CHAPTER 248: SAFE CHICKENS

Dominic returned to the Manor to start on the tractor repairs, which turned out to be a split seam from old damage, easily patched, and then started on the chicken coop.

He just made a low fieldstone wall, with four corner pillars, and two pillars to mark the doorway.

Now, he could wrap the whole thing in the wire mesh, and start building a door.

Simple work, and one of the last major yard improvement projects to be done.

The rest had been handled by the others, but the Royal Guard was insistent that they fix the wall around the Manor to make it properly defensible, and that would take the second half of Dominic’s day.

Possibly more, depending on how exhausting extended use of the [Fieldstone Wall] Spell turned out to be.

The Manor never really had a proper wall, it was actually just a hip high stone field divider to begin with. But the Royal Guard wanted a proper defensive wall, so that the tragedy that happened here last time would not be repeated, and so that they would have a more visible presence for new arrivals.

Walls equalled security, and security meant prosperity in desperate times like this.

While this region hadn’t suffered from the droughts that most of Dagos had, years of careless management and massive taxation had depleted the coffers of everyone from the peasantry to the Nobles assigned to rule over them.

Then the war had arrived and for the second time, the cities of Stansia Province had fallen in a matter of days without putting up any sort of notable resistance.

That was something that all of them would want to avoid a repeat of.

However, only on a smaller scale like the Duke’s manor would it actually be feasible to build a solid stone wall in a reasonable amount of time.

Dominic started at the far end of the hay fields, and then walked the perimeter of the estate as he erected a stone wall two and a half metres tall, twice as thick at the base, so that the inside was somewhat sloped and more stable.

That would be enough to protect against basic cannon fire, and high enough that most wild beasts and monsters couldn’t easily get over. Even Ogres would struggle to get past that wall.

He could create the wall at a walking pace, but the strain was like walking uphill with a hundred kilo backpack. Only, it was his whole body that was struggling with the pressure, not just his legs.

It was better to create it much more slowly.

Dominic wasn’t one to give up easily, and over the course of the next five hours, he made his way around the Manor’s grounds, including the many outbuildings, the hay fields and the gardens, including the secondary gardens which hadn’t been planted when the attack occurred, and so had nothing in them at the moment.

The main garden would be enough to feed the manor, especially with a Garden Witch present. But with the extra garden, they would have enough to support a guard garrison without relying on the farmers.

That would help them through tough times, and allow them to stockpile longer lasting grains when times were good and the prices were low.

Tena came out to check the secondary garden after Dominic built a small wall around it, and gave him a motherly smile as she watched Dominic working on the main wall, sweating heavily with every step.

"You know, the Duchy of Wistover isn’t in such a bad position that you need to plant a secondary garden, or rebuild all those storage silos." She commented.

Dominic smiled. "Oh, I know that. Most of what the Duchy village grows will end up sold to the Merchant’s Guild.

However, I’m not doing this for money, but security. Two gardens and the fields enclosed within the wall are enough to support the Manor’s population even under siege.

It’s not quite a castle, at least not a proper one. But it’s a good start at making the sort of Noble Estate that will convince wealthier merchants and magic users that this is a desirable place to move."

The gardener smiled. "Alright, I won’t bother my Lord with concerns about overkill. I will ask if you plan to make time in the forge soon. I noticed that Julio has marked a caravan’s estimated arrival for the day after tomorrow, and if you’re planning to sell them anything, you will still need time to make it."

Dominic nodded. "As soon as I finish this wall, I am planning to spend the remainder of the evening working on something to sell the caravans.

Most of them are more interested in magitech weapons for their guards than anything else, and a day’s work on those can buy the Duchy another tractor. We’re making great progress with three of them, but with a few more and some more farmers, we will revolutionize production rates."

Tena shook her head. "As you say, Your Grace. I am certain that the peasantry appreciates your generosity. Personally, I had no idea that there could be so much work done by a single person."

She gestured toward one of the formerly overgrown fields outside of town, where the tractors were pulling a plow for what had to be its second or third pass, preparing the ground to be seeded again.

"Just imagine. Soon that will all be food, and we will have loaded caravans leaving every week. A far sight better than life as a refugee in the big cities." Dominic agreed.

"Can the land even support that much?" She asked.

Dominic nodded. "That’s one thing that was clearly detailed in the Manor’s records. If they follow the instructions on crop rotation, the land won’t have any issues. I will explain it all at the next meeting I hold."

Tena chuckled. "Most of them should know about proper crop rotation, Your Grace. It’s the water I’m worried about. Rain is unpredictable, and most of these farms have irrigation."

Dominic realized where the disconnect had occurred.

"The irrigation cisterns are magitech. They have water creation orbs embedded into them, or they did at one point. If drought hits, and the river is low, I will get the Techno Wizards to help me repair them all."