Chapter 79: Idar Avenue

In the eyes of Cardinal Camus Blancard, how much tithe could a remote Earl's domain in the eastern region possibly generate in a year?

At most, it would be one or two hundred gold coins.

Since that was the case, it would be better to waive the tithe for the next few years altogether. This would also serve as a demonstration to other nobles of the Church's benevolence and compassion toward its believers.

As for the Order of Saint George, it was already considered a high honor granted by the Church to nobles.

Among the Church's noble honors, the most prestigious was the Golden Rose, followed by the Order of Saint George and the Order of Saint Sylvester.

Holders of the Order of Saint George could, in times of need, receive protection from the Holy Church Army and even intervene in the administration of local dioceses!

Furthermore, Church dioceses in the eastern region of the Empire were particularly scattered. Many places, such as Idar, did not fall under the jurisdiction of any specific diocese.

This meant that Earl Bruno Stuart of Idar, holding the Order of Saint George, was essentially the only noble in the entire region with the right to interpret the doctrines of the Church of Light!

Cardinal Blancard was well aware of this fact, yet the words of Mike and his companions still left him deeply shocked.

A noble so devoted to the God of Light was rare, but not entirely unheard of. If one were to count, there were a few similar cases.

However, for a noble to not only believe in the God of Light himself but also convert the commoners of his territory to faith Bruno was truly one of a kind.

Thus, Camus Blancard decided to bestow the Order of Saint George upon Bruno, hoping that this Earl of Idar could inspire even more people to embrace the faith of the God of Light.

As for Mike and the other Idar commoners who had helped construct the statue, they also received special attention from Camus Blancard. After all, devout believers like Mike are exceedingly rare nowadays.

"I wonder," thought Camus Blancard, "just what kind of person is this Earl of Idar?"

...

At this moment, Earl Bruno Stuart, whom the Cardinal regarded as a devout follower of the God of Light, was messily devouring a rolled pancake.

This rolled pancake was a specialty dish from Bruno's past life, made with egg, cooked meat, and coriander. Traditionally, the most important ingredient was tofu, but since Bruno had no idea how to make tofu, he used bean sprouts as a substitute.

Although tofu-making techniques in the system's shop were not particularly expensive, Bruno had very few Glory Points left.

To be cautious, he decided not to spend them on less important things until the completion of Namur Fortress, which would grant him new Glory Points.

However, Bruno was quite familiar with bean sprout cultivation. Soak selected beans in warm water for about a day until they expand and start sprouting. Prepare a container with a piece of coarse linen to block light and absorb water. Spread the soaked beans evenly over the cloth, then cover them with another layer of fabric. Water them twice daily, keeping them moist, dark, and well-ventilated. After 4-5 days, the bean sprouts would be ready for harvesting.

Since bean sprouting was relatively easy, Bruno ordered the construction of a bean sprout workshop in Idar City to mass-produce bean sprouts a new and easily obtainable vegetable.

Moreover, this vegetable was unique to Idar!

Under Bruno's guidance, the filling with bean sprouts was quickly stir-fried to perfection, releasing an irresistible aroma.

The cooks then wrapped the filling in a thin pancake, completing the dish. Just the smell alone was enough to make mouths water.

The castle cooks were already used to their Earl's habit of inventing new dishes.

They were even in awe of his stir-frying technique. Though they found it odd that he used two wooden sticks (chopsticks) to eat, upon closer inspection, they realized there was some skill involved.

As Bruno was enjoying his meal, Lister came running over, grinning from ear to ear.

"My Lord! My Lord!"

"Speak. What is it?" Bruno asked while devouring his pancake.

"The road is finished, My Lord! The road connecting Idar City and Mann Fortress has been completed!"

"So soon?!" Bruno found it hard to believe.

How much time had passed? And yet, the road connecting Idar City and Mann Fortress was already complete?

Even with magic enhancing the construction, the speed was unbelievable...

"The labor teams worked tirelessly, My Lord. With the widespread use of cement and the assistance of magic formations, the roadwork progressed rapidly. If not for your requirement that the road be wide enough for four carriages to travel side by side, the work could have been completed twice as fast. Now, this road is the widest in the entire eastern Empire!"

Bruno thought for a moment and found the explanation reasonable.

In his previous life, roads were far more complex than the cement roads in Idar. They had to accommodate heavy trucks, follow zoning regulations, and consider multiple factors.

But here, in Idar, there were no such concerns. They simply built forward without worrying about land use regulations naturally making the process much faster.

"Since this is the first cement road built in Idar, let's call it Idar Avenue."

Bruno admitted that he was terrible at naming things, but Idar Avenue did have a nice ring to it.

"Brilliant, My Lord!" Lister immediately praised.

Hearing Lister's flattery, Bruno gave him a second look.

This usually slow witted, serious guy had actually learned how to flatter?

This was incredible!

What did this mean?

It meant that Bruno truly was a wise and powerful transmigrator! Even Lister, who was usually so rigid, had started praising him.

However, now that Idar Avenue was completed sooner than expected, it was time to initiate the next phase of his plan.

"Lister, go find Sam Layton for me. It's time to launch our next project in Idar."