CHAPTER 75: PROVIDING FOOD FOR THE VILLAGE

"Thank you, the word intelligence is rarely used by people. I truly appreciate your compliment, Lord Gideon."

"My visit this time is solely to bring back Princess Alanar. I heard you are keeping her here to help with her trauma. Is that true?" asked Anastasya.

"It’s true. What happened to Princess Alanar was heartbreaking. She must be experiencing trauma. That’s why I’m trying to care for her," answered Lena.

"Oh, you must be the woman named Lena? My daughter told me that you are the one who has been protecting and looking after her," the woman replied.

"The duty of protecting and taking care of Princess Alanar applies to all members of our team. We are only following the orders of our captain," explained Lena.

"Impressive."

"I am truly impressed by your bond, beyond that of a commander and his soldiers."

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen. I never consider them as my subordinates. They are my family," replied Gideon.

"I value that."

Gideon smiled. Of course, to welcome Queen Anastasya and her entourage to the Baron’s residence, Gideon had to provide the best service for her. He gave a signal to the maids, asking them to start cooking.

However, Queen Anastasya made a surprising announcement. She clearly said that she and her entourage would soon return to Mischo, resting at Viscount Duncan’s residence while talking with Norton Ashfield.

Gideon could not object, perhaps there was a certain reason why she chose to stay there instead of in the village, one of them being comfort and safety.

Queen Anastasya was pleased to see Gideon’s understanding attitude. She stepped forward and lightly patted Gideon’s right shoulder, her eyes full of attention and gratitude for the help from Gideon and his team.

"His Majesty King Moko will grant you the reward you desire. Just state your wish to Earl Ashfield. We will do our best to fulfill it," said Queen Anastasya.

"Of course. I will think about it, Your Majesty."

The conversation ended, and Queen Anastasya took her leave from Gideon and his team. Gideon nodded, escorting her all the way to the front gate.

The soldiers were on standby, the royal family’s carriages already prepared. Princess Alanar turned around and waved with a bittersweet smile at Lena.

Lena felt sad as well, but she could not cry. Princess Alanar’s return to the palace was a good and safe thing for her.

After saying farewell, the Queen’s entourage departed from Rockvalley Village. Viscount Duncan left as well, riding a different carriage, while Norton Ashfield stayed in the village to talk with Gideon.

"With this, Princess Alanar is safe, and my position is also secure as Earl," Norton said with relief.

"I hope so," Gideon replied.

"Tell me. Do you have a particular wish? Or perhaps your team wants something?" asked Norton.

Gideon turned, looking at Luke, Lyra, and Lena. He still could not decide, but he came up with an interesting idea that perhaps no one had ever thought of, not even the King himself.

But it was a crazy idea that, if successful, would revolutionize the social hierarchy among the people.

Gideon had to tell that idea directly when discussing with his team, hoping they had other interesting ideas.

"We will discuss it if you don’t mind. How about you return two days from now?" asked Gideon.

Norton fell silent, then exhaled and agreed. If Gideon and his team needed time to discuss the reward they wanted, then Norton could not force his own schedule.

He would come back just as Gideon said, two days from now. Norton expressed that he hoped Gideon and his team would have something they desired. Gideon understood completely.

Not long after, Norton also took his leave from Gideon. He left the place to return to Mischo to speak with Queen Anastasya.

Norton already suspected that she wanted to discuss something with him, especially since the Queen had met and seen the ghost team that defeated Moko’s forces in the south.

Seeing him leave, Lena and the others returned to their assigned tasks. Gideon had already scheduled a discussion tonight in his room, concerning the reward from King Moko. Lena and the others understood completely.

Unlike them, Gideon went straight to the bakery and several food shops. His goal was simple, to buy food supplies to be sent to Dergon Village.

That was the first action they had to take to deal with the famine there, before properly handling the waste that polluted the river.

Together with Viviene, he stepped out of the Baron’s residence, visiting one food shop after another in the village, such as bakeries, grocery shops, restaurants, and so on.

