It had been two months since Victor returned to his estate after the wedding.
The territory developed vigorously, but construction works slowed drastically due to continuous snowstorms. The portion of the manor originally scheduled for completion within a month dragged on indefinitely.
Issues stemmed not only from materials but also from continual modifications introduced by the lord.
Central heating was installed in the house, an innovation none of the builders had prior experience with.
Heat from a first-floor fireplace circulated through iron pipes embedded in the walls, diffusing warmth evenly. This endeavor pushed stonemasons and blacksmiths to their limits.
Victor refused to endure chill winds wrapped in blankets. Comfort took precedence.
Further hampering progress, heavy snow blocked roads, delaying delivery of limestone. Efforts to clear paths recruited more personnel, but routes continually reburied themselves.
Winter, though mild temperature-wise, proved excessively snowy. New modes of transport emerged: sleighs replaced carriages and wagons overnight.
Merchants deluged carpentry workshops with orders for sleighs. On the lord's decree, payment during winter was strictly in food.
Personally, Victor eschewed idleness. Beyond construction, he trained rigorously, augmenting his strength.
Concurrently, he explored properties of class stones, extracting insights from Nalita and Linnea.
Linnea's stone activated upon injury from assassins. Worn as a pendant, the strike drove it into her chest.
Through experiments, Victor activated a stone on Alganis using his blood. After discussions, the knight adopted the class "Barbarian Infantry."
Young lord ceaselessly tested followers' capabilities.
Reviewing Alganis's profile, he marveled at transformations in strength parameters, despite no change in levels.
— Alganis — Human — Class — Barbarian Infantry— Strength — 84— Agility — 22— Luck — 7— Intellect — 8
Skills: Battle Cry, Dual-Wield Attack, Stoneskin, Spirit of Ancestors.
Battle Cry: Temporarily enhances strength and agility (+10%), boosts morale within 100 meters.
Dual-Wield Attack: Passive bonus: dual-wielded weapons improve attack speed (+10%) and damage (+20%).
Stoneskin: Passive enhancement: skin toughness increases by 5% per level.
Spirit of Ancestors: Chance (10%) to summon spiritual doppelgänger.
Victor pondered Alganis's skillset. While comprehensible, the mystery of the ancestral spirit remained unsolved.
Alganis had tried invoking it for a month but failed. The paladin hypothesized real combat might trigger manifestation.
Besides Alganis, four soldiers, including Krolla, qualified for the class "Zealot." None excelled significantly, gaining uniform attribute bonuses.
Zealots boasted the skill Brotherhood: Attributes boosted by 10% with at least two Zealots nearby. Another ability, Unequal Combat, heightened strength and agility (+20%) if outnumbered by five or more foes.
Victor grappled with arithmetic ambiguities. Did each soldier require five foes individually? If two confronted nine enemies, did they alternate skill activation?
Idiotically, the system offered no clarification. He deferred judgment until future battles.
More intriguing was Krolla's selection. Among options, Scout stood out.
— Krolla: Human — Class: Scout
Strength — 29
Agility — 43
Luck — 28
Intellect — 35
Skills: Camouflage, Night Vision, Animal Master, Pathfinder, False Death.
Camouflage: Eliminates scent, reduces footsteps.
Night Vision: Enhances senses at night (+100%).
Animal Master: 10% chance to tame non-hostile animals.
Pathfinder: Detects tracks, finds water sources, improves orientation.
False Death: Reduces bodily processes by 90% (Warning: requires five-minute recovery post-use).
Testing these skills revealed remarkable effects. Krolla domesticated several birds, though they deserted him within days.
False Death, while useful, rendered Krolla deaf and numb, incapable of defending himself.
Examining his followers' profiles, Victor arrived in Ironwood, where Shona awaited him.
Formerly a village, Ironwood earned urban status. Population peaked at ten thousand, predominantly commoners and merchants. Serfs relocated to other settlements, idle in this locale.
Emancipation of serfdom was pending; implementing it mid-winter seemed imprudent. Additionally, the refugee camp housed four thousand more, preoccupying him.
Creative initiatives proliferated, enriching merchants who hired more laborers. Production outputs, however, lagged behind.
Victor unveiled a long-planned project targeting females. Ready for two months, he hesitated, fearing accusations of perversion. Finally, he entrusted it to Shona.
Designed in parchment, illustrations depicted various styles and sizes of undergarments. Embarrassed, he magically verified measurements of surrounding women, including his grandmother, determining several sample sets.
Intended for distribution among merchants, a Merchant Guild would auction exclusivity rights.
This guild would financially anchor him. Members would submit fees, accrue interest, construct factories, and hire workers.
Labor wages were intentionally excluded, awaiting merchant commitment. Establishing minimum wage standards would follow once members rooted in his domain.
Such policies fostered spending, stimulating economic cycles and taxation revenues.
Standing dumbstruck, Shona studied the parchment.
Victor gesticulated awkwardly, avoiding explicit explanations. Nearby, Linnea blushed violently, mortified by his public description.
Finally grasping his intent, Shona flushed red, covering her face with her hands.
Minutes later, Victor ceased his antics, retreating with Alganis.
— Strangest aristocrat alive, — muttered Shona, watching him stride away.
Mounting his horse, Victor rode toward the partially completed manor, intending to inspect progress. Windows were scheduled for installation today, complementing existing heating infrastructure.
The estate remained half-finished, roofless, but functional boards sufficed for winter. Summer completion was assured.
Manor design evolved substantially. Exterior retained initial aesthetics, but interiors underwent radical alterations, culminating in a quadrangular layout with a central garden intended for conversion into a greenhouse.
Green plants in winter uplifted spirits, and greenhouses were reportedly nonexistent in this world.
Reaching the site, he observed artisans reviewing work.
— How goes it? — he inquired of jeweler Kerali.
The elderly craftsman, absorbed in discussion, failed to notice his lord's arrival. Responding jovially, he bowed.
— Completed this morning, my lord. Artisans are conducting final checks to ensure flawlessness, — he reported gleefully.
Kerali cherished involvement in innovative architecture. Constructing a manor in two months was unprecedented.
Building a castle required decades, sourcing and processing stone alone taking generations.
— Perfect. Prepare for relocating possessions and servants here, — Victor announced, then paused. — Reportedly, heating issues persist in the east wing. Fix promptly, please.
Minor flaws were irrelevant. Relocation would span a week. Spare rooms boasted bare brick walls and rough floors, but this surpassed the gloomy, drafty castle.
— Linnea, dispatch a messenger to the countess: she may return, — he ordered privately, suspecting a hidden motive behind their departure.
Everyone was aware of limited space in his castle. Yet, they embarked on this arduous journey.
Even a fool would infer ulterior motives beyond Duke's protective custody.