Reincarnate as Prince: Change Magical World with Industry

10 Changes

The first change that Janus ordered was for the children, their mandatory work hours were reduced to half a day from the previous sundown to sunset. He made them in charge of the composting bin. Collecting animal bones, drying up animal manure, and collecting worms to make fertilizer.

He also added more food rations for the serfs, from the previous one and a half meal per day, he had raised it up to a full three meals. Master Oswald cautioned against this, saying that it would reduce the yields for the season. Janus' argued that stronger workers would get them better crops, and that their in-house production of fertilizer would be enough to make up for it.

The women who preferred to cook were tasked with making more filling recipes for the workers. The current stock of vegetables were turned into full pots of stew, with dried fish as flavoring. They were all surprised again when Janus tested the peasant food, but it was actually better than the soup they had in the castle.

Three meals a day made for better morale that it was now unnecessary for the overseers to supervise and whip those who weren't working correctly. So Janus was free to send them to another task, one that they didn't take kindly to at first.

Janus recognized that the Supervisors were bigger and stronger. He assigned them in carpentry, expanding the quarters in the manor so that the serfs could have one room per family. That would raise the quality of living, something that he hoped would pay off. The theory was that happier serfs worked harder, and having something to look forward to in the future would motivate them even more.

Master Oswald warned him that a protest might be imminent, but Janus had prepared for this. 

When he was in college, he learned a lot about persuasion. It was a stroke of luck that the old Prince had a lot of leftover wealth and stocks which were stashed in the manor. It was either due to him neglecting his responsibility or he wasn't diligent enough to check on what he had. He accumulated a fair amount, something that would tide them over perfectly well for the next few seasons.

Janus found his morning meeting one day with all of the overseers and managers gathered, as well as Master Ringo and Mater Oswald.

"Your Highness." Said Master Ringo. "The overseers are here today to discuss your newly implemented changes. First of all, we are all greatly honored that you are personally are managing the affairs of the farms and serfs, but there are arrangements that the overseers have signed and agreed with the crown."

Everyone in attendance nodded.

"All due respect, your Highness." Said Sanders, one of the older staff. "But we had gained our station from all the years of work that our fathers did, and we have better education than the serfs. All of this labor is below our rank, we have earned it fairly through the years of service."

"Mr. Sanders, I understand what you are saying. You have indeed served me and my family well for long years, and for that you have my gratitude. Hard labor was your past, and now it is beneath you." Janus said.

"Forgive me your highness, but that was the arrangement."

Master Oswald nodded serenely.

"That's why I am promoting you all to senior managers." Janus said.

Everyone shared the look of shock.

"Yes that's right. You will have an additional bonus of copper every day, as well as a ration of meat to enjoy once per day. Master Oswald, Master Ringo, I have calculated the reserves under my coffers and that should last them for two seasons of harvest."

"You're giving away your reserve wealth?" Master Oswald said, mouth agape.

Even Arthan, who was in attendance couldn't believe his eyes.

The overseers were discussing amongst themselves. They looked excited and eager to share the good news to their families.

"In addition, you will have the right to earn the houses that you now reside in by paying up a portion of your monthly wage. That's why were building up more houses for the serfs, so that everyone can someday have a home that they could call their own. All of the straw houses should be replaced, I want everyone in the manor to live as comfortably as possible."

This excited them even more, they never would have dreamed of finally having their own homes, no matter how quaint and humble it was. It was a big leap from sharing with other families, and having someone else have the right to throw them out. Although they could only earn the rights for another ten to twenty years or so, it was still something to look forward to.

"Sir Arthan, you are to lead hunting parties to collect venison with a few capable men of your choosing. The meat will be served to everyone, and it will also solve the overpopulation of deer and monsters around the borders."

Arthan agreed happily, as manor life was dulling out his skills. He asked Janus if he would like to join in, to which he vehemently refused.

Janus was relieved to find that it all worked out. After a few weeks of living in his manor, life started to click.

Master Rufus had finally perfected the recipe for bread that he had craved. It was fluffy on the inside but had a great crunch to it. It paired well with liver sauce and was even great when eaten with the bland old porridge. Men and women in the kitchens were all instructed to follow the recipe, and this would be served to the workers everyday.

This cheered the serfs even more. They worked harder than ever before, eager to move into the new houses that were being built. The houses were made of proper stone and wood, not the flimsy straw material that they had to endure. 

Winter was slowly approaching, and the idea of being warm every night was a delight to them.

#

This increase and happiness and productivity reflected in the crops. And it also reflected on how the people treated Janus.

Children came hurrying when they saw him, he played with them when he wasn't busy. The servants weren't avoiding him so much, even eager to greet him and bow with a smile. There were still a few protests, but they were getting fewer by the day.

Master Ringo also told him that there was less infighting between serfs and overseers. This made sense as there was no more whipping, and they were not working as closely with each other. The fact that the overseers were now building houses that the serfs would live in was a stroke of genius that would have been fit for a wise old king.

Janus awkwardly nodded at this remark. This was after all, a happy coincidence.

The fields looked much better. There were less weeds overall. The crops looked more vibrant, and grew taller than ever before. Even though the workforce has slightly decreased, things were looking much better. It was still not up to Janus' standards, but it was a good sign.

Janus still kept to his studies every night. He was studying better management, better crop yield, and architecture for his people.

He also had a few adventures outside, but it was all limited to lower level monsters. He had evolved to killing giant beetles now, which were pests that the guards and Arthan had to drive out on the borders of the fields. Janus could now swing a small club accurately without hurting his fingers and had collected a lot of CP in the process.

Arthan had reported more sights of Goblins in the forests around the manor. It wasn't much of a concern, as he could handle them with his eyes closed, but if there was more of them out there, that would be a bigger problem. Rogue goblins usually resorted to thievery.

Yvaine wrote letters to him, mostly about dealings with other Kingdoms. She was currently doing work for disease prevention in an outbreak across one of the neighboring cities.

Janus happily wrote to her all the improvements in the Manor, and he invited her to come if she needed a break.

There was a knock on the door. It was Master Rufus.

"Your highness, the staff and I have prepared something for you. Perhaps you would care to join us?"

Janus came to the dining area to a delightful sight, somehow he had forgotten about it entirely.

In the dining table was a fresh bowl of noodles. It was hot and steamy and smelled as good as he remembered back home. The broth was just the right color. The noodles coiled and swirled in think and fat liquid. It was topped with pork cuts, a soft-boiled egg and sprinkled with green onions.

"I had been practicing the consistency of the dough for a few weeks now, but I don't think it's quite right yet." Said Rufus.

"Your highness it's delicious, I've been tasting one of his so-called failed attempts, but it was better than anything I've ever tasted!" said Bodwin.

"Well, I'm not sure any of us would be a good judge of that. What do you think master Janus?"

Janus took a slurp of noodles and broth.

It was perfect.

He asked for more and invited everyone to dine with him.