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

Chapter 32 Return
Rhodes was surprised by this unexpected turn of events.

He could hardly believe it, so he left Gunle behind and personally took Durant and his guards to the valley.

Before Rhodes even arrived, the entry indicated that a salt mine had been discovered.

Rod immediately quickened his pace and rushed into the desolate valley.

Led by the guards, Rhodes soon saw a crack standing in the mountainside, nearly four meters high and less than two meters wide.

Inside the crack, white and yellow crystals intertwine in layers, sometimes protruding, sometimes sunken, undulating continuously.

Rod bent down, picked up a piece of crystal from the ground, broke off a piece, and licked it. The bitter, salty taste made him grin.

That's right, this is a salt mine!

Rhodes was overjoyed.

The importance of salt is self-evident.

It's not just a seasoning for everyday food, but also an important way to preserve food.

In this era without refrigerators, the game and fish caught in the summer had to be pickled, dried, and preserved, resulting in a very large consumption.

Black Pine Ridge is very far from the coast, and Rod had originally planned to find time to go and make purchases, but now he doesn't need to make that trip.

The fish in the Azure River are going to suffer.

Rod picked up some salt ore, put it in a bag, and left satisfied.

In a better mood, Rhodes ate two pounds of roast meat that night, and Baron Avril, who hadn't had a hot meal in a long time, also ate with her mouth full of grease.

After wandering in the wilderness for three days, Rod and his companions were exhausted, so they stayed in the cabin for an extra day.

Leaving two guards behind to protect the children and pack their things, Rhodes led Durant, Gunle, and Raine around the neighborhood again.

Unfortunately, apart from the forest and the stone mine, Rhodes made no other discoveries.

The next morning, Rhodes's party left the hunter's courtyard and headed back to Frostleaf Town in another direction.

The group's pace was slowed considerably due to the presence of three children and Avril, who had a leg injury.

Taking this opportunity, Rhodes hunted in the wasteland with Raine, honing his archery skills.

Perhaps he really has some talent; after just two days of training, Rhodes was already able to accurately hit a stationary hare within thirty meters.

The mountains south of Black Pine Territory become fewer, replaced by more barren basins. Rhodes did encounter many natural lakes, which he recorded one by one.

Four days later.

The group finally returned to Frostleaf Town.

Rhodes's manor is finally nearing completion; the six wooden houses are now surrounded by fences, and the scene inside the yard can no longer be seen from the town below.

Lawrence asked Rhodes to name the manor, and Rhodes casually suggested Winterfell Manor.

Lawrence was instructed to clear out a guest room for Avril and her three children, while Durant went to post a message soliciting information on homeless people in the wasteland.

After making these simple arrangements, Rod personally went to the fields to inspect the results of the cultivation.

Otto didn't hesitate either. As soon as Rod stepped into the field, he immediately led his men to bring three farmers to Rod.

"My lord, those three have violated your rules while working!"

Otto reported loudly, "To be lazy, they threw a bunch of seeds into one furrow!"

There are plenty of lazy people in the Northern Wastes, especially after Rhodes implemented collectivized farming; even with overseers, they still slack off.

Rhodes understood this perfectly, so he made everyone keep an eye on each other.

"In a moment, have the people who reported those three go to Lawrence to collect their reward: ten pounds of rye each."

“Yes, my lord, I thank you on their behalf for your generosity!” Otto bowed to Rhodes.

"As for the three of them, their work points from last month were halved, each of them received twenty lashes, and they were displayed in the town center for a day."

Rhodes said bluntly, "If there's a next time, confiscate all your property and demote you to slavery!"

Just because it hasn't shown its power for a few days doesn't mean it's a pushover.

Rhodes can't let these people ride roughshod over him.

"I know I was wrong, please don't hit me!"

"Please, please spare us! If you want, deduct more pay from our wages and beat us instead!"

The farmer who ruined the seeds knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

Rhodes remained expressionless, inwardly sneering.

These three people are very afraid of pain, but they don't care about work points at all.

It seems he still doesn't take his words seriously.

Rod understood that many people here shared this view.

So let's teach these people another lesson.

It also gives a little something to other hard-working people.

Rhodes calmly said, "Also, go and ask Lawrence how the work points are being calculated. If there are no problems, the work points can be exchanged for supplies in three days."

"Really?"

Otto immediately stood up straight, looking at Rod in disbelief.

"Ok?"

Rod looked at Otto and asked, "Have I ever lied to you?"

