Chapter 7: The Lord Arrives

Old Barton squatted by the field, forcefully sucking on the ceramic pipe in his mouth, sparks rising with the burning tobacco.

After finishing the tobacco in his pipe, he carefully tapped it against the edge of his palm to knock out the ash, being careful not to damage the delicate ceramic.

In the past, when he used a pipe made from an old tree root, he never had to worry about breaking it, no matter how hard he knocked it against a stone.

But ever since his daughter, who worked as a servant in the castle, bought him this ceramic pipe, he treasured it immensely. It was made of clay produced by the Baron’s dragon, and anything related to a dragon was extraordinary!

He loved to take out his ceramic pipe and smoke it in crowded places.

Not only did he show off the beauty of his pipe, but he also boasted that his daughter worked as a servant in the baron’s castle.

Today, however, Old Barton had no heart for showing off his pipe.

After refilling his pipe with tobacco, he said worriedly, “This year’s ice thaw is too late, it will definitely delay the wheat planting. With the reduced production of the estate by the end of the year, the landlord will surely be angry.”

Several other ragged peasants crouched beside him, each smoking his own pipe.

One of the older peasants said with a splash of saliva, “What nonsense are you talking about? He’s no longer the lord of the manor. Didn’t the steward say a few days ago that our Black Waist Snake Manor has been given to a new lord, and we will now farm for the new lord!”

Old Barton was surprised, “A new lord? Which noble knight, and why haven’t I heard of it?”

“You spend all day in the fields, what do you know? The great Baron has given our Black Waist Snake estate to the Baron’s young lord!”

“Which young lord?”

“Who else, it must be Master Russell, not Master Roland.” The spattering peasant proudly showed off his knowledge, “Master Roland will inherit the baron’s title, while Master Russell has come to be our lord!”

Hearing this, the other old peasants immediately clasped their hands together.

“Praise Russell!”

“Wrong, praise Lord Russell!”

“It’s Lord, how dare you call the Lord directly by his name!”

“Praise the Lord!”

In the peasants’ simple understanding, the Lord was the sky of the estate, and even in private, it was a great disrespect to call the Lord by his name.

The spattering peasant also clasped his hands together, “Praise the Lord!”

As they continued to chat, no one dared to mention “Russell” by name, only referring to him as Lord.

“Will the Lord be angry if the wheat planting is delayed this year?” Old Barton asked anxiously, “Do you remember five years ago when the wheat production was reduced and every farmer who planted wheat was whipped ten times?”

The spattering peasant lost his enthusiasm and sighed, “I hope the new lord is merciful and pities us”.

The threat of ten lashes was indeed intimidating.

However, one of the peasants quickly said, “Do you think the new lord will bring sprite grubs and make us plant magic herbs instead?”

“Ah!” The spitting peasant perked up, “That’s right! The great baron and several other noble lords are planting magic herbs. If we get a magic herb field, we won’t have to worry about the ice thawing early or late, we can farm all year round!”

“Will it be our turn?” Old Barton hesitated.

“Let’s go ask the steward!”

“Let’s go together.”

The old farmers got up, patted their butts, and went to the steward’s house, still smoking their pipes.

At the same time.

The sun hung on the horizon, casting a warm glow. Even though it was almost May, the weather was still chilly and the ice was only partially melted.

Russell’s convoy steadily crossed the small bridge over the Dusklight River and entered the Black Waist Snake Estate.

“Master Russell, we will wait here for a moment. Once all the village chiefs and stewards have gathered, I will announce the Baron’s decree,” said Kendall, the estate’s patrol knight captain, a beast rider.

Although Kendall had not yet accumulated enough military merit to be knighted, the fact that he was able to contract a beast and become a beast rider indicated that he had the potential of a noble and would likely rise from a retainer to a vassal in the future.

Therefore, Russell was very polite to him, “Thank you, Captain Kendall.”

“You are too kind.”

Kendall gestured to the knights he had brought with him to notify the peasant stewards to gather, as these knights were familiar with the various estates from their long-term patrols.

In no time, they had gathered some forty to fifty peasant and stewards, five village chiefs, and an estate supervisor appointed by the baron, all at the gate of the estate annex.

The steward, the village chiefs, and the peasants were not surprised by the situation, as the Baron’s decree had already reached the estate a few days ago. They stood quietly in two rows, waiting for Captain Kendall to read the new decree.

“Master Russell,” Kendall looked at Russell.

Russell gestured, “Please.”

So Captain Kendall did not hesitate and faced the peasant and stewards.

He shouted loudly, “All peasants of the Black Waist Snake Estate, hear this! The Lord of Dusklight River Valley, the companion of Clay Dragon, your lord, Baron Dusklight, has bestowed the Black Waist Snake Estate upon his second son, Lord Russell Fluorescent Mushroom.”

He pointed behind him, and Russell smiled cooperatively at the peasant and stewards, displaying a gentlemanly demeanor.

Captain Kendall continued, “As of today, Lord Russell Fluorescent Mushroom will take over all of the Black Waist Snake Estate, including the land, the peasants, the cattle, the property, the stones, the water, the trees, and your children, all of which will belong to Lord Russell Fluorescent Mushroom.”

He paused for a moment.

By now, a large number of peasants had gathered around the outbuildings, but they only dared to watch from a distance, not to approach.

Captain Kendall concluded, “At this moment, Lord Russell Fluorescent Mushroom is your new lord!”

Russell stood with his hands behind his back, remaining calm.

Captain Kendall stood next to him.

The village chiefs and peasant stewards were at a loss; many of them had forgotten when the last lord change occurred.

However, the estate supervisor did not hesitate and immediately knelt down, “Great Lord, noble Lord, old Hans pays his respects. Praise the Baron, after waiting so long, Old Hans finally greets you, my lord.”

With Old Hans leading the way, the village chiefs and peasants all fell to their knees and shouted in a chaotic manner.

“Praise the Lord,” “Great Lord,” “Respect the Lord,” “Lord’s Blessing,” and other phrases filled the air.

Russell did not like the kneeling ritual.

But at that moment, he had to follow local customs and use this opportunity to establish initial authority: “I am your new lord, Russell Fluorescent Mushroom. I will continue to protect you as my father, the Baron, has done, providing you with safety, shelter, and food. In return, you must offer me your loyalty.”

Old Hans was the first to resp”ond, shouting loudly, “Old Hans offers the Lord the most steadfast loyalty!

The village chiefs and peasant stewards followed suit, “Offer loyalty to the lord!”

Even the surrounding peasants, caught up in the atmosphere, knelt down one by one without a leader.

“Offer loyalty to the Lord.”

“Praise the Lord, faithful Lord!”

“Little Sam will always be loyal to the lord.”

“Ouch, you poked my butt…”

“Lame Leg Lys praises Lord!”

“Bo, bo, bo… Bob, pr, pr, pr… praise, lo, lo, lo, lo, lo, lo…”