From a certain perspective, he did succeed, for when the knights were more than halfway across the Evil River, they were met by the Green-Skinned Army of over a hundred thousand... It's said that the battle was so brutal that even the Lake Fairy wept.

In the end, the number of knights who returned to Brittania was barely around ten percent, and John II was overthrown by the Duke and the Lake God Witch after barely holding on for a few years.

It seems that Baron Gene perished in the battle of the Evil River.

"My baron, the furniture in the castle has been moved to the Gene Wine Vineyard, and the servants have also relocated to the vineyard. For this period, you can reside in the Wine Castle. Once the castle reconstruction is completed, we will proceed with further renovation of the vineyard." Gaspardon interjected, interrupting Kasenberg, as this faithful follower of the Lake Fairy clearly did not wish to hear of the disastrous defeat again.

"How long is it expected to take to complete the reconstruction of my castle?" Laine continued without asking more.

"Four months should be enough to repair the castle walls and many facilities, but the independent tower and interior decorations Mr. Laine requested will take more time," Kasenberg explained, walking with his hands behind his back and a straight posture behind Laine. "The exact construction period will depend on the rainy season."

"Then it seems I'll be living in the estate this year," Laine shrugged nonchalantly; it didn't matter much to him where he stayed.

The group arrived near Laine's Baron Castle.

Hundreds of peasants were working methodically, overseen by overseers sent by merchants and Laine's soldiers, amidst shouts, scolding, and the never-ending noise of peasants moving various materials.

Craftsmen sent by the wealthy merchant Ismail were constructing the castle.

Laine could sense clearly that the peasants were not enthusiastic.

Their expressions were calm, even numb, doing exactly what was asked and no more.

The baron thought that this was inefficient, so he turned to Gaspardon and asked, "Is this the largest number possible?"

"Yes, my baron, recruiting more will affect the defense and farming of the territory," Gaspardon, having also noticed the low efficiency of the peasants, said in a tone of disgust and anger, "Such an ungrateful bunch of bastards, the baron provides them with excellent meals, and yet they remain so sluggish. My baron, I will now urge them to speed up."

"Don't rush, Gaspardon, tell me first, what kind of meals do we provide for these peasants?" Laine stopped Gaspardon's actions, remaining calm.

"My baron, please come this way." Gaspardon paused, then signaled for Laine to come behind a tent.

Inside the tent, some peasant women were preparing lunch, consisting mainly of thin porridge... and similarly thin stew.

"Oh! My baron sir!" Seeing Laine appear, the peasant women quickly knelt down.

"Is this what we've prepared for the peasants?" Laine frowned, walking to the large pot and then saying to his steward, "Bring me a bowl and spoon!"

"Yes!" Kasenberg immediately fetched a common wooden bowl and spoon from the side.

"Oh! Dear God! My baron sir! Honored Holy Grail Master Knight, this is what us humble folk eat, how can you possibly eat it!" The barrel-shaped peasant woman exclaimed in fear as Laine took the ladle from her hands and began to stir vigorously in the pot, then scooped a bowl and tasted it with the wooden spoon: "You too, taste it!"

Kasenberg and Gaspardon each reluctantly scooped a bowl to taste.

Thin flour, a bit of barley flour, and some unidentifiable vegetables were what Laine provided as free lunch for these peasants.

Much to the Holy Grail Knight's surprise, the meal wasn't bad.

Of course, for someone like Laine who had lived in the Celestial Dynasty, what he was eating would be considered only fit to feed pigs.

However, in this world, peasants being able to eat this porridge was already better than their regular meals.

What did the peasants of Brittania usually eat?

Buckwheat, rye, bran bread mixed with mud.

Even thinner porridge made from crushed peas or chestnuts compared to the one in Laine's hands.

Occasionally, peasants could hunt for some meat, though this was very limited because laws dictated that any animal in the territory belonged to the lord, and peasants risked amputation or even hanging if they dared touch the lord's property. But still, some animals weren't restricted, such as rabbits and birds, which the peasants were allowed to hunt as they could harm crops.

In spring and summer, peasants could also eat some fish.

Otherwise, the only time peasants could eat chicken, duck, goose, or pork was on the annual Day of the Lake Fairy's Arrival. On this day, due to the Lady of the Lake's generosity and supervision, even the stingiest Master Knight would open his warehouses, taking out large quantities of bread and small portions of meat for the peasants to feast on. Some peasants even gorged themselves to the point of death on this day.

As for beef, mutton, and turkey, these premium meats were nothing more than dreams for them, and even their Master Knights rarely had the chance to eat such.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.