In the middle of a sprawling and surprisingly clean city, people walked around with smiles on their faces and a good amount of meat on their bones. Unlike so many other fiefs in the Trones Kingdom, the border fief renamed the Night Region, was thriving and its lord striving to improve his fief, instead of hogging all his wealth for a life lavishness. Even the other lords coveted his wealth, for all he put into his fief was returned tenfold.

Quite a number of people from all walks of life stared up at Marquess Night’s Castle from time to time, a look appreciation in their eyes.

Meanwhile…..

Marquess Jay of House Night first of his name, is in his study going through paperwork, when there is a knock at the door.

“Thu, Thu.”

Jay answered, “Come in!”

“…..”

Rune Master Gerald, “You called me sir?”

Jay, “Ah yes, how goes the research on increasing mana density for further increasing the growth of our crops?”

Rune Master Gerald, “It has been completed, my lord.
However, there have been reports of crazed monsters in the north of your lands, my lord.
I fear that the miasma field is continuing to spread, soon it will reach Cantabury.”

Jay, “I’ll head over there in the morning and do a culling, reduce any monsters in the area crazed or not.
That should help take off some the pressure on the troops there for a while, I really should have a northern border wall put up soon.”

Rune Master Gerald, “I’m afraid we don’t have the manpower for such a project yet, my lord. Despite the Influx of people migrating from other fiefs.”

Marquess Jay, “Yes well, I should either put the knight reserves up to work on it or even have you build golems to get it done as a last resort.
In the meantime I have a task for you, for while I’m gone, I want you to start researching how to put runes on people and animals.
More specifically I want you to research how to use rune on living humans to create better knights, and mages.
Later I’ll want you to start to enhance the flame hounds I’ve been assigning to knights and mages within the city guard.
Oh and I still need to acquire funds to fund the breeding of more flame hounds to distribute to the military, and ember hounds to sell to the general public.”

Rune Master Gerald, “Yes, my lord.
I shall take my leave then if that is all?”

Marquess Jay, “Yes, that is all.
Oh but Gerald?”

Gerald, “Yes my lord?”

Marquess Jay, “I trust I’ll see you at the banquet tonight?”

Gerald, “Of course, my lord.”

With that Gerald bows then turns around and leaves his lord’s study.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hundreds of nobles with a few princes and princesses snacked on horderves and mingled in Jay's Ballroom.

After escaping a crowd of lower nobles Marquess Night encountered a beautiful female hydroborn, one of the very few elemental races in the trones kingdom, let alone to be a Noble.

Marquess Jay Night addresses her, “Countess Fera La’Frio, I’m glad you joined us this evening.”

Countess Fer La’Frio, “Yes, I must say you have quite the fief here Marquess Night.
I’m sure we are all very interested in how you accomplished such a task.
However judging from the crowd you just escaped, I think you already knew that.”

Marquess Jay Night answers, “How very astute of you Countess, fret not all will be revealed very soon.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Ting ting ting.”

Marquess Jay tapped his spoon against his wine glass, in his banquet hall filled with nobles.

Marquess Night, “Attention please, Attention Please.”

The nobles all immediately quiet down with a few parting whispers, before silence takes the banquet hall.

Marquess Jay Night, “I’m sure you’ve all been wondering how I have made my fief so successful, well now I’m going to tell you.

First, why the streets are so clean and in turn the people so clean and disease so quelled in my fief.
Sewers, essentially every outhouse and toilet is linked to tunnels going underground that carry away the waste, as opposed to throwing it out the window, which spreads disease.

Second, domestic cats, I have bred large quantities of domestic cats and sold them cheaply to the public, even releasing some into the city and farmlands.
Cats eat bugs, rats, mice, and snakes, they constantly hunt them whenever they are outside.
All these pests they hunt either spread disease or are dangerous.

This also helps reduce diseases and fatalities.

Third, Crop Rotation, every season we switch which crops are growing in the field and don’t plant crops in fields that have had three seasons of crops harvested from it, and plant clover instead.

Fourth, Manure, we take the solid waste from farm animals that eat grass and put into on our fields, this helps enrich the soil and fuel the growth of the crops.

Warning to the wise, do not put human waste in your field it can poison the crops that grow from there and result in severe illness even death.
Only use the waste from animals that eat plants.

Fifth, irrigation, we have trenches that carry water into the field and help water the crops.

This help cut down on required manpower and increase crop yields

Sixth, Military, by strengthening your fief’s military you are able to use them to help out the guards and clear out monsters.

This helps with public order, trade and eventually expanding into previously monster-infested lands.

All these help, reduce disease, keeps the populace healthy and happy while resulting in population growth. As well creating an influx of merchants.

In turns increasing the economy which increases the amount of taxes you can collect, which increases your wealth and the growth of your fief.

In other words, the populace's well being and happiness is directly tied to gold.”

The nobles and few royals were all silent before suddenly rapturous applause sounded out, and someone even shouted, “Woohoo Money!!”

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The star stream brightening and his guests gone, Marquess Jay Night got on his horse with a few mage knights and set off toward the northern border.