You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 5 Kill the Whole World

The investiture was a separation of the family property, and Roman naturally brought all his assets with him, including a great many crop seeds.

Nobles do not engage in production, but he was an exception. He had secretly come into contact with farming in his life, and his farming skills were quite standard.

Roman has an understanding of farming.

It's not much, but that's okay. You'll get the hang of it as you grow.

For the manor, five wooden cabins are enough for now; we can add more later.

Roman sent the slaves to build toilets and kitchens today; he couldn't tolerate anyone defecating all over his estate.

And a lobby is also necessary, since there are quite a few things to do anyway.

After eating breakfast, the slaves felt warm all over and went to work gratefully, with their efficiency improving slightly.

This lord is a good match!

They had a clear understanding of their lords. Generally speaking, they, the lowest class, were not qualified to speak to their lords—but that did not prevent them from making their own evaluations of them in their hearts.

Those who are allowed to eat an extra bite are privately called benevolent masters.

The only one who could get them to eat a few more bites was the kind-hearted lord.

To be able to get them to eat an extra bowl of thick, warm wheat porridge, and still be able to work in the fields... my goodness, what kind of high-ranking official must be in charge!

……

On the other side, Roman found a suitable patch of grass, picked up a hoe, and began to till the earth.

He was physically strong and developed very early throughout his life; there was no way around it, it was due to ample nutrition.

Only high-quality protein allows humans to push the limits of their own genes.

Of course, tilling the land is not an easy task. Early development is one thing, but lack of endurance is another. Especially for first-timers, it's impossible to grasp the task. A real 16-year-old can only work hard for ten minutes before collapsing.

This is, after all, a physically demanding job.

Fortunately, Roman isn't exactly a normal person either.

[Planting Experience +1]

[Planting Experience +1]

[Planting Experience +1]

……

Roman spent the entire morning turning over an acre of land, barely stopping, yet he was full of energy and didn't seem tired at all.

[Level 1 Planting: 5/100]

The experience gained was quite good, even faster than the experience gained from [Construction].

Roman thought it was because he had a talent for farming.

Innate Divine Body for Farming!

In addition to the five wooden houses, the interface of [Life Story] in the field of vision also shows this small patch of renovated ground.

After turning the soil, it needs to be leveled. There are too many hardened clods of soil, which need to be broken up.

Ridging and ditching, which involves building rows of neat little mounds of earth, serves to retain water, conserve soil, and prevent wind damage.

Roman only gradually understood these things after gaining planting experience.

However, from the perspective of the Middle Ages, this method of cultivation should be considered unconventional. Although it is scientific, it is not very medieval.

Roman felt it was necessary for all nations to understand this unconventional aesthetic!
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; let's start with farming.

Develop quietly, then wipe out the whole world!

……

Roman spent the entire morning by his farmland.

He sowed the seeds of parsnip.

Parsnip is a spring vegetable; although it's called a grass, it's actually a radish.

Planted in early spring, it can be harvested at the end of spring.

During lunch, Green asked Roman, "When are we going to Sig?"

He was asking Roman when he would get down to business.

They should have gathered the residents yesterday and let the people know the lord who would rule them for the rest of their lives.

“Sig Town is right there, it’s not going anywhere, what’s the rush?” Roman glanced at Green.

Green and Aaron are battle knights specially trained by the Cracked Armor Clan.

Following him to this basin meant that there might be no war for decades to come, because there was no place for soldiers to fight here—even the king couldn't recruit soldiers here.

Roman is not ready to fight his way out.

Even the usually composed Aaron couldn't sit still any longer and said silently, "Then when will we have to wait?"

He is quiet and reserved, and rarely speaks.

Aaron tolerated building a house, tolerated living in a villa, but when he saw Roman engrossed in planting vegetables all morning and looking forward to continuing in the afternoon, he tolerated it all.

But when he heard what you were in such a hurry for, he still couldn't keep his composure.

Aaron's thinking was simple: Roman would be the ruler of this land from now on, and the sooner he issued decrees, the better, especially those concerning the farmers' livelihoods. Roman was very kind to Aaron: "I know you want to do great things, but I am doing great things now, and I will be leading you all to do great things together in the future..."

Green scoffed, "Are we going to have to farm with them?"

Roman glanced at Green and couldn't help but snort, his tone tinged with smugness: "Aaron is alright, you're not good at it."