"No, no, I'm sorry, my lord!"

Otto, who was being scolded, didn't care at all and was full of excitement.
"Thank you, my lord!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Everyone around bowed and paid their respects, extremely excited.

Only the three lazy men who had just been punished sat on the ground, their faces full of regret, on the verge of tears.

They originally thought the work points were just a gimmick, but they never expected that they could actually exchange them for food!
Rhodes's gaze swept over everyone, a slight smile playing on his lips. Exchanging supplies was just a small incentive, meant to make them realize the importance of work points.

But the most crucial part is yet to come.

……

……

Five days later.

Frostleaf Town is opening up work points for exchange for the first time.

Lawrence sat behind a wooden table in front of the gate of Winterfell Manor.

Behind Lawrence, inside the manor, were supplies for exchange: rye, wheat, rabbit meat, pickled fish, salt, and various daily necessities such as linen and animal hides.

In front of Lawrence was a dense crowd, packed together in a dense mass.

Frosty Leaf Town has more than 350 people, and apart from some women who stay at home to take care of their children, almost everyone lives here.

"Line up! Come one by one!"

The guards, whips in hand, stood with grim expressions at the manor gate, their eyes fixed on the crowded townspeople.

There was a black line drawn with wood ash in front of them; anyone who dared to cross it would be immediately whipped.

"Don't rush, don't rush, let's line up."

Otto, accompanied by several slaves, personally organized the townspeople to line up.

He had been busy all morning, from dawn until the sun was high in the sky.

Finally, these people learned to queue in an orderly manner and began to officially exchange their currency.

"How many work points do you have, Love?"

In the long, snaking line, a woman holding a child asked Lov, who was standing in front of her.

“Three thousand work points.” Lov’s face showed a hint of pride.

"My God, so many?"

The woman was utterly shocked. "Then you can trade it for 150 pounds of rye!"

"Of course, that's what I earned through hard work!"

Love sniffed excitedly, and some unpleasant memories came to mind.

After he crawled out of the cesspool that day, his wife disliked him for two whole weeks!

Today he's going to exchange all his work points for rye and smash it on his wife's face to humiliate her!
"I really envy you people who shovel manure. Although it smells terrible, you can exchange it for a lot of grain. My work points are only enough to exchange for eighty catties of rye."

The woman sighed helplessly.

Rhodes' work point system was designed based on the current monetary system, with 10 work points roughly equal to one copper coin.

The cooks, who earn the lowest work points, average 1,200 work points per month, which can be exchanged for exactly 80 jin of rye.

The price is equivalent to three copper coins buying two kilograms of rye in the market.

Lawrence originally wanted to deduct the cost of using the farm tools, but Rhodes refused.

Because this price is based on the subsistence level, it can't be any lower.

Farmers earn more work points per month, around two to three thousand, while blacksmiths and carpenters earn five to eight thousand, and militiamen earn even more.

Of course, these are average incomes.

Most militia members are farmers in peacetime and don't earn that much every day.

The only regular soldiers in town now are Rhodes's guards; the mercenaries are still the ones Rhodes paid for.

"Eighty pounds of rye is quite a lot!"

Love sighed, "We still have to thank the lord for keeping his word."

He said that if we, the people who shovel manure, received more grain, we would really receive more; and if we could exchange work points, we really could.

“Yes, praise the lord,” the woman nodded in agreement.

"next."

The guard's voice interrupted their conversation, and Love quickly jogged forward.

"Your Excellency Lawrence, I'll exchange this for 150 pounds of rye."

"Replace them all?"

Lawrence frowned, somewhat annoyed.

"Yes Yes."

"alright."

Lawrence quickly wrote the amount of rye to be exchanged on the wooden board and then signed his name.

"Exchange later, expired items are invalid."

"Okay okay."

Love happily agreed, quickly ran to the yard to exchange the rye, and excitedly ran home.

This situation continued until evening.

Lawrence couldn't take it anymore and slammed the record sheet on Rod's desk.

"My lord! This cannot continue!"

Lawrence shouted, "They exchanged 7,450 pounds of our rye in one day!"

Rhodes, who was studying the map, frowned, slowly raised his head without speaking, and looked at Lawrence with cold eyes.

Lawrence shrank back fearfully, forcing a smile, and stammered, "Sir, what I mean is, you have to think of a way; we can't let them just exchange for food..."

Rhodes put away the map and said calmly, "It's alright, I'll handle it."

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(End of this chapter)