Dawn of Command

Dawn.

The sun hadn't come up yet, and the sky was just starting to lighten.

Early spring in the Northern Borderlands was still cold as hell.

Pamin stood with one hand dipped into a wooden basin filled with hot water, letting out a long, satisfied sigh.

He stayed like that for a while before putting a towel in the hot water, getting ready to give his face a proper wash.

Just as he looked up, he saw Thane opening the door and stepping out. His hand holding the towel clearly hesitated.

"Can't believe you're up this early..."

Most noble heirs start living it up once they get their own territory, especially those who've been kept on a tight leash by their families.

Bastards like Thane usually go completely nuts, buying up female slaves, servants, and jewelry—making up for everything they never had before.

But Pamin never expected Thane wouldn't even sleep in.

What he didn't know was that Thane didn't want to skip sleep—he just couldn't fall asleep at all.

Back at Ividaya Castle, he was forced to wake up and work, getting hassled by the steward every day—hauling water, chopping wood, feeding horses, shoveling horse crap... Every day he thought about how to escape.

But here, Thane was actively staying awake.

Because Shadowpine Ridge was Thane's own territory, and every single thing he handled was building up his own empire.

Finally having a shot at turning his life around, Thane wanted to grab every moment.

How could he possibly sleep in?

"Good morning, Baron."

Pamin stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Thane nodded slightly and asked, "Did we nab anyone last night?"

"Just like you predicted, the guards reported catching four townspeople trying to bolt with their stuff last night. They're waiting for your judgment," Pamin replied.

"Take all their property, string them up for a public whipping, and make them slaves."

Thane added, "Have the militia do it."

Anyone who paid thirty percent less in taxes had to pull more weight. Thane planned to dump all this hate-drawing work on the militia from now on.

Only when there was bad blood between the militia and the townspeople could Thane feel confident commanding these guys.

"Yes, Baron."

Pamin acknowledged, then continued, "Last night Eliric's mercenaries reported that the captured bandits claim to be villagers from Boulder Village."

"They're all bandits, no villagers."

Boulder Village wasn't part of Shadowpine Ridge—it belonged to another territory.

But Thane didn't give a damn about any Boulder Village villagers. Anyone raiding caravans in his territory was a bandit.

Spring planting season was almost here, and Thane wouldn't let a single worker go.

"Go wake up Kralfard so we can all chow down together. We've got a ton to do today."

If Thane, the lord himself, was already up, nobody else had any excuse to stay in bed.

Pamin woke everyone up and brought all the people Thane wanted to see to the dining table.

Breakfast was prepared by two slaves from Matt's household. Pamin had Matt's wife and daughter taste everything first before serving it.

Mushroom chicken soup, two fried eggs, plus five slices of toasted dark bread.

Only Thane's plate had normal white bread, and you could still taste grit with every bite.

Looked like even the mayor's household food couldn't compare to what Thane ate at Ividaya Castle.

Compared to the fancy life of nobility, the Northern Borderlands were definitely rougher.

But last night Thane had carefully studied the map, and Shadowpine Ridge really had serious potential.

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one main road leading deeper into the Northern Borderlands, the rest were just winding trails.

Fontdmer Town sat in the center-southwest of Shadowpine Ridge, mostly plains and low rolling hills, with a big river not far to the northeast.

Keep the bandits and raiders at bay, clear out the wild beasts, and this would be Thane's perfect farming territory.

Stock up grain, and you can be king.

Once he'd built up this land and had an army, would he still live rough days?

Thane quickly polished off all his food, even scraping the soup dregs from his bowl with bread.

Then he wiped his mouth and looked at Kralfard: "Where's the inventory list?"

"All counted up—6,600 pounds of rye, 1,100 pounds of wheat, 3,300 pounds of rye seed, 440 pounds of wheat seed, fifty bolts of coarse linen, and 220 pounds of common spices."

Kralfard unrolled a piece of parchment and handed it to Thane with a big smile. "There are also some random household items—please take a look."

Thane gave it a quick glance and casually asked, "What do you usually haul back when you transport this stuff here?"

"Ore, hides, herbs, sometimes smoked meat too."

Kralfard's answer was about what Thane expected.

Most of the Northern Borderlands wilderness was still stuck in primitive times, used to bartering, where cash had no real value and was tough to move around.

"How much profit do you make on a round trip with these three wagons?"

Kralfard chuckled awkwardly and quietly held up his palm to Thane.

Four fingers—meaning forty gold coins.

That much?

Thane kept his poker face, but inside he was blown away.

One trip for Kralfard was worth almost two months of tax revenue for some ordinary baron lords!

You had to remember that regular imperial baron lords often had territories only a quarter the size of Shadowpine Ridge, with annual incomes of just 200 to 500 gold coins!

Looked like he definitely needed to get into the caravan business!

Of course, Thane didn't have the resources right now—he needed to keep all the grain and seeds for his own use.

Only after hunting and mining could he have the resources to set up a trading caravan.

Right now Thane's focus was totally on his territory.

"With profits that fat, you should hire better guards."

If it had been Eliric's mercenary squad, those bandits would've been steamrolled long ago.

"The expenses are brutal too, Baron! Everything costs money!" Kralfard looked like he was in pain.

Thane wasn't buying it and turned to Pamin: "Store all the goods properly and keep them well guarded."

Then he told Kralfard: "Today you're going to keep collecting taxes for me, and at the same time get me the lowdown on the town's population, jobs, family connections, and all that. I'm giving you three days.

Do this right, and I'll knock some off your ransom."

"Yes, noble Baron."

Kralfard responded eagerly.

Even without Thane's last comment, Kralfard would've been pumped to do this job.

Yesterday evening while collecting taxes at the wealthy farmers' homes, Kralfard had experienced a rush like never before.

No need for any wheeling and dealing—just wave your hand and take whatever you wanted, and those wealthy farmers didn't dare say boo.

Even though the stuff didn't belong to him, the process was so satisfying it was addictive.

Next Thane told Pamin: "Find someone good at drawing to sketch out the town layout for me, and mark each household."

"Get all the lazy people in town working—cutting and hauling timber back here. This place needs some serious work."

The dream of a castle was way too far off, but he should at least have a proper lord's manor.

"Also check the fencing around the town carefully and patch up any broken spots."

"And see if there's a blacksmith shop in town. Put Pegin there and get him a female assistant."

Pamin nodded repeatedly, using charcoal to jot down everything Thane was dishing out on a wooden board.

He was now Thane's right-hand man, with big and small tasks flowing toward him like a flood.

But Pamin wasn't ticked off at all—he actually loved this feeling.

The feeling of being important again.

"Noble sir, what are we doing today?"

After Thane finished handing out assignments, Eliric, crouched on a stool, asked.

"Grab your axe and follow me—you're in charge of keeping me breathing."

Thane stood up.

"Now we're going to find a smart wealthy farmer to show us around Fontdmer Town's farmland."