Green was speechless. What was there to compare? What serious competitive Cavaliers would ever go farming?
Upon hearing this, Aaron's lips curled up slightly, but he quickly returned to his original state, maintaining his silent knight demeanor.

……

After lunch, Moore came over with a stack of thick parchment.

This is all the information about Sige Town.

Roman handed those things over to Seth to stop him from nagging about them all the time.

This afternoon he cleared another acre of land, planning to use it to grow strawberries or tomatoes.

After a whole day of wielding a hoe and carrying water, even his physique couldn't keep up. When he lay down on the bed that Moore brought over that night, he felt a sore back and aching waist.

The advantage of youth is its strong resilience; Roman felt he would soon be able to adapt to this level of work intensity.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Roman cultivated five acres of land on the plain north of the cabin, planting all kinds of vegetables and fruits there.

Unfortunately, the rate of increase in experience gradually decreased, possibly because Roman was unable to skillfully utilize the knowledge that flooded his mind.

[Level 1 Planting: 59/100]

Then, Moore reappeared two days later.

He was ordered by Roman to conduct a census, and the more he did it, the more alarmed he became. He felt that in just three days he had sweated out all the sweat of his life, and even his handkerchief was soaked through.

He found Roman wielding a hoe; the latter was wearing a sweater with the sleeves rolled up, revealing strong, well-defined arm muscles.

Mohr shakily handed the documents to Roman.

Seeing that he looked strange, Roman put down his hoe and asked him to dictate.

“Lord Roman, the population of Sig Town is between 1800 and 1900,” Moore said nervously.

Roman laughed and said, "Really? I thought the territory's population was only around 700, since you've always paid taxes based on that number."

Moor's face was pale, and his fat body trembled like a leaf.

He knew this was the case beforehand.

But his deceased father never checked the population or reported it, so he didn't check or report it either.

Once the thought arose that 'Lord Liejia has long forgotten about this place,' he drifted along aimlessly for more than a decade.

Anyway, the Duke is living a very comfortable life, he is living a very comfortable life, and the farmers here are living a very comfortable life.

But some things can't stand the scrutiny of investigation. Once investigated, problems will be found. Moore knew there was a big problem. The population on paper was less than a fraction of the actual population. As the agricultural officer, he would be beheaded.

So when he saw Roman, he was terrified that the landmine would blow him into the sky or into a pigsty.

He himself lit the landmine, and this cannot be kept secret any longer.

"Humph."

Roman knew this wasn't Moore's fault.

When he was young, the Grand Duke of Liejia personally conquered the town of Sig, and then sent stewards to manage this land, which has been more than fifty years now.

But in reality, over the years, he has never sent anyone here to recount the population and land, nor has he recalculated taxes.

Every year, tax officials come here to collect the taxes paid that year.

The mountains are high and the land is far away, and it is a remote place. No one would come here on their own initiative.

Maybe he forgot, who knows?

Now, the Grand Duke of Cracked Armor is nearly eighty years old. He had Roman when he was in his early sixties, and he has only survived to this day thanks to his extraordinary physique in his youth.

Sometimes Roman even felt that the Grand Duke of Cracked Armor was getting a bit senile, and it was normal for him to forget things.

There is still a lot of undeveloped land in this era.

Every noble family with a name and surname has a few insignificant territories, their rule fragmented and in complete disarray.

Before arriving here, Roman had never imagined that this basin would exceed his budget.

With its rugged terrain and fertile land, it could practically be called the Land of Abundance—it would be impossible for its population not to grow under such circumstances.

Roman frowned and asked, "Why is there a fluctuation of 100 people?"

He wanted precise figures, the kind that would be calculated even before birth, to facilitate the allocation of labor in the future.

Seeing that Roman had turned the page lightly without delving into it, Moore breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his life was probably saved. When he came to his senses, he felt that his whole body was soaked with sweat.

Roman didn't care how much More had profited from the disparity in population and taxation over the years.

It's not that he looks down on Mor, but with such a small population and such low productivity, even if you squeeze every last penny out of them, how much resources can you possibly get? At most, you could make a few sets of armor. Are you expecting a knight to suddenly appear? If you have that kind of strength, why are you stuck here as a steward?
This manager is fairly decent and hasn't done anything too outrageous. Besides, he's short-staffed right now, so he'll use whoever he can.

Upon hearing this question, Moore looked troubled and conflicted.

Under Roman's quiet gaze, Mohr revealed the reason.

(End of this chapter)