As the village head of a small village, how much power could a knight possess?
Fang Yuan roughly estimated that there were perhaps a hundred households of serfs and civilians under the command of Knight Jorah, which was already a lot.
If the pond was drained of all the fish, he could withdraw around a hundred grown men to fight. Of course, the location could not be a day's journey away from the fief. After all, these were all strong laborers, and once they were far from production activities, the territory would definitely suffer a famine in the following year.
"Thus, for troops that can always be on standby, we can have at most twenty people. By using the principle of selecting one household out of five, we can avoid damaging the people's livelihoods too much…
"As a vassal of a high-ranking lord, knights have to prepare horses, equipment, and squires by themselves every year, and they have an obligation to fight alongside the lord for thirty days without compensation. There would be repayment after exceeding this period, and if it isn't exceeded, they could only source for spoils of war themselves. And Knight Jorah's obligation clearly stipulates that there cannot be fewer than fifteen militia… "
Although he had not officially inherited, it was without doubt that Fang Yuan had already claimed the entirety of the knight's territory as his own.
After all, under the current system, even a lord that was one rank higher than Knight Jorah had no authority to take back any territory that he was conferred. Furthermore, due to too many excessive demands from lords, it became commonplace that vassals rebelled.
"However, I heard that all of Knight Jorah's family died of a plague?"
Fang Yuan looked around. There was harmonious countryside scenery all around, without any trace of a land suffering from despair and disasters. "A foul disease that was only targeted at one family? Interesting!"
Thinking of this, he casually stopped a farmer walking past. "Bring me to Knight Jorah's villa."
A feudal lord had huge authority regarding the financial and military aspects of his own fief, and was not concerned by a lack of manpower to construct a palace.
Of course, due to financial problems, even a baron had much difficulty in having his own castle, while knights could mostly only stay in villas.
Conversely, a castle that had been passed down for hundreds of years was a landmark and a source of pride for the nobility, and it also represented security.
After all, apart from showing off military might and financial ability, this era's castle's most important function was defense. In other words, defense was its main function.
"You are…"
The person pulled over seemed to be around thirty to forty years old with gray hair and a face covered with dust. He was wearing clothes that looked like a jute bag and had some muscles on his body.
However, Fang Yuan was clear that this was not built up from eating and drinking well, but caused from a long-term strain of heavy manual labor, which often meant a depletion of his future lifespan.
In reality, this man should only be around twenty years old, but he already had a few traits of becoming prematurely senile.
He raised his head at this time, and his weathered face carried some doubt and a little reverence.
After all, a man who could ride a horse and carry weapons was not someone that a lowly farmer like him could afford to offend.
"I am Luhn, Knight Jorah's successor," Fang Yuan announced.
"So it is Sir, the feudal lord. I am Willie."
Willie hurriedly bowed in a stance similar to taking off one's hat, but unfortunately, since he wasn't wearing a hat, the messy hair looked akin to a chicken nest.
Furthermore, Fang Yuan keenly observed from the bottom of his eyes and found a sense of panic and pity.
You think that I'll become like the previous unlucky successors and die of various accidents in a few days? he thought silently.
Then he casually threw a few copper coins over. "I am a generous person, and this is your reward."
"Ah… How could I accept this?" Willie hurriedly said, but his hands subconsciously held on tightly to the coins.
This small amount of money could purchase a whole loaf of black bread and give a satisfying meal to the few people in his house. Sigh… too bad the youngest Krill had never had a filling meal ever since he was born and had to often fight for food with his sister.
With the tip as a reward, Willie instantly exuded an indescribable warmth. While showing him the way, he introduced the stories of the previous feudal lord Jorah and a few other successors to Fang Yuan.
"Knight Jorah was a good person, and his wife was also very good-natured. Sometimes, she would even give the people bread. Unfortunately, the entire family died of a disease. Thankfully, a pastor arrived and timely controlled the origin to prevent it from spreading.
"After the Knight died, Childe Marvins was the first successor, but unfortunately, he fell off his horse on the way and broke his neck.
"Compared to Marvins, Engel was much different and had an explosive temper, and an unlucky lad was even whipped by him. However, after he stayed in the villa for one night, he seemed to have become scared and became a lunatic. After a while, he drowned himself.
"From then onwards, all of the successors successively met their demise. Everyone gossiped that Knight Jorah's curse was circulating inside the villa, as he was not pleased to see outsiders inheriting his family business."
…
Although this era's serfs were naturally reverential toward their feudal lord, at this moment, under the effect of money and a little prodding, Willie seemed to become very familiar with Fang Yuan and became very talkative.
