Chapter 48 - 47: Toilet Design

The next morning, as Bella helped him dress, Ronin put on a simple set of training clothes.

In contrast to her nervousness the day before, Bella was much more composed today, and her movements were far more practiced. ’Give her a little more time,’ Ronin thought, ’and she’ll become a competent personal maid.’

Ronin walked out of the dressing room. "Gallon, go tell Macken to get ready. They’ll be accompanying me to continue the inspection of the domain. Today, we’re heading west to survey the edge of the Wushan Demon Beast Mountain Range."

"Yes, my Lord! I’ll go tell them right away!" Gallon eagerly trotted away.

As soon as Ronin stepped out of the main building, he saw Chahar the steward and Wilson the Civil Servant waiting by the entrance. Between them stood a large vat.

When they saw the Lord emerge, the two men came forward and offered their morning greetings.

"My Lord, I’ve prepared the large vat you requested last night."

Chahar had gone to great trouble the day before trying to find a larger ceramic vat, but despite searching high and low, he hadn’t found one.

Left with no other choice, he could only bring over a water vat for the time being.

Ronin circled the vat twice. "It will have to do, but it’s a bit small."

Chahar looked a little embarrassed. "My Lord, this is the largest one in the castle."

"Can we have larger ones made?"

Ronin gestured to indicate the size. "Is there anyone in town with the skills for this?"

Well...

Chahar shook his head. He didn’t know the townspeople well and could only look to Wilson, who, as a native, was far more familiar with Mountain Forest Town.

"There is, my Lord!"

Wilson said, "I believe Blacksmith Carlos in town also knows how to fire pottery."

"Then have him fire a few large vats for us."

Ronin then asked, "How is the census proceeding? Have you run into any problems?"

"My Lord, it’s progressing smoothly. I registered over nine hundred people yesterday."

This was the first task Wilson had received, and he was tackling it with great diligence and care. He had worked all day yesterday, stopping only to eat and drink.

"There haven’t been any major issues. It’s just that the remaining residents are scattered, so gathering the data will require a lot of running around. It won’t be as quick as it was yesterday."

"That’s fine."

Ronin was very satisfied with Wilson’s efficiency. "Chahar, assign an ordinary horse to Wilson. That will help our Civil Servant conserve his energy and work faster."

"With a horse, how much longer do you think it will take you to complete the census?"

"Well..."

Wilson hesitated, unsure how to answer.

If he gave an estimate that was too short and failed to meet it, that would be bad.

But if he gave one that was too long, he would seem inefficient.

"A day and a half?"

After weighing his options for a moment, Wilson finally gave his estimate.

"My Lord, I will do my best to have the results for you by tomorrow afternoon!"

Ronin nodded. A day and a half was quite fast.

"Use your judgment. If you need more time, you can extend the deadline slightly. But you must guarantee the results are accurate. Efficiency is important, but accuracy is more important!"

Wilson’s expression turned serious. "Please rest assured, my Lord. I will always take your requests and instructions to heart!"

With those instructions given, the topic returned to the vat before them.

Ronin took out the parchment on which he had drawn a design the previous night and handed it to the two men. "This is a toilet I’ve designed. I plan to introduce them throughout Mountain Forest Town."

Wilson and Chahar exchanged a look, neither having expected the Lord to show them something like this.

"My Lord, please forgive my impertinence!"

The steward, Chahar, offered his dutiful counsel. "Such... unclean matters are best left for us servants to handle. As the master of Mountain Forest Town, as the noblest person here, you should not concern yourself with such an unsavory topic."

Although Wilson lacked Chahar’s courage to speak so directly, it was clear he strongly agreed.

Though this was his first day as a Civil Servant, over thirty years of life experience had taught him one thing: nobles and lords were lofty beings. ’How could they possibly concern themselves with matters of shit and piss?’

"I have my reasons."

Ronin looked at the parchment in his hand. ’This squat toilet is basically the same as the ones in the countryside where I grew up back on Earth...’

’A large vat buried in the ground, with two wooden planks placed over it. To use it, you just stand on the planks.’

’Oh, right, and there’s a stick inside the vat—the so-called shit-stirring stick.’

’Collecting waste this way allows for natural fermentation, making it directly usable as fertilizer for crops.’

"I hope that someday, every household in Mountain Forest Town will have a toilet like this to collect their waste."

Ronin began to explain to his Civil Servant, "Of course, rolling this out everywhere now isn’t feasible, so I plan to start here at our own castle."

He looked at Chahar. "You are to select a location and build two of them to start. Put a roof over them, and have the castle servants begin using them. This is better than the current method of collecting the waste and just dumping it outside the castle walls."

"My Lord, I understand what you mean."

Chahar bowed. "But I don’t understand why you want to collect this... material. My Lord, this affair is truly beneath your station!"

To be honest, Chahar, as the steward, didn’t want to handle this matter himself.

"It’s fertilizer. It’s crucial to my future plans, so I just need your full cooperation."

Since the matter had been put so plainly, Chahar, though still uncomprehending, did not press the issue further. In any case, he was a servant of the castle. Offering advice was his duty, but executing orders was his fundamental responsibility.

"I understand, my Lord. I will carry out your every command to the best of my ability!"

"We will see a return on this."

Ronin smiled and turned back to his Civil Servant. "While you’re conducting the census, I need you to find a few skilled farmers for me. I’ll require their services for a while. In addition, I need you to prepare two acres of vacant land. I intend to develop it into an experimental plot."

Wilson listened intently to the Baron’s entire explanation. From designing toilets and collecting waste to finding skilled farmers and preparing two acres of land, and even mentioning the word ’fertilizer’.

He was beginning to understand the Baron’s intentions.

"My Lord, you are truly one of a kind. I have never before met a Lord who cares so deeply about farmland!"

Wilson said admiringly, "I believe that with your guidance, Mountain Forest Town will have a bountiful harvest every year!"

Ronin’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected the Civil Servant to grasp his objective so quickly.

’This is excellent. At least in the future, when I assign him tasks, he’ll be able to keep up with my train of thought.’

"Alright, that was all I needed you two for today. You may return to your duties."

Having given his instructions, Ronin led the way out of the castle. It was time to begin his inspection of the Forest Land.

Chahar watched his lord’s departing figure, then looked down at the vat and conferred with Wilson.

After a moment, he nodded with a look of partial understanding. "Our Lord is indeed just as you said—one of a kind!"

As a Civil Servant who had only been on the job for a day, Wilson didn’t know much about Ronin’s past. The matter of the Marquis of Princest’s eldest grandson being stripped of his inheritance had not been widely publicized.

But judging from yesterday’s test and assignments, as well as today’s new plan, Wilson could tell the Baron was a pragmatic man, focused on efficiency and results.

’As long as I work diligently for a man like this,’ he thought, ’my daily salary of Ten Copper Coins is at least secure.’

"Steward, please take me to get a horse! I want to speed up the census!"

Wilson nodded to Chahar. "I have a feeling that once this task is complete, the Lord will have many more waiting for me!"

"Haha, of course, Mr. Civil Servant!"

Chahar added a compliment, "With your help, the Lord’s Mountain Forest Town will surely prosper."

Wilson was in high spirits after hearing such praise.

However, he was also aware of Chahar’s status. As the castle steward and the Baron’s former personal valet, he was certainly one of the Lord’s trusted confidants.

It was essential to build a good relationship with someone so close to the Baron, so the two men began to exchange pleasantries and compliments.