Chapter 120: Chapter 119: Wilson’s Complaint

After a thorough explanation from Brown, Ronin learned quite a bit about taming Magical Beasts.

Generally, the method used to tame Magical Beasts is a five-part combination: starvation, exhaustion, beatings, rewards, and training.

For Magical Beasts with weak willpower, simply starving them for a meal and then giving them a little food is enough. Repeating this several times can make the creature submit. Combined with training, after two or three generations of breeding, one can obtain a relatively docile pet.

However, taming fierce Magical Beasts is not so easy. After all, not only are they violent by nature, but most also possess considerable intelligence.

Some of these creatures would rather starve to death than eat a single bite of food tossed to them by a human. To force their submission, one would likely need to rely on an auxiliary item like a Magic Beast Contract Scroll, which establishes a master-servant relationship on a spiritual level.

However, the Storm Demon Wolf cub Ronin had obtained was somewhat unusual. For one, it hadn’t spent much time by its mother’s side. For another, it was so young its eyes hadn’t even opened yet.

There’s an unwritten rule in the Beast Taming Realm that cubs imprint on the first person or animal they see when they open their eyes.

Therefore, Brown advised Ronin to spend more time with the cub over the next few days to ensure he would be the first thing it saw when its eyes opened.

He also instructed that after the Storm Demon Wolf cub opened its eyes, Ronin needed to act affectionately toward it. He should interact with the cub with a gentle, friendly, and patient attitude, and minimize any disturbances as much as possible.

Once this foundation of trust was established, the next step would be to use methods like training, rewards, and punishments to solidify the cub’s understanding of Ronin’s status as its master.

A Storm Demon Wolf was still a wolf. If humans could domesticate wild wolves into dogs, then domesticating a magical wolf into a “Demon Dog” was entirely feasible.

After the Beast Tamer left, Ronin and Erin spent some more time playing with the Storm Demon Wolf cub.

“Should we give it a name, Brother?”

Erin gently stroked the cub’s head, happy to have another playmate in Mountain Forest Town.

Perhaps because it was getting used to being petted, the cub, which had been a little resistant at first, now only whimpered softly without struggling.

Ronin thought for a moment, then said, “Seeing as its fur is all black, let’s call it ’Xiaohai’.”

“Xiaohai?”

Erin tilted her head in thought. “Brother, can we pick a more imposing name? Xiaohai sounds so weak. How about we call it ’Black Tiger’?”

“My father says tiger-type Magical Beasts are really powerful!”

“Black Tiger works too.”

Ronin agreed with a smile. “It has a strong, sturdy look to it. That name fits well.”

“Hee hee, Black Tiger, Black Tiger~”

Amidst Erin’s cheerful calls, the manservant, Gallon, knocked on the door again. “My Lord, Civil Servant Wilson is here. He has matters to report to you.”

“Have him come to my study.”

Ronin patted Black Tiger’s small head and left Erin to play with him, then departed from the makeshift pet room.

“My Lord, it’s been a while!”

In the study, Wilson greeted Ronin with enthusiasm.

“It has been a while, Wilson. How are the housing arrangements for the artisans coming along?” Ronin inquired.

“My Lord, even though we’ve been building wooden houses nonstop for the past two months, you brought back quite a lot of people this time. They’re all renowned artisans, so it will be difficult to give each of them a private room.”

Ronin nodded, his brow furrowing in thought.

“Providing the artisans with housing is a promise I made. However, if rooms are limited for now, they can share. We can promise to move them to private rooms after we’ve expanded. Most of the artisans came in groups, so living together shouldn’t be a problem.”

These people hadn’t come to Mountain Forest Town as guests, but as workers for Ronin. They were here to build a new life.

It was enough that Ronin could provide housing that sheltered them from the elements; he had never promised luxury.

“Oh, right. Have Master Dan stay in the Outer Fortress. And make sure Potter Jim gets a better arrangement as well.”

Master Dan was crucial for manufacturing looms, and Jim was for porcelain. Both were future pillar industries for Mountain Forest Town, so it wasn’t out of line to give these two—especially Master Dan—preferential treatment.

Wilson firmly committed the two names to memory. ’Anyone the Lord singles out must be extraordinary.’

Next, Ronin gave Wilson instructions on the work arrangements for the new artisans.

The Carpenters could be assigned to the Ironwood Workshop; the newly built factory there was large and had plenty of room for them to work.

The two new Masons and five apprentices would, of course, join the army of builders to prepare for the future expansion of the town’s population.

The only ones difficult to place were the Blacksmiths—Carlos’s smithy wasn’t large enough to accommodate so many people.

Mountain Forest Town would need a new blacksmith shop.

Ronin thought for a moment and gave an order, “The day after tomorrow. In the morning, have all the artisans come to the Mountain Forest Fortress for a meeting. Tell Carlos, William, and the others from town to be there as well.”

“Yes, My Lord. I’ll make sure they are all notified by tomorrow.”

