Chapter 2
What matters most to a lord is winning the hearts of his people.
No blessing or magic can be greater than winning the hearts of one's people.
Remember this, lords.
When you truly win the hearts of your people,
you will witness miracles you have never seen before.
<Novarens Empire Imperial Recommended Book / The Great Lord / Page 1>
* * *
Baron, who worked at House Kron's salt farm, could never forget that day.
"Hey, is this for real?"
"Yeah, I can't believe it either."
All the workers at House Kron's salt fields were in an uproar that day.
It was because of the news that had come in that morning.
『Starting today, daily wages will be doubled.』
The notice posted on the salt-farm bulletin board clearly said that.
It sounded like a lie.
Could something like this really happen to workers like us?
For all twenty years of my life, I'd taken it for granted that I'd spend my days toiling on the land, living hand to mouth.
And now our daily wages were suddenly being doubled?
I couldn't believe it.
"I went just in case, and it was true."
"And it wasn't just empty words—they gave us exactly twice as many silver coins."
At first, everyone was suspicious.
We thought we'd heard wrong.
But when we saw the ten silver coins in our hands after work ended that afternoon, no one could deny it.
Our daily wage had been five silver coins.
But overnight, it had become ten.
Old Hans, the oldest worker at the salt fields, stroked the silver coins with his deeply wrinkled hands and spoke with a choked-up voice.
"I've never experienced anything like this in my life…"
His eyes were glistening with tears.
I felt overwhelmed with emotion too.
We had always received the same treatment.
No matter how much salt we produced or how much the lord's wealth grew, our share was fixed.
But this time was different.
We received compensation proportional to our efforts.
Then Steward Hart came to the salt fields in person.
The white-haired old man looked at us and spoke in a dignified voice.
"Everyone, listen carefully."
The workers all held their breath.
Steward Hart, who had served House Kron for two generations, was not someone we normally got to see.
Besides, this was the first time he'd ever come to the salt fields himself.
What was he going to say?
He looked over us one by one and spoke in a low voice.
"This is not a favor your lord is granting you."
His voice was firm.
We waited tensely for his next words.
"Our House Kron has followed one family motto for generations: ‘At the lowest place, think of the highest place.’ Our lord has not forgotten those words. Without you, this family could not exist. It is because you work at the salt fields that the family can endure and the territory prosper."
Steward Hart stepped one pace forward.
Then he declared in a calm but powerful voice.
"Therefore, in accordance with the lord's wishes, your daily wages will be doubled. This is the rightful share earned through your blood and sweat."
Silence fell for a moment.
We couldn't say a word.
Then, a few seconds later, a cheer that seemed to shake the salt fields erupted.
"Long live the lord!!!"
"Long live our lord!!!"
“Long live Lord Calix!!!!!”
Some people cried.
Others clenched their fists.
Something hot welled up in our chests.
We had thought that no one cared about us.
But there was someone who hadn't forgotten us.
Our lord had recognized our efforts.
We couldn't just sit still now.
We had to repay him for what we'd received.
That evening, as we enjoyed drinks at a tavern for the first time in ages, we discussed it.
"Let's not just work—we should do this properly."
“Of course we should!!!”
"Now we can properly feed our families every day!!"
"Our lord has thought of us this much! We have to work even harder!"
Even Old Hans, who had always said, ‘I should just die already,’ and never uttered anything but negativity, stepped forward and began urging everyone to work harder.
A flood of suggestions erupted in the tavern.
"This is how we've been producing salt until now: We pump seawater into reservoirs, then let the sun evaporate the water until salt crystals form. The problem is that the process takes far too long."
"But is there really another way? The salt still needs sunlight to harden…"
I told everyone about all the methods I'd thought of but never mentioned.
"Right, so I thought about it. What if we use the wind? If we selectively cut down the trees around the salt fields and create paths for the wind to dry the salt beds more forcefully, the moisture will evaporate much faster."
