Darion lay on his bed, staring at the decorated ceiling, his mind still turning over the numbers he had just seen.
The population had grown from 2,148 to 2,469. Over three hundred new people had come to Percvale, people who had once left and were now returning.
It was a sign of progress, a sign that the barony was becoming a place worth living in again.
He thought about why Percvale had improved in population. It wasn't just because he had rebuilt the castle or restored the farmlands.
It was because Percvale had become better to live in. Families that had left started returning to their homes, to their families, to the place where they had been born and raised.
People who had once fled in search of a better life were now coming back, drawn by the hope that things were finally changing.
A place that was dying and bad would have people leaving for a better place. That was simple logic. When the situation was hopeless, when there was no food, no work, no future, people left.
