The Viscount's grand banquet for his son's grand achievement. Viscount Bilary was Baron Mith's direct Liege. Under him, were five Baronies in total. Right now, all four had come to visit, along with Barons and Viscount's neighbouring Bilary's territory.

Grand Knights were not ordinary warriors. Their power was incredible. They were machines built to wreck havoc during a war. Right now, everyone was currying favor with Viscount Bilary and his son, August. However, they were surprised and stunned to see the good for nothing wastrel son of the disgraced Baron Mith happily chatting with the man of the moment!

"I say, young master Trive. Was it appropriate to leave your Barony at this moment?" Baron Katich mocked causing the others to laugh.

"Unlike a certain other Baron, I'm good at delegating. I've got good subordinates who can take care of the Barony while I'm away." Trive responded calmly, though he was cursing this Katich internally.

"Certainly, certainly. Who'd have thought of a move like rebuilding a village they themselves massacred for no taxes?" Katich countered.

Locke had made sure that Trive wasn't blind aided by this news. With every big step he took, he sent a letter to Trive as well as explaining his logic and the hopeful future ahead. Trive was thus prepared.

"I wouldn't expect a Baron who struggles to read his scroll of summons to understand the complex accounting that went behind the decision." Trive sneered. Directly insulting Baron Katich. "And let's not get into who caused the chaos in Viscount Bilary's territory for their own blind ambitions. I'm sure all of you laughing wouldn't like it very much when an ambitious upstart begins messing in your territories with their devious machinations no?"

Hearing this, the atmosphere immediately turned cold. Baron Katich felt several eyes turn towards him, in thought. The other Barons had heard rumors about Katich's involvement, but Trive had now laid the accusations bare without saying so clearly. Katich had been the one to spread Baron Mith's unflattering story among the Nobles. How did he find out so quickly and in such detail? More importantly, what if they were next?

The Viscount Bilary had not said anything on the matter. But inwards, he was very guarded against Baron Katich. Such an ambitious upstart usually only brought trouble. The terrifying losses for Baron Mith were losses for him as well. Even if he acted graciously and ignored Katich's poking around, the arrogant Baron had already been marked as an enemy in his eyes.

The Viscount clapped his hands. "Young master Trive has certainly thought very deeply on the matter. It is certainly of interest to me to see how the reconstruction of this village goes. As such, my son August has decided to accept Master Trive's invitation to Barony Mith to oversee the reconstruction and deal with the minor pests that have escaped from the prison."

Everyone in the celebration was stunned. It seemed like Viscount Bilary had thrown his weight behind Trive. Certainly, the answer was quite clear. Isolate Baron Katich.

---

The construction of Herish Village was going as planned. The first building to be built was the temple. Thankfully, due to the agreement, the temple paid for the materials needed for its own structure. Locke was busy procuring materials.

Brick making required very hot fires. Which meant they required a particular kind of firewood. Luckily, this kind of wood was abundant in the Barony. However, the rising demand for the high carbon wood created a demand for woodcutters and loggers. With the rising number of jobs, first a lot of unemployed and poor turned to these jobs, secondly, there was a dramatic influx of imigration from the other Baronies.

"Agriculture is the backbone of an economy. But in this feudal system, it is extremely inefficient and over employs people. With the sudden rise of construction jobs, many are leaving for greener pastures." Locke analyzed.

A pipeline of jobs and services had been created in the process of the massive construction of the Herish Village.

"All this would have cost an arm and a leg for the Barony. But with the Temple offering security and the Viscount himself sending a platoon and his grand Knight son, we can save a lot on training and hiring guards and arming them." Locke analyzed.

At the same time, since Herish Village wasn't allowing any residencies yet, most immigrants were coming to Town Mith or the surrounding villages. With increased paying jobs, tax collections would also improve. Locke estimated that with tax collections, the stimulus of reconstructing Herish Village was already more profitable in the long run.

Wood wasn't the only material causing a huge influx of new jobs. Clay was another. Not only was it a component for bricks, it was also used to make cement along with sand. Being a Barony near the sea, both were present as well.

Locke realized how much knowledge he was lacking. If Bescoff hadn't told him about these and the Barony wasn't geographically lucky, the plan to rebuild Herish Village would have been a catastrophic failure. Importing such heavy materials would have caused a terrifying economic burden.

Instead, now a cottage industry of sand dredgers, cement mixers, transport wagons, brick builders, wood cutters, loggers and construction personnel had rapidly emerged. 

In just a week since the decision had been taken, Town Mith looked like an industrial center. Travel was getting busier by the day. The improving economy create unexpected kickbacks.

The increasing population increased the demand for food. Agriculture products, whose price had previously reached rock bottom after demand had collapsed after the destruction of a fifth of the population (eradication of Herish Village), now saw an increase in the prices of commodities. Business in artisanal shops in the town like Bakeries and the Bar had begun to explode. More income meant more taxes for the Barony.

Locke was not surprised by this. From his experience on Earth, reconstruction economies after war, like Europe with the Marshall plan showed incredible economic growth spurred by the rising number of jobs. But once Herish Village had been completely built, this terrifying growth wouldn't be sustainable. It was one of the reasons he was willing to sacrifice taxes in Herish Village.

Economic theory in this fantasy world hadn't quite developed to the sophistication as back on Earth. It was one of Locke's biggest leverages in his gamble on the success of Herish Village. He was applying concepts with a sophistication that the Sun Kingdom was hundreds of years away from realizing, letting natural market forces work in his favor.