235: Chapter 137, Inventory_1 235: Chapter 137, Inventory_1 Tranquil days always end too soon.

Whether by coincidence or by design, both Caryo and Viscount West held their victory celebrations on the same day.

It distressed several neutral camp nobles, as attending one party would offend the host of the other.

Left with no choice, they resorted to feigning illness, sending gifts without showing up.

Hudson was also among those who feigned sickness.

While he had agreed to come earlier, it was merely a courteous response not to be taken seriously.

Why would he go celebrate his rivals’ victories, adding unnecessary stress to his life?

He wasn’t a fool.

People might have cordially sent out invitations, but did they really want Hudson there?

Causing drama for no purpose was pointless.

Why ruin a victory banquet over a minor grudge?

Nobles should behave with magnanimity.

Stabbing each other in the back behind closed doors is one thing, there is no need for open confrontation.

Otherwise, if you ruin my banquet today, I’ll ruin your ceremony tomorrow, won’t all these events turn into a farce?

With two gifts ready, Hudson sent a representative to each party and refocused his attention on the construction of his castle.

Without making many changes, he followed the local architectural style, resulting in somewhat of a Gothic-style castle.

Its location on the highest peak of the Southeastern Province, Salam Peak, was clearly a strategic choice prioritizing defense.

The only difference is that Hudson aimed for a much grander scale than the usual castle, the main building alone covered one hectare.

If we include the nearby auxiliary buildings, it resembled a city.

The city’s walls enclosed an area of 3.8 square kilometers.

When fully completed, it would be a fortress capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, comparable to Ersel Fort.

If a Baron were to build such a war fortress before, it would certainly cause an uproar.

When a Fiefdom Viscount does it though, it seems entirely normal.

Almost all Fiefdom Viscounts ended up building their own cities.

This includes Viscount West’s Dardiel City, built by the previous Noble Lord.

The Kingdom only allocates funds for building fortresses in the Northern Border to guard against Orc invasions, they don’t concern themselves with other areas.

There is a tacit understanding across the Continent’s kingdoms: Human Kingdoms won’t invade the Alpha Kingdom.

Because of financial and manpower constraints, castle construction often takes a long time.

Three to five years is the norm, and projects stretching eight to ten years aren’t surprising.

If planning on a grand scale, the construction could last multiple generations.

Although Hudson had been working on it for a year and had yet to complete the Manor House, people still considered this normal.

But, with the addition of Belsden, the construction pace rapidly increased.

Moving stones that weighed several tons was challenging for ordinary people, but it was child’s play for Belsden.

In the hands of the Earth Bear, those hefty stones weighing several tons turned into toys.

One moment he would be playing a game of catch, the next he would be balancing them on his head.

Belsden’s juggling act became a unique landscape feature for the Mountain Domain.

The spectacle even scared Baron Redman, who was afraid the Earth Bear might accidentally throw stones at people while he was showing off.

Fortunately, this didn’t last long.

With a limited number of giant stones, and Belsden’s high efficiency, the stone transportation was completed in less than a day.

The readiness of the stones was impressive, yet terrifying in consideration.

But when even Belsden didn’t complain, others naturally kept their mouths shut.

Neither Hudson nor Belsden would ever reveal their trade secrets.

An honorable man + an honorable bear = an unspoken pact of secrecy.

In order to maintain their sterling images, they had to keep any benefits arising from their transactions a secret.

Without any interruptions, both victory banquets were quite successful despite having fewer guests than expected.

In Hudson’s perspective, a victory banquet was similar to a wedding.

Apart from the main parties, everyone else only cared superficially.

Even the main parties might not truly care, like Hudson himself.

Delayed by the castle construction, his victory banquet hadn’t even started by the time the spring grains had to be harvested.

After last year’s locust plague, the spring grain harvest became crucial for both Layton and Wharton Counties.

Many territories were crying out for food, waiting for the grains to be cooked.

As far as Hudson knew, some Northland nobles even resorted to eating unripe barley to stave off hunger.

This clearly outlined the limitations of the monoculture farming system, which leaves the crop vulnerable to locust invasions.

Hudson was prepared to adopt a diversified agriculture system, raising poultry that could suppress locusts.

Marketing poultry was challenging in those times, but this didn’t interfere with him raising them for personal consumption.

Aquaculture could also be considered.

The ditches and rivers excavated from the swampy areas could serve as natural breeding sites.

There were no chemical fertilizers or pesticides used during this time, everything was all-natural.

He did not hope for high yields, regardless of the amount harvested, it was still a profit.

Increasing the meat supply would be an effective strategy for overcoming food shortages in the territory.

Especially for the army, adequate nutrition was crucial for maintaining a powerful force.

If your stomach is not filled, what fight can you put up?

With these various plans in the preparation phase, the immediate priority was the spring grain harvest.