Build the Kingdom

Chapter 7: Serfs Can Be Traded (1)

"Serfs can be traded."

When Hu spoke, Jack furrowed his brows.

Soon after, shaking his head slightly, he continued.

"No, that can't happen."

The smell of bread seemed to numb Jack’s brain, but Hu’s words seemed to bring back a shred of reason.

Jack grabbed the hand of the advisor standing beside him, and at the same time, a faint smile appeared on the advisor’s face.

Hu could see it, but Jack, who had his back turned to the advisor, couldn’t see the expression.

With that same face, the advisor murmured loud enough for Hu to hear.

"If that bread makes my lord happy, I would gladly offer myself."

What a load of nonsense.

Her mouth smiled, but the content was pure melodrama.

A jealous advisor was a valuable trait, but it also came with sacrifices.

That kind of advisor wouldn't tolerate any other presence near their lord.

The moment they felt betrayed, they were the type to stab a knife in your back.

She had no intention of ever being separated from her master.

At that moment, although her hands were holding Jack’s arm, her mouth was full of pretentious flattery.

While holding Jack’s arm, she spoke.

"My lord, you are the most wonderful person I have ever seen."

Jack turned around, embraced her, and spoke with emotion.

"No, I can't let you go. I won’t send you away."

A full-blown soap opera in motion.

This estate truly had drama in abundance.

Still, it wasn’t something to criticize.

Hu silently applauded her act and nodded approvingly.

Alright, let’s do it your way.

After all, that was Hu’s intention too.

Hu’s eyes met the advisor’s eyes. In that moment, their intentions aligned.

Of course, rather than saying their hearts connected, it was more accurate to say their interests matched.

Either way, it was mutual understanding.

"Not that woman."

Hu waved the bread as he spoke, making Jack turn around, sniffing the air.

"I only have one decent serf I can use."

Jack glanced at a healthy male serf as he spoke.

As Jack made another misstep, Hu took a deep breath, careful not to show it, and quickly spoke.

"Not him either. That guy—he’s useless, right? I’m a fair person. A person for a piece of bread—does that even make sense? But I want to give you bread, and in this game, everything must be done through trade. Invisible favors or goodwill can’t be exchanged, so I must receive something in return. Conveniently, you have a troublesome serf. Isn’t this a great deal?"

After letting out a long breath, Hu continued.

"Does that serf even till the fields?"

As soon as Jack understood Hu’s words, he opened his mouth.

"He can’t till the fields."

Of course. No way he could.

Hu knew that already. Jack’s gaze shifted to the side.

The advisor beside him chimed in at the perfect moment.

Her tongue was now his tongue, and his tongue was hers.

"That’s a good idea, my lord. Reducing the number of mouths to feed is a good strategy."

Naturally.

"...Should I?"

Jack asked while looking at Hu.

Hu showed a smile—the same smile he always wore when stabbing someone in the back.

It was the kind of smile that could turn a praiseworthy person into a lunatic.

"Yes. It’s definitely not a losing deal. Honestly, living on just raw dough is a disgrace to human dignity."

At Hu’s words, the hesitation vanished from Jack’s eyes. Hu was sure of his state now.

‘Got him.’

If he stopped here, the trade would end. The advisor’s face already showed a satisfied smile.

Seeing that, Hu discreetly licked his lips and spoke again.

"How about this? If I get a new type of seed besides wheat, I’ll trade a small handful of those seeds for one piece of bread."

He casually clenched his fist, showing how little it would be—a mere handful.

While speaking, Hu watched the advisor closely. Her eyebrow twitched.

You greedy bastard.

Her eyes said it all. Hu responded with nothing but a smile.

You think you can get away with that so easily?

She wanted to get rid of that troublesome serf, and Hu could gain that serf for just a piece of bread—this seemed like a win-win deal.

‘Nonsense.’

The serf Jack offered could be obtained with just a bit of persuasion. The bread should be priced separately.

"My lord."

The advisor was about to speak, but Hu was quicker.

"It’s a fair deal. That serf is utterly useless anyway. Unless he transforms into something else, of course."

The advisor’s slightly open mouth snapped shut like a clam.

"…It’s a reasonable trade, my lord."

The advisor made sure to secure her own gain.

That was the flaw of a jealous advisor—they valued their own position over the master’s profit and sometimes made reckless moves.

