Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

Rhett held a black umbrella as he walked to the magic plant cultivation field in the back garden. The magic plants blessed by the Snow Elf had matured during his absence from the territory. Except for the Frost Pine and Snowvine, which are of the infinite growth type and can only be harvested once in a lifetime after several years, the other water-type magic plants had all been harvested and re-sown by Relay, who also opened a new field to plant the seeds. Over a thousand seeds were harvested from Water Moon Grass, Ice Crystal Lilies, and Mist Lotus. With the original 500 water-type mid-level magic plants, the cultivation field now boasted over 1,600 such plants.

Rhett surveyed the surroundings, noting that the cultivation field, surrounded by stone walls on all sides, was nearly full. Before he left in March, there had been a clear patch of empty land, but it had since been filled with the newly sown water-type plants. Rhett pondered, "For now, it's not advisable to relocate the cultivation field outside the castle. I need to expand this area further."

With the rain pouring down from the sky, Rhett mobilized his mental power, controlling the earth elements to form three new stone walls. These walls extended the original cultivation field, forming a shape resembling the character "日," effectively doubling its size. As a third-level mage, this task was much easier for him now, and he still had plenty of mental energy left.

His gaze shifted to the Frost Pines, which had been growing for six months but were already a year old, and the Snowvines, which had similarly matured. There were about eighty Frost Pines, all over two meters tall, with trunks about five centimeters in diameter. The branches, like playful children, lightly swayed under the rain's impact. The bark had a whitish-blue hue that would deepen as the trees aged.

The Snowvines coiled around the Frost Pines, using them as support. Although the vines were only as thick as a finger and covered in fine white hairs, they did not hinder the growth of the trees. On the contrary, over time, the close connection between the two would slightly enhance the Snowvines' toughness and the Frost Pines' hardness, making them a recognized perfect pair.

Rhett then moved to the pool, observing the gently swaying Frost Sunflowers at the bottom. His eyes sparkled with anticipation. He leaned down, gently stirring the water, and thought, "They're almost ready. It looks like the Ice Crystal Seeds will fully mature soon."

As the contours of the seeds became more distinct, Rhett could estimate their exact number. He submerged himself in the water and counted the Ice Crystal Seeds.

"One, two, three... One thousand two hundred and six."

After counting, Rhett emerged from the water. Thin fire elements gathered around him, forming a faint red mist that quickly evaporated the moisture from his clothes.

Rhett mused, "Eight Frost Sunflowers produced over 1,200 seeds, averaging about 150 per plant. At the market price in Twilight City, each Ice Crystal Seed is worth about ten silver coins, meaning each sunflower can yield 15 gold coins annually—5 more than the average price of high-level magic plants, which is 10 gold coins."

He had counted carefully, and even if there was some error, it wouldn't be much.

"Not bad. These should be cultivated on a larger scale," Rhett murmured to himself, stroking his chin.

After tending to the cultivation field, Rhett headed to the knights' training ground. For the knights, no matter how bad the weather, training continued unabated.

Thunder rumbled, rain poured, and the knights' shouts echoed through the storm. Rhett, holding his umbrella, hadn't yet reached the deepest part of the training ground but could already hear the sounds from behind the wall. He smiled and approached the door, where he saw Shirin, Kurs, and Tadal standing in the rain, clad in armor.

The knights were lined up neatly, engaging in their daily training, alternating between sword strikes and shield blocks. Tadal and Kurs stood side by side, listening intently to Shirin, who seemed to be instructing them.

After a while, Rhett waded through the thin layer of water and walked over. The three noticed him and lined up to greet him, saying in unison, "Good morning, Lord Rhett!"

"Good morning to you. The weather today is quite terrible," Rhett replied with a smile as he approached them. He then turned to Tadal and Kurs and said, "I'm sure you've heard by now that Shirin has joined us and is now part of Eagle Town."

"I hope... you all get along well."

"Of course! We were stunned when we heard the news this morning!" Tadal exaggerated his expression. "I was even wondering where you found such a talented knight, Lord Rhett, and a beautiful one at that!"

"Indeed, she's ten years younger than us, and in terms of age, looks, and strength, she surpasses us in every way!" Kurs stroked his beard, a look of resignation on his face. "Fate has not been kind to us."

"You flatter me..." Shirin blushed slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed by the praise. "Your past training has also been excellent. These trainees haven't neglected their fundamentals at all."

"Haha, what's past is past. But from now on, we all share the same goal—building Eagle Town!" Rhett patted Kurs and Tadal on the shoulders, lifting their spirits. As a lord, motivating his people was a fundamental skill.

"These trainees will grow under your guidance and eventually shine. They will carry your mark," Rhett continued.

Tadal, putting away his exaggerated manner, agreed seriously, "Yes, it's a real sense of accomplishment."

He thought of the respect the trainees had shown him recently, the earnest expressions on their faces when seeking his guidance, and a smile crept onto his lips. It was a feeling he had never experienced as a mercenary.

"It's our duty, and we must fulfill it," Shirin nodded. She then looked at the two and suggested, "I heard about your previous training regimen, and I think you could add more real combat practice. Facing the danger and excitement of real combat helps them better absorb what they've learned."

"That makes sense," Tadal nodded.

