As the two men left the general store, Regis couldn’t help but speak his mind.

“I know your job as my steward is important Tristan, but you should spend more time with your girlfriend.”

“What... I’m, I mean we’re...”

“I’m not blind,” the dark elf stated. “Nor am I mad or anything. As long as you can keep your work and your personal life separate, I don’t mind it. Just treat her well, will you? Take a few hours for yourself when there’s less work to deal with. You don’t have to be cooped up at my place or the town hall all the time.”

“I... of course. Thank you, sir”.

“Off to the stables then.”

“Ugh.”

The duo walked along the cobblestone street, taking in the site of the steadily developing small town. Besides the obvious new buildings on both sides of the street, Regis was glad to see the people using the arcane water pumps he installed along the way. He firmly believed that having access to clean water was an important foundation of Thornfell, along with the sewer system he created.

“Good morning, sire!” He heard a woman and her children greet him while using the pump to fill a few clay jugs.

“Good morning!”

Nearing the stables, the spell weaver noticed the stable master waiting for them in the distance.

“It looks like the horses have been already prepared. Did you ask for them?”

“I did, but I didn’t know whether you’d want to take the carriage or to ride, so I just asked them to be fed and readied.” Tristan stated as the two finally reached the stables that had been rebuilt at the side of the new town wall.

A man of roughly forty years stood in front the building, holding the reins of two horses. When he noticed them getting closer, the man gently pulled on the reins while speaking.

“Morning, milord! I’ve prepared the horses as your steward asked earlier. Shall I fasten them in front of the carriage?”

“No need, Fern. We’ll be riding the horses ourselves.”

“Oh, let me bring out the saddles then,” Fern nodded before hurrying back into the stable, bringing out a pair of saddles which he quickly put on the horses. “There you go, sir. Do take care of them.”

“We will, and thanks for the work. Come on Tristan.”

“Ugh.” The steward managed to groan as he climbed on his mount, the two leaving through the nearby gate.

Although it was a bit strange to ride while holding on to his magic staff, Regis got used to it in the past weeks. After a good minute of quiet riding, Tristan couldn’t stop himself from speaking up.

“You were doing it again, milord.”

“Doing what again?”

“Thanking people unnecessarily.”

“Unnecessarily? Tristan, do you enjoy toiling away day after day without anyone thanking you for your hard work?”

“I… I do get thanked for it.”

“And so should they. I’ve already told you that the noble system was erased in my world centuries ago. In my eyes, everyone here is a free man or woman who’s working for me. That’s why it’s only natural to treat them as such. Thanking them for their hard work is the least I could do.”

“You outlanders are weird,” the young steward spoke his mind freely. “Most local nobles would either demand things or grumble all day. I never met one that was actually willing to dirty their hands with work like you do.”

“Alright, enough with the cheesy compliments. Let’s ride!” The dark elf said as he urged his horse to break into a fast gallop.

They rode along the cobblestone road the spell weaver created in the past days, heading toward the mountain range. Once they got close enough, the sight of fresh soil-covered stone terraces came into view. Lush green leaves and colourful grapes greeted them at the foot of the vineyard just behind the large stone wall that protected it.

“Morning you two!” Valerie yelled over from afar, waving at them from the third terrace.

“Morning, Val!”

“Well, come on up! This thing won’t get itself sorted out.”

Regis tied his horse’s rein to the gate of the vineyard, using the stone stairway to reach his friend. On the way, he looked at the small cottage near the vineyard, its classic French-style architecture was further accentuated by the pleasant cream-coloured sandstone walls and reddish-brown clay roof tiles and the deep red windowsills.

“So, what exactly do you need help with, Val?” He asked after finally reaching his companion.

“Not much really,” she said with a smile. “I just decided to finally take your offer about that extra room for the kitchen and that arcane stove.”

“Have you decided where you want it?”

“Yes. I also talked with Jody about the roof beams and Grandpa Bray about the roof tiles. You just have to deal with the walls and the stove.”

“Alright,” the spell weaver nodded. “Let’s get this over with quickly. We have to get back before the assembly starts.”

“Oh right, I forgot about that. Is it going to be a long one?”

“It shouldn’t take more than an hour.” Tristan stated with a firm tone.

“Good. I still have another round of ‘growth boost’ spells to cast on the grapes before sundown.”

“I’m glad to see you’re keeping yourself busy, but do spare some for resting and practice as well.”