Gideon knew what kind of food the villagers needed, such as bread, potatoes, yams, eggs, milk, and of course, clean water.

"Welcome, Lord Gideon," greeted the bakery owner.

There were two bakeries in the village, and they were located quite far from each other.

There was plenty of bread on display, from white bread to brown bread. Viviene explained that brown bread could be a good option because aside from being cheap, the villagers were also used to eating that type of bread.

"How much for one of these loaves?" asked Gideon.

"Seven copper coins, my lord."

"How many do you have?" asked Gideon.

"It depends. For fresh bread, I have 20 pieces. For older bread, around 40 to 60 loaves."

Gideon nodded. There was a significant difference between fresh and old bread. According to the middle-aged bakery owner, fresh bread could last up to three weeks, while old bread only lasted one to two weeks.

"Is the price the same?"

"Different."

"Old bread is five copper coins," said the middle-aged woman.

Gideon nodded. If the price was that low, he could buy quite a lot of bread, considering the large amount of gold he had from Nozel’s fortune. Viviene nodded when Gideon looked at her.

"I’ll buy all the old bread. Send it to the Baron’s residence today," Gideon ordered.

"Very well. I will prepare it, my lord."

Finished with that bakery, Gideon and Viviene went to the other one to buy more old bread until the total reached 100.

Getting more was even better, since he knew the food needs of Dergon’s villagers were quite large.

But the limited amount of bread meant Gideon could not do much. He had to go to Mischo City and buy directly there to meet their needs.

The 60 old breads from the previous bakery cost three silver coins, or 300 copper coins.

That amount was much smaller compared to Nozel’s wealth.

Gideon and Viviene arrived at the second bakery, buying the same type of bread at the same price, though in a different amount.

In total, the two of them bought about 80 old breads for 400 copper coins or four silver coins.

With bread done, Gideon and Viviene went around the grocery shops, buying flour, wheat, snacks, eggs, and milk. Altogether, Viviene spent around seven silver coins to buy everything.

They spent hours going around the village, buying all the food from every shop. With all the money spent, Gideon used about one gold and four silver coins to buy all the food supplies.

"As for carriages, don’t worry, Lord Gideon. I can borrow two carriages from Gord. He surely won’t mind," said Viviene.

"Of course. I’m glad to hear that."

Once everything was finished, Gideon and Viviene went back to the Baron’s residence to rest and prepare the money. Gideon went inside and rested for a while before handling other matters.

Luke and Lyra were busy with something else, acting as supervisors for the well construction.

They did exactly as Gideon had instructed, employing the villagers more than doing the work themselves.

Lena did the same, starting to limit her checkups while focusing on mixing herbal remedies. That made her work much easier and not as overwhelming as the day before.

Time passed quickly, day turned into night, and the stars shone brightly in the village sky.

Lena was the first to return home, her face far brighter than yesterday. It seemed she was not too exhausted with all her work.

"Gideon," greeted Lena as she came, taking off her white doctor’s coat.

"Lena. How was it?" asked Gideon.

"Smooth, no problems. The maids helped me a lot."

"Good. It seems they’re quick to adapt to your work."

"Yeah, I’m glad to hear that too."

Luke and Lyra also returned, a few minutes after Lena came back. The two of them were laughing together, their clothes unstained, with no mud or clay on them, a sign that they hadn’t done heavy work.

"You two seem cheerful. What happened?" asked Gideon, curious.

"One well was successfully drilled to a depth of 20 meters. When it happened, water seeped up from underground, clean and only slightly polluted."

"We immediately lined it with clay and rocks to prevent the water from mixing with soil," explained Lyra.

"We laughed because a man fell into the well and got all his clothes soaked. It was hilarious," added Luke.

"Good. That well can be used for the villagers’ water needs."

"You three should rest. After dinner, we’ll begin our discussion," ordered Gideon.

"Yes, Captain."