If she suddenly changed her stance now, her credibility would fall.

Moreover, at this early stage of [God Hand], the trust between master and advisor was more important than anything.

Thus, the moment she agreed to this trade, she couldn’t go back on her word.

Even if she returned to her estate, she couldn’t blame Hu’s nature.

At most, she might say, "You should be careful of other landlords, my lord."

"Lord Landowner, you should be careful of other landlords."

Just then, Rader came closer and whispered into Hu’s ear.

You crazy bastard.

Hu instinctively elbowed Rader’s side, scolding him with his eyes.

Rader pouted, but Hu ignored him.

Jack’s hesitation didn’t last long.

"Let’s do it!"

He eagerly extended his hand, and Hu handed him the bread.

"The deal is made, right?"

As Hu showed his palm, the jealous advisor nodded.

Soon after, Jack Park met Hu’s hand with his own.

It was a sign of agreement to trade.

[The trade has been completed.]

The system message announced the trade’s completion.

Chomp, chomp!

Jack immediately stuffed the bread into his mouth, chewing and swallowing hungrily.

He ate with great enthusiasm.

It was satisfying to watch.

If left alone, Jack might’ve cried tears of joy while eating that bread.

Hu didn’t forget his hospitality.

"Rader."

"Yes?"

"Give him some water too."

With that, Hu reached out toward the serf he had just acquired.

"Come here."

Krurr!

The serf crouched low, eyes fierce and filled with hostility.

It was clear he was ready to attack at any moment.

Despite that, Hu stepped forward without hesitation.

Normally, the serf might have lunged at him, but now Hu had a tool of persuasion.

Rip.

As Hu tore the bread and shook it, the serf’s head followed the movement.

Hu lured Jack’s serf closer by shaking the bread. When the serf approached, Hu tossed the piece into his mouth.

The serf caught it and devoured it eagerly.

"Good job. What’s your name?"

Krurr!

The serf bared his weak hostility again.

"Let’s just call you Krurr, then."

[A new serf has been named. The serf 'Krurr' is now bound to Lord Hu's land.]

Alright. Hu showed a wide smile.

He kept tearing pieces of bread and giving them to Krurr.

Rader chimed in from the side with a typically advisor-like remark.

"All serfs must be treated equally. That way, unnecessary incidents and accidents can be prevented."

A long-winded way of saying, share the bread.

Hu was in a good mood.

He tore some bread and handed it to Rader as well.

"Here."

"Yikes!"

Rader lunged forward and swallowed the bread in one bite. Baker watched with a satisfied smile.

It was the look of someone watching their grandchild's antics—a typical expression for a

character with a cooking trait.

Watching someone enjoy his cooking gave him deep satisfaction.

"Krurr, come here."

Hu lured him to a corner of the hut and threw him a whole piece of bread, then turned toward

Jack, who had just swallowed the last bite of bread.

"I’ll give you another loaf. Eat it at home, and when you get new seeds, come back."

"Oh!"

Jack, swallowing his saliva, teared up and repeatedly thanked Hu.

"Thank you!"

‘No, I should be the one thanking you.’

The serf Jack had given him wasn’t an ordinary serf.

‘To be honest?’

Even if he were offered a hundred jealous advisors, he wouldn’t trade him.

"Thank you!"

Jack expressed his gratitude again and disappeared beyond the faint mist.

In the meantime, the wind changed direction.

"Let’s bake more."

Hu had no intention of ending business after just one round.

Baker stepped forward.

"Understood."

‘Since we’ve already started…’

Hu thought.

Since they had fired up the oven, they might as well bake with passion.

Today, his goal was to fill their stomachs by selling as much bread as possible.

"Here we go!"

Baker pounded the dough with a shout of determination.

"I’m full of energy!"

Rader carefully planted precious seeds one by one in the field.

"Krurr!"

Even the mute serf joined in.

‘The family has grown.’

Now that his spirit power had recovered, Hu summoned Fluffly to wish for a bountiful harvest and stuck close to Rader.

"The farming king once said…"

"Yes?"

"Each seed requires ten times the care."

Then, Hu demonstrated how to plant seeds again.

"When you plant the seeds, do it reverently, praying for a bountiful harvest, with care and sincerity!"

He dug into the ground, placed the seeds inside, and carefully covered them with soil.

Seeing this, Rader asked.

"Who is this farming king?"

"FisherKing."

