Chapter 204: Fertility Policy

The labor of Chief Hahn’s wife had dragged on for far too long, leaving her entirely spent by the final hours—a perilously grim omen.

Yet upon his arrival, Elrond immediately invoked his spell of invigoration, infusing her with sudden vitality, and within the precise two minutes of its duration, she successfully brought the child into the world.

Though there was a minor tear, the swift application of his healing magic quickly stanched the blood and restored her.

“We are deeply indebted to your aid, Master Elrond, you must absolutely stay to share a modest supper with us tonight!”

Chief Hahn’s elderly mother was already bustling about the dinner preparations, bringing out the finest grains and cured meats they had hoarded, and she had even slaughtered a live chicken for the occasion.

Overwhelmed by such fervent hospitality, Elrond could not but accept.

When Ronin arrived at the Hahn residence, though the cries of a newborn echoed from the modest courtyard, the adults were all smiles, bathed in an aura of complete domestic harmony.

“My Lord, you have returned!”

The sharp-eyed Elrond caught sight of Ronin outside the courtyard and immediately rose to greet him.

Hahn froze for a moment, his heart leaping wildly within his chest; he had never imagined the Lord of the Realm would return to the fiefdom, let alone condescend to visit his humble home.

“My Lord, your presence is truly the greatest honor our family could ever receive!”

He hurried out after Elrond, flustered as he ushered Ronin inside, while his family anxiously moved stools and wiped down the table in a flurry of nervous energy.

“It seems everything went well, congratulations to you, Chief Hahn!”

Offering his praises, Ronin took the infant from the elderly mother’s hands and cradled the babe in his arms.

The child was not particularly handsome, rather ugly, in fact.

Yet all newborns began their lives looking this way, and would grow far more comely once they matured and filled out.

“Has he been named yet?”

“Not... not yet,” Hahn replied, shaking his head.

Ronin smiled and said, “How about I bestow a name upon him then?”

“Oh, yes!”

Hahn was so utterly delighted that his face twisted with joy, “Of course, my Lord!”

To have their child cradled by the Lord of the Realm was already a monumental privilege, but to have him name the babe was beyond their wildest dreams!

If word of this spread, the other village chiefs would surely die of envy.

“A boy or a girl?” Ronin inquired.

“It is a boy.”

Ronin handed the infant to a thoroughly eager Irene to hold for a brief moment, while he rubbed his chin, pondering deeply over a fitting name.

After a long silence, he spoke softly, “Let him be called Garen.”

He explained, “I once read of this name in a book; Garen was a righteous, brave, and mighty knight. It is my hope that your child might become just such a knight as described therein, a true hero of the North Territory!”

“Garen, Garen...”

Hearing the Lord’s grand explanation, a brilliant light kindled in Hahn’s eyes, as though he could already envision his son in the future, sword in hand, gallantly astride a horse.

“Thank you for the name, my Lord! I shall raise him well, so that he may serve you in the days to come!”

That evening, owing to the presence of the Lord of the Realm, the Hahn household laid out an unprecedentedly lavish feast.

To this end, they had not only slaughtered chickens and ducks, but had also run to the castle market specifically to purchase two live fish.

Though their culinary skills fell a bit short compared to Mrs. Bandle of the castle, they had exerted their utmost effort.

Moved by the hosts' profound warmth, Ronin did not stand on ceremony, eating and drinking his fill.

Nevertheless, upon his departure, he left behind three gold coins, offering them as thanks for Hahn’s hospitality and as a newborn gift for Garen.

Such a meal was a trivial expense for Mountain Forest Castle, but for the Hahn family, it was an exorbitant cost, and Ronin had no desire for his visit to bankrupt his subjects.

On the journey back, Ronin murmured to himself, “The sanitation of the commoners' living quarters is still rather lacking.”

Even for Chief Hahn, the layout of their dwelling made Ronin knit his brows in disapproval.

Their bedrooms, kitchen, and the poultry coops were practically connected across a few rooms, creating a decidedly unpleasant odor.

The dinner table had been moved out into the courtyard; otherwise, Ronin might truly have found it difficult to swallow his food.