“Like you’re the one to talk, milord.” Valerie hummed as she led the other two to the side of the cottage where they could see a set of straight lines painted on the rocky ground.

“Are you sure you don’t want a bigger kitchen?”

“This much should be enough, just try to create a stove similar to the one Mary has at the inn, please!”

“Sure thing.” Regis nodded as he began to cast his terraform spell to flatten the ground before raising it to be on the same level as the rest of the buildings.

Three new walls were quickly conjured and connected to the rest of the building before a set of holes was created for the windows as per Valerie’s instructions. Once he was done, the dark elf followed the infernal woman inside the house, creating a new doorway on the sidewall to open a way into the kitchen.

“Where do you want the stove?”

“Over here.” She pointed at an area on the left side of the room.

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Regis gave her a slight nod before turning the stone ground back into condensed earth. After a few minutes of work, the new stove and preparation area took shape, only to get turned into stone once again. A round of meditation later he sank the necessary elemental stones into the right places and began to work on the enchantments. When he was finally done, several grey-coloured runes lit up on the stove’s surface.

“That’s about it,” the spell weaver sighed. “This should be enough for now. If you find the enchantment is too weak, I’ll reinforce it for you later on.”

“Thank you,” Valerie said while hugging him. “I promise to pay it back with a bottle or two from my first batch of special wine.”

“Sounds good to me.” Regis nodded before looking at his wrist where a leather bracelet held a large steel coin.

The flat surface of the coin glowed with a dark blue light as the mirage of an analogue clock was silently ticking away on it.

“I guess it’s time for us to go,” he hummed as he looked up from his arcane watch. “Do you need a ride?”

“I do, but only if it’s with you. No offence Tristan, but even watching you ride a horse is painful.”

“I... none taken.” The steward replied awkwardly.

The three of them returned to the foot of the vineyard where they freed the horses.

“Ladies first.” Regis said, allowing his companion to climb onto the saddle first before climbing up behind her.

“Ready?”

“Yes.” She replied, holding on as the dark elf gently urged the horse onward.

“So, how long do you reckon until we can harvest the first grapes?” Regis asked after a few minutes of riding.

“I’d say another week. Hopefully Nina manages to procure more barrels. The three she got me before won’t be enough.”

“Will the harvest be that good, milady?” Tristan inquired to distract himself from the ride.

“Most likely,” Valerie confirmed. “The grape samples Nina brought for me were already large even though they were ‘trash’ quality. Given that Regis increased their quality to ‘decent’ and that the ‘growth boost’ spell also has a slight crop size increasing effect, I expect them to be near double the size of the original grapes.”

“Still,” the dark elf hummed. “Don’t you think that ten barrels count as overkill?”

“I have to think about the next harvest as well. Even if I channel arcana into the barrels to hasten the fermenting and the ageing process, it would still take a few weeks before it’s drinkable. By that time, even the next harvest would have been picked.”

“Well, you’re the expert.” The spell weaver shrugged as he urged their horse onward.

Time flew by and the trio soon reached Thornfell’s gates. As they rode over to the stables, Fern helped Valerie get off the horse, taking the reins once Regis jumped off as well.

“We should hurry up,” he hummed after checking his arcane watch. “The meeting starts in twenty minutes.”

“Anything I should know beforehand?”

“Sorry Val, but it wouldn’t be fair to the others if we told you about it earlier.”

“Spoilsport.” She grumbled.

They’ve made their way to Obelisk Square, seeing the last of the townsfolk hurrying on toward the town hall. The pale sandstone building’s doors were wide open, Quentin standing at the entrance. He greeted the people, pointing them toward the still-empty spots inside. When the trio got close enough, the paladin looked at them in a slightly rueful way.

“You sure took your sweet time,” he grumbled. “Five more minutes and we’d start without you.”

“Sorry handsome,” Valerie replied, kissing the man on the cheek. “It took a bit more time to get the kitchen and the stove up and running at the vineyard than I expected.”

“Since we’re here,” Regis sighed. “We might as well get this over with.”

“Shall I announce your arrival, sir?” Tristan asked, earning a head shake from the spell weaver.

“There’s no need for that. Let’s go.”

Saying that, he headed inside, his magic staff tapping on the greyish marble floor of the town hall.

“Good day to you, milord!” The people greeted him as he walked.

“Good day, everyone!” He answered in kind, reaching the small podium at the end of the townsfolk-filled room.

