Chapter 45: The First Step of the Plan

Gawain found it impossible to explain his grand vision and long-term concerns to others— even to the most trusted like Rebecca and Hetty, he couldn’t clearly convey what he was thinking. So all he could do was break down his ambitious plan into stages, into details, and slowly build it piece by piece.

What they did today was the very foundation—barely scratching the surface of what the domain’s development would require.

But to Rebecca and Hetty, Gawain revealed a side of the peasants and serfs they had never imagined.

They had never seen common folk work with such enthusiasm, completing tasks that previously would have been impossible for them, and doing so quickly and well.

They assumed it was the promise of “meat for dinner” that motivated these people—and in fact, it was.

It was still too early to build a genuine sense of pride in labor and confidence among the people. For now, offering a hearty meal was the simplest and most effective way to inspire hard work.

Back in the central tent of the camp, Gawain fetched paper and pen to jot down notes, while instructing Sir Byron, who had followed him in: “Send two men to fetch the meat and start cooking enough for ten people. Also, anyone who works gets unlimited vegetable soup and black bread. We have plenty of provisions. In these early days of building the domain, no one must fall ill from hunger or cold.”

“Ten portions of meat, really?” Byron asked, surprised.

“Of course,” Gawain replied matter-of-factly. “I have to keep my promise. Any problem with that?”

“I thought you just wanted to make a big pot of stew,” Byron explained. “A few walnut-sized chunks of meat with vegetables, a big pot of soup—that would be enough to make them grateful.”

“Do as I say,” Gawain waved him off. “No cutting corners on promises. Also, have the cook set up the cauldron in the most visible spot in camp. I want everyone to see the meat cooking. Have soldiers maintain order nearby—no looting allowed.”

Byron bowed with a slightly odd expression and left to carry out the orders.

Gawain noticed a gaze fixed on him from the side. Turning, he saw Amber staring at him without blinking.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, awkwardly rubbing his neck. “Is there something on my face?”

Amber looked serious. “I was wondering if you got possessed by some mind-altering thing in the treasury, but it doesn’t seem like it. I’ve never heard of a noble voluntarily cutting down their own wealth…”

Gawain chuckled. “You think what I’m doing is just throwing away my fortune?”

“Then what else?” Amber shrugged. “Turning serfs into free men means they only have to give you part of their harvest, and you have to pay wages to free workers. That’s just taking money out of your own pocket… Can nobles really do that?”

“If I told you to paint a wall for me without pay, how much would you get done in a day?”

Amber thought for a moment. “I’d steal a few coins from you, hire some kid from the servant’s quarters to do it, and spend the rest on wine!”

Gawain: “…I’m wasting my breath reasoning with you, the disgrace of all creation!”

Amber: “How am I the disgrace of all creation?!”

At that moment, Hetty entered the tent, cutting off Amber’s outburst. The lady still wore a look of disbelief. “Ancestor, it’s incredible. They’ve never worked this hard before—especially the serfs. They don’t even need supervision to get the job done…”

“That’s because before, they only worked for the lord,” Gawain said as expected. “Now their work directly affects their meals. This is just the first step. You can already see that the food and wages we pay are far outweighed by what we gain.”

“I once thought about motivating them this way, but never to this extent,” Hetty shook her head. “I can’t imagine what the future of the domain would be if these systems continue.”

Gawain smiled. “It will definitely move in the right direction. Just trust me. And what I did today is only the beginning. Come take a look at these…”

He showed the papers he had been scribbling on since earlier. Amber had glanced at them briefly but lost interest; now Hetty, hearing Gawain’s prompt, obediently stepped closer.

“What’s this?”

The pages were filled with sentences she couldn’t understand—more like a jumble of strange terms: work groups, competition and contracting, assessment methods, efficiency statistics. On other sheets were mid-term plans: general education, magical aptitude surveys, talent recruitment. It was all very confusing.

