[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 8: The New Policies of Emerald Heart

 Chapter 8: The New Policies of Emerald Heart

The group did not venture deeper into the Everdark Forest.

According to Dawn, he had already discovered packs of Blood Direwolves in the outer region. Those creatures were not to be trifled with.

They could be lurking nearby at any moment, hunting. Entering the forest now would be reckless—if anything went wrong, Dawn could at most protect one person while retreating.

Kun was not about to risk all his limited manpower on a whim of curiosity. These people were essential to building his domain.

Since they needed to assess the actual boundary between the forest and the Fengrao Domain, they simply rode along the forest’s edge.

That single circuit took four full hours. The entire morning passed just like that.

Perched atop a horned, black-maned beast, Li Tianyun sat stiffly, face expressionless, doing his best to appear composed.

In truth, his backside had long gone numb from the relentless jostling.

At first, he had assumed Kun’s “territory” would be about the size of the terraced valley near his home—maybe with a few surrounding hills added in. That would already be large enough, right?

When he first arrived, he saw only a crumbling castle, a dilapidated farmstead, and fewer than a thousand residents.

Everything had seemed to match his expectations.

Sure, this world had mages and warriors—but overall, it felt like a medieval civilization at best.

It wasn’t until this inspection that Li Tianyun understood what Kun meant by “not very large.”

In simple terms—

From the mountains… to the sea.

Everything within sight belonged to this guy.

They had been riding for over four hours and still hadn’t reached the edge.

Only after asking did he learn:

To the east lay the Everdark Forest.

To the west, the Forbidden Scorched Lands.

To the north, the Storm Sea.

And according to Kun, any land he “expanded” from the forest could simply be counted as part of his domain.

No one would care.

A minor lord?

This was big enough to build a provincial capital!

What kind of world was this?

Then again, it made sense.

To humans, Blue Star seemed vast.

But from a cosmic perspective, it was just a tiny speck.

After finishing their inspection of the forest boundary, the group returned to Emerald Heart.

Just as Vittorio had complained, the villagers remained shut inside their homes.

No matter how loudly his subordinates explained the new policies, not a single person came out.

It stood in stark contrast to the bustling construction on the other side of the village.

Like fire and ice.

Old Tate glanced coldly at the faint silhouettes behind shuttered windows.

“Lucky enough to meet a kind lord like our young master, yet they don’t appreciate it. A bunch of ingrates.

They should all be turned into slaves—then a few lashes would teach them obedience.”

His words were harsh, yet for once, even Dawn did not argue.

He had seen too many greedy lords squeeze the last copper from their people.

Once reduced to slavery, no amount of labor could change their fate.

A lord like Kun—who treated his people sincerely—was exceedingly rare.

That was why Dawn had abandoned his prospects in the army to come here.

The weak needed protection.

But the goodwill of the strong deserved respect.

Not indifference.

Not contempt.

He had experienced such things himself—enough to turn his heart cold.

At the banquet on their first night, Dawn had warned Vittorio not to disappoint the lord.

He hadn’t explained the consequences.

But he had watched every expression that night.

He knew who was sincere—and who harbored ulterior motives.

And he would deal with them in time.

On the other side, Vittorio nervously studied Kun’s expression.

Seeing no anger, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Sure, coasting on a high salary was nice—but this situation was different.

His previous employer had been a fool, and Vittorio hadn’t cared when that man fell.

But this lord…

This one had a conscience.

And failing him left Vittorio uneasy.

Li Tianyun, puzzled by the villagers’ behavior, asked Kun for an explanation.

“Trust isn’t built in a day,” Kun said.

“Drop the idioms. Speak plainly.”

Li Tianyun nodded.

“In short, the nobles’ credibility has been completely destroyed.

And you, as the new lord, are suffering the consequences of your predecessor’s actions.”

“So I’m taking the blame for that too?”

Kun rubbed his temples.

“Fine. Any solutions?”

“I assume you’ve heard of the story of ‘moving the wood to build trust’?”

Smiling, Li Tianyun explained the tale in detail.

The idea was simple.

Make a public promise—and prove it with action.

Since Kun was a new lord, it would be easier to rebuild trust by contrasting himself with the previous one.

Kun’s eyes lit up.

“A good idea.”

He called Vittorio over and gave instructions.

Vittorio remained skeptical.

The method sounded simple—but would it work?

Kun didn’t care.

A lord didn’t micromanage everything.

Otherwise, he’d exhaust himself.

“Right, Tate—there’s another urgent task.

Once registration is complete, prioritize building a public latrine.

While it’s still cold, the waste is manageable. Clean it up quickly.

Sanitation will be a top priority in my domain. No more piles of filth.”

“…”
Vittorio hesitated.

Was this really necessary?

Even in the capital, waste was dumped in the streets.

Why insist on something like this in a small village?

Would anyone even use it?

But Kun’s perspective came from another world.

Public sanitation was only the beginning.

Clean water. Public bathhouses. Infrastructure.

He intended to recreate an entirely different standard of living.

Others didn’t need to understand.

They only needed to follow.

That was the power of a lord.

Within the Fengrao Domain, his will stood above the kingdom’s laws.

Even if people didn’t understand his policies, they would obey.

Kun had learned in the other world how closely sanitation was tied to survival.

He would not let disease destroy everything he built.

Prevention was easier than cure.

As for divine magic—

It came at a cost.

Temples demanded power, wealth, and faith.

Kun had no intention of inviting them too soon.

Turning to Dawn, Kun chose his words carefully.

“My friend here is interested in martial arts.

He wishes to study under you. Would you accept him as a disciple?”

Dawn glanced at Li Tianyun’s thin frame and shook his head.

“I don’t see any talent. It would be a waste of time.”

Kun smiled.

“This is a personal request—not an order.”

Dawn remained silent.

Kun continued:

“You don’t need to worry about manuals, techniques, or training resources.

Just guide him occasionally—help him avoid unnecessary detours.

And I’ll offer fifteen silver coins per month.”

Dawn hesitated.

Kun pressed on.

“I know your concern isn’t money.

It’s time.

You’re already busy as Chief Constable and managing the guards.”

Dawn nodded.

Kun understood more.

At forty, Dawn was at his peak.

A warrior at his level sought one thing—

To break through.

To reach the Heroic Realm.

Teaching a talentless student was not worth the time.

Aging meant decline.

Unlike mages, who grew stronger with age—

Warriors had a limited window.

But Kun had studied such bottlenecks extensively.

He shared a few insights.

And for the first time—

Dawn wavered.