Wilson jotted everything down. “My Lord, we have planted the cabbages using your Ridge Cultivation Method and applied the urine fertilizer as you instructed. After over a month, they are growing very well. Would you have time to go and inspect them?”

Cabbage was the first crop planted in Mountain Forest Town using the Ridge Cultivation Method. Now, two months had passed, and they had indeed grown large.

Chahar, who had been standing off to the side, also reported, “My Lord, according to Marsin’s report, several manure piles at the fertilizer base have turned black, just as you said, and they no longer stink. I went to take a look, and they should meet your requirements. When would you like to inspect them?”

Ronin nodded. “Let’s make it tomorrow. We’ll go to the fertilizer base first, then check on the cabbages. Oh, right, Wilson, have you planned out the experimental plots?”

Wilson nodded. “My Lord, with the assistance of the four village chiefs, I’ve designated a ten-mu plot of land in each village.”

These forty mu of land were what Ronin had set aside specifically for cultivating wheat.

Ronin planned to have people farm these plots intensively, then select the largest and fullest ears of wheat for seeds. They would also serve as a testing ground for the fertilizer’s effectiveness.

It was the only method he could think of to obtain high-quality seeds.

As for the other wheat fields, Ronin had already instructed the village and group leaders to build upon the existing farming methods. Before the spring planting, they were to lead the collection of dead branches and fallen leaves to be burned into ash fertilizer. They also needed to apply a small amount of regular fertilizer and ensure the fields were properly irrigated and weeded.

In short, they absolutely could not go back to farming with the “pray to the Seven Gods and hope for the best” mentality.

The conversation lasted for a long time. For the most part, Wilson and Chahar reported on the past month’s developments in Mountain Forest Town, while Ronin asked numerous questions.

Overall, Mountain Forest Town’s agricultural affairs were progressing largely as Ronin had envisioned. The only remaining problem was likely the shortage of manpower.

On his way back, Ronin had considered making a detour to Pasture City to purchase a group of slaves. However, he ultimately abandoned the idea. With winter approaching, transporting so many people would be difficult, and Mountain Forest Town lacked sufficient housing.

“My Lord…”

Wilson hesitated, appearing as if he wanted to say something but was afraid to.

Seeing his hesitation, Ronin smiled. “Wilson, you’ve done excellent work recently. If you have any ideas or suggestions, don’t hesitate to speak up.”

Reassured, Wilson summoned his courage. “My Lord, would it be possible for you to hire an assistant for me?”

He quickly explained, “I have the help of the village and group leaders for agricultural matters, which makes things much easier. But my Lord, when it comes to arranging and supervising the slaves’ work, as well as logging and construction, I’m spread too thin to handle it all by myself.”

When Wilson first applied to be Ronin’s Civil Servant, he never imagined the post would be so demanding. After all, his predecessor, Princest, had always seemed quite idle.

But ever since becoming Ronin’s Civil Servant, Wilson hadn’t had a single decent night’s sleep.

He thoroughly enjoyed the respect shown to him by the village chiefs, group leaders, and townsfolk, and he also loved the feeling of being busy and seeing the fruits of his labor. But the Lord’s enterprise was growing, the tasks were multiplying, and he was struggling to keep up on his own.

He even pitied his poor, ordinary riding horse, fearing it would be run to death one of these days.

Ronin nodded slowly.

“I understand your situation. The affairs of Mountain Forest Town are indeed growing more numerous. It is a strain to have you handle everything by yourself.”

“One assistant clearly won’t be enough.”

The main issue was that Cyan Bamboo Village, Purple Fruit Village, and Grey Soil Village still had no Civil Servants. Ronin needed Wilson to train some people for those roles.

“How about this. I’ll give you five positions. Go into town and recruit five assistants for the Civil Servants. The daily wage will be about three Copper Coins per assistant. It would be best if they’re literate, but if not, we can find other tasks for them.”

Wilson’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

He had only asked for one assistant, never expecting the Lord to approve five at once.

“My Lord, you are too generous!”

Ronin chuckled. He had money now; five assistants would only cost a total of five Gold Coins a year, which was nothing to him.

“Have them learn well from you. If they perform well, I’ll later assign them to serve as Civil Servants in the three northern villages. When that time comes, Wilson, I will promote you to ’Civil Affairs Chief,’ in charge of all civil administration for the seven villages of Mountain Forest Town.”

“Of course, your salary will increase as well,” he added.

Civil Affairs Chief was a civil service position he had invented, one rank higher than Civil Servant.

Wilson’s eyes lit up when he heard this. Those words alone swept away all his recent exhaustion.

He had long since recognized the extraordinary nature of the lord before him.

Although Ronin was currently confined to Mountain Forest Town as a mere Baron, Wilson believed that sooner or later, he would venture out.

He had been worried that when the Lord eventually left Mountain Forest Town, he would be left behind to remain as the small town’s Civil Servant.

But now that the Lord had said this, it meant that he, too, would have the chance to follow in Ronin’s footsteps, leave Mountain Forest Town, and carve out a place for himself in the wider world beyond.

“Rest assured, my Lord! Wilson will not fail to live up to your expectations!”

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