August grazed past the lost eyes of Trive and walked over to Locke. He heartily shook his hand. 

"With someone so capable and humble, I am proud to have you as a Baron serving my Father's Viscounty." He warmly said. When Trive heard this, he completely lost all hope. He had thought that the Nobles would atleast be on his side. However, the truth was soon revealed. Among the nobility friends are as fickle as fish.

The other Barons also lined up to congratulate Locke, who did not appear flustered at all. He calmly accepted their wishes, before letting them take a rest. Trive seemed to have already walked out like a zombie.

"I'd have thought you would be happier." Cassi spoke as she looked at Locke who had a thoughtful expression on.

"Don't bother the poor kid." Beluriel interjected. "I brought him enough bad news as it is."

"What happened master?" Cassi asked in surprise.

"Nothing important. When time comes, he can tell you himself. We have already solved your problems. We must quickly make haste to the sea. I need to gather materials." Beluriel said rapidly.

---

The next day, most of the Nobles decided to return to their territories. Having been lounging with Trive who was casually displaced and having ignored the official Baron made their stay untenable. Many were cursing themselves for becoming too friendly with Trive, but who could have predicted such a sudden outcome? No one understood what the old Baron had been thinking.

All the nobles, including August Bilary left the Barony. Trive, actually decided to move to the capital, immediately. Cassi left with Beluriel and Jain left with the nobles to enlist for the army at Krin City.

Locke was finally the defacto Baron now. He was the new Baron Mith. With all these matters settled, his first job was to quickly establish control. As the administrator who had been controlling the scenes it was an easy transition anyway. At the same time, the Dream Trading Company now became a backup through which he could amass funds and keep them independent of the reach of Nobility.

He had already been using his profits to train a force under the DTC and now he deployed them to protect the Barony. Locke could now funnel any activity of the Barony through DTC and collect untraceable profits for hard times.

The reconstruction of Herish Village had gone successfully. He could see that the trade was bustling, however, this was only temporary. Locke knew he had to continue keeping the economy stimulated.

He quickly drafted plans on two fronts. Herish Village was expanding its borders, and a wall would be built around the first layer of the village. The other project was to continue the brick road laying all the way until Krin City, to improve connectivity.

Finally, Locke had time to realise his plans to improve the agriculture capacity of the Barony. He had asked Girald, his manager of the DTC to keep an eye for talented individuals and found a particularly interesting one. He asked his servants to send for the individual.

---

Inside Locke's study, a man had been let in. His clothes were a pasty sewn cloth which a normal farmer couldn't usually afford. When he saw Locke, he quickly bowed in respect.

"My Lord." The man said while trembling.

"You don't need to be afraid. I have called you hear because I am interested in your talent." Locke said calmly.

"M-my talent?" The man trembled.

"Hesef right? Don't be afraid. My papers tell me you have been able to produce almost double the amount of grain as your neighbours and the quality is better as well. Why do you think that is?" Locke asked.

The man was hesitating to talk. Locke continued.

"When I noticed this anomaly, I already got some men to have your soil tested. It is just normal soil which cannot sustain the output of your farm. If you have any secret, it is better to let it out. I won't punish you." Locke tried to reassure the man.

"My Lord. Please don't punish me for my fault." The man called Hesef was almost in tears.

"How can it be a fault if you can improve the productivity of a farm?" Locke laughed.

The man sighed repeatedly before speaking. "When I was younger, I was a rebellious brat. I ran away from home and got lost in the forests of Merunia."

"The woods near our villages." Loche added.

"Yes, My Lord. It was there I met this most beautiful woman who seduced me. However, I was too young to even understand what she was trying to do and she was angered that her charm didn't work on me. Later, she showed me her real form. She was a human, but her skin was light green and her green hair was filled with flowers. 

She said that she was a Dryad. I don't know what a Dryad is, but they are some magical creatures. Eventually she performed some magic on me, after which whichever plant I touch would suddenly improve in its vitality, quality and productivity." The man explained, half expecting Locke to disbelieve himself.

Instead, Locke took the story as fact easily. "What happened to the Dryad?" He asked.

"I never found her again." Hesef said sadly. His eyes seemed to be oddly melancholic.

"Well, what is the range of your magical ability? Does it cause you to get tired?" Locke asked more practical questions.

After finding the answers satisfactory, he began drafting a plan.

Soon, a new announcement began blaring across the Barony. The Barony was going to change the feudal nature of the farms to a salaried structure. If any farmer had issues, they could directly take it up with the Barony. Soon, the Barony was going to reorganize the lands.

The spread of the news was a bombshell. Many were wondering what the new Baron was aiming for. However, most people new that he was the source of this sudden prosperity the Barony was facing and few had major qualms.

Over the next few days, several farmers humbly visited the Baron's manor to clarify the terms. Locke's negotiation and humility left them satisfied and waxing eloquent to their peers later.