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

Chapter 8 Precision Forging Furnace
early morning.

The warm sunshine dispelled the chill of early spring. Martha tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, stirred the rice porridge in the pot, and couldn't help but sigh.

Life has become increasingly difficult since the child's father was gored to death by a wild boar.

The new lord collected taxes again, and the entire household had less than fifty pounds of rye left, each meal bringing its own dwindling supply.

I was thinking that if all else failed, I could boil the seeds and use them as food, but I never expected that the lord would take away all the seeds for spring planting the day before yesterday and issue an order to prohibit planting.

Although the messenger said the lord wouldn't let anyone starve, could one believe those words when recalling the lord's fierce appearance?

Martha was at a loss.

She looked up at her two daughters outside, who were struggling to carry water; one was eighteen and the other was fifteen.

If all else fails, the only option is to break up the family and have each member marry someone else.

but--

Martha glanced at the child lying on the bed, babbling away.

Who would want a widow with a one-year-old child?
"Get up, everyone get up!"

Just as Martha was feeling down, a fierce shout came from the street.

Martha glanced at him and recognized him as Ou Tuo, the wealthy farmer who had led people to collect seeds the day before yesterday.

Martha quickly ran into the yard, pulled the child into the house, closed the door, and peeked out the window.

What are they trying to steal this time?

"Listen up, everyone! The lord has ordered that all the excrement around your houses be collected and transported outside the town. No more excrement is allowed on the streets from now on!"

"The lord will inspect every room at noon, and anyone who hasn't finished will be whipped!"

The loud sound echoed through the street.

Although the voice belonged to the wealthy farmer Otto, the guard beside him wielding a sharp blade was a servant of the lord.

No one would question the authenticity of the order.

but--

"Why does the lord even need excrement?"

Martha was filled with doubt.

Is it for feeding dogs?
With so much feces in town, how many dogs would you have to feed them all?
The neighbor next door had the same question and shouted it out loud.
"They took away our seeds yesterday and wouldn't let us cultivate the land, and now they're even interfering with our bodily functions?"

Snapped!
The sound of the whip kissing flesh was extremely grating, frightening Martha into shrinking her neck and closing her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw her neighbor with her head down and her face covered, completely lacking the imposing manner she had shown earlier.

"The lord is the law; if you dare utter another word, I'll cut out your tongues!"

This time, it was the guard next to Otto who spoke.

After that lash, even those who wanted to complain dared not utter a sound.

I don't care what I want, as long as it doesn't cost me my life.

Martha sighed again and turned to look at her two daughters.
"Lia, Sunny, you two eat first. After you finish eating, put all the manure behind the house into baskets and I'll take it out."

Fortunately, the feces from last night hadn't been disposed of yet, which saved some trouble.

bang——

Before Martha's two daughters could reply, the wooden door was suddenly kicked open.

Then Otto burst in carrying a large bag of rye and threw it on the wooden table in the room.

"Martha, you've struck gold!"

Otto chuckled, "The lord has taken a liking to your two daughters!"

……

……

In Rhodes's yard.

Martha stole a glance at the handsome young man in front of her, then immediately lowered her head.

“Your Excellency, please allow me to teach my two daughters how to serve a man in bed first, otherwise they might affect your mood.”

"sleep?"

Rod immediately realized that there must have been some bias in Otto's communication.

He kicked the strong farmer hard, then said to Martha, "I brought them here to be maids, not bedchamber maids."

“Every morning before I get up, they prepare hot water, help me wash up, bring me breakfast, and then tidy up the house and do laundry.” Rhodes had never been waited on before, but he had served people in Tulip Castle, so he knew the general process.

"If you have time, you can stay here and be responsible for preparing ingredients and cooking. You will eat and live here, and I will also give you 30 catties of rye every month."

Thirty pounds of rye is enough for Martha to eat for a month. If she also stays in Rhodes’ yard to work, then all thirty pounds of rye can be saved.

The overwhelming surprise left Martha stunned for a moment, and it was only when her eldest daughter, Sunny, tugged at her clothes that she snapped out of it.

"Thank you, thank you!"

A flustered Martha immediately knelt down before Rod, and her two daughters followed suit without being reminded.

"Alright, get up, everyone. Can we start working today?"

“Yes, yes, I can leave the children with the neighbors and come back to work!” Martha quickly replied.

Rhodes nodded, called Lawrence, who was supervising the construction of houses for the slaves, to his side, and introduced him: "This is my butler, Lawrence. If you need anything, go to him first."

Martha quickly bowed and respectfully greeted Lawrence.

Lawrence returned the greeting, then said to Rhodes, "Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is arranged."

"Well, I believe you."

With a smile, Rhodes patted Lawrence's broad shoulder encouragingly.

Last night, Rhodes and Lawrence had a deep conversation.

From the abundant produce and mineral resources of the northern mountains to the grain-producing potential of the vast wilderness.

From the natural barrier of the Icefield Mountains to the trade plans of the East Coast ports.

In addition, there are Rhodes's various forward-thinking ideas on the development of the territory and his plans for economic development.

Rhodes promised that Lawrence would manage an entire basement full of gold coins in the future.

Of course, a more detailed discussion would involve cutting off pieces of flesh from a fat man like Lawrence, and figuring out exactly how many pieces would be cut off before he died.

Lawrence was thrilled.

This long conversation allowed Lawrence to witness firsthand Lord Rhodes's extensive knowledge and brilliant mind.

So he finally decided to heed Rod's advice and stay as the butler.

Lawrence also realized that without the protection of a lord and the support of strong military force, no matter how much gold he earned, it was all just an illusion, and the bandits would break it as soon as they charged in.

Should we hire more expensive guards?
Lawrence felt that given his frugal nature, he wouldn't be willing to do it, and even after being taught a lesson, he would still think about saving money wherever possible.

Being a steward is more suitable; you don't have to worry about being robbed by bandits, and you can still receive gold coins.

Most importantly, it means survival.

Lawrence felt this was a good fit for her.

With Lawrence overseeing the estate's affairs, Durant was thus freed up.

Rod led him and Gaunt to the town's blacksmith shop—

A dilapidated shack without even a bellows.

"It seems the plan to build you armor will have to be put on hold for now."

Durant and Gunter are currently Rhodes' strongest fighters, and Rhodes wants to equip them both with new gear.

A blacksmith shop without even a bellows could not possibly complete such a difficult task.

"Hamo, can you make bellows?"

Rhodes asked Hamo, who was under the shack.

The blacksmith, who was already questioning the meaning of life, shook his head.

"Durant, go and call the carpenter."

With no other option, Rod had to personally draw up the design for the bellows and then have the carpenter try to build it.

Of course, Rhodes himself wouldn't know anything about bellows making; that knowledge came from the game system.

After spending most of the day, Rod finished drawing the design for the bellows and handed it over to the carpenter.

While waiting for the carpenter to study how to make bellows, Rhodes replaced the broken pillars in the blacksmith's shop and refurbished the roof.

When the fire in the blacksmith's furnace reignited, Rhodes received a notification that the blacksmith's shop had been completed, along with the corresponding entry—

Precision forging blast furnace.

(End of this chapter)