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Lothor Brune acted swiftly. By the next day, all nine nobles on the list had been "invited" to Starfall.
"My Lord, Viscount Dimitri and the other two knights have expressed their willingness to cooperate with your plan to build the watermills. The others on the list are all here as well."
In the audience hall, Lothor Brune finished his report, bowed respectfully to Arthur seated on the throne upon the dais, and retreated to the side.
The nine nobles stood uneasily in the center of the hall.
Arthur swept his violet eyes over them, remaining silent for five full minutes. The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heavy.
Some of them began to swallow involuntarily, their Adam's apples bobbing nervously.
"Gentlemen, it seems no one wishes to confess to me?" Seeing them maintain their silence, Arthur spoke slowly.
"You have all sworn loyalty to Starfall. Yet now, you openly defy Starfall's orders..."
"It's only been two or three years. Have you forgotten the death of Ser Addam of Beacon Tower? Or Ser Avery of Nightfall Keep taking the black?"
Arthur's framing of the situation and his mention of past events instantly threw the already anxious nine men into disarray. At least three of them turned pale as sheets, and one's legs gave out, causing him to collapse on the floor.
They vividly remembered how, during the Vulture King's invasion, Arthur had shown no mercy to vassals who disobeyed orders, executing first and reporting later.
Then, Arthur noticed that most of their gazes simultaneously turned toward a landed knight named Radd.
Ser Radd, wearing a longsword at his hip, felt his legs turn to lead under the collective stare. He steeled himself and took two steps forward. "M-My Lord... we... were not aware that building the watermills was your direct order."
Fat Karen's chuckle came from the side of the dais. "Could it be that you gentlemen haven't heard of the Million Gold Dragon Plan?"
A flicker of panic crossed Ser Radd's eyes, and he hurriedly tried to argue. "I..."
Arthur, already aware of the details, didn't want to waste words and interrupted him.
"Ser Radd, you united the other eight to boycott the watermill construction and openly defied my orders. Do you admit your guilt?"
Ser Radd's face froze. Just as he was about to defend himself, several men behind him stepped forward, speaking over each other.
"My Lord, please see the truth... Ser Radd assured us that as long as we listened to him... and united, you wouldn't pursue it..."
"We were deceived by him! Please forgive us, my Lord!"
Eventually, all eight men spoke up, accusing Ser Radd of being the mastermind and claiming they had been bewitched and deceived. They tried to distance themselves while begging for forgiveness.
Arthur was satisfied with the others' tact. He turned to Radd. "The noose or the black. Choose one."
Using almost all his strength, Radd stammered, "The... the black. I choose the black. My Lord, the fault lies with me... my lands..."
Arthur's expression remained impassive. "Your lands and property will pass to your lawful heir—after you arrive at the Wall and become a man of the Night's Watch."
After the sentence was handed down, Radd glanced at the other eight men before being hurried out of the hall by guards, looking utterly defeated.
Arthur turned to the remaining eight. "Regarding the watermill construction, I understand your concerns and respect your interests."
"If you had objections, you could have come to Starfall to petition me, rather than being incited to unite and defy my orders."
The remaining eight nodded furiously in agreement.
"I will purchase the land needed for the watermills from you at market price."
One large landowner plucked up the courage to speak. "But my Lord, we heard that the coastal lords building salt pans... receive a seventy-thirty profit split. Could we perhaps follow that model?"
Arthur said, "I'll be direct."
"The mills serve mostly tenant farmers and yeomen. I intend to let them use the watermills to grind their grain and wheat for free."
"Free?! That... that isn't quite appropriate, my Lord, is it?"
"If it's free, how will the millers on our lands survive?"
The voices of the minor nobles holding mill rights trembled slightly. Milling fees were a significant part of their income; otherwise, they wouldn't have risked following Radd to boycott the watermills.
If the watermills were free, who would come to their mills?
This wasn't just squeezing their market share; it was eliminating the livelihood of the millers entirely.
Arthur said, "I will provide compensation to the millers as appropriate. Starfall is short of manpower everywhere. They can change trades, or be hired to manage and operate the watermills."
"This... but..."
The men below the dais stammered, their faces full of reluctance.
Arthur's voice turned cold. "Most of you can read and write, and you don't worry about food or drink. Yet you don't know your obligations to your fellow countrymen who toil in the fields."
"Rest assured. Whether you sell the land or not is your freedom."
Arthur stopped looking at them and turned to Fat Karen and Jerry beside the dais.
"If they are willing to sell the land, pay them according to the occupied area."
"Have Karl 'Bi' find new locations for the watermills if necessary. And announce that from now on, the watermills will provide free grain milling services to every subject owning land along the Torrentine."
"Also, announce truthfully what happened today. Let everyone know who is obstructing and resisting the construction of the watermills meant to benefit the people on both banks of the river."
With that, Arthur said no more. He rose from the throne, signaling the end of the audience.
Arthur offered free milling services partly to reduce the burden on the farmers in his domain.
The other purpose was to facilitate tax collection and strengthen internal control.
Moreover, areas near watermills were convenient for stockpiling and controlling grain, attracting people from surrounding areas to gather there.
Leaving the audience hall, Arthur saw the weather was fine. He called Lothor Brune and the knights of the cavalry stationed in the city to the training grounds for a spar with swords and lances.
After knocking seven men off their horses consecutively with his lance, Arthur took up dual swords and transformed into the "Blacksmith Instructor" once more, working up a good sweat after a long time.
"That was satisfying." Arthur downed a flagon of freshly produced peach brandy from the orchard, feeling incredibly refreshed.
Wracking his brains over complex plans all day was nowhere near as satisfying as wielding a sword and lance.
Lothor Brune struggled up from the ground, supporting his exhausted body. Looking at his men lying scattered across the training ground in various states of exhaustion, he couldn't help but marvel.
The 'Sword of the Morning' truly lived up to his legend as a warrior.
Suppressing his admiration, Lothor asked, "My Lord, when will you move against the wildlings of the Red Mountains? You must take me and the brothers of the cavalry this time."
Since the battle against House Blackmont beneath High Hermitage, the cavalry had not participated in any other combat operations. They had been patrolling either the coastline or the Torrentine.
When they finally got an order to arrest someone, the targets practically surrendered and welcomed them as soon as they raised their banners. There was no challenge at all.
"Don't be ridiculous." Arthur wiped wine from his beard. "The Red Mountains are all mountainous terrain. Even if I purge the wildlings, I can't take cavalry up there."
A young knight lying on the ground spoke up. "My Lord, we can dismount and fight on foot."
"Stop talking nonsense. Every trade has its specialty." Arthur tossed the wine flagon to him, laughing as he scolded, "Train hard. There will be plenty of use for you later."
"Don't let me down by freezing up when I actually order you to charge into battle!"