Training the Attention Stance

Last time Field gave them eggs, many had greedily swallowed them whole without chewing twice, nearly choking themselves. The scarcity of food fueled their desperate craving for protein; some even dreamt of the taste of eggs.

They thought that particular treat wouldn't reappear. They never imagined the eggs they longed for even in their dreams would return so swiftly.

"It's very simple. Follow my lead."

Field demonstrated the Attention Stance used in Huaxia student military training, then patiently corrected each soldier's posture one by one.

These were the elite among the guards. Field held considerable expectations for them. The future framework of his army would likely be built upon them.

Once finished, Field had his manservant bring a chair and produced an hourglass.

"Hold it for half an hour, and the eggs are yours," Field said, revealing a devilish smile.

Hammer stood awkwardly, his rear stuck out as he tried to stand ramrod straight. His hands fidgeted against the outside of his hips, his feet splayed at an uncomfortable angle.

*'This must be some silly performance nobles enjoy,'* Hammer thought, having heard nobles loved clown shows. He'd never seen a clown but imagined he looked like one now. *'But for an egg, it's worth it. Is there work harder than hauling bricks or mining?'*

Hammer soon learned the true dread of the Attention Stance.

Nightfall Territory's farmland, purified by potions and Field's lordly power, hadn't fully recovered. It was soft and muddy, like ground after heavy rain. Hammer felt unsteady.

To an observer, however, the problem wasn't the land. The standing men trembled, their legs shaking like overcooked noodles. Feeling the weight bearing down on their entire bodies, the guards realized standing still was no easy feat. The pins-and-needles numbness and aching pain felt like they'd hauled heavy loads all day.

Sweat poured down Hammer's face as he gritted his teeth, silently urging himself on.

*'For the egg.'*

Several guards chanted the same mantra internally. Even as their bodies swayed, they clenched their jaws and endured.

Field's lips curled upwards unconsciously. He glanced at the hourglass. "Indeed, material incentives are powerfully motivating."

After leisurely finishing a cup of black tea, Field finally announced the break. The men collapsed like sacks of mud, sighing with profound relief.

"Milord, a stroke of genius! That's precisely how they should be treated," said Steward Kao, approaching with still-wet ink on his report after inventorying the wine cellar. Seeing Field "tormenting" the guards, he assumed Field had grasped the key noble principle: *don't treat people like people*.

Kao felt immensely reassured.

"Oh? You also understand the power of discipline?" Field was genuinely surprised, even straightening his posture. The deeper meaning behind the Attention Stance wasn't something easily grasped in this medieval era. He hadn't expected his steward to possess such progressive insight.

Kao scratched his nose, confused. "Discipline? I meant that dealing with slaves requires finding new ways to torture them. That's how you make them docile."

"Oh. Never mind then," Field replied, deeply disappointed. He slumped lazily back into his chair, a mischievous grin appearing. "This isn't torture, Kao. It's training. They performed well. I've decided to give them an extra egg at noon."

"Eggs? To *slaves*? Again?" Kao looked as if struck by lightning. He stood frozen, mouth opening and closing soundlessly, nearly fainting on the spot. "Milord! This is the second time you've made such an absurd decision! Slaves deserve the lash, not eggs!"

Kao could have *almost* praised the creativity if Field had shoved shiny gold coins into some old crone's "treasure cave". But giving slaves eggs? That made Kao's heart ache with the sheer waste.

Kao would swear an oath: Field's action would be considered utterly bizarre and shocking throughout the entire Empire.

Even the most spoiled wastrel in the Imperial Capital wouldn't dream up such a creatively profligate act.

Seeing the steward tugging at his collar for air in his agitation, Field found it rather amusing. "This is the Cursed Land, Kao. We can't follow the rules of ordinary places. Everything here will operate under new principles. I believe you'll get used to it. Now, how did the wine inventory go?"

"That's why I came," Kao replied, switching to business mode. He handed Field the results, reporting excitedly, "Using standard sherry casks as the measure: 3 casks of barley beer, 7 casks of mead, 7 casks of olive wine, 24 casks of Black Pearl wine. Furthermore, we discovered a precious cask of sparkling wine – champagne – only one."

The first three were common drinks. The valuable ones were the wines.

"Much better than I expected. Excellent!" Field stood up, too excited to sit. He paced back and forth, laughing heartily. "The priority now is to convert it all into cash. Only when it becomes clinking gold coins will I feel secure."

If some monster slipped in and wrecked the place, the gold would vanish.

"Kao, assign some slaves to load ten days' rations for forty people onto a cart. Also, fodder for the horses. You handle any gaps. I intend to visit Maple City personally to call upon the local nobility and secure buyers for the wine."

"This... isn't it too risky? The death mist is no joke. We might not have last time's luck. Encountering a large wave of corpses could lead to disaster. Milord, why not send the Divine Champion with the shipment?" Kao protested. He glanced around surreptitiously, relieved Ashina wasn't present. He thoroughly disliked that terrifying beastkin. "Besides, we've barely settled in Nightfall Territory. Everyone needs your leadership."

Field sighed helplessly. *Not* going was the dangerous option.

If Ashina fell, Field couldn't hold the Great Winery alone.

Without his mini-map, Ashina would inevitably blunder into massive corpse swarms – not just one or two. Field knew precisely how dangerous the Northern Province was. They were like children splashing in an ocean of rotting corpses; one misstep meant doom.

"It's an order. Carry it out diligently," Field said, waving his hand dismissively and turning away, unwilling to explain further. Kao was one of only two literate people in the territory, but that didn't make him an administrative genius. Sending a Divine Champion to trade would practically announce to the entire Empire: *Field, an unpopular, unsupported, isolated minor baron, possesses a precious Divine Champion!*

Field could not afford to lose Ashina, nor could he expose her existence to outsiders.

"Huh? What are they up to?" Field noticed two female slaves whispering to each other, heading towards the territory's outer edge.

"Perhaps a woman's secret. Or gossip. Or... a conspiracy."

A conspiracy seemed unlikely. Without mist-dispersing lamps, they couldn't leave unless they spontaneously awakened as Divine Champions.

*Probably sneaking off to catch fish,* Field thought, an expert himself in the art of shirking work.