My territory is filled with block creations.

Chapter 44 I Will Work for You

Contrary to Naro's expectations, Thorne's reaction was both ignoring the problem and becoming enraged; it was even more perplexing.

Thorne awkwardly stroked his chin, then casually remarked, "Is it that obvious?"

Naro's mind raced. What did this village chief mean?

He neither felt his authority was challenged and broke down in anger like an ordinary person, nor did he say anything ambiguous to change the subject like those cunning and shrewd people do.

He just openly admitted it, and it seemed... like he already knew...

Well... at least he has a very clear understanding of himself, and he doesn't seem like the kind of mediocre person who likes to deceive himself or others.

However, this still doesn't tell whether the person in front of you is a leader who listens to the truth.

Disliking being lied to and being able to listen to the truth, while seemingly similar, are not entirely the same concept.

Naro nodded, "Yes, you've managed it terribly," while continuing to think of other ways to get a better understanding of the village chief's character.

Thorne stroked his chin. He admitted that he didn't have much talent for management, but at least for now, there wasn't any major trouble in the territory.

He certainly can't just give up and give up because of a temporary slump or other people's opinions. It's fine to accept other people's opinions, but you need to provide evidence.

"Then please tell me, what are my problems, what are the problems with the village, and how should they be improved?"

Naro nodded; he was about to say that.

"First of all, there's the issue of your work arrangements, such as guarding the machines. To be honest, it's incredibly easy. Even if it operates 24 hours a day, two people would be more than enough. Assigning three people to work in three shifts is an absolute waste of manpower."

"Furthermore, it's illogical for you to personally assign these tasks. You're assigning a fixed group of people to be in charge of the farmland, but does the farmland need to be cultivated all the time?"

"Spring, summer, and autumn are fine, but they'll definitely be idle in winter. Even if that magical hoe can break the frozen ground, the low temperature and frozen water will prevent the land from growing crops."

"So your fixed work system will lead to all sorts of problems. Some people will be too busy, and some people will be too idle, but that's only one aspect. It's also like me and Maotou, where my work is always easy and his work is always hard. Over time, the villagers will feel it's unfair."

Thorne nodded; he hadn't really thought of that question before: "Then how can we improve it?"

"We use a rotating team system, with 50 people divided into 10 groups of 5. Then, based on the varying importance of the work each quarter, we assign different groups to each task."

"For example, the job of guarding machines is easy, and only one group is assigned to each machine. If the machines become more complex in the future, more groups will be added."

"As for gathering resources, such as cutting down trees, digging stones, or farming, important tasks need to be done in several groups."

"Moreover, the tasks assigned to each group need to be rotated. After all, this kind of low-skilled work doesn't require professionals; anyone can do it. However, the soldiers trained by Mr. Lester are not up to the task."

"Throughout history, the soldiers of all city-states were always full-time professional soldiers, which were stronger than conscripted peasant soldiers. Therefore, soldiers could only be loyal to one place until the end, and once they embarked on that path, there was no turning back."

Thorne suddenly realized, "Oh, I see! There's more!"

At this point, Naro suddenly and shamefully paused. It was clear that what he was about to say was not suitable for Mao to overhear, and he also thought of another way to test whether Thorne was a leader worthy of trust.

"What I'm about to say is not something an ordinary villager should say."

As soon as Naro finished speaking, Thorne understood what Naro meant and quickly asked directly, "Would you like to become my administrator? I'm willing to hire you with the salary of an administrator of the royal capital!"

To be honest, this promise didn't hold much appeal for Naro.

After all, every administrator in the capital knows that the basic salary is only 20 silver coins a month, and with all sorts of subsidies and benefits, they can only earn three or four thousand gold coins a month.

He wasn't particularly interested in the salary and benefits, but he still went along with Thorne's words: "I don't need those so-called material possessions; what I need is your respect."

Thorne raised an eyebrow: "Respect? You mean?"

"I want to move into your room. Don't get me wrong, I know the nobles in the capital have a lot of fun. What I mean is, I want your residence. You need to move out of your house and let me live there."

Naro deliberately used such a blunt and impolite tone to make this very blunt and impolite request.

The boy standing right next to him was almost driven mad by Naro's ravings.

You old idiot, why are you suddenly going crazy here? Can you stay away from me? What if you splatter blood on me?

However, to Mao Tou's surprise, Thorne did not fly into a rage or even punch Naro directly. Instead, he suddenly showed a strange expression.

"You? You really want to swap houses with me?"

Naro nodded.

Thorne fell silent. "Then please come with me."

After Thorne finished speaking, he waved to Naro, and the two of them walked together toward the corner of the work area, leaving Maotou standing there all alone, looking relieved.

It seems that even if the lord, no, the village chief, intends to humanely exterminate Naro, he should at least find a secluded place to avoid getting his own blood splattered.

Just as Mao Tou was lost in thought, Thorne brought Naro to his small cubicle.

"This is my room. Actually, if you change your mind, we don't have to change rooms. Or, you can tell me what kind of accommodation you want, and I'll build it for you."

After Thorne finished speaking, he glanced at Naro's expression, and sure enough, the latter's expression was very strange.

How could it not be strange? Naro clearly recalled the huge pile of wooden planks he had just seen in the work area.

Recalling what Thorne had said earlier, that he wanted to build modular houses, then those wooden plank surfaces were clearly the foundation of the houses.

Each of the plots of land allocated to the villagers' homes, at roughly the size of 50 square meters, seemed quite substantial. So how many square meters did Thorne's own room appear to be? 5 square meters? 10 square meters?

There's only one bed. A wooden block serves as a bedside table; it's difficult to even fit a wardrobe in there.

"You live here?" Naro asked, still incredulous.

"Obviously," Thorne nodded. "As expected, it's still too small. Why don't you draw the blueprints yourself, and I might be able to replicate it for you."

Naro's thoughts were somewhat confused, but he was clearly aware of two things.

Firstly, Thorne was indeed, as he had expected, a good person, even to the point of being almost inhuman.

Secondly, Thorne is indeed open to opinions and even criticism, to the point that he no longer needs to hide anything and can be straightforward.

"Please refrain from using honorifics when you speak to me. I will work for you, even without pay," Naro said, taking a deep breath.

One whose management skills are inferior to bread-making, whose business acumen is comparable to that of a god, and who can hear harsh opinions, even appearing somewhat insensitive.

Most importantly, he is an exceptionally good person. You can only know how much you can help him and other poor people in the world by doing what you can.