I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 21 The Astute Lord

"This was originally the emblem of the Tulip family, the tulip flower. I added a two-legged dragon's claw to it as my family emblem."

Looking at the twisted threads, Rod commented, "It was made by the women of the village overnight. The embroidery is rough, but you can still tell."

Noble sons who do not inherit the family line can redesign their own family crest after being enfeoffed as lords.

If you have a bad relationship with your family, you can completely redesign it.

However, modifications are usually made to the original family crest.

Rhodes didn't have much affection for the Tulip family, but he didn't break with Count Tulip, so he added new elements to the existing foundation.

This is mainly because it's more convenient.

"Is this your first family crest?"

Manxiu took the leather bag with both hands, his hands trembling slightly.

"This, this is too precious!"

Whatever is in the bag, the gift carries far more weight than its actual value.

The significance of the family's first crest is self-evident; it truly represents Rhodes's friendliness.

Manshu took a deep breath nervously, opened the bag, and inside was a small fang of a wyvern.

"I can't give you the fangs; they're materials for making weapons. Here, I'll give you this smaller fang as a gift."

Seeing Menshu's cautious demeanor, Rod reminded him, "Luna has already treated it; it's not poisonous."

Manxiu gave an awkward laugh before daring to take out his fangs.

After admiring the sights, Manxiu took a step back and bowed respectfully to Rhodes.

"Thank you for your gift, Your Excellency. This is the most special gift I have ever received."

"But I can't reciprocate, because I don't have anything that matches it right now."

Rhodes was a little surprised by Manxiu's reaction and casually said, "It's good that you realize its value. Bring back more of the slaves you promised me as a return gift."

Rod didn't think a poorly embroidered family crest could be very valuable.

The gift given to Manxiu was more of a gesture to win over this businessman with some connections.

“This is different.” Manshu shook his head solemnly.

"Then do me a favor."

Rod said generously, "When you leave Black Pine Ridge, forget everything you saw here, and just remember me as your friend."

"No problem, I understand your caution."

Manxiu readily agreed, but then added worriedly, "But news of your dragon-slaying will eventually get out."

"As long as the merchants don't speak up, news will travel very slowly across the wasteland."

Rhodes wasn't afraid of others knowing he had slaughtered the wyverns; he just needed more time to focus on developing his territory.

Both dragon eggs and wyvern hides are highly sought-after treasures, and if others delve into his dragon-slaying process, they will discover that he possesses a sharp blade capable of cutting through dragon scales.

He doesn't want to be in the spotlight right now.

"In addition, I would also like to ask you, Manshu, to keep an eye on the situation of other lords in the wasteland."

Manshu was slightly taken aback, then exclaimed, "Baron, I must say, you are truly a shrewd and visionary lord."

Rod chuckled and waved his hand, "I'll take that as a compliment."

“Of course, Your Excellency.”

Manshu nodded solemnly: "Please wait patiently for my slaves and intelligence reports."

After saying this, Manshu waved goodbye to Rod, and the convoy set off.

Rhodes waved and watched his convoy disappear from sight before turning back to Frostleaf Town.

……

……

Dusk in Frosty Leaf Town.

On the hilltop estate,
Lawrence puffed out his chest and shouted loudly.

"Get to work properly, everyone! Anyone who slacks off won't get dinner tonight!"

"Lord Lawrence, the sun is about to set, and it's almost time for the lord's designated rest period," a slave whispered a reminder.

"How can you rest when even the valiant dragon slayers don't have a decent manor?"

Lawrence's eyes widened. "You're slaves of the dragon slayers, you should be more capable! Get to work!"

No one can slack off under the Dragon Slayer Steward's nose. You must finish building the manor within a week, no, three days!

After saying this, Lawrence picked up his whip and lashed it hard against the wooden stake beside him as a warning.

Lawrence originally thought he would never be able to surpass his brother, especially in terms of the amount of gold coins he possessed, as he would always be inferior to his brother.

But he never expected that his lord would actually slay a dragon!

Having become the Dragon Slayer's steward, no amount of gold coins his brother earns can compare to this title!

Lawrence was secretly pleased with himself.

The slaves groaned in pain, while the guards beside them smiled without saying a word.

Everyone was proud to have witnessed the slaying of the wyvern.

But the most outrageous one was Lawrence.

