The First Vampire - Chapter 529
Chapter 529: 527 Visits_1
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Outside Winterfell City.
A wild boar farm was established on the eastern bank of the Ben Liu River.
Thatched pig houses were closely connected, each with about ten to a dozen square meters in size, hosting seven to eight plump wild boars, grunting as they nuzzled into feeding troughs, devouring the fodder thrown by the farmers.
Anyone who has been to a pigsty would not forget the indescribable stench. For this reason, pigs, compared to cattle and sheep, were seen as unclean animals by the nobles who seldom consumed pork.
Yet this wild boar farm had been established by the St. Hilde family, the lords of the North Territory.
“How many wild boars does this farm keep?” Turennes asked, looking with interest at the stinky wild boars in front of him.
“Approximately more than five thousand wild boars,” Archbishop Agani of the North Territory respectfully replied, following behind.
She never expected that when she came to greet this cardinal, whose position in the Glorious Church was only second to the Pope, he would have put himself into a stench-filled pigsty.
However, Turennes seemed to completely ignore these courtesies and the awkwardness of the location. He calmly inquired:
“How many of these wild boar farms do the North now have?”
“To my understanding, there are about fifteen farms of this scale across the North Territory. Additionally, several farming families also raise a few wild boars, but their scale definitely can’t compare to the pig farms founded by nobles.”
Turennes roughly estimated the number of wild boars and couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s quite a lot.”
He scrutinized the wild boars in front of him and asked, “These wild boars seem different from those I have seen before. They are whiter, larger, and also more lazy and docile.”
“This is a breed specifically bred by Scholar Sunny and named ‘house pig’ by Count Angler. They have less bristle, their tusks have retrogressed, and they have become docile, lazy eaters with a propensity to get fat quickly, making them more suitable for farming than ordinary wild boars.”
“Scholar Sunny? The former Minister of Agriculture from the Grant family, right?”
“Yes.”
Turennes nodded and praised, “Sunny Grant indeed has abilities. Although stubborn and inflexible, it’s unexpected that the Northern Duke could tolerate him and boldly let him contribute with his talents.”
Archbishop Agani slightly moved her gaze and laughed, “My lord Turennes, in fact, the one who’s promoting Scholar Sunny’s New Agrarian-Pastoral System in the North Territory is not the Northern Duke but Count Angler, the Guardian of the North Territory.”
“Oh?” Turennes was intrigued but didn’t dwell on this issue. Instead, he asked about the state of promoting the New Agrarian-Pastoral System in the North Territory.
Agani answered all his questions one by one.
Turennes, while walking out of the farm, quietly listened and occasionally asked a few questions.
When the entourage left the range of the pig farm, the air suddenly became much fresher.
Turennes couldn’t help but deeply inhale a few times and exclaimed,
“I was curious all along why the condition of the North Territory is much better than I had expected, quickly recovering from the famine as if the two major upheavals didn’t happen at all.
Now I finally understand; this New Agrarian-Pastoral System must have made quite a contribution!”
Agani gave a gentle smile, adjusting her wind-blown hair, “Cardinal, while this New Agrarian-Pastoral System has indeed been in effect for just over half a year and has indeed been of great help against the famine, the person who really filled the bellies of the Northerners is thanks to the series of measures by Count Angler.”
“Oh?” Turennes immediately asked, “What measures?”
Agani then recounted all the policies implemented by Colin in the North Territory over the past year, including the New Agrarian-Pastoral System, the issue of grain bonds, and the establishment of the North Territory foreign trade company etc.
After listening, Turennes couldn’t help but sigh, “I originally thought this Guardian of the North Territory was brilliant only in military affairs, but I didn’t expect him to also be such a talented administrator! Hehe, with just a decade more of experience, he would surely be more than enough to be the Prime Minister of the Empire.”
Agani sidelong examined Turennes’s expression and jokingly asked, “Cardinal, are you regretting not having such talent?”
Turennes gave a deep look at the Archbishop at his side. His turbid eyes seemed to penetrate all her thoughts:
“Agani, you’ve guessed what task the Pope has sent me to the North Territory for, haven’t you?”
Agani gave a light smile and said, “At this time, coming to the Northern Territory, what else could be the reason?”
Turennes was silent for a moment before asking, “And what do you think?”
“I believe, if Count Angler died young, it would be a loss not only to the Empire but also to the entire human race!” Agani declared solemnly. “Moreover, while the behavior of the Eastern lords in intercepting the tithe tax is intolerable, it’s not beyond redemption.
At least they’ve claimed that this was just a temporary measure to cope with the orc invasion.
So, why don’t you talk to Count Angler first?”
Turennes quietly stared at Agani for a while before slowly saying, “Agani, you should be clear about your own stance and you should know the bottom line of the church.”
Agani pursed her lips and bravely looked at Turennes, saying:
“Cardinal, I always thought that you were a pure and noble believer who could clearly see through the complexities of people’s hearts and find those knights who could be inspired by the lord’s glory!”
“Pure? Noble?” Turennes gave a self-deprecating smile. “Do you truly believe that this red robe of mine was obtained through being pure and noble?”
Agani’s face stiffened, and she didn’t know how to respond.
Before Agani could reply, Turennes suddenly laughed, “However, I also agree that a meeting with this Guardian of the North Territory is in order.”
Agani quietly breathed a sigh of relief, giving an enchanting smile,
“I believe you won’t be disappointed.”
Turennes glanced purposefully at Agani, and without saying anything further, he got into the waiting horse-drawn carriage.
In the carriage heading north, they finally arrived in Winterfell City before sunset.
Upon arrival, Turennes woke up from his pretended slumber, picked up the curtain of the carriage, and observed the local conditions.
Suddenly, Turennes curiously pointed at the crowd lining up on the side of the street and asked, “What are they doing?”
Agani laughed and answered, “They are queuing up to buy lottery tickets.”
“Lottery tickets?”
“Yes.” Agani then explained to Turennes about how the lottery works and its purpose.
After listening, Turennes was silent for a while before speaking again:
“Is this charity foundation really using the lottery proceeds to build welfare institutes and help care for grieving widows, orphans, and impoverished, homeless people?”
“Yes. Right now, more than ten welfare institutes have been established in the North Territory. There’s one in Winterfell City, would you like to take a look?”
Turennes, his turbid eyes flashing with an unexplainable light, nodded and said:
“Alright.”
