Standing within the crowd gathered at Marcus's estate is a man named Dorian.

  A middle-aged blacksmith who had lived his life trying to prove himself to his family.

  Dorian came from a family of well-to-do scholars, and it was a tradition for them to all pursue scholarly careers.

  Changing the world through pen and paper.

  And lustrous ambition and an imaginative tradition.

  However, Dorian broke this tradition and for over a decade now, hasn't received any type of support from his family.

  With no deep or intricate blacksmithing techniques to inherit, Dorian had remained amongst the average within his profession.

  It was only yesterday when he had heard that someone from another state was in great need of blacksmiths and they would be hiring quite a few.

  This person wasn't looking for those overly skilled and highly reputable blacksmiths, just those who could work with fire and on iron.

  Upon hearing this, Dorian quickly signed up.

  If he couldn't become something in his home state, then why not try his luck in another?

  Though that was his train of thought hours ago, now, after traveling and seeing the state Agard was in, Dorian was already doubting his choice.

  The estate itself looked sturdy enough, but beyond its walls stretched bad roads, half-empty fields, and villages that seemed to have been forgotten by the rest of the kingdom.

  ‘It's only for a few months. I can also go back if it doesn't pan out well.’

  He encouraged himself as he scanned the crowd.

  There were a few other blacksmiths, one or two he recognized.

  Dorian was about to approach one of them when a voice made him pause.

  “Good day everyone!” Marcus greeted, excitedly. “I am Marcus Sirdi, Lord and Governor of Agard!”

  Upon realizing that they were before a high noble, the crowd paid their respect.

  “We greet the lord governor!”

  “Please! I am sure that most of you come from a different state and have seen the state of Agard. I am curious to know what you think about this place.”

  The crowd remained silent. Speaking out of turn could put them in trouble.

  Seeing their silence, Marcus chuckled.

  “Those skilled in farming, please step forward.”

  Slowly, twelve men separated from the crowd.

  Marcus nodded and pointed at the one who looked the oldest amongst them.

  A man with a good portion of grey hair on his head.

  “You, sir, what is your name?”

  The man was a bit startled, but perhaps due to his age, he composed himself quickly.

  “I am called Surfan, lord governor.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “Surfan, based on your years of experience in farming, what do you think about Agard soils?”

  “My lord… Agard seems to be blessed with a lot of open land.”

  “Be honest with me. I have called you here because I need to hear from people with experience. If you cannot see the problems and help come up with solutions then maybe you're not cut out for the job.” Marcus frowned.

  ‘This young lord.’ Surfan felt as though he had been placed in a tough spot.

  “Speaking honestly, lord governor, most of the lands I've come across here all seem unsuitable to cultivate crops. Perhaps some stubborn crops can be successfully grown on these lands, but that would take some time and experimenting to figure out.”

  The man finally said with some difficulty.

  “Good! And where do you think would be the best area to start cultivating crops in Agard?”

  “The lands by the river, lord governor. Easy access to water and the surroundings would make it easier for crops like rice to grow.”

  “Splendid! I appreciate your honesty, Surfan!” Marcus looked at the rest, “I would also appreciate such honesty from the rest of you. If you notice a problem, let me know. If you have a solution, let me know. I am trying to build my territory into a suitable place to live, and I can't rely on myself alone.”

  “Thank you for your compliment, lord governor,” Surfan said, feeling a bit good with the praise he received.

  ‘The young lord doesn't carry the arrogance of most nobles. He seems somewhat approachable.’

  This thought that Surfan had was what Marcus wanted to ingrain to these people's minds.

  “Before we start getting to know each other, I’ll have to let you all know that what we’ll be doing here will be the start of something great. Not only in Agard, but also in the entire kingdom.”

  Bradley blinked a few times trying to figure out what Marcus was referring to as “great”.

  Reviving his territory?

  That might be considered a good achievement, but not necessarily a great one.

  The same thoughts went through everyone's mind.

  “You might see it now, but surely, that is what's to come. Because of how impactful what we’ll be doing will be, I have to ask all of you to sign another contract with me. One that states, you cannot use the knowledge you learn in Agard anywhere else but Agard. If you're caught, an execution wouldn't be far off.”

  The crowd that had been filled with murmurs went silent.

  What were they going to learn that would warrant such a contract?

  Marcus smiled as he observed all of them. This was one of the few ways he came up with to protect what he had now.

  However, it wasn't the only way.