Tristan stepped up on the podium, taking great pride in his task of speaking on his lord’s behalf. The steward looked at the silently waiting people, giving them a slight nod.

“Good day, everyone! Today’s assembly was organized for three reasons,” he explained. “The first, is that we now have seventeen new people in the town, thanks to Sir Quentin’s efforts in yesterday morning’s recruitment tour. The second reason regards our newly established economy while the third part will be spent with his lordship addressing your concerns and some such.”

The crowd nodded along as they listened to the man, a slight murmur resounding here and there. A few moments later Tristan looked at the young spell weaver who responded with a slight nod before switching places with his steward.

“Once again, good day everyone!” He greeted the townsfolk again while leaning his magic staff against the pulpit.

“I would like to officially welcome our new settlers in Thornfell. You will find the locals welcoming and your new homes sturdy yet cosy. If you feel lost on what to do next, ask the people around you and they will be more than happy to help. I hope that you’ll come to call Thornfell your home like the rest of us and that you’ll lend your aid to make it a better place for everyone here.”

His words were met with many agreeing nods from the townsfolk, the new settlers seemingly relaxing a bit after the warm welcome they’ve received from the lord of the region himself. After the short pause to let the people settle down a bit once again, Regis accepted an unfurled parchment from his steward which contained an abridged version of the economic situation. He let out a sigh before continuing his speech.

“Now, on to our second topic. As you have likely noticed, our supply lines have finally stabilized, allowing both our craftspeople and farmers to work without issues. We now have a working general store along with other smaller shops, all of them waiting for you with open doors. This however means that everyone will need a source of income. Yes?” He looked at a woman in the fifth row as she raised her hand, an agreed form of signalling a question.

“Milord,” she stood up and bowed slightly. “As a mother of two children without a husband, how will I be able to earn money to feed my children and myself? I don’t really have a calling besides the small time I can spend on handicrafts. If we lose the food support due to this new change, how will we survive?”

“An excellent question,” Regis said after looking back at Tristan, earning a nod. “As you know, all children above six will be obliged to attend school. Those between two and six will be allowed to join the daycare group. While there, all children will receive both breakfast and lunch for free.”

His words earned surprised and happy whispers from the crowd.

“While they are away, you will have enough free time for yourself. Anyone who has a craft but no means to pursue it can voice the issue to my steward and we will look for possibilities together, be it a part-time job at one of the already established workshops, out on the fields or providing you with a beginner set of tools to work from home. During this time you will receive a sort of pension until you can stabilise your income. Those with children too young to attend daycare or school will also receive such pensions along with the means to either practice or learn a vocation.”

“I… I see. Thank you, milord!” The woman bowed with a relieved tone and mind, a small teardrop slipping down her cheeks.”

“With that cleared up, let me remind you that although Thornfell’s market is small, Nina has been hard at work to establish trade agreements with many towns and smaller settlements. You will always find posts on her noticeboard or can ask her assistants about what other people are looking for the most so that you can plan ahead your crafting schedules to attain the greatest profit.”

Another round of agreeing murmurs could be heard from the back where nearly a dozen different craft’s pursuers were sitting.

“In regards to the town guard; I have already sent over the current plan of wages to Captain Grego, so he’ll be able to explain it to you. Rest assured, your service to the people of Thornfell will not go unrewarded.”

“Thank you, milord!” The guards said as one, their voices resounding in the town hall.

“With that, most of the economic reforms have been stated. You will find a copy of the declarations on the noticeboard of both squares. Let us continue with answering your questions. Please, respect each other by waiting quietly while they ask their questions and receive their answers.”

The townspeople sat still for a few moments before a calloused hand rose into the air.

“Yes, Hosea?” He looked at the farmer.

“Milord, you have already been kind to us many times, but I must ask. If everyone is to earn their coin, how will my wife and Ido that?”

“By doing the same thing you did all this time,” Tristan stepped beside the dark elf, answering immediately. “Lord Regis made it a priority to make sure that all servants of the town would be given fair wages. This includes both the guards and the farmers who provide our main food source. I will explain it to you in detail later in what ways you will be compensated for your work.”

“I understand,” Hosea nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“Next?” The dark elf hummed.

Several people raised their hands over the next half an hour, raising their voices regarding both larger and smaller issues which were either resolved right there or were noted down by Tristan for investigation at a later time.