I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 119 Setting Fire to the Mountain (25)

A huge sum of twenty pounds and two silver utensils were found in Robert's package. These were just the property he stole casually, which shows the wealth of the church.

Of course, now all the money went into Luc's pocket. The unfortunate peasant woman was dragged into the forest by Ryan and stabbed to death. Although Robert had violated the church rules, Luc still had no right to judge him and could only send him back to the Abbey of Saint Martin.

However, if you accidentally fall into the water during the deportation process, it is God's will.

After waiting for Ryan for a while and getting a positive response, the group set off again.

The mountain road was rugged and after driving for three days, Du Si, who almost felt like her butt was going to be broken, finally saw Luc's manor on the morning of the fourth day.

Looking at the scene in front of her, Du Si covered her mouth in disbelief.

"Is this where you want to take me?"

Du Si turned her head in shock, but no one had ever told her that Luc was a landed knight!
The two maids and the cook were so happy that they gasped in surprise. Suddenly, they felt that Miss Du Si's property was not a big deal to Luc.
Luc smiled and said, "Of course, this is the Knight's Castle, another of my fiefdoms."

"But Lord Baron"

"He will admit it." Luc interrupted Du Si with a serious look.

Du Si really didn't ask any more questions, but just took a deep breath of the fragrant mountain air, and felt less uncertain about the future.

Everyone with different thoughts rushed to the manor. At Miller's reminder, old Ek, who had been waiting at the door early, hurried forward to ask Luke questions, and then saluted Du Si respectfully.

Unlike when Luc was alone, now Luc has gradually become a family, and old Eike's previous casualness will be restrained, although it was not much to begin with.

After putting the carriage away, Luc took a special look at the new travel horse and found that it could only be ridden simply and could not be used as a war horse. This was a common phenomenon for horses. Except for knights, most cavalrymen rode travel horses and were called mounted infantry.

After taking Du Si on a tour of the wooden castle from top to bottom, she couldn't stop talking.

The maid and the cook diligently carried Du Si's luggage. She brought out not only some money but also some personal belongings from the territory. She had originally intended to decorate the small houses in the town, but now they became decorations for the wooden fort.

For example, there was no need to worry about the bed curtains for Luc. Du Si brought a set of light red bed curtains, which were hung on the four corners to add a touch of color to the monotonous house. Even the bed was replaced with a new one.

Deerskin and sheepskin were removed to one side, and the entire bed was covered with comfortable pillows and quilts filled with wool and down. Finally, deerskin was used for decoration. As for the sheepskin, Du Si asked the maid to give it to Luc, "I'll make a set of clothes for you later."

In addition, Du Si also had several skirts of different colors and fur coats for winter. In the era of material scarcity, these were important assets.

Luc nodded secretly. It was no wonder that the family was targeted by the Baron. Even though they were down and out, they were still so rich.
The servant and the cook naturally lived in the wooden castle. They called Mary over, took the two lambs away, and looked at Jean in front of them, feeling a little headache about where he should live.

In any case, Jean was a subordinate of Du Si's father. Although he was demoted to a groom, he could not really live with the serfs.

"After a while, I will build a wooden house for you outside. Go and live with Ryan first."

After giving the instructions, Luc turned his attention to Hugo.

That’s right, this true ascetic monk was lured into the mountains by him!
The reason was very simple. He was traveling everywhere and had no fixed residence. He said, "There are no monks in my fiefdom. I hope you can go and pray for the devout believers a few times," and immediately asked him to follow.

As for whether he would leave afterwards, Luc actually didn't know. He just hoped that during the time Hugo was there, he could achieve his own goals first.

There are two talents in Hugo that he values ​​highly:

First, Hugo, who had traveled to Aquitaine and Toulouse, was surprisingly able to use herbs to treat illnesses, which surprised Luc. Second, Hugo could read!

Hugo was a Breton who grew up in a monastery. Dissatisfied with the increasing corruption and decadence of the church, he took the initiative to travel around. As a highly intellectual, he knew more than just the common Latin!
"Brother Hugo, you may have to live in the church. I will find you a bed as soon as possible."

“It is my honor to live in the Lord’s presence.”

Hugo nodded slightly, there was nothing wrong.

Turning around, he found that Du Si was still arranging the matters of the wooden fort. As the hostess of the manor, she was in a good mood because she had nothing but suddenly gained a piece of territory. Ignoring her, Luke found old Ek and started talking about the recent situation of the manor.

As soon as they met, Old Eike brought him good news.

"Sir, the isolation belt has been dug!"

Luke had been gone for nearly ten days. During these ten days, old Eike had been working all the time to build a buffer zone. After clearing a small number of trees, he finished digging the ditch last night.

"Well done old Eck!"

Luc was overjoyed and didn't care about the long journey. He grabbed a maid named Lisa and asked her to tell Du Si, then quickly walked towards the forest.

It is almost July and there is not much time left to open up the land. We must race against time.

All the serfs were called to the front of the forest. Luke first personally inspected a circle of isolation belts. Setting fire to the mountain was a very dangerous act, and thorough protection was necessary. If there was any mistake, he would be greeted by a mountain of fire!
After the inspection, it was found that there was basically no problem. Luke first asked everyone to set up a fire point at intervals at the foot of the hillside. The fire was made of dry firewood and sprinkled with some vegetable oil.

It didn't take long for everyone to set up five or six fire points. Then Luke divided the dozen or so serfs into several groups and asked Ryan Gil and others to lead them to stand at different positions in the isolation zone.

Everyone has a wooden shovel in their hands so that they can shovel out any unusual signs in time during the forest burning process.

Luke stood at the front, licked his fingers and felt the wind direction. The mountain wind was very weak today, which was why he decided to burn the mountain immediately.

Lighting a fire in the face of a fierce mountain wind is simply like complaining that your family business is not big enough.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Luke, who was standing at the windward side, said loudly:
"Rang, go light the fire!"

Jean nodded. The frequent instructions in recent days made him gradually accustomed to Luc's orders. He walked to the foot of the hillside with a torch and lit the fire one by one.

Sizzling, the fire and oil made a harsh sound, and the flames rose instantly!
As the black smoke gradually turned into white smoke, the fully burned fire snake spread in all directions. Large tracts of forest were set on fire one after another. The raging flames filled everyone's pupils, and the whole place was filled with smoke in an instant!

A weak mountain breeze blew upwards, and the wildfire climbing up the hillside could reach all vegetation more evenly and thoroughly. Everyone held the wooden shovels tightly and stared at the wildfire.

This isn't just Luke's problem; if it gets out of control, it will affect everyone.

Ryan, who was the most cautious, even allowed the gap to widen.

The fire lasted all afternoon, and twenty-four acres of forest were burned. The thick smoke drifted into the sky like a twisted rope.

Everyone stayed in the forest leisurely and nervously for the whole afternoon. At night, the flames gradually dimmed. Lisa ran out and called Luc to go back for dinner. The others continued to stay in the forest. Luc, who experienced the chef's cooking skills for the first time, raised his eyebrows slightly. It tasted much better than he had imagined.

Hugo sat in the church, facing the dark night and silently reciting the doctrine.

(End of this chapter)