“These are ideas I’ve been developing for a while, but the time to implement them hadn’t come. Now that domain construction has begun, these things must be put on the agenda,” Gawain pointed to the top sheet. “Many peasants and serfs probably won’t understand this yet, so I’ll explain it to you first. Then you can explain it to Sir Byron and the overseers, and they’ll keep repeating it to everyone. By the way, where’s Rebecca?”

“She’s helping burn the weeds and brush south of the riverbank,” Hetty said. “It’s one of her usual ways to practice magic.”

Gawain twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Have her come here too. She can practice fireballs anytime.”

Soon Rebecca was called in. The viscountess’s face was smudged with soot, and she smelled of smoke. Rather than looking like she’d been practicing magic, she looked like she’d just crawled out of the kitchen—no wonder she only knew one big fireball spell so far.

“I’ll explain the upcoming work shifts in the camp,” Gawain spread out his plan and began detailing. “First, work groups—I want all laborers divided into groups of five to ten. Work assignments and rest shifts will be arranged by group…

“Before starting work, each group must check in with an overseer, and report again when finished. The overseer will keep track of each group’s progress. Each group will have a leader responsible for assigning tasks within the group…

“Leaders will be chosen by the group themselves. And they’re not permanent—if a leader reduces efficiency or deceives the overseer or lord, they’ll be replaced immediately.

“Work performance will be assessed by group. Rewards and punishments will be given to the whole group. I’ll explain the reward and competition system shortly…

“As for the scoring system I mentioned before, since most people can’t read or count, Hetty, you’ll record each group’s completion status for now. We’ll discuss the specifics of contribution scoring later…

“We also need to figure out how to record the distribution and return of tools for each group.”

Gawain rattled off a lot of information in one breath. Not only Rebecca, but even Hetty looked a bit overwhelmed. She stared blankly as Gawain wrote and drew on the papers. The previously cryptic terms now had messy shorthand notes beneath them. She couldn’t help but ask, “Ancestor, isn’t making simple work so complicated just going to reduce… efficiency?”

“These systems only look complicated. At the end of the day, the peasants and serfs just need to work fast and well to benefit. Once they taste the rewards, they’ll naturally follow the rules. When that happens, you’ll see efficiency far beyond pitching tents today. Of course, it might be difficult at first, so you have to keep explaining and promoting these rules. And it must be enforced strictly—no exceptions. Just tell them this is the new law of the Cecil domain.”

At this, Gawain found himself oddly grateful for the backward era they lived in. The people’s minds were still undeveloped; whether free or enslaved, obedience was taken for granted. The lord’s word was absolute, and the so-called “lowly” had no room to resist. Under these conditions, many of his ideas could be implemented without much explanation.

But this was not the outcome Gawain wanted. His goal was to break this environment—to make every “lowly” person in the Cecil domain no longer lowly, but a living, breathing human being.

He needed people. A great many people.

Because what he wanted to accomplish was impossible alone.

That was why he had Hetty not only enforce these systems but also keep explaining them to the people. It didn’t matter if the peasants didn’t understand now—they would, someday.

Hetty was no fool. She was wise and already far ahead of most nobles of her time. After Gawain’s explanation and some thought, she vaguely grasped the purpose behind it all and nodded in agreement.

“And me?” Rebecca, seeing Hetty already had a task, eagerly asked. The viscountess, once the lord of the Cecil domain, had fully embraced her role as Gawain’s assistant.

“Tomorrow, take some people to survey the soil. Confirm how difficult it will be to clear the land and the initial area we can cultivate. Don’t go too far.”

As he spoke, Gawain quickly sketched a rough map on a blank sheet—centered on the riverbank, marking distances to various spots. Though barely more than a doodle, it left Rebecca staring in amazement.

“Just stick to this area. Ignore anything beyond it for now.”

Rebecca took the “map” clumsily. “Oh… okay…”

Amber looked at Gawain like he was a monster. “You… were the people who did the second expansion all monsters?”

Gawain thought for a moment, figured the old guys from seven hundred years ago wouldn’t rise from their graves to beat him up, and casually replied, “Yeah, drawing half a kingdom’s terrain with your eyes closed was standard for our generation.”

Amber: “…”

(End of chapter)