“Galen, when Wilson returns, tell him to instruct the commoners that henceforth, when building houses, they must separate their living quarters from the livestock pens.”

“Tell them they need not fear theft; the security of the fief will be further tightened, and the rule of law will follow, ensuring that thieves are severely punished.”

Galen hastily committed the decree to memory.

Elrond, walking beside them, remarked, “My Lord, I suspect this cannot be easily achieved in the short term, can it? After all, this concerns the domestic environment of every single commoner, and they do not possess the spare time to remodel.”

“Naturally, it will be a long process.”

Ronin nodded and said, "This is the commoners' own affair. The Lord’s Manor will merely advocate and advise, granting them permission to expand and repair their homes free of taxation."

Living hygiene seemed a minor detail, but its impact was vast.

A pristine environment bred healthier people, and children would thrive far better.

“Elrond, I never knew you possessed the skills of a midwife.”

Ronin shifted the topic, “When did you acquire such a talent?”

Elrond looked slightly embarrassed, “Your Lordship misunderstands. I merely utilized the spell of invigoration to assist in their delivery, and then employed healing magic to avert any accidental hemorrhaging.”

“That in itself is a remarkable feat.”

Ronin said with a chuckle; reducing the perils of childbirth was something few could achieve in this era.

It was a pity that Elrond was the sole light-attribute mage; if there were too many expectant mothers, he would be overwhelmed, making it impossible to assist deliveries on a grand scale.

The four of them conversed as they walked.

Upon learning from Elrond that Mountain Forest Town had welcomed six newborns over the past month, Ronin resolved to implement a pro-natal policy in the North Territory, for procreation was a fundamental avenue for population growth.

Following a thorough deliberation with Elrond, Ronin tentatively established two new policies.

The first concerned expectant mothers: during pregnancy and for three months postpartum, they would be exempt from corvée labor, and any grueling physical work was strictly forbidden.

For those who forced pregnant women into heavy labor, resulting in miscarriage or death, varying degrees of public flogging would be administered depending on the severity.

Secondly, upon the successful birth of a child, a family would be permitted to fell ten trees and construct a ten-square-meter room free of charge. Furthermore, for the subsequent three years, they could apply to the Lord’s Manor for an annual bounty of one hundred pounds of grain in the child's name.

Both policies offered substantial, tangible benefits to families who chose to bear children.

Ronin was confident that with their proclamation, a profound and positive shift would sweep through the birth rates of the North Territory.

“My Lord has always been benevolent toward his subjects.”

Elrond stroked the greyish-white beard he had grown at some unknown point, “May the Light forever shine upon you and the people of the North Territory.”

It had been a long time since Ronin had heard such priestly rhetoric from him, and he could not help but smile in amusement.

He glanced at Elrond’s current state of cultivation; by his own efforts, the man had advanced his progress to the rank of Senior Mage, standing at 33 out of 400.

While his pace was by no means slow, relying solely on his own endeavors to break through to the rank of Grand Mage would likely require another three years.

Upon returning to the castle, Elrond delivered the completed spell scrolls to Ronin’s study.

“My Lord, the magical beast hides purchased last time have all been processed. The success rate improved significantly this time; we suffered only five failures, yielding a final count of fifty completed scrolls.”

Luo Ning gazed at the pile of spell scrolls before him and nodded with satisfaction.

If he sold all fifty of these spell scrolls, he would gain another 850 gold coins.

Though after deducting the 495 gold coins spent on materials, his net profit amounted to only 355 gold coins, this was the profit of just over a month.

If scaled to a year, the sale of healing spell scrolls alone would bring Wubei Domain over two thousand gold coins in net income.

Er Long was truly a genius at making money.

“Keep twenty spell scrolls; sell the remaining thirty.”

As he spoke, Luo Ning tucked the scrolls into his space ring.

These were strategic assets—Wubei Domain needed to stockpile them.

When necessary, Luo Ning could also distribute them as rewards to his knights.

“Er Long, I see your contributions to the domain, and your abilities are vital to Wubei!”

Luo Ning turned to the light-element mage. “Therefore, this time, I have decided to elevate your strength.” (End of chapter)