Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 45 Farm Tools
Night is the best cover, and also the best accomplice to greed.

As Kruze led his victorious army, escorting a massive convoy, back quietly to Lion's Tooth Territory, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

The results of counting the spoils brought a breathtaking surge of joy to everyone involved in the operation, including the usually composed Kruse!
Their "guest appearance" that night resulted in them seizing over 13,000 pounds of wheat and over 4,000 pounds of peas from Langhaoling!

This massive influx of grain instantly filled the Lion Fang Territory's previously precarious granaries to overflowing abundance!
Kruse wasn't unwilling to grab more.

In fact, he also felt a pang of heartache looking at the grain that hadn't been transported away yet.

But he remained extremely clear-headed; if he delayed any longer, it would be dawn.

Once dawn arrives, the risk of their "scarecrow army" trick being exposed by the sunlight will increase dramatically. Moreover, such a large convoy moving during the day is too conspicuous and could easily be discovered by scouts from Wolf Hair Territory or other passing forces, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Knowing when to stop and withdrawing safely is the best course of action.

The core secret to Wolfhair Territory's astonishing grain yield was something Kruze understood when he saw the wheat field with his own eyes—the wheat spirit worm.

Thanks to the magical nourishment of the elf insects, the land of Wolfhair Territory is exceptionally fertile, with a yield per acre far exceeding that of the barren land of Lionfang Territory.

According to rough estimates, their wheat yield per acre probably reached a thousand pounds, even without intensive farming and with relatively extensive management.

This discovery allowed Kruse to witness firsthand, and profoundly, the terrifying power of the Fairy Insects to boost agricultural production!

This is not a competition on the same level at all.

"If I could have my own wheat spirit insects, and with meticulous farming and the introduction of higher-quality wheat varieties..." An incredibly tempting prospect appeared in Kruse's mind, making his heart race.

The fairy insects are the core productive force in agricultural production in this world!

Back at the castle, after unloading the grain, Rezal looked at the mountain of wheat and couldn't help but sigh with genuine admiration, his tone filled with envy and even a hint of jealousy: "Brother, that land in Wolfhair Territory... it's so fertile! We only took about a hundred acres of their newly harvested fields, and the grain we brought back almost equals the entire year's harvest from our three hundred acres! The difference is just too great!"

His lament revealed the harsh reality.

The natural fertility of the land, combined with the acquired magical nourishment of the spirit insects, has created this insurmountable chasm.

Kruze didn't speak, but stared intently at the golden grain in the warehouse, then looked out the window at the somewhat desolate land of Lion's Tooth Territory.

This operation not only solved the territory's immediate crisis, but also gave him a clear vision of the future development direction: he must acquire more spirit insects and spare no effort to improve the soil's fertility.

Plunder is not a long-term solution; it will be discovered sooner or later.

Having its own strong agricultural production system is the cornerstone for a territory to achieve prosperity and stability.

Looking at the mountain of grain piled up in the warehouse, Kruze finally felt a weight lifted from his heart. With this generous gift from Wolf's Fur Territory, plus the soon-to-be-harvested produce from Lion's Tooth Territory's own fields, they could easily feed all the more than one hundred surrendered refugees they had to immediately incorporate and assimilate!
Population equals labor force, and labor force is the cornerstone of development. This "deal" is incredibly worthwhile.

He immediately summoned Buffet's butler.

The old steward was looking at the full granary, grinning from ear to ear, his wrinkles smoothing out as if he had become ten years younger.

“Buffel,” Kruze’s voice carried a sense of urgency that left no room for complacency, “get moving on immediately. Scatter those refugees who are willing to submit and integrate them into the territory’s labor system as soon as possible. Assign them tasks and help them integrate quickly.”

He paused, then emphasized, "At the same time, speed up the harvest of our own grain! We must act quickly and get it all in storage before we're safe, lest something unforeseen happens." He didn't want anything to happen to the grain in his fields, or for it to be targeted by someone else.

"Yes, young master! Please rest assured!" Butler Buffet was in high spirits and full of energy. "We have just the right number of people! I assure you, within two days at most, all the crops in the fields will be harvested!"

The old steward accepted the order and turned to arrange manpower.

At this moment, Rezal excitedly led a few people over, carrying several large bundles of heavy tools, which were all kinds of farm implements that he had "snatched" from Langhaoling last night. They included sickles, hoes, and rakes, and there were quite a lot of them!
After all, ironware is a rare commodity in this world.

"Look, brother! This comes in handy!" Rezal had a "praise me" look on his face, feeling that he had done a wonderful job.

Looking at the "spoils of war," Kruze couldn't help but give his brother an approving look, then smiled and gave him a thumbs up: "Well done, Rezal! This has solved our immediate problem!"

The newly arrived migrants were in dire need of tools, and these farm implements came at just the right time.

The experienced butler Buffet stepped forward, picked up a sickle, carefully examined the junction of the blade and the wooden handle, and touched a barely noticeable engraving on the back of the blade, his brow furrowing slightly.

“Young Master, these iron tools… I’m afraid we can’t use them directly yet.” He handed the sickle to Kruze and pointed to the mark. “Look, many of them bear the blacksmith’s mark of Wolf Hair Territory. Although it’s not obvious, anyone familiar with them can recognize it at a glance. If it gets out, it might cause trouble.”

Kruse took the sickle, his fingertips tracing the unique indentation of the emblem, and nodded solemnly.

Buffet was very thoughtful; details determine success or failure, and one must not leave any room for error in these small matters.

Indeed, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

“Hmm, I understand,” Kruse said thoughtfully. “However, there’s no need to go through all that trouble of melting it all down and rebuilding it; that would be too time-consuming and fuel-intensive.”

He quickly came up with a plan: "Just grind off all the wolf-hair collar markings on these farm tools, or hammer them flat. Then replace most of the handles with new ones, make simple modifications and reforging to the shapes of some iron parts, such as making the bend of this sickle different, and changing the shoulder width of the hoe... In this way, who can still recognize that these are wolf-hair collar products?"

He looked at Buffel and the old blacksmith Miller who had rushed over upon hearing the news: "This matter doesn't require my personal handling. Miller, you and your apprentices can handle it. Buffel, coordinate the manpower and cooperate with Miller. I want to see these farm tools transformed and safely distributed to every new and old serf as soon as possible!"

"Yes, young master!" Miller and Buffett replied in unison, deeply admiring their lord's thorough consideration.

(End of this chapter)