"Fifty coins? Mario, you have already withdrawn a hundred gold coins in the first two times, and you want so many now?" Thomas immediately turned into a miser.
"Thomas, the master brought back a total of more than 13,000 people this time. Even if each person eats less than half a kilogram of black bread a day, it still requires 6,000 kilograms a day!"
"And one pound of wheat requires ten copper coins, so fifty gold coins are only 50,000 pounds of grain. The last withdrawal was all for grain, and this time it can only last for more than a month at most!"
"Okay! Mario!" After hearing this, Thomas also knew that Mario had no choice but to hold his nose and get the gold coins.
Soon, Thomas placed the fifty gold coins on the small table in the hall, handed them over to Mario, and then asked Mario to sign the payment.
Dang Dang Dang!
Just as the two of them finished signing, the sound of a bronze bell was heard from the tower of the castle.
The two looked at each other and immediately headed towards the gate of the inner castle.
"Butler Thomas, Civil Affairs Officer Mario, your Excellency is back!" The two of them just exited the gate of the inner castle and saw Raymond shouting with a happy face.
"My lord is back?" The two people's faces instantly showed surprise!
"Quick, Wool Hal, Grassroots Millie, you go and prepare hot water and towels immediately. By the way, there is also a red carpet. Stone cloth, you go prepare the red carpet. My lord is returning in triumph this time, so we must There should be a red carpet to greet you, the kind that goes directly to the gentle slope of the castle!"
"In addition, notify all other male and female servants to gather at the gentle slope and prepare to welcome you!" After the surprise, Thomas's first reaction was to look for the servants to arrange the greeting.
In just a moment, everything was arranged by him.
"Yes, Mr. Butler!"
Immediately, the entire castle fell into a state of chaos. Some of the male and female servants laid out red carpets, some accelerated the heating of hot water, and some placed colorful flags on the walls of the castle and the inner castle.
After everything was done, all the servants changed into decent silk clothes and headed down the gentle slope of the castle.
Thomas himself similarly changed into a respectable silk gown.
In the past, these dresses were only used when welcoming guests. However, now that the adults return in triumph, it is a more important moment than welcoming guests, so this silk dress should naturally be worn.
When the guards on the castle saw Narant's team, Narant was still several miles away.
And when everyone had arranged the welcoming ceremony, he was already less than a few hundred meters away from the castle.
When he saw his castle and the subordinates and servants who greeted him on the gentle slope of the castle, Nalant immediately showed a happy smile, and the worries he had about the condition of the territory when he was on his way immediately disappeared.
"I have met you, sir! Welcome your triumphant return!"
"I have met you, sir! Welcome your triumphant return!"
When he arrived on the white dragon specially, Raymond led a group of barbarian guards, Thomas and the servants all knelt on the ground to salute and greet him.
"Well! Get up!" Nalant smiled and nodded.
Thomas immediately stood up, bent slightly and came to the white dragon, and then took the reins.
Although this action is now redundant, after all, the white dragon is a smart beast horse, and it will definitely not move when Nalant dismounts.
But the symbolic significance of this action is greater than the practical significance, so Thomas still executed it meticulously!
"Sir, thank you for your hard work!" After Nalant dismounted, Thomas once again offered his flattering greetings.
Then he quickly called for a servant to bring towels and warm water.
After wiping his face and hands comfortably, Nalant stepped onto the red carpet under Thomas's attentive guidance, and immediately headed towards the castle.
The castle is still that castle, a nest that gives him peace of mind and a sense of belonging!
After returning to the inner fort, the first thing Nalant did was naturally not to rest, but to ask about the current situation of the territory.
"Thomas, how is the situation in the territory recently?" Nalant sat on the soft sofa.
"Sir, after you went on the expedition, the situation in the territory was in order, and everything was done according to your instructions!" Thomas answered truthfully, paused before continuing: "However, a few days ago, my lord, you asked Captain Raymond to send With tens of thousands of new serfs and captives coming back, the territory’s expenses are a bit high!”
"What expenses?"
At that moment, Thomas told him that Mario had withdrawn a total of one hundred and fifty gold coins.
