As the lizard people retreated to the edge of the swamp, under Li Yu’s leadership they began logging and brick burning, ramping up production, Green Field finally regained its forr tranquility.
The day after the lizard people withdrew, Teacup Castle also opened its gates, releasing the farming households that had taken refuge within the castle walls back to their hos.
Although Alfred strongly opposed, Miss Rabbit still insisted on following behind the refugees; she wanted to see the extent of the devastation across the lands with her own eyes.
The villages near the castle generally suffered less damage, because by that ti Li Yu had awakened once more and had received the support of the lizard people.
With his control, there was a significant reduction in the lizard people’s looting and destructive behavior.
Of course, as robbers living in the swamp, the lizard people would regularly venture out to sponge off the surrounding villages; expecting their marching discipline to be strict was obviously not realistic.
Even with Li Yu’s repeated emphasis on not swarming into Green Field like locusts to burn, kill, and loot, they would still pocket anything good they stumbled upon along the way.
Due to the special nature of their living environnt, the lizard people had an almost fanatic love for salt and ironware, leaving none behind wherever they passed.
Seeing that the harvest season was fast approaching, Ireya couldn’t let the farrs work the fields empty-handed, so she had Fosto, who was following her, make a note of this to later arrange a low-interest loan specifically for these people to purchase agricultural tools.
And the ordeal of these farming households was relatively mild compared to the real disaster areas farther from Teacup Castle and closer to the swamp.
Miss Rabbit arrived there only to see wreckage everywhere, and along the way, three knights had co to her in tears describing how their feuds and tenants had been rcilessly ravaged by the lizard people.
In the past when the Arias family was not so affluent, Ireya could probably only offer them a few words of comfort, encouraging them to persevere.
After all, she herself had several estates that had been severely damaged, but now with the money earned from selling pepper, the young girl gritted her teeth and scraped together another sum of money to provide those knights with loans for reconstruction.
The interest rate was kept very low, less than ten percent per year, with a repaynt period of ten years; such terms were extrely generous and showed much more conscience than the rapacious guilds of Black Stone City.
Having dispersed so much money at once, she might even have to dip into the proceeds of the next and subsequent pepper sales to cover the shortfall, feeling an emptiness in her body, her expression involuntarily turned listless.
Nevertheless, she forced herself to stay spirited and inspected other damaged areas, and after this round, she realized sothing—she had essentially been working for nothing during this ti.
Not only had she been working for nothing, but she was also actually out of pocket.
The lizard people had not only caused direct damage but had also ruined many crops, which would undoubtedly lead to a significantly smaller harvest this sumr compared to previous years; Miss Rabbit truly took a loss with this.
She had already made up her mind that as soon as she returned to the castle, she would hold tight to her purse strings and call for everyone to cut their costs, refusing to give money to anyone who asked her for the next half year.
And that was indeed what she did next.
However, it had not been five days before Fosto found her again, reminding her, "Miss, isn’t it about ti for your banquet?"
"Banquet, what banquet?" The girl had completely forgotten about it and responded blankly.
"It has been quite so ti since you succeeded your father as the new Lord of Green Field, yet you have not invited the other nobles to share in this joy, to celebrate this sacred and solemn mont together."
"You want to hold a banquet now?" Ireya frowned, "But the lizard people have only just retreated not long ago... I fear it may not be the appropriate ti."
"On the contrary, my opinion is exactly the opposite. Right now, the entire Green Field is filled with a gloomy and uneasy mood, and what is needed is precisely so joy and celebration to help people forget their previous pain and recover their spirits."
Fosto paused, then continued, "According to tradition, you should have held the banquet on the day you beca the Lord, but due to so special reasons, the event had to be postponed. Then, it happened that the castle was infiltrated by a spy."
"Now that the spy has been caught, there’s no reason for you to continue putting off the banquet, otherwise not only you, but the reputation of the Arias family might also be affected."
"But we’ve just spent so much money... there shouldn’t be much left in the accounts now."
The mont she heard it would cost more money, Miss Rabbit imdiately beca alert.
Fosto had been advising the young girl for so ti now and had co to understand the new Family Head of the Arias family’s way of doing things. Hearing this, he spoke directly without beating around the bush.
"No need to spend any extra money. You’ve already allocated sixty Gold Coins to before, and that sum should suffice."
"Oh right, I almost forgot, how much of that money have you spent?"
"Seventy percent, but in fact, the rest cannot really be touched either because so of the goods have only been ordered and not yet paid for, and we also need to set aside so as rewards for the troupes and the minstrels."
Fosto knew what Miss Rabbit was thinking and quickly added.
"I see." The girl’s face indeed showed a hint of disappointnt.
"The funds you provided weren’t particularly abundant in the first place, and this banquet is of great significance. It will determine the first impressions of the noble families of the Western Territory towards you, I hope you can take it seriously."
The old advisor’s expression was serious, "I need to ensure the basic dignity of the Arias family, so it will be difficult to cut the costs further. Moreover, if you really are short of money, why not sell that item?"
"Which item?"
"The one in the dungeon, that thing is worth a hundred Gold Coins," Fosto reminded her.
Ireya fell silent upon hearing this.
Fosto urged, "I don’t know what you are hesitating about, reasonably speaking, after capturing that man, his head should have been chopped off imdiately and sent to Rock Snow City. Yet you only ordered to have him imprisoned.
"Three days have passed, and you still haven’t given the order for his execution. If Marquis Kuren finds out, it might bring you new troubles."
"I understand what you are saying, but I think his words are not entirely without reason. After all, it has been more than nine hundred years since those events, and there aren’t many people left on this land who rember the Enríquez family.
"Isn’t it too cruel to execute soone without hesitation for sothing from nine hundred years ago?" the girl said.
"Perhaps, but it is the Figrola family that rules the Western Territory now," the old advisor said, "and the successive Family Heads of the Arias family have sworn loyalty to the Figrola family, and you are no exception."
"I know, I know. I will execute him in the end, I just need so ti. After all, he and I... were once friends." Ireya waved her hand, speaking tiredly.
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