The Montbell Domain

After traveling about two hours by carriage from Count Klever's domain, the Montbell domain came into view.

In the past, I would have started sighing from a long way off.

Old roads, weak horses, a creaking carriage, and a strangely subdued village atmosphere.

That was what a baron's domain on the verge of ruin was like.

People walked with faces that looked barely able to endure the day, and the market had more worries than goods.

But now it was different.

The carriage wheels rolled smoothly over well-maintained roads.

Newly built warehouses and shops stood on either side of the road, and carriages belonging to merchants from outside the domain lined up at the village entrance.

The sound of hoofbeats, people's voices, and the shouts of workers hauling cargo all mingled together.

The small, quiet village of Montbell had now become a bustling city...