Chapter 38: Freedom!

Among all the traits of the Hanging Garden, what delighted Bruno the most was not just the increase in work efficiency and grain harvest but also the vast scope of its influence.

As long as a region was under the rule of the Stuart family, it would benefit from the Hanging Garden's effects!

In other words… if one day the Stuart family's rule extended beyond the Idar Territory, then the buffs provided by the Hanging Garden would also spread to any area under their control.

After all, no matter how lazy Bruno might be, he was still a transmigrator he couldn't just waste the advantages of being one!

"My lord… my lord?"

As Bruno was lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone calling him from behind.

Turning around, he saw that it was Shabi.

"My lord, what are you thinking about? You've been staring off into the distance for quite a while…"

"Nothing," Bruno replied absentmindedly. As he spoke, he suddenly caught a strange smell and frowned. "Wait… what's that smell on you? It's kind of weird…"

"Uh…" Shabi hesitated for a moment before answering, "My lord, I am, after all, Idar's Waste Collection Overseer. This morning… I personally went to oversee the waste collection…"

After speaking, he even lifted his clothes and sniffed them carefully. "I don't smell anything strange…"

Bruno's face darkened instantly. With a disgusted expression, he said, "Get away from me… I don't want to see you right now…"

"But my lord—"

Before Shabi could say anything more, Sam Layton suddenly appeared behind him. Without hesitation, Sam scooped Shabi up into a bear hug and slung him over his shoulder.

"I'll take him out of here right away…" Sam said with a mischievous grin.

Once Shabi was carried away, Bruno finally felt the air around him becoming fresher. He took a deep breath ah, the wonderful scent of flowers and grass!

As for the system's newly unlocked store, though he was immensely curious, now was not the time to explore it.

After all, everyone around him was eagerly waiting for his next words.

The officials of Idar were expecting praise for their Hanging Garden, while the craftsmen and serfs who built it were looking forward to the rewards Bruno had promised them.

For many of those present, this was their first time stepping into the Hanging Garden. Seeing such a grand structure left them completely awestruck.

These people of this world had never seen such a marvel before!

Even Old Ford, ever since stepping into the garden, had been overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of it all.

Previously, all he could think about was the extravagant cost of the project.

But now, looking at the lifelike statues, the interwoven fountains, the lush greenery, and the delicate landscaping, he finally understood. If he ignored the staggering amount of money spent, this was truly a wonder that could bring fame to the entire eastern empire.

Bruno sat down at an open-air marble table, listening as officials and nobles showered him with praise and congratulations.

Once he felt the time was right, he dismissed the minor officials and nobles, instructing them to return to their posts.

Now, it was time to reward those who had contributed to the construction of the Hanging Garden serfs, commoners, craftsmen, and officials alike.

From the beginning, Bruno had assigned overseers to each work team. By now, the overseers had finished tallying up the labor points.

There were fourteen work teams in total.

The first batch consisted of eight teams, all made up of serfs.

The second batch consisted of six teams—one was made up of fifty converted "believers" (formerly street ruffians), three were composed of serfs from Idar City, and the last two were made up of commoners who had no work during the winter.

The "believer" team once mere thugs had contributed the most while costing the least. They worked the hardest and ate the least, driven solely by their faith.

Bruno could only wish for more such teams…

And now, it was finally time to fulfill the promises he had made.

"Where is Krell?"

"My lord, I'm here!" Krell quickly responded.

Bruno nodded at him and then announced, "Krell and his third work team ranked first in total labor points. As per my previous promise, twenty serfs from the third work team will be granted freedom and become commoners of Idar!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Claire felt like he was dreaming. "My lord… you… you mean we can be freed and become commoners?"

"That's right. Just as I promised before." Bruno smiled.

"However, only twenty people will be freed. The overseers will assess the contribution of each person within the team and determine the top twenty. The results will be given to each of you individually. If anyone believes they contributed more and should be included, they will have three days to appeal to me or Old Ford."

"The second-ranked team is the seventh work team. Fifteen of its members will be granted freedom."

"The third-ranked team is the fourth work team. Ten of its members will be freed."

A serf… could truly regain their freedom through hard work!

The crowd of serfs burst into an uproar. Even though Bruno had promised this before, they had always harbored doubts. After all, such a thing had never been heard of before.

But today, on the day the Hanging Garden was completed, their lord had truly kept his word!

For the first time, they realized that the life of a free person… was not so out of reach after all.

Though Bruno had previously stated that freed serfs could not leave Idar Territory or the lands ruled by the Stuart family, this restriction was meaningless to them.

After all, the farthest most of them had ever traveled was just a few kilometers to Idar City.

Krell clenched his fists, overwhelmed with joy. He had finally waited for this day to come!

Apart from the serf work teams, all other workers also received their respective rewards. Bruno had planned everything during the winter, so the distribution process was orderly and efficient.

For the commoners responsible for transportation and logistics, in addition to their monthly wages, they each received extra copper coins sometimes a few, sometimes dozens.

Apparently, this was called… a "bonus"?

The commoners didn't care what it was called. As long as they were given money, it was a good thing.

Thus, they showered Bruno with gratitude, believing him to be the most benevolent noble in all of Idar.