord, this project might not be completed in the next year. If they did not have such food when they were recruited in the future, the serfs might even riot. They would not remember that the corvee did not provide food.
After tasting the Queen's Bread, Laing coughed and said, "Speaking of which, the news of the conscription was announced. How was the response?"
"The response was very enthusiastic, my Baron!" Lopes smacked his lips, as if he was still savoring the taste of the Queen's Bread. "The serfs fought to join the infantry regiment, or send their sons to the infantry regiment. Everyone was asking the Lord what kind of young man he wanted."
Laing nodded. His reputation as a Knight of the Holy Grail was strong enough, so it was not surprising that the serfs would have such a reaction.
In Brittany, there were two ways to join the infantry regiment. The first way was that when the infantry regiment suffered serious losses, the Lord would select people from the serfs to join the infantry regiment. This was regarded as a bad idea by the serfs, because the Lord would greatly reduce their salary because of their incompetence, making their income similar to that of ordinary serfs.
The second way was on the Conscription Day on Midsummer Eve. The serfs would bring all their boys to the Lord's castle, hoping that the boys would be selected by the Lord as a member of the infantry regiment. For the serfs, it was a very honorable thing for their children to become infantry. Not only could they enjoy shelter from the wind and rain, but they could also enjoy food rations and a salary much higher than that of the serfs.
The militia also had the opportunity to be promoted to sergeants or even rangers. If they could reach that point, it would be a great honor. They would gain the status of free people, move into the castle or town, and completely change their lives.
(Sergeants and rangers generally meant the highest achievement for the serfs. Unless there was an extreme situation, it was impossible for the serfs to become knights.)
Of course, the Lord Knights would not let the serfs think that it was so easy. It was very difficult for a serf to become a sergeant or even a ranger. Some serfs were rejected by the Lord Knights all their lives. Only the Knights of the Holy Grail would fairly look at the serfs' contributions.
To become a glorious sergeant and win the status of a free person, the only way was to fight!
The serfs were even more eager for war than their Lord Knights! Spoils of war, rewards from the Lord Knights, and room for promotion were their hope of survival!
Several people talked about recent internal affairs for a while, and there was a sound of flapping wings and neighing of horses outside.
Laing heard it and said directly, "Then please continue and drink to your heart's content. I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
"Yes, my Baron!" "No problem, brother."
So Laing left the banquet hall on the first floor.
Outside the castle, under the moonlight, a proud pegasus was standing proudly in the beautiful moonlight. Its white wings were fully extended, its silver mane was shining, and its strong limbs were full of beauty.
On the pegasus, a beautiful female knight with blonde hair and blue eyes was taking off her helmet. Behind her was Emilia, who was wearing the summer student uniform of Vanford College. Seeing Laing standing below waiting for them, the little maid waved excitedly, "Mr. Laing! I'm back! "
"Welcome back, Emilia. And welcome, Miss Suria." Laing's tall figure stood straight, and the Baron smiled warmly, "How come Miss Suria personally sent you back?"
"Uh …" The standard uniform of the college was a vest, a white shirt, and a checkered knee-length skirt. Emilia looked like a budding flower when she wore it. The girl saw that he had doubts, so she quickly said embarrassedly, "President Suria kindly sent me back. Because there was something at the college, it was a little late when I wanted to come back. President Suria was worried that I was not safe alone, so she sent me back on a pegasus."
"Well, it's okay to come back later if you're busy." Laing said with a wry smile. The female knight sending the little maid back was actually a piece of cake. From Brunhilda riding a pegasus at full speed, she could cross the mountain and go directly to Jean's territory. It could be done in fifteen minutes. For the female knight, it was just a ride.
However, Laing had to accept this favor, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Suria."
"It's okay, Mr. Laing. Miss Emilia also hasn't returned to Jean's territory for a long time. I saw that she was a little anxious, so I sent her back." The female knight shook her head, indicating that it was okay.
Emilia had not returned to Jean's territory for a few weeks since she went to Winford Academy to study. She had just entered the school and had a lot of things to do. The school only had one day off a week, so she often had things to do and could not come back in time.
Emilia felt a little guilty about this. Midsummer had three days off, so she felt that she had to come back no matter what.
Laing did not say anything. He nodded and signaled Emilia and Suria to follow him.
On the way back, Emilia carefully said to Suria, "Is he angry?"
The female knight shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry. Mr. Laing is not a narrow-minded person. Otherwise, he wouldn't be a Knight of the Holy Grail."
On the way back to the small wine castle in Jean's territory, Laing took out the king's order from behind the table and handed it to the female knight. "This is His Majesty's warrant. The Knight War General this year is Marquis Anci. Do you know him?"
Emilia was a little uneasy. Seeing this, Laing gently patted the little maid's shoulder, indicating that he did not have a problem with her, but that he had some urgent matters to deal with.
The baron clapped his hands, and Olica brought in juice and queen's bread from outside for the female knight and the little maid to enjoy. Suria was a little surprised to see that Laing had queen's bread. The female knight did not refuse and directly ate after thanking him.
Seeing that Laing did not have a problem with it, Emilia also took small bites. She seemed to be no stranger to this kind of food.
"Marquis Anci? It's a bit surprising that His Majesty would choose him. " Like Emilia, the female knight was wearing a white blouse and a blue checkered skirt. Her beautiful long legs were wrapped in black stockings and a pair of fiery red stilettos. Hearing Laing's words, Suria said in confusion, "Marquis Anci is about the same age as you, Mr. Laing. He has participated in many wars, but this is the first time that he's personally led a general."
"Has the duke received the king's order?" Laing was even more confused. Did Duke Winford not receive the king's order?
Her bright blonde hair swayed, and the female knight shook her head. "No. Usually, His Majesty would not directly issue the king's order to my father. Usually, it would be a messenger who comes to negotiate with my father about the number of people participating in the war and the amount of war tax."
The baron began to realize that something was wrong.
He was a baron under Duke Winford. Why would the king's order directly come to him?
Did the king not understand the principle of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal"?
No, it was impossible that the king did not understand this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been the king for twenty-four years.
Then, the only explanation was that …
What he had done recently had made the great nobles of the Knight King's Kingdom unhappy.
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