"Ku Luo, as a Record Keeper, loyalty and diligence are your duty, yet you dared to embezzle my soldiers’ pay. Do you have any idea what this money you stole means?"

Henry’s voice echoed across the square. Each word was like a sledgehammer, pounding on Ku Luo’s heart.

Ku Luo’s face was pale, his lips purple. He trembled, knowing there was no escape, and repeated incoherently, "I was wrong. It was a moment of folly. Respected Baron, please give me a chance. I’m willing to repay all the money. I’ll do anything to atone for my mistake."

Henry shook his head. Ku Luo had no outstanding merits; he hadn’t even given Henry a reason to show him mercy.

"Ku Luo, your actions are a grave violation of the discipline for fiefdom clerks. You embezzled not just money, but my trust in you.

I cannot let you go just because you’re begging for mercy. If I did, how could I face the clerks and soldiers who are loyal to me?"

Henry announced Ku Luo’s sentence: death, to be carried out immediately!

A low murmur went through the crowd, but no one dared to question Henry’s decision.

Ku Luo was brought to the side of the city wall. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with the despair of knowing his life was about to end.

Under the watch of all, Ku Luo was hanged from the city wall, made into a warning.

Henry hoped this would make everyone understand that embezzlement and corruption would not be tolerated. At the very least, they couldn’t embezzle *his* money in *his* domain.

Henry stood beneath the wall, gazing at Ku Luo’s body without a trace of pity.

"Claude, you may go about your business. Tommy, come with me to the study."

On his way back, he had already begun planning the spring Wolf Hunting Festival celebration. He looked forward to gathering with the nobles of the grasslands again—and to receiving a batch of gifts.

’It’s not that I’m short on money. I’m just giving those nobles a chance to show their sincerity.’

’The New Year’s festival was a disappointment, so the Wolf Hunting Festival has to have some proper entertainment, right?’

Inside Henry’s study, the firelight from the hearth illuminated the map of the grasslands hanging on the wall and the neatly arranged books on the shelves.

Henry sat behind a large oak desk. A sheet of parchment was spread out before him, covered in the densely written draft plans for the New Year’s festival. He intended to use this as a template, modifying it for the Wolf Hunting Festival celebration.

Tommy sat opposite him, holding a quill and an inkwell, ready to record Henry’s instructions.

"How should we design the rules for the hunt? From what I know, the Wolf Hunting Festival is a festival for the grassland nobles and Cavalry Bowmen to display their Bravery and unity.

Tommy, the rules must be fair, but also challenging enough not to be boring. Give me your thoughts."

Tommy nodded, his quill dancing across another sheet of parchment. "Yes, my lord. We could establish different hunting zones, with each zone assigned points based on difficulty. Participants could then be ranked by their score.

The Forest Hunting Ground is vast enough to support dozens of hunters."

"Hmm, it’s a bit standard, not very exciting... Are there enough wolves near the hunting ground? We have to at least ensure everyone can bag one animal."

Tommy’s mind spun quickly. He replied, "My lord, there’s definitely enough prey. The number of Grassland Wolves is very high. Almost all the hunters in the Forest Hunting Ground have wolf-pelt hats, and they often complain that there are too many wolves."

Henry nodded, glanced at the draft, and said, "As for the banquet, I don’t think we should leave it all to Orianna and her people. We should invite some chefs from the big cities to prepare the food. You’ll be in charge of contacting them."

Tommy noted Henry’s instructions. "Understood, my lord. I’ll prepare the scale of the banquet and a menu as soon as possible."

Just then, Bain walked in to ask about the housing situation for the soldiers.

"Have some infantry units garrison the villages and the Cavalry patrol the borders. Put them on rotation, and the barracks will be sufficient... Alright Bain, we’re discussing the Wolf Hunting Festival."

The problem wasn’t a difficult one; Henry couldn’t possibly have all his troops stationed in the castle.

He had six villages and over a dozen farms, with many areas needing patrols. As long as he spread some of the men out, housing wasn’t an issue.

Hearing this, Bain said excitedly, "The plans for the Wolf Hunting Festival? My lord, I actually have an idea."

Henry raised an eyebrow and motioned for Bain to sit. "Bain, let’s hear your idea."

Bain cleared his throat. "I think we could add some traditional grassland competitions on the day of the festival, like equestrian shows, wrestling matches, or even singing and dancing."

Tommy’s eyes lit up. "An equestrian show is a great idea. If a lot of nobles participate in the Wolf Hunting Festival, the Cavalry Bowmen might not be able to join the hunt.

This way, we can let the riders showcase their equestrian skills."

Henry nodded in agreement. "Excellent. Bain, your suggestion is very creative. Wrestling matches would also add to the festival’s atmosphere. As for the singing and dancing, we can invite artists from the Odoche Opera House to perform."