"Sir, all the money I withdraw is for the purpose of purchasing food and settling the new serfs!" After Thomas finished speaking, Civil Affairs Officer Mario, who was also standing aside, immediately carefully explained.
"Well, Mario, don't panic, food is indeed a big problem!"
Narant didn't blame Thomas for being picky, nor did he blame Mario for paying too much.
After all, one of the two wanted to save money for himself, while the other wanted to settle the serfs as ordered.
Thomas, in particular, feels at ease with a butler like him.
After all, if he doesn't watch more closely after he leaves, what if one of his subordinates cheats him out of money?
Although Mario is not such a person, no one in the Storm Territory dares to do anything now.
But in the future, if the population increases, it will definitely not be like now with only one or two people in charge, and everyone will be strict with themselves.
Therefore, Thomas strictly controls the situation to avoid corruption in the territory to the greatest extent.
"By the way, Mario, how much grain have you purchased now? Can it support the next season's harvest?"
"Sir, we have purchased more than 90,000 kilograms of grain. Some of it was purchased from the serfs in our territory, and some was purchased from the noble caravans in other territories."
"If you add the food purchased with these fifty gold coins, save some food and use other bark or fish and meat to make up for it, it will last for at least a month and a half!"
"A month and a half?" Nalant frowned slightly.
He knew that an algorithm like Mario's was still very economical and could only keep the serfs from starving to death. After all, normal people only eat one pound of food a day.
Based on Mario's calculation, I'm afraid it's not even half a catty.
However, even if this is the case, it will not last until the next harvest. You must know that if you want to wait until the next harvest, there will be at least more than three months.
Since he has brought these people back, he cannot let them have enough to eat.
"Thomas, how many gold coins are there in the castle now!"
"Sir, after your expedition, the castle received a total of more than 800 gold coins, including the sugar payment paid by Baron Boris, the perfume payment paid by the Frank family caravan, and the store payment returned by Tulip City. …”
"Stop, Thomas, just tell me how much you have left. I'll look at those sources of income when I have time tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!" Nalant immediately stopped.
"Yes, sir. Including the remaining gold coins from the past, there are now a total of 789 gold coins in the castle!"
"Very good!" Nalant was very satisfied. The perfume and sugar had accumulated so many gold coins for him in just two months, which was equivalent to the net income of other baronies in two or three years.
Moreover, this income will continue to increase in the future. As long as his supply keeps up, the territory's economy should not have to worry for a long time.
"Mario, then I will ask Thomas to come up with three hundred gold coins and let you buy food from those noble caravans. This should be enough to support the new serfs and captives until the next harvest!"
"Sir, if you take out another three hundred gold coins, it will definitely be enough, but...but, it seems that we have not purchased so much food in Tulip Collar!"
Three hundred and fifty gold coins are equivalent to 350,000 kilograms of grain, which is not a small amount in this world of productivity.
"oh?"
"Sir, I bought more than 80,000 kilograms a few days ago, and the second batch of 50,000 kilograms that I am planning to buy now is already the limit that the surrounding noble territories are willing to sell!"
It turned out that Mario had already inquired clearly with various nobles who came to the Storm Territory to do business regarding the issue of purchasing food.
Each noble family is willing to sell only a few thousand kilograms of grain. After all, grain is the foundation of the territory, and families must keep it in reserve for emergencies.
There are only dozens of vassals in the entire Tulip Territory. Even if each family is willing to sell three to four thousand kilograms of grain, the amount of food they drink will definitely not exceed two hundred thousand kilograms!
In this way, there is still a gap. If Nalant wants to buy more grain, it will not be possible unless Hi and Bernard buy it directly, or find other counties to buy it.
"Ding! Your territory has welcomed a new population. This is something worth celebrating. Although they have status, they are an indispensable cornerstone for the development of the territory. Therefore, you cannot watch them starve to death."
"System side mission: Solve the feeding problem of the new serfs!"
"Task reward: the fifth lucky girl!"
"Hiss! The fifth lucky girl?" Nalant suddenly became excited.
This system finally gave him some useful information.