Lawrence's voice was so loud that it could be heard clearly in the town below the manor.

"What's wrong with him? Has he gone mad?"

Rod frowned, unable to look him in the eye.

Durant, standing nearby, gave a wry smile. "The day before yesterday, after I brought back the wyvern's carcass, Lawrence asked me curiously about the wyvern. I simply told him what happened and then told him that you killed the wyvern yourself."

And that's it.

"He has an illness, and it needs treatment."

Rod pursed his lips and sighed.

The fact that the wyverns were slaughtered could not be kept secret in the town, but Lawrence's actions were truly outrageous.

"Welcome back, valiant dragon slayer, master of Blackpine Ridge, Lord Baron Rhodes."

Lawrence jogged up to Rhodes, bowed at a ninety-degree angle, and performed the salute solemnly and perfectly.

hiss--

Rhodes gasped, feeling a chill run down his spine as he listened to Lawrence calling him "dragon slayer" repeatedly.

"That's enough, you don't need to keep saying it."

"My lord, your bravery should be known to all!"

Lawrence added to himself, "Especially those vulgar merchants who only like gold coins!"
"Calm down, stop thinking about that."

Rod feigned a stern expression and put on a stern face.

Rhodes' expression made Lawrence's heart skip a beat, and he hurriedly bowed his head and replied, "Yes, valiant lord."

Rod didn't pay any more attention and had just started walking towards the manor when he heard someone shouting.
"My lord, wheat cakes!"

Rod turned his head and saw the militiamen running towards him carrying a wooden basin full of bread, followed by a slightly plump woman.

"These are wheat cakes made by my mother. I promised you."

The militiamen brought the cakes to Rhodes.

The woman behind him bowed in greeting.
"Thank you for saving my child and bringing him home safely."

She glanced at Rod secretly before quickly lowering her head again.

"Thank you for making me pancakes too."

Rhodes was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected that a casual remark would be taken so seriously by the militiaman.

Rod gestured for Durant to take the wooden basin, then picked up a tortilla and took a big bite.

Thin tortillas made from coarse rye flour mixed with a little wheat are often filled with minced meat, vegetable leaves, or steamed dried fruit.

Of course, you can also eat it without bringing anything.

The tortillas were already rolled up, and Rod took his first bite and tasted the jerky inside.

This mother must have stuffed all the meat in her house into the pancakes.

"It tastes good, thank you."

Rod praised her without reservation.

There wasn’t anything particularly delicious, but Rod was already starving after a long day of running around.

Moreover, this is a mother's heartfelt gift.

"You've made such a big bowl of flatbread, there probably isn't enough food left at home, right?"

After stuffing all the bread into his stomach, Rhodes instructed Lawrence, "Bring them fifty pounds of rye and twenty pounds of meat later."

"Yes, my lord."

Lawrence responded, inwardly thinking to himself that this woman's family was really making a killing.

They made a profit just from those twenty pounds of meat.

"Thank you for your generosity, you are a truly generous gentleman!"

The militiaman and his mother were overjoyed and immediately bowed in gratitude.

"Come on, everyone, let's all have a taste."

Rod didn't mind and had Durant hold the wooden basin, distributing a pancake to everyone.

This mother's intentions cannot be calculated in this way.

Of course, if anyone deliberately tried to trade him a bowl of bread, Rod would definitely slap them away.

And so, a group of people stood in the open space in front of the manor, watching the sunset and chewing on wheat cakes.

I'm a little choked up.

However, Rod still enjoyed the meal very much.

"How about we eat wheat cakes every year on this day, all kinds of wheat cakes?"

Rhodes suddenly said, "Let's celebrate our success in killing a ferocious wyvern. We also need to stock up on rations for spring planting."

Many farmlands are more than ten miles away from Shuangye Town, and the farmers who cultivate them will bring their own dry food and water if they don't have time to go home for lunch.

During the busy farming season, women also have to work in the fields. When they return home in the evening, they don't have the time or energy to cook, so they eat wheat cakes that have been prepared a few days in advance.

"Great!" Lawrence was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

Others also realized that it was a good idea.

"The name 'wheat cake' doesn't sound good; it should be changed."

"What's it called?" Everyone looked at Rhodes curiously.

Rod thought for a moment, "Let's call it Spring Pancake."

……

……

(End of this chapter)