For Hu, there was only one farming king.

"I’ve never heard of him."

Of course, the encyclopedia-like advisor wouldn’t have that name in her records.

"You don’t need to know."

Hu pushed aside memories of his first playthrough.

"Bread!"

Just then, the second customer appeared, leaving no time for reflection.

A man suddenly emerged through the black mist.

This time, it was a short East Asian man.

"Bread!"

He shouted. Hu greeted him with a smile.

"Welcome!"

This was the second customer to visit Hu’s baking farmland.

A shovel, a stone dagger—a crude stone knife—and a clay pot, along with Krurr.

It was the price of grinding down every grain from the bountiful wheat harvest.

"I can’t do any more."

Baker collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.

Krurr, seemingly full, folded his arms under his face and lay on the ground, snoring softly.

Rader stood beside them.

"Lord Landowner, a good landlord checks on his serfs’ condition and avoids overworking them…"

"But you’re fine, right?"

Everyone else was down for the count, but not Rader.

Rader blinked.

He was Hu’s advisor and the player’s only lifeline during the early stages of [God Hand].

But now, to Hu, he was just a good worker—nothing more, nothing less.

"Here."

Hu held out the shovel to Rader.

"…Lord Landowner?"

It was time for everyone to rest. The sun was setting, but it wasn’t completely gone yet.

The orange glow of dusk hadn’t even appeared yet—it was just late afternoon.

In other words, it wasn’t time to rest yet.

"If I do this, who will handle the sowing? It requires care, and we don’t have enough people."

"I’ll do it."

What else was there to do? Hu didn’t intend to be a lazy lord.

Making others do all the work while he lazed around?

That was a luxury for later stages of the game. Hu had no intention of indulging in that.

Instead, since he wasn’t indulging himself—

"Rader, I trust you. You’re a good advisor."

He had no intention of letting an able-bodied worker slack off. Rader might have been foolish and lacking in loyalty, but…

‘At least his stamina is incredible.’

He had the heart of a high-level combat class—he just didn’t tire easily.

If Rader didn’t already have a name, Hu would’ve called him Energizer or Double Heart.

Even though Hu kept feeding him the poison of praise, Rader still hesitated to take the shovel.

Hu changed his stance.

"If you’ve eaten, it’s time to earn your keep. Nothing in life is free."

No bread for slackers.

"…Yes."

If his loyalty was already nonexistent, there was no point in trying to raise it.

Instead of wasting effort, Hu decided to use Rader as much as possible for the sake of this land.

Rader gave in.

"Dig the ground, Rader."

"How much should I dig?"

Instead of answering directly, Hu felt his spirit power returning and silently requested help from

Fluffly.

‘Find it for me.’

The communication between spirit and master was more like sharing feelings than words.

It was akin to communicating with an old friend through nothing but eye contact.

Fluffly immediately followed Hu’s will. Soon after, a patch of soil in front of Hu suddenly bulged upward.

"Over there. Rader, dig there."

"How much should I dig?"

"Hmm. Big enough for five adult men to lie down side by side."

"…That’s bigger than the hut, isn’t it?"

"Let me remind you—you’ll be eating three meals of bread every day from now on."

Hu coaxed him kindly. Rader shut his eyes tight, then opened them and spoke.

"Lord Landowner, if it’s about earning one’s keep, why is that guy just lying around?"

Rader pointed to one side.

There was Krurr, sleeping soundly after eating well.

He stirred a bit, scratching his face in his sleep.

"Everyone has their own role to play."

Hu replied.

"…So my role is to plow like an ox and dig with a shovel?"

Yep, that’s exactly it.

But if Hu said it outright, Rader would sulk. Even if he lacked loyalty, leaving him like that would be annoying.

"Rader, what makes a good advisor?"

"Solving the lord’s problems, of course."

"My problem is digging. Only you can solve it."

Rader closed his eyes—a look of resignation spread across his face, realizing there was no point in arguing further.

"…Yes, I understand, Lord Landowner. I’ll do it."

Rader grabbed the shovel. If not ordered directly, he might hesitate, but once given a command, he worked diligently.

"And it’s not a ‘guy.’"

When Hu spoke, Rader paused mid-shovel and looked at him.

"…What?"

"It’s not a guy—it’s a girl."

"…What?"

"She’s female."

Hu pointed at Krurr as he spoke.