During the Autumn March, the rewards for the few tasks he completed were considered to be moderate.
But the appearance of the lucky girl is absolutely different.
"Sir, I would like to go to Tulip City another day and purchase from caravans in other territories. Although the speed may be slower and the price may be more expensive, I should be able to purchase a sufficient amount."
The reason why Mario didn't plan to buy food from other counties at first was mainly because the distance was too far and they would increase the shipping cost.
Moreover, when some nobles see you traveling thousands of miles to buy from foreign caravans like them, they may raise the price after asking about the situation.
Of course, this is because Mario does not know how great his master is now. Except for Batman and Lakoff, other families will definitely not dare to do anything wrong if they know that Nalant is buying food.
Otherwise, he will definitely be stabbed in the back by other nobles in the future, and then be despised by the entire principality.
"Slower? Sir, what I need most now is to solve this matter quickly!" If there were no tasks issued by the system, Nalant would definitely follow this method.
Whether it's looking for Bernard to buy or buying from nobles in other counties.
But now that he could get the fifth lucky girl after completing the mission, he changed his strategy, because he wanted to get the fifth lucky girl as soon as possible and didn't want to delay for a moment.
When he came back, after knowing that there were so many new people, he had actually thought about how to feed these people during this lean winter.
One is of course to buy food, as long as you are willing to spend money.
And secondly... It's shameful to say that Nalant set his sights on the group of sperm whales on the beach...
Last time, he promised not to try to influence their ideas, but wasn't this because the plan couldn't keep up with the changes, and he had to obey the authority when the matter was urgent?
Moreover, he actually figured out that the ocean in this world is so big, and he only needs to try his best to capture and develop it reasonably, and the damage to the ocean will be a drop in the bucket.
So he said to Mario: "Mario, you don't have to worry about food anymore. Take these fifty gold coins and buy the remaining food you can buy. As for the rest, sir, I'm going to hunt whales!"
"Waling whales and giving them meat? Sir, wouldn't this be too good for them?" In Mario's opinion, meat is better than black bread.
Moreover, these newly added people are all from enemy countries. According to him, they must first suffer for a few years, and then let them integrate after they perform well.
Of course, this is not because of his bad intentions, but because of the management of other nobles.
Even many captured serfs and soldiers started as slaves. Unless they performed well, they could receive amnesty and become serfs and be assigned fields.
Narant is not that picky. After all, the population in the territory is too small, and he cannot get rich by exploiting these hard-working serfs.
"Mario, although it is meat, it is hunted, so it does not cost money. Did it also save you hundreds of gold coins?"
"Sir, you are too stupid. You are really a wise noble!" Mario had nothing to say and immediately flattered him.
Next, Mario reported to Nalant about the construction status of Storm Territory.
In the past two months, through the tireless work of barbarians and a group of serfs, dozens of huts planned by Narant have been built, and they only need to wait for Narant to complete the acceptance.
In addition, in the southwest of the Storm Territory, the flame spar mineral fortress in the original buffer zone is also under construction, and it is believed that it will be completed in more than half a month.
After all, the scale of the fortress is not large, and the construction period is very fast with barbarian coolies joining in.
"Very good, sir, I will go to inspect it later!" Nalant was very satisfied with the speed of development and planned to go upstairs to take a bath before inspecting the territory. After all, it is still morning.
"Mario, do you have anything else to do? If not, go ahead and get busy! My lord is going to take you on a patrol this afternoon!"
"Sir, I have one more thing to report to you!" Mario thought for a moment and suddenly remembered something.
"whats the matter?"
"Sir, the sweet potato you planted not far from Lucky Village has grown into a large piece, and its stems and leaves have spread everywhere. But I have never seen this plant before, so I can't tell whether it is mature or not. Let’s start harvesting!”
"Oh, I'll go back and take a look later!" Thinking back a little, it had been at least three or four months since the sweet potatoes were planted. Narant thought that although they were not heavier than the sweet potatoes, they should be almost mature.
When the time comes, go dig one up and take a look.
Next, Nalant dismissed Mario directly, then prepared to take a comfortable bath, and then went directly to inspect the territory.
