Chapter 6:A Scene Caused by a Piece of White Bread

Building the Hanging Gardens would be a massive project, requiring an enormous amount of manpower, materials, and financial resources. It wasn't just a matter of money but also the scarcity of resources.

A large workforce needed to be fed, and food was undoubtedly the most precious resource during the winter.

The daily consumption of hundreds or even thousands of serfs alone was a significant expense, and such a project couldn't be completed in just a day or two.

Countless workers gathering in the Armis Mountains would require temporary shelters, which in turn would need a large amount of timber. This meant even more people would have to be assigned to logging.

Food needed to be transported, supplies needed to be delivered, and the gathered serfs needed to be managed effectively. All of this required a lot of manpower and money.

Therefore, a project like this would involve countless aspects, and for a mere earldom, it was truly stretching the limits.

Bruno, of course, knew the difficulties he faced, but he had no other choice.

After all, this was only the first task given by the system!

If he couldn't even complete this, how could he call himself a time traveler? It would be a disgrace to the countless time-traveling predecessors!

Shabi clung tightly to Bruno's leg, his face full of pleading, hoping that Bruno would change his mind sooner rather than later.

If the old butler found out that Bruno had come up with such a wasteful idea while under his watch, he would surely skin Shabi alive!

"My lord, although the earldom occasionally has some surplus, we can't afford such a project... This is the foundation of the Stuart family, built over generations..." Shabi pleaded earnestly.

Servants like Shabi were mostly families who had been attached to the Stuart family for generations, serving them since their great-grandfather's time. They were utterly loyal to Bruno.

Therefore, when they heard that Bruno was planning to make such an absurd decision, both the guards and servants knelt in unison, hoping that their lord would change his mind. After all, if the Stuart family suffered losses, they would also lose their livelihoods. Their fates were intertwined.

"Silence!" Hearing the cries around him, Bruno gritted his teeth and shouted.

"It's just building a garden. What's there to complain about? If we can't finish it in one go, we'll take it slow. If a thousand people are too many, we'll use a hundred. Surely the Stuart family's generational wealth won't be ruined by a mere garden, right?"

Hearing Bruno's words, Shabi was momentarily stunned. The earl was indeed someone who listened to advice...

"My lord is truly a man of great wisdom! Even coming up with the idea of building it slowly... My... My lord! Look over there!"

Shabi, who had been clinging to Bruno's leg and spouting flattery, suddenly noticed a large piece of white bread floating in mid-air, wobbling slightly as it emerged from a guard's backpack.

Bruno turned around at Shabi's shout and saw the piece of white bread floating in the air.

Was he... seeing things? Bruno rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Whoosh—"

Swords were drawn in an instant, and the guards immediately pointed their weapons in the direction of the floating bread.

"Is this... magic?"

Although Bruno had only been in this world for a few days, he knew that magic existed here. He quickly realized that what he was seeing was likely some form of magic.

The piece of white bread seemed to realize it had been discovered and suddenly froze in mid-air.

A moment later, just as everyone thought the spectacle was over, they heard a biu sound, and the bread shot into the nearby forest like an arrow.

"After it!"

The lead guard, eager to prove himself in this rare opportunity, charged into the forest.

By the time Bruno regained his senses, he realized that only Shabi, still trembling and clinging to his leg, was left by his side.

"Hey! Where are you all going? Come back! Protect me!"

But the guards were already far away and couldn't hear Bruno's shouts.

"Bastards!" Bruno kicked Shabi, who was weak and defenseless, and cursed in frustration. "When we get back, I'm going to reorganize the guards. Don't they know that protecting me is their top priority?!"

"My lord, don't worry, I'm still here!" Shabi finally stumbled to his feet, rubbing his sore knees, and grinned cheekily.

Bruno glanced at him and said indifferently, "You'd better start thinking about how to arrange the collection of manure when we get back..."

"..."

Not long after, the guards who had rushed off on their own finally returned, much to Bruno's relief.

"My lord, we've captured the culprit!" The lead guard saluted Bruno respectfully and reported.

"I don't care who you caught! Didn't you see that I was left without a single guard just now? Remember, my safety is your top priority!" Bruno shouted angrily.

Well, this was probably how the original owner of this body would have acted...

After being scolded by Bruno, the once-proud guard now looked miserable. Not only was there no reward, but he'd be lucky to escape punishment.

After venting his anger, Bruno finally took a closer look at the unlucky person the guards had captured.

It was a young man in his early twenties. Although his light purple clothes had been torn to shreds by the guards, it was clear that they were of high quality.

Despite the mud on his face and the dried blood on his head, he had delicate features and didn't look like an ordinary person.

Shabi, who had somehow fetched a bucket of cold water from the nearby lake, poured it over the young man with a splash.

The icy water must have chilled him to the bone, as the young man shivered and suddenly opened his eyes wide.

He looked up, his eyes darting around nervously as he took in the people surrounding him.

As if trying to bolster his courage, he finally mustered the strength to shout in a trembling voice, "I am a noble mage! You can't treat me like this!"

"Oh? Then tell me, how should I treat you?" Bruno said with a smirk.

"You..."

"A mage? You're just a thief!" Bruno interrupted the man without hesitation.

The mage widened his eyes and said, "How dare you slander my honor..."

"Wasn't it you who stole the white bread?" Bruno said.

The man's face turned red as he loudly defended himself, "I was just hungry... I only took a little something to eat. Can a mage's actions be called theft?" He then spouted a series of incomprehensible phrases like "levitation spell," "fireball casting," and "noble mage apprentice".

Bruno had no patience for this nonsense. He stepped forward and swung his fist hard at the young mage's face.

"Ouch!"

The young wizard cried out in pain. Bruno's punch was so powerful that it caused him to bleed from the nose.

He covered his bleeding nose and complained loudly:

"***********"

Then, he completely passed out.