The commoners have already started building their houses. They are fast, probably because they are also well aware that the rainy season is approaching and without a house they can never rely on a straw hut to protect them from the wind and rain.

Lex looked at the busy commoners and asked the steward, "Will they be angry because the slaves are living better than they are?"

The steward said very seriously, "My lord, the slaves are your property, but they are not. Even if the goats you raise live better than they do, it is only right."

Although the common people were free, apart from those who owned assets, many of them did not even fare as well as slaves.

The nobles rented them land and charged high rents and taxes. It was possible that after a year of hard work, the food they grew could not even provide a bowl of gruel a day for each person, after trading the grain for beans and wheat bran.

They knew this very well themselves, but most common people did not want to become slaves, even if they were worse off than slaves.

They would only become slaves and sell themselves to merchants when they could no longer survive.

"You let them eat gruel without having to do anything," the steward said with a heavy heart, 'where can they find a generous and kind lord like you?"

The steward did not consider the commoners' house construction to be work, because the lord could not benefit from it and felt that it was a waste of food.

In the steward's eyes, these new commoners were no better than slaves.

Slaves can cultivate the land and farm, so they are not a waste of food. After the commoners arrive, the rainy season will soon begin, and they will not be able to work until next spring. They will be idle for such a long time, so where will the food come from?

The food in the cellar obviously isn't enough to support so many people until next year's harvest.

Lex is a little worried. He feels that this is different from the game. In the game, for every step he completes, such as expanding the population in his territory, he will be rewarded with the corresponding amount of gold coins, which he can use to buy food. But now so many people have come to his territory, and no one is giving him rewards.

"Where am I supposed to get food from?" Lex looks at the butler with worry.

His eyes were so big and watery.

The steward's heart was about to melt, and he spoke softly to Lex as if he were a delicate baby: "My lord, we have steel now."

In addition to forging carpentry tools, the slaves also forged steel swords that would not bend or break, and were incredibly sharp once they were split.

Of course, compared to modern steel swords, these could only be considered rudimentary, but compared to the current forging techniques, they were almost perfect.

But Lex didn't want to sell it. It was too conspicuous. Once it was sold, it would definitely be traced. Although information was seriously delayed now, unlike modern times where there were cameras everywhere, Lex didn't want to take even the slightest risk.

Lex sighed, "The risk is too great."

He stopped talking and instead bowed his head in deep thought, pondering what assets he had in his hands that could be sold without risk.

"Sell the silverware to the merchant," Lex said to the butler.

The silverware in the castle was left by the previous lords. The lords were very stingy with the common people, but generous with these things.

They could trade most of their grain for these things.

There was a room in the castle full of silver and gold wares, most of which were silver, because gold was really expensive. Even if you traded all the grain for a year, you could only get one gold bowl.

But these things are useless to Lex. What he can't understand is that these people buy so much silverware, but just display it in the house, as if looking at it is enough for them.

The steward has no objection, because he knows that Lex has never entered that room since he started here.

But he still asks, "My lord, do you want to sell everything?"

Lex: "Sell it all, sell it to the merchant who offers the highest price. It would be best to get them to sit down together and sell it to whoever offers the highest price."

Although he really didn't want to use natural fertilizers, animal manure alone was not enough, and it just so happened that the latrines he had the slaves build were actually a big pit...

Lex buried his head in despair.

Life was so hard.

And the worst part was that cow manure was very fertile, but he only had two cows.

What's even worse is that the harvest season had already passed when he came.

He could only wait until the rainy season and winter passed to sow the seeds, because there was no winter wheat here, only spring wheat, which was sown in the spring and harvested in the fall.

Plus the fertility of the land was low and the rainy season meant that the land was only cultivated for half the year and left fallow for the other half, so the yield was very low.

But the staple food here is wheat.

There is no rice, which Lex loves to eat, and there are no sweet potatoes or potatoes, which have high yields and low land requirements.

Lex ran over to ask Alwin, "What do elves usually eat? Do they really eat flowers and drink dew?"

Alwin was amused by Lex and said, "Elves are no different from other races. Apart from having sharper ears, they are the same as everyone else."

Lex: "So you don't grow anything? Where does your food come from?"

Alwin thought for a moment and said: 'Apart from hunting, we eat the roots of a plant. We call it 'kato'. If you cut it into small pieces and bury it in the ground, that piece of land will produce kato every year."

It sounds a lot like sweet potatoes or potatoes, but they are different. After all, sweet potatoes and potatoes need to be planted, but kato doesn't. You plant it once and you can harvest it forever.

Lex's eyes glowed green as he stared at Alwin intently. "Do you have a kartoffel?"

Alwin spread his hands. 'You know what it looked like when I got here."

Lex was disheartened. He hung his head and said dejectedly, 'Okay then, sorry to have bothered you."

He looked so pitiful, so dejected and sad, that Alwin couldn't help but call out to him, "I know where to find it."

In an instant, Lex completed his transformation. He turned back and gazed at Alwin with pleading eyes: "Really?"

Alwin's eyes darkened. He took a step and walked to the window, pulling away from Lex: 'I'm going to go out for a while. When I come back, I'll bring you the card.

Lex: '...will it be dangerous? If it's dangerous, forget it."

Alwin smiled at him. His smile was different from before. It wasn't a gentle smile, but rather one full of evil—and danger.

"Don't worry, I'll take my bow and arrow," Alwin said. 'After all, elves use bows and arrows, don't they?"

Lex blinked. 'Are you kidding me? You said elves don't use bows..."

Alwin interrupted him. 'I'll pack a few things and change into some light clothes. What reward will I get when I come back?"

Lex: 'What do you want?"

Alwin smiled slightly, "I want to change rooms to one that doesn't get any sunlight."

"Is it bad to have sunlight?" Lex felt that in this damp castle, having a sunny room was a very happy thing. Only when the sunlight shone in the room could it dispel the dampness and cold.

Lex thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll have the housekeeper change it for you when you get back."

Alwin's smile widened even more, and his eyes narrowed slightly, "It is my honor to serve you."

After leaving Alwin's room, Lex touched the back of his head.