  Even if anyone defaulted and broke the contract in secret, all they would have is what Marcus has given them.

  …

  A few people backed out, not wanting to be involved, which is something so disturbing.

  Some of them even thought they would be participating in illegal things.

  In the end, Marcus gave them a few silver coins and sent them on their way.

  Bradley sighed and wondered what Marcus was thinking. He realized that he couldn't predict the thoughts of the young man anymore.

  After everyone formed a line and placed their names on the contract, Marcus clapped.

  “Time to get to business!” His demeanor seemed to have changed too.

  “Of the plans I have made, making these lands usable for crops is at the top of the list as winter is fast approaching. However, before we can do that, we will have to rely on the blacksmiths and carpenters to make the proper tools for us. Also, we will be carrying out an experiment.”

  Marcus started with farmers alongside the slaves he rescued from the iron mine.

  He directed them to crush the Limestone into powder and mix it with soil on the lands he had designated as farms.

  All the farmers looked at Marcus as though he were crazy.

  Doesn't he know that mixing things with the soil can ruin its ability to grow seeds?

  Only now did they realize that the limestone that they had traveled with was meant for this.

  Though their complaints were all internal, their confusion was evident on their faces.

  Marcus noticed this and was expecting one or two people to speak up, but nobody did.

  ‘It's going to take a while for them to start speaking up.’

  He wanted someone to speak up, so he could at least explain the concept of his plan to them.

  Marcus didn't mind teaching what he knew, after all, he alone couldn't do all the work himself.

  If Agard is to grow rapidly, what it needs is a lot of competent and skilled workers.

  As for incompetence, he detested it.

  It was alright to be ignorant, however, to be incompetent…

  Perhaps because the nobles of Agard were almost all incompetent to him, Marcus had developed a certain dislike for this trait.

  To him, it would have been better if the nobles had developed Agard before exploiting it.

  Bone without meat, weren't they just scrambling to hoard nothing?

  Despite his wishes, he made no move to explain his reason to these people.

  Seek and you shall find.

  They sought not, hence their ignoble state.

  After the slaves left with the farmers, Marcus called the carpenters and blacksmiths forward.

  Dorain was in front of the crowd. He was feeling even more doubtful after hearing that they were employed to make farm tools.

  Wouldn't it have been better for the young lord to have purchased those from the market rather than dragging them here?

  Dorain wasn't the only one feeling this way.

  “As for you guys… it won't be an exaggeration to say that my success and failure lie in your hands.”

  With a glance to his side, Evita who had been holding onto a swad of papers, came forward and stood next to Marcus.

  Picking out one of them, Marcus unfolded the paper and showed its contents to the crowd.

  “This is called an Iron Moldboard Plow, one of the farm tools I require you all to work on.”

  The moment their eyes fell upon this blueprint, the first thing they noticed about it was the accuracy in its drawing.

  It was too clean and smooth to be something that was just thought of and drawn on the spot.

  The second was its similarities.

  Yes, it was still a farm tool, but one that they hadn't seen before.

  A new design!

  Normally, this would have been something that would have excited most blacksmiths, however, this was only a farm tool.

  This wouldn't garner them much recognition in the general public.

  Dorian observed the blueprint some more and he couldn't help but feel like he was at the crux of something important.

  And then Marcus pulled out another one.

  This time, their reactions weren't much different.

  And then another.

  Their countenance changed, realizing that these tools, although farm tools, introduced designs and concepts they had never seen or thought of.

  From belittling what they saw to doubting what they saw, they were all speechless.

  Right until they saw the last design Marcus pulled out, the Chain Irrigation Pump blueprint.

  “Who designed these?” Dorian couldn't contain himself anymore as he stepped forward and almost grabbed the blueprint.

  He quickly recalled where he was and held himself back.

  To him, these weren't just farm tools, they were the work of a genius. If he could learn from such a person…

  “Who designed them is not what's important. What matters if you can make them?” Marcus smiled.

  “My lord, if I cannot make any of these, then I will give up on being a blacksmith!” Dorian spoke with unmasked passion.

  ‘An enthusiastic one. Yes, this is what I need from you people!’ Even Marcus was pleased with the man's attitude.

  He handed the blueprints over to him. “What do you think about these blueprints, what benefits can they bring?”

  “My lord, it is hard to say. But simply put, they prioritize efficiency.”

  Marcus nodded, very pleased with Dorian.