"My Lord, the soldiers have been waiting for this day!"

Lancelot laughed heartily. Today, the King was different from before; he felt much closer to the soldiers.

As a straightforward man, Lancelot had only looked down on Simon because of the prince’s past arrogance and incompetence. Now, though he didn’t understand why Simon’s personality had changed, he saw it as a good thing; perhaps it was worth following the prince a while longer.

Percival, chewing on a bone, savoured the unique taste of horse meat. Unable to resist, he asked hopefully, "My Lord, I’ve heard that Eldora is incredibly prosperous. Can all the commoners there eat steamed buns?"

Simon pondered for a moment before replying. "Not everyone, but life there is certainly more comfortable than ours."

In his view, no place in the Eldorian Empire was truly prosperous for the lower classes. The kingdom’s Equal Field System had long since collapsed, with severe land monopolisation leaving many commoners landless. Bandits roamed freely, and the entire kingdom reeked of decay, like an old man at death’s door.

Roland, reminiscing about life in Eldora, added. "Eldora is home to wealthy merchants and noble families, so yes, it’s bustling. At least if you have silver, you can buy anything you want. Not like here in Brambleford, where even money can’t buy salt. We only managed to get some because Ysabeau went to Prince Gerad’s territory to procure it."

"Salt?" Simon suddenly realised why the horse meat had tasted so bland; it wasn’t seasoned. "The eastern part of my domain borders the sea. Don’t people here know how to boil seawater for salt?"

"My Lord, it’s not that they don’t know how," Roland explained carefully. "But salt production has always been a state-controlled monopoly. Selling private salt is a crime punishable by death. And since you never paid much attention to the official salt bureau... Well..."

Simon felt a wave of embarrassment. This was yet another disaster caused by the previous Simon’s neglect.

For five years, the prince had ignored everything about his domain, never thinking to develop it. He had done nothing but indulge in pleasure, leaving many necessary institutions completely undeveloped.

With a long sigh, Simon declared. "Since that’s the case, once Baldwin returns, he will establish a Salt Bureau. We will produce official salt in Ashenford and Oakridge."

"My Lord is wise!" Roland’s eyes lit up. Finally, the prince was showing signs of competence.

As the sun set, Lancelot and Percival led their soldiers back to their respective posts.

Nightfall in the Eldorian Empire meant curfew, and Brambleford was no exception.

The royal castle was shrouded in darkness, with only two or three rooms dimly lit by candlelight. The lack of resources in the domain meant even the castle couldn’t afford to illuminate every corner extravagantly.

In the servants’ quarters, plumes of smoke rose as workers bustled in and out, carrying firewood.

Just as Simon rounded the front hall, Joan suddenly appeared before him. In the pitch-black night, if not for her distinctive gown, he might not have recognised her.

"My Lord, the hot water is ready. You must be exhausted after capturing the barbarians today. Please bathe and rest early." Joan said softly.

It had been three days since Simon arrived in this unfamiliar world, and every night had been unbearably dull.

With no entertainment, the boredom was suffocating. One day was tolerable, but after three in a row, he was about to lose his mind. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

He glanced at Joan. No choice, if this continues, I’ll go crazy. I might as well tease the maids for amusement.

The bathhouse was in a side chamber of the sleeping quarters, reserved solely for Simon’s use. As he followed Joan inside, he saw that a large wooden tub of steaming water had already been prepared. Ysabeau stood beside it, waiting.

After three days of living like a peasant, Simon finally felt a shred of comfort. At least I still have maids to attend to me. How many single men would envy this?

"M Lord, allow me to remove your robes." Ysabeau and Joan stepped forward.

Simon straightened his back and stretched out his arms. He didn’t bathe every day in this wretched ancient era; even bathing was a luxury.

Fetching water from the well, heating it, preparing everything, it took multiple servants just to make a single bath possible.

Including Roland, the entire staff barely numbered ten people.

These ten servants handled all the cleaning, cooking, and miscellaneous duties for the castle.

And the castle itself was no small place, spanning 200 meters across in both directions, making it the grandest residence in Brambleford.

With his eyes half-closed, Simon enjoyed the attentive service of Joan and Ysabeau. For the first time since transmigrating, he felt it was worth it.

Joan and Ysabeau blushed deeply.

Previously, they had only served Consort Isolde; never had they seen a man’s body before. Their emotions were a mix of embarrassment, fear, and curiosity.

But they knew that since Consort Isolde had gifted them to him, they now belonged to him.

They could only suppress their emotions.

"Shall we bathe together?" Simon smirked wickedly.

Joan lowered her head, too shy to respond.

Ysabeau, however, boldly replied. "My Lord, no need to rush. Her Highness instructed that once you are married, Joan and I will be yours sooner or later."

Simon had only been joking to relieve his boredom.

Sitting in the hot water, he glanced at Ysabeau. She’s bolder than Joan.

Indeed, Consort Isolde had hinted at this in her letter.

"Just a joke, don’t take it seriously," Simon said, continuing to bathe. He wasn’t some lust-driven fool; he knew what really mattered right now.

After a brief pause, he asked. "Ysabeau, tell me, if I want my domain to prosper, what is the most important thing I need to address?"

Ysabeau was surprised that the prince would ask her such a question. Instinctively, she replied. "I am but a mere woman, I wouldn’t know such things."

"I order you to answer." Simon frowned. Even now, women were still expected to be ignorant and submissive. He had expected her response.

After a moment of hesitation, worried that the prince might revert to his former temper. Ysabeau cautiously answered. "Land."

Simon nodded.

With the rising power of noble families, the looming reaver threat, and the scheming imperial princes, his time was limited.

Over the past few days, he had carefully analysed everything. The first issue to address was land.

In any ancient dynasty, there was always an odd phenomenon. There were always more peasants than available farmland.

Whenever large-scale land monopolisation occurred, it was usually a sign that the dynasty was nearing its end.

Currently, his domain was no different; vast tracts of fertile land were controlled by local aristocrats, leaving many commoners landless.

His priority was to resolve this land issue.

His second priority was knowledge transfer.

Sitting on a system yet failing to use it? That would be the greatest waste of all.