I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 141 Du Si's Gift

"Sir, this is the household registration and map you requested. I'm leaving tomorrow, and thankfully I've completed the task you assigned me. This map depicts most of the areas I've passed through, but I don't understand the principles of mapping, so it's not entirely accurate. Please forgive me."

Hugo pulled out a thick stack of white paper from his pocket, densely covered with Latin letters. He handed it to Luc and continued, "By the way, your family's inherited white paper craft is truly magnificent."

Like Pierre, since receiving the white paper, he has been fascinated by the paper that is said to be developed with the secret method of the Luc family. Just like a farmer loves all practical farm tools, Hugo instantly discovered the many advantages of white paper. If it were not for the Luc family's ancestral craftsmanship, he really wanted to get the drawing method and promote it.

"It doesn't matter. A rough map is also very good." Luc took the paper with surprise. On it was all the information of more than 40 people in the manor, including Eugene, including birth address, age, gender, family relationship and name. A quick glance showed that more than half of them were from Provence, and there were also a few Lombards and some Toulouse people.

Another dozen are hand-drawn maps.

Luc carefully observed the pattern above. Hugo's drawing was very detailed, recording the locations of various great lords, mountains, rivers and streams one by one. Of course, they were all very rough, with only general directions and no specific area divisions, but Luc still regarded this item as a treasure.

Maps are extremely important resources!
You know, many maps only exist in the homes of great nobles. Yes, only great nobles. Small and medium-sized nobles like Baron Belle have no right to own them.

An excellent map will not only have detailed administrative and topographical divisions, but also record where there are salt mines and gold mines. Having it is like having a clairvoyant eye, and the nobles have no choice but to preserve it well.

But there is no record of minerals here.

Carefully putting the initial map into his arms, Luc couldn't help but smile when he heard Hugo's words. "I'm sorry, Brother, the white paper craft is our family's secret and cannot be shared with others. But when you leave tomorrow, I can give you a few."

Luc did not ask anyone else to make the white paper, and Ryan was always in charge of it.

"Oh? That's great." Hugo's eyes lit up and he thanked him quickly.

The meal lasted from dusk to late at night, and several times people almost started fighting over a piece of meat, but because of the previous prison incident, no one actually did anything.

Luc didn't have the energy or means to keep a clown for entertainment, and he didn't like this funny way of teasing disabled people, so the crowd dispersed quickly after eating. Mary put her hands on her hips and asked everyone to clear the table. As Luc became more powerful, Robert's family increasingly regarded themselves as the first family in Knight Castle. They just asked Eugene to move the table and then asked Eugene to sweep the garbage. Mary's unique loud voice was very loud, and coupled with her strong body, she had a vigorous and decisive posture. She turned her head and suddenly saw several figures gnawing on pieces of meat not far away, and her eyes immediately narrowed into slits.

"Little Charlie hasn't finished eating yet? Eugene, go see if there are any leftover meat bones and give little Charlie some more!"

Eugene, who was being ordered around, took a deep breath. He hadn't even had a chance to eat a few pieces of meat as they had all been snatched away by those damn serfs. Everyone knew he was a slave, so no one was afraid of him.

"A dog lives better than me," Eugene complained as he found a piece of bacon from Luc's leftovers. Seeing Mary staring at him, he swallowed the thought of eating it all for himself and threw it to the three hounds led by little Charlie.

Since bringing back two female dogs for little Charlie, the three hounds quickly established a simple hierarchy. Little Charlie, as the head dog, would have his fill before the two puppies could have their turn.

The serfs were cleaning, and Luke and other core members of the valley had already returned to their rooms. Oliver had a very enjoyable meal tonight. To be honest, his status was neither high nor low, not as good as old housekeeper Eck, but better than a simple serf. He wore that rabbit hat and walked around the city every day, and he ate louder than anyone else. Tonight the moonlight was bright, and he patted his bulging belly and hummed an obscene song that he didn't know which wandering poet he had learned, and walked leisurely to the north of the manor.

His cabin is further north of the apple orchard. In addition to daily beekeeping, he is also responsible for taking care of the apple trees. He does not need to water them, but prevents them from being damaged by insects and birds. According to Luc, there is no one more suitable than him for observing insects. As a reward, Luc will give him an extra whole piece of black bread every week.

Oliver had no shortage of food, but when the manor was built, the whole piece of black bread could be exchanged for some property.

Thinking about the wonderful life ahead, he saw George walking out of the Knight's Castle halfway through. Their eyes met, and George grinned, while Oliver remained expressionless. Seeing Oliver's indifferent expression, George shrugged nonchalantly, swung his legs, and strode back to the cottage, where his house still remained within the fence.

"Master Luc is really kind enough to let the horse thief stay."

Oliver curled his lips as George walked away. Stealing a horse was a serious crime, but instead of having his hands chopped off, he became a bridge keeper. Oliver had never seen such a situation before.

Oliver walked back to his residence in his funny rabbit hat, shaking his head. He had no idea that because of his flamboyant personality, he had already been nicknamed many more ugly than George the Horse Thief.
……

"My dear, George's words still need to be carefully considered."

On the third floor of the Knight's Castle, lying on a down-covered bed, Douce, dressed in a pristine white dress, said worriedly to Luc, "Baron Berry is a cunning and vicious man. No one knows his viciousness better than I do. If you try to steal his horse, you'll end up in trouble if you're caught."

Luc sat at the long table, carefully recording the situation in the manor with a reed pen, which was something he had been doing every night recently.

The reed pen was a writing instrument Brother Hugo brought to Luc upon his arrival. As the name suggests, they cut the strongest reed stem from the banks of the Agate River, then peeled the broken, straight section and baked it in heated sand. Finally, they smoked it the old-fashioned way to prevent insect bites, and then carved the tip. The entire process was simple, and Ryan was handed over to him. In less than half a day, he had whipped out more than ten reed pens.

Holding a reed pen, Luc wrote and drew on a thin piece of wood. He carefully dried the ink and nodded in agreement when he heard his wife's words. "I understand what you said, so I rejected George."

Luc understood the cunning of Baron Berry. So far, the biggest hidden danger of the entire manor might still be his nominal lord.

"But," Luc suddenly sighed, "if possible, the more war horses the better."

"Ryan can ride now. If he had a warhorse, the manor's protection capabilities would be even stronger."

The value of a cavalryman and an infantryman is completely different. Many times, a manor with only one infantryman has no deterrent effect, but if there is a cavalryman, many thieves dare not patronize it, except for horse thieves of course.

Watching Luc meticulously seal a small clay pot of ink, a reed pen requires ink. As a monk, Hugo brought Luc a complete recipe: He mixed pinewood soot with fish glue and worked on it, eventually creating a simple ink. This ink was poured into the groove in the center of the reed pen, where it flowed naturally to the tip. While it was easy to manufacture, it also had a significant drawback: the ink faded quickly, making it suitable only for short-term recording.

Even though he had a large fortune, Luc still retained the habit of frugality, a habit he had developed since he built his first shelter.

Seeing Luc's careful look, Du Si suddenly bit her lip, turned around and opened a wooden box from the corner. In Luc's surprised eyes, she took out about ten pounds of coins and gently placed them on the long table.

"My dear, this is enough to buy another good warhorse."

Luc hesitated and didn't take it, but looked at Du Si inquiringly.

"This is part of the remaining family property, but now that my family has disbanded and I'm married to you, I think this money will be spent on us sooner or later. Why not buy an excellent warhorse now to protect our shared property? I think it's reasonable."

(End of this chapter)