The Lord Of Blood Hill

After the initial discussions, contracts for hundreds of demonstration zones are finalized.

More contracts will be signed as the various leaders return to their territories.

Why is Henwell doing all this?

These contracts require Henwell to invest tens of millions of gold coins over the next two years.

Such a huge expenditure clearly isn’t just for grain and crops.

If only counting crop profits, Henwell would need at least ten years to break even.

With such a massive investment, the returns from this deal alone don’t make sense.

There are three reasons behind it.

The first, and most important, is that Henwell really needs to increase the population of the Vorry Kingdom.

People are the core productive force! Without enough population, everything else is pointless.

The second reason is that Henwell wants to raise the income of his agricultural staff.

Once sent out to these zones, the agricultural workers’ earnings will increase several times over.

After ten years of training, Peace Haven already has many skilled agricultural technicians.

Yet, despite their training and work, agricultural technicians earn less than factory workers.

That’s clearly unreasonable!

So Henwell wants to raise their income, but can’t just increase wages arbitrarily.

He keeps only the best technicians at Peace Haven and sends the rest to demonstration zones across Vorry.

This way, the remaining top technicians can receive a significant salary boost.

It’s a disguised layoff combined with a raise.

Peace Haven doesn’t have enough land to raise salaries for such a large number of agricultural technicians, so they must be sent elsewhere.

Only out there can they gain experience, improve, and earn more.

Will some be poached by others? Certainly, but not too many.

If they all get poached, it means Henwell’s system is outdated compared to others, and that would be justified.

This is advanced productive force extracting resources from less developed regions.

Finally, Henwell has a third goal: cultivating agricultural talent across the land.

Serfs learn Peace Haven’s agricultural knowledge, but if they want to improve and learn more, they must come to Peace Haven for advanced training.

Once they arrive, Henwell is confident he can keep both their bodies and souls here.

Not just in agriculture, if serfs have talents in other areas, the managers stationed at demonstration zones will recommend them to Peace Haven.

This is Henwell’s talent vacuum plan!

At the same time, Henwell needs to expand Peace Haven’s influence.

It won’t be long before the serfs in the demonstration zones become the envy of commoners under various noble lords.

There, they don’t just have enough to eat and wear. They have homes, and if they work well, they get monetary rewards.

If possible, they can even marry and have children, with their safety guaranteed by Peace Haven.

The contract states that even after it expires, these serfs no longer belong to their original nobles, they become free people.

When that time comes, they won’t refuse the olive branch Peace Haven extends.

Moreover, each demonstration zone houses hundreds of people.

Their daily expenses mostly go toward Peace Haven’s goods.

Soon, each zone will become a small marketplace, constantly attracting nearby commoners to buy supplies.

Humans are strange creatures, they tend to idealize things they’ve never seen.

When the products they use are high quality and affordable, they imagine the place where these things are made must be just as good.

In fact, Peace Haven truly is a wonderful place compared to other parts of the continent.

At least for commoners and serfs, it is.

Beyond these livelihood calculations, Henwell has even more dangerous plans.

The large number of engineers he sends out aren’t just digging trenches and canals or building simple houses.

Before long, through their surveys, Henwell gains detailed knowledge of the terrain everywhere.

He knows exactly where armies can march, where valleys lie, where rivers flow.

If a military move is needed, Henwell only needs to build a fortress in a strategic spot to achieve an effect comparable to a legion.

Additionally, many mineral exploration teams are mixed in, mapping out mineral resources.

Weather, culture, mountains and rivers, vegetation and soil, population numbers……

All these seemingly trivial details slowly gather at Peace Haven.

When the time comes, nobles will find Peace Haven knows their lands even better than they do.

This is why many in the Phoenix family are reluctant to let Henwell meddle in their domains.

They understand too well Henwell’s invasive influence.

What he shows on the surface already makes them uneasy.

If they knew that behind every agricultural demonstration zone lay so many hidden agendas, they’d sleep with one eye open.

After chatting for a while longer, Henwell stands to take his leave.

Duke Jansen accompanies Victor to discuss other trade cooperation matters.

Henwell heads over to the noticeably quiet Billie Kingdom.

For Henwell’s wedding, Billie Kingdom didn’t send an official delegation.

On one hand, the entire Billie Kingdom dislikes Vorry deeply, and they especially detest Henwell, the bold knight lord who dared to launch the war because of the corpses.

Princess Catherine sends Daniel, an old acquaintance of Henwell’s.

Come to think of it, it was because of Daniel that Henwell left the Bloodhorn Arena back then.

Later, during the marriage alliance war, Henwell discovers that Daniel is actually working for Catherine.

As the second son of Duke Raymer, after realizing he has no claim to inheritance, Daniel throws himself under Catherine, who is the least likely to gain the throne.

Catherine builds her power base by gathering these disinherited nobles’ heirs.

Now that Catherine has succeeded, Daniel, one of her earliest followers, naturally rises in status.

Daniel is now a legion commander under Catherine and a member of her inner cabinet.

Yet, instead of being full of vigor, Daniel looks haggard as he drinks alone.

Even when Henwell approaches, Daniel doesn’t snap out of his brooding.

Henwell sits across from him and pours a glass of wine. “Why so down? Has His Majesty Ulysses, King of Billie, already passed away?”

Daniel snaps to attention, then forces a bitter smile. “Ah~! If His Majesty were dead, I wouldn’t be so troubled!”

Henwell taps the table. Simon and the Lord Iron Guards seal off the area.

Everyone’s eyes turn to watch the unfolding drama.

Many know that Billie’s War Rose Princess harbors some inexplicable feelings for the Lord of Blood Hill.

What they don’t know is that Henwell’s topic is downright rebellious.

Henwell speaks up, “So, do you want me to escort your king on his final journey?”