"Ah!! Then the crystallization time will be shorter!!“
Everyone murmured after hearing what I said.
Then Leon offered another suggestion.
"What if we make the water in the reservoirs shallower? Shallow water dries faster than deep water, so instead of filling them with a lot of water at once, wouldn't production increase if we used several shallow layers in succession?"
"That's right!"
"On top of that, let's place stones beside the salt fields so that some warmth remains at night too!! If the stones absorb sunlight during the day and slowly release the heat at night, crystallization might continue even after dark!"
That was how we began working of our own accord for the first time in our lives.
We put our heads together over everything, from ways to dry the salt and the speed of evaporation to methods of using the wind.
Overtime became routine.
And as a result, salt production increased exponentially.
"At this rate, we could produce twice as much as before."
"No, not just twice—we might even be able to produce three or four times as much!!"
Everyone was sweating, but they were smiling. Was the work hard?
That didn't matter.
We had finally begun taking pride in our work.
A few days later, we stood before Steward Hart again.
After hearing the report that we'd produced more salt, he looked at us with a deeply moved expression.
"…You are the greatest pillars of House Kron."
After hearing our production report, Steward Hart gave us an additional performance bonus.
The bonus was doubled too!!
That night, everyone who worked at the salt fields raised a toast together. Beneath the lights, we hugged one another and truly felt the reality of this miracle.
We felt hope that both we and our lives could change.
We were no longer mere laborers.
We were the people supporting House Kron.
* * *
“As a result, salt-field production has increased by exactly 300%—312%, to be precise.”
The report from Steward Hart gave me a headache.
The document he'd brought detailed the miracle brought about by doubling the daily wages.
It said that the workers' increased efficiency, the development of a new salt-crystallization method, and voluntary overtime had combined to increase salt-production efficiency by 312%.
As a result, the salt fields' profits had increased by 280%, and even after excluding the doubled wages and salt-field taxes, profits had increased by 82%.
An additional profit of over 80%… After taking an 80% hit in the Korean stock market in my previous life, I found that figure unbelievable.
While my brain froze in the face of this reality I couldn't accept, Steward Hart was looking at me with a deeply moved expression.
"My lord… this is truly moving."
"What's moving about it?"
"This is all thanks to the policy you enacted to improve conditions for your subjects!"
Steward Hart spoke with tears glistening in his eyes.
What was with the old man all of a sudden?
"At first, we were all concerned. We thought suddenly doubling the daily wages would shake the family's finances. But I failed to grasp your lordship's profound intentions!"
I screamed internally.
That wasn't what I intended!
As if my intentions didn't matter, Steward Hart spoke with tears in his eyes, overwhelmed with emotion.
"At first, the workers couldn't believe it. But after confirming that their daily wages were actually being doubled, they were deeply moved. They thought that their lord had recognized them!"
Hart said as he wiped away the tears streaming from his eyes.
He looked at me as though I were a grandson who had grown into a fine young man.
"All of this is thanks to your lordship's profound insight!"
"…"
"You told us to think of the lowest place. Isn't that the very motto of House Kron? Your command was by no means a simple favor. It was a noble policy that moved the hearts of your subjects!"
"……"
"Thanks to it, the people have come to truly respect you, my lord. They're working now not because anyone ordered them to, but because they want to!"
I was rendered speechless.
Being loved by the people had been part of my plan, but having them work this hard had never been part of it.
Steward Hart looked at me with admiration and spoke again.
"I am certain now. You are destined to become a great lord who surpasses the previous lord.
Saying that, Hart knelt.
And he swore his loyalty to me.
"Hart Ansus, in the name of House Ansus, I once again swear my loyalty to you, my lord.”
Even in his old age, Steward Hart swore his loyalty to me.
Seeing his white hair, I clutched my head.
What was going on… It was supposed to be a perfect plan…
Something had gone terribly wrong.