When he saw the two-story villa, he seemed to remember his identity, hurriedly waved, and said, "Oh! Sorry, Sir, I am not talking about you… The curse is… is merely just a rumor. A rumor!"
"Haha." Fang Yuan laughed and did not bother about Willie, who was nearly scared to death. He walked up and knocked on the door.
As the residence of the knight, the villa area was very large. The rosewood door seemed very sturdy, and the windows were huge. With the purple curtains pulled to the side, sunlight lavishly entered and created pleasant lighting, which greatly suited Fang Yuan's taste.
In any case, this is much better than a castle…
The castle which functioned as a defensive fortification destroyed the dreams of many youths.
The main aspects were the narrow windows and the dark, damp environment. After staying for a long time, it became inevitable that one would be down with diseases like rheumatism, excluding those with the physique of Extraordinaries.
In comparison, there was much more effort put into the knight's villa. The floor was made with marble, and there was even a small garden at the back where one could faintly see a fountain, a statue, and pruned vegetation. A few flowers bloomed and emitted an intoxicating fragrance.
Fang Yuan saw this and instantly decided that even if he had sufficient money and resources in the future, he would not construct a stone coffin for himself to be buried in.
As he was fantasizing, the carefully crafted main door opened up, and a middle-aged steward wearing a wig appeared. His muddy eyes had some doubts. "You are…"
"I am Luhn from Blue Moon Town. This is my personal identification and other documents."
Fang Yuan passed over the inheritance documents from his bag. "I am about to succeed Knight Jorah's inheritance."
"So it is Childe Luhn. I am the Jorahs' steward, Marseille. I have been waiting a few days for you. Please, come in."
Steward Marseille immediately stepped aside and slightly bowed his body, welcoming Fang Yuan into the villa.
The lighting in the villa was considered decent, and there were bronze candelabras everywhere. Marble sculptures and oil paintings decorated the walls and corners, seeming immensely majestic.
"Childe must be tired after the long journey. Please rest first and I will ask the servant to prepare dinner," Marseille politely said.
"No need to rush these things."
Fang Yuan came to the living room, sat down on a sofa-like chair bound with a thick layer of cloth, and shook his hands. "First, we should confirm if my inheritance is legal and what procedures are needed to succeed a knight…"
"Yes!" Marseille was slightly astonished, immediately holding a kettle of black tea and pouring a full cup for Fang Yuan while speaking in a slow manner, "After the death of Childe Raymond, you are already the first successor. As long as you do not give up the inheritance rights, you cannot be challenged. The only thing is that, within the master's testament, you still have to complete one condition to be able to entirely succeed this inheritance."
Fang Yuan sipped a mouthful of black tea, interlocked his ten fingers, and asked with some interest, "What condition? A nobility test?"
"No, no. It's just a very simple request. The knight needs you to stay for one night in the study of this villa," Marseille replied in a calm voice.
"Stay in the study for one night?"
Fang Yuan instantly associated it with what the guide Willie mentioned about the unlucky Engel, who seemed to have some problems with his mental state after staying one night.
"Okay."
However, to him, this was naturally not an issue and he immediately agreed.
"In that case, I will immediately invite some notaries public over." Marseille seemed to have expelled a deep breath, raised himself slightly, and walked out.
"There may really be some evil spirits within this villa?"
This expression made Fang Yuan slightly suspicious. His spiritual will spread out, and his mouth instantly released a small grin.
…
The dinner in the villa was quite good. There was roasted lamb chop that was tender, various vegetables and salad, white bread and jam, drinks like grape wine, and shiny silverware as cutlery, giving off a very posh atmosphere.
What was worth mentioning was that Fang Yuan did not dine alone. There were a few 'notaries public' together with him.
Among those included superiors of Knight Jorah, that envoy dispatched by Baron Shawshank, local prominent figures, and a bishop of the Church of Death.
What further surprised Fang Yuan was that they seemed to live nearby, as Marseille had gone out on one journey and instantly brought them over.
"Thank you for your treat!"
After finishing their meal, that bishop of Hess, Daniel, spoke first, "We wish you success."
"Thank you."
The people raised their wine glasses and drank up. As this was the first time meeting them, it was taboo to give deep advice to mere acquaintances, so Fang Yuan did not say anything further.
He just felt that the bishop's gaze toward him seemed to carry some profound meaning.
…
"Goodnight, Childe Luhn."
After dinner, Fang Yuan was brought to Knight Jorah's study.
Immediately, Marseille directed the servant to put down the bedding and retreated out of the study, closing the door politely.
Through the window, Fang Yuan saw those servants leaving the villa. Evidently, they had another place to stay. He became more surprised. "It seems like it's a little dangerous inside this villa."