"It's best to have them train until they're exhausted before sparring," Rhett added. "This will push their limits and reduce the risk of injury."

This was a lesson Rhett had learned from years on the battlefield. Despite the dangers and high mortality rate, the intense environment often led to breakthroughs in combat potential. While it wasn't realistic to replicate that completely, a similar training method could be used.

"That's a great idea!" Kurs's eyes lit up, and the other two nodded thoughtfully.

"You probably would have thought of it yourselves eventually," Rhett said modestly. He then pulled out a book and handed it to Shirin. "Shirin, this is a mid-level movement technique—Phantom Retrace. I hope it will be of use to you."

This was something he had asked Relay to copy down before he left, and after Tucker verified it, he was sure there were no mistakes.

"What? Lord Rhett, this is too valuable. I can't accept it. I've only just joined the territory and haven't made any contributions..." Shirin was taken aback, instinctively pushing the book away.

"Take it, Shirin. We've all learned Phantom Retrace," Tadal encouraged her.

"Yes, accept it. If you don't believe me, watch this demonstration," Kurs said, stepping forward. In an instant, he seemed to blur, a red flash darting forward before returning to its original spot.

Seeing the technique in action, Shirin covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with surprise. "So fast! I've never seen a mid-level movement technique reach such speed!"

She was deeply impressed, and as she looked at Rhett, he seemed even more mysterious to her.

"Shirin, accept it. As a member of Eagle Town, the stronger you become, the stronger Eagle Town will be. And that... in itself is a contribution!" Rhett's deep voice resonated with Shirin.

She trembled slightly, silently savoring his words. Her eyes gradually filled with admiration as she became increasingly convinced of her lord's vision. Thinking back to Kurs's demonstration of the technique's speed, Shirin found herself even more tempted.

In the end, she bowed deeply and solemnly said, "Thank you, Lord Rhett!"

At this point, Rhett had only one more task at the training ground. He took a gift bag from his belt and held it in front of the three.

"Inside are thirteen bottles of Boiling Potion. I never skimp on resources for my subordinates, so I've decided to give you three, along with Fulano and Lorlin, two bottles each."

Rhett paused, then turned his gaze to the trainee knights. "The remaining three bottles will be distributed among the trainees. I want you to choose the top three based on potential and performance and reward them accordingly."

Tadal and Kurs were visibly pleased. Two bottles of Boiling Potion were worth 100 gold coins—an amount that would have taken them a long time to save up. Shirin, although slightly better off than the other two, still considered the potion a valuable resource.

"Thank you, Lord Rhett!" The three accepted the potions with gratitude.

After some thought, Tadal suggested, "If we're evaluating based on potential and performance, Laurence should be first. With his talent, becoming an apprentice knight at fourteen, he'll definitely reach first-level knight status before twenty. Willow could be second; his talent is just slightly behind Laurence's. But the third spot is harder to decide... I'll need to observe a bit more."

"A fourteen-year-old apprentice knight? That's impressive!" Shirin thought, recalling that she had reached that level at a similar age.

After finishing his business at the training ground, Rhett returned to the castle. As he entered, still holding his umbrella, he heard Svetta scolding someone.

"Sharl, I've told you several times—be thorough and careful in your work. Last month, I praised your good performance, and now you've made a mistake."

A puddle of dark red liquid spread across the floor, and the seventeen-year-old servant boy being scolded by Svetta quietly cleaned up the broken glass.

"Oh, you're back, sir," Svetta said, noticing Rhett and hurrying over.

Catching the faint scent of wine in the air, Rhett glanced at Sharl but said nothing. He left the specifics to those in charge. Svetta managed the castle's day-to-day affairs, and Rhett's involvement wouldn't necessarily help.

"Did you check with Coudine earlier?" Rhett asked as he sat at the dining table, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, sir. Coudine confirmed that they'll start construction as soon as the rain stops," Svetta replied, pouring a cup of hot tea for Rhett. "I also sent a few servants to the stables with some food."

"I've also compiled a list of the new arrivals. Here it is for you to review," Svetta said, handing over a folded list from his pocket.

"You've done well, Svetta," Rhett praised as he quickly scanned the list. He hadn't remembered all the details about the new arrivals from Clearwater Town, but Svetta's thorough work spared him a lot of trouble.

A quick glance at the list revealed that five of the skilled workers were blacksmiths. Notably, two of them were also apprentice knights, which would significantly improve their forging efficiency. In addition to ordinary iron ore, they now had the capability to work with more advanced materials.

Although Fire Rune Ore wasn't of particularly high quality and could be forged by ordinary blacksmiths, the speed and quality of work couldn't compare to that of apprentice knights.

Apart from the blacksmiths, there were also nine tailors and four brewers among the new arrivals. Although valuable, they weren't as immediately useful to Rhett as the blacksmiths were.

After a moment of thought, Rhett said, "Svetta, I have some new assignments."

"Yes, sir."

"As for the brewers, assign two of them to the castle. We don't currently have our own brewers, so the wine and beer we consume are all purchased from elsewhere. With our own brewers, we can save on those costs. The other two can open a small tavern in town to add some variety to the townspeople's lives."

"Understood, sir. I'll inform them right away."