Chapter 90 - 89: Inspecting the Mulberry Field

After Ronin approved Jenny’s plan, the next problem was deciding who to send as the messenger.

First, the messenger had to be from the Purple Fruit Tribe. Second, it was crucial that Sleirein recognize the person as one of Jenny’s confidants to increase the credibility of the plea for help.

Jenny recommended the perfect candidate: Lauren, the descendant of a steward who had served the Frank Clan since the previous generation. He had always been loyal to the Franks and now served in the Purple Fruit Tribe as both a servant and a quasi-Civil Servant.

Lauren was quite loyal and quick-witted. Besides Horn and Jenny, he was the most suitable person in the Purple Fruit Tribe to deliver the message.

After the meeting, Ronin was shown to a clean, hastily prepared room to rest.

Apparently, there were several such well-preserved, empty houses in the Purple Fruit Tribe, all left behind by former members who now lived in the Grey Soil Tribe.

"Later, I want you to arrange for a few Guards to head to the Cyan Bamboo Tribe at dawn. Tell them to notify Ridder and Tom to come here," Ronin instructed Macken in the room.

"My Lord, are you worried I can’t defeat Sleirein?"

Macken couldn’t help but puff out his chest. "My Lord, while it’s true I always lose to Commander Ridder in our spars, that’s because Ridder is incredibly strong, not because I’m weak."

"I guarantee you, Sleirein is no match for me. The Commander won’t even need to lift a finger to deal with him!"

Ronin smiled. "Of course I’m aware of your strength, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. What if the Grey Soil Tribe is hiding its true power? If several Advanced Level Knights suddenly emerge, we’ll be at a major disadvantage."

Macken paused, finally understanding Ronin’s reasoning. "Right. I’ll go make the arrangements. I’ll make sure Ridder and the others arrive at the Purple Fruit Tribe by dusk tomorrow."

"And keep it confidential."

Watching Macken leave, Ronin stretched and lay down on the bed to rest.

In truth, the reason he’d given was only part of it. He was also wary of Jenny and Horn from the Purple Fruit Tribe.

’Even though they’ve both pledged their allegiance, we’ve known each other for less than a day.’ Ronin understood the saying that you can know a person’s face but not their heart.

Jenny’s plan was excellent. It could lure Sleirein and his men out from behind the Grey Soil Tribe’s defenses, sparing Ronin the trouble of a siege and drastically reducing potential losses.

’But I have to be careful. If Jenny and Horn’s allegiance is just a facade, they could coordinate with Sleirein from the inside when he arrives. Then I’d be the one trapped.’

The chances were incredibly low, but who could guarantee it would never happen?

Since he could avoid putting himself at a disadvantage, Ronin would naturally do so. Just as he’d said, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

The night passed quietly. The next morning, at the crack of dawn, the three Guards Macken had arranged departed from the Purple Fruit Tribe, heading for the Cyan Bamboo Tribe.

Meanwhile, Jenny sent her steward, Lauren, on his way to the Grey Soil Tribe with her letter in hand.

Even though Lauren would travel as fast as possible, he likely wouldn’t reach the Grey Soil Tribe until after noon.

Even if that Sleirein mobilized his men immediately to rush to the Purple Fruit Tribe, they could only arrive around dusk.

That would be more than enough time for Ridder and Tom to arrive from the Cyan Bamboo Tribe. After all, the distance Ronin’s men had to travel was much shorter.

After breakfast, Horn Knight gathered all the people of the Purple Fruit Tribe. He formally introduced Ronin and announced that from now on, they would all be serving the young noble standing before them.

When the people of the Purple Fruit Tribe learned that their leaders had already submitted to Ronin, they had no objections. They immediately knelt and pledged their loyalty to their new Lord.

The benefits of having peacefully recruited Jenny and the others were now clear.

Ronin didn’t need to waste time and effort instilling his identity and image in these people’s minds. He only needed to give orders to Jenny and Horn, and they would see to it that things were done.

However, the people of the Purple Fruit Tribe had recognized Jenny and Horn as their leaders for many years, a situation that would have to change.

’After I’m done dealing with the Wilderness Tribes, I’ll need to transfer and swap populations between the various tribes. This will weaken their attachment to their old leaders and establish the authority of Mountain Forest Castle and myself.’

"Jenny, I’d like you to help me conduct a census of the Purple Fruit Tribe."

After the meeting with the tribe members, Ronin, accompanied by Jenny and her family, went to the Mulberry Field to inspect the Mulberry Trees.

"A census?"

Jenny asked, puzzled, "What kind of information do you need?"

"It’s simple. I just need you to record the name, gender, age, and marital status of every member of each family. Also, make special note of anyone with particular skills, like Carpenters, Masons, Blacksmiths, or other artisans."

Ronin gave this task to Jenny for two reasons. First, coming from a Viscount’s family, her education was surely far superior to Wilson’s, making her capable of handling it.

Second, it would save Wilson time, allowing the population registry to be completed sooner.

Just then, Erin piped up, "Lord Ronin, let me do it for you!"

"You?"

Ronin gave the little girl a surprised look. "Are you sure you can handle it? Do you know how to write?"

"I can!"

Erin puffed out her chest, full of confidence. "My mother taught me to read and write when I was six or seven. I know all sorts of things!"

’That’s quite rare.’

"Alright, then the job is yours."