Bain continued, "Also, at the end of the Wolf Hunting Festival, we could hold a grand bonfire party and have everyone participate to celebrate the festival together."

Tommy excitedly jotted down the ideas. "A bonfire party... We can prepare some traditional grassland music and dances, and let the wine fill everyone’s bellies!"

As the discussion deepened, the plan for the Wolf Hunting Festival gradually took shape.

Henry slapped the table. "Tommy, you’re in charge of organizing these plans. Start preparations tomorrow. Send a letter to the Opera House in Odoche and have them provide ten such singers. Have the women’s academy provide twenty to thirty people as well.

Bain, take some grassland riders and make a trip to the nearby noble fiefdoms. Tell them to bring their own Cavalry Bowmen to participate in the equestrian competition. Make sure we have people who can give us a spectacular performance at the Wolf Hunting Festival."

The two replied in unison, "Yes, my lord."

Just as the two were about to stand and leave, Tommy sat back down and asked, "My lord, this will cost around two thousand Dinar... How do we plan to recoup the costs? We’ll also need to prepare prizes for the winners."

Henry waved his hand and smiled. "You can ask Bain. On our way back, those nobles gave us quite a lot of livestock and grain. The value of those gifts alone exceeds two thousand Dinar.

This time, when they come for the Wolf Hunting Festival, they can’t come empty-handed, can they?"

Bain nodded. The "apology gifts" from these people were indeed substantial.

Soon, Henry was alone in the study.

Henry rubbed his temples. As soon as he returned to his fief, information burst forth like an overstuffed chest, leaving him overwhelmed.

He had to be briefed on the castle’s daily expenses, review the records of the newly immigrated Free People and self-employed farmers, and keep up with the tavern’s income and the "idle gossip" from the merchant caravans.

And that damn, corrupt Imperial office—why hadn’t it established itself in Westwood Laine yet? Wasn’t this delaying his contact with Daimon?

「The next morning」

Henry and Claude stood on the newly demarcated land. The Record Keepers held planning maps and surveying tools in their hands.

The tenant farmers gathered around him, their eyes holding a hint of anticipation. This land was the foundation of their future survival and the source of their families’ livelihoods.

Even if Henry had just captured them and moved them to a new place to farm, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for them. The security and military here were far superior to Baron Sura’s domain.

"Each family will lease land according to its population and labor force. As your lord, I will provide seeds and farming tools to help you start your new lives."

The tenant farmers broke into cheers. Whether they were sincere or not, each one of them was very supportive.

Soon, Henry took Claude to supervise the serfs in the construction of the new farmstead. They felled trees, built fences, and laid out the fields.

Every day, this land changed, growing from nothing and gradually revealing the embryonic form of a farmstead.

Meanwhile, the expansion of Westwood Laine’s residential district also began. Serfs who had been transferred over were digging foundations outside the city, preparing to build new residences and facilities.

Stonemasons meticulously carved each stone, while carpenters busied themselves erecting the frames of houses.

The district’s expansion included not only residences but also an open-air market, which would be a vital channel for the prosperity of Henry’s domain.

Currently, the management of visiting merchant caravans was too crude; everything was conducted inside the tavern, with no unified marketplace.

The skilled carpenters, stonemasons, and plasterers who had been plundered played a key role in the district’s construction.

For this reason, Henry arranged suitable housing for them and ensured their food and wages were provided for.

’The civil engineering trade has enormous potential; they’ll never be out of a job. I need to keep a record of these talented people and pay attention to them.’

Since Henry intended to develop the land, he would naturally need to build more villages and roads in the future.

Besides the farmstead and district construction, Henry was also focused on the development of the pastures. The pastures not only provided meat and dairy products but were also an important source of horses for the fief.

Now that there was suddenly no war to fight, Henry found himself surprisingly restless. He couldn’t stay idle, constantly riding back and forth to inspect the various construction sites and check on the progress.

Today, at the district expansion site, an elderly stonemason was carving a massive stone pillar. His focused expression and skilled hands captivated a serf, who watched, enthralled, his hands mimicking the motions in the air.

The stonemason noticed this and sighed. The serf was the lord’s property; he couldn’t teach him any skills.

But as fate would have it, the serf’s actions were seen by Henry, who was passing by on his inspection tour.

"Do you have a name?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The serf turned, saw that the person questioning him was wearing fine clothes and riding a tall horse, and hastily knelt down. "I have no name. I am a serf."

Henry pursed his lips and said, "I’m in a good mood lately, so I’ll give you a chance. You have one month to learn the art of carving from him.

If you learn well, you can become one of the Free People. But if you don’t learn well and want to become a tenant farmer, you’ll have to work for an extra three months."

The serf’s head snapped up. He saw the medal on Henry’s chest—an emblem he seemed to recall seeing on the soldiers’ shields...

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"