Ronin smiled. "If you do a good job, I’ll give you a reward... Hmm, how about you can call me Brother Ronin."

He’d originally thought of offering a Silver Coin or a Gold Coin as a reward, but it didn’t seem right to give money to a child. A special privilege felt more appropriate.

"Okay!"

Erin agreed instantly, then turned and ran home to get paper and a pen, ready to start. She completely forgot about accompanying them to inspect the Mulberry Forest.

"Lady Jenny, I’m impressed. Even deep in these mountains, you haven’t neglected Erin’s education in the slightest."

Ronin turned and said, "Perhaps when she’s a bit older, she’ll be able to assist me in many ways."

"It would be our honor to serve you, and Erin’s as well."

Jenny said with a smile, "She’s a lively child and loves to learn. She’ll surely broaden her horizons by following you."

"Then let her stay by my side in the future."

Ronin said, "You and your daughter could also move to Mountain Forest Town. However, Horn Knight, I would still like you to help me manage the sericulture industry, so I hope you’ll remain here in the Purple Fruit Tribe."

"Perhaps I’ll rename this place ’Purple Fruit Village’."

Ronin looked up toward the mountain, his eyes taking in the many Mulberry Trees.

It had been nearly a month since the official start of autumn. Some of the mulberry leaves were still tinged with green, but most had already turned yellow.

Clearly, there were still enough mulberry leaves for Horn to expand his operation slightly. He likely hadn’t raised more silkworms due to a shortage of manpower.

"Once we’ve subdued the Grey Soil and Black-collar Tribes, all these villages will be connected. Even though I’m asking you to stay here, you’ll be free to travel anywhere you wish."

"I will follow all of my Lord’s arrangements."

Horn chuckled. Middle-aged men often pick up strange hobbies. Though he was a Knight, his greatest passion, aside from charging into battle, was this.

"To be honest, I quite enjoy studying these things here. I just never expected you to be interested in them too, my Lord."

"Silkworm cocoons can be processed into silk thread, and that thread can be woven into fine cloth to make comfortable clothing."

Ronin explained his understanding of sericulture, leaving Horn and Jenny completely bewildered. They simply couldn’t imagine what connection White Fruit and cloth could possibly have.

Their confusion was understandable; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been eating only the pupae from inside the cocoons.

The group continued their conversation as they walked into the Mulberry Forest.

From Horn’s explanation, Ronin learned that the Purple Fruit Tribe’s mulberry trees were scattered haphazardly across a few acres of land, with no real plan or organization.

Most of the trees had grown naturally. Only a small number had been grown from mulberry seeds, and these were not yet very tall.

Ronin did some quick mental math. ’Assuming one Mulberry Tree can support twenty silkworms, the Purple Fruit Tribe’s 345 trees can sustain a total of 6,900 silkworms.’

’Theoretically, that’s only enough silk to make four or five dresses.’

"There are still far too few trees."

After finishing his inspection, Ronin said to Horn, "Our first step must be to expand the mulberry cultivation. I suggest you start by setting aside ten acres of land for planting new Mulberry Trees to increase the leaf yield."

"We can do that, but my Lord... what about the food supply for Purple Fruit Village?"

Jenny was worried. The Purple Fruit Tribe was already short on food; giving up more farmland would only make things worse.

"Don’t worry about that. I’ll have grain brought over from Mountain Forest Town."

Ronin said, "The people living in Purple Fruit Village, just like those in the Cyan Bamboo Tribe, are all my subjects. Naturally, I will provide for them."

In previous years, Mountain Forest Town even sold its surplus grain to the Sain Territory. Now, without that obligation, diverting a portion to feed the two-hundred-odd people of the Purple Fruit Tribe would be no problem at all.

"In that case, there’s no problem!"

Horn readily agreed. "But my Lord, we don’t have any mulberries right now. To plant more, we’ll have to wait until next June or July."

’Hmm?’

Ronin paused. ’Wait until next year to expand?’

He suddenly understood. It seemed they didn’t know how to propagate Mulberry Trees.

"You don’t need mulberries to plant more trees."

Ronin walked over to a tree, drew Macken’s Longsword, and lopped off a branch. "When the new green leaves sprout next spring, choose sturdy branches like this one. Cut them into segments a foot or so long, leaving two or three leaves at the top of each. Then, just stick them in moist soil and keep it damp. The branches will take root and grow into new Mulberry Trees."

Horn scratched his head, his expression clearly asking, ’That actually works?’

Jenny, who knew next to nothing about agriculture, asked in disbelief, "Can you really... do that?"

"Of course!"

Ronin smiled. "This method is called propagation by cutting, and it works for many kinds of plants. When the time comes, just plan out the land. Don’t plant the trees too close together, but don’t space them too far apart, either. You should be able to fit about a thousand trees per acre."

Horn exclaimed in amazement, "My Lord, you know so much!"

Jenny couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "My Lord, you are truly worthy of your noble bloodline from the Wushan Clan. Your knowledge is astounding!"

Ronin laughed heartily and said modestly, "When you’ve seen enough of the world, you pick up a little bit of everything. But in many cases, I’ve only scratched the surface. We’ll still need to rely on everyone’s hard work."

"Come on, Horn Knight. I’ll show you how to boil the cocoons."

"Boil the cocoons?"

Horn asked as he followed Ronin, "Is that a new way of cooking them?"