Boundless Family Upgrades For The Deadbeat Lord

Raymond brought his hands together slowly.

"Supreme Mother of Life, we thank you for the earth beneath our feet, for the water that descended from your heavens, and for the seeds that survived beneath your grace. We thank you for allowing the people of this forgotten land to wake another morning with hope in their hearts. We ask only that you continue watching over these fields, over this town, and over every family that has endured hunger beneath these walls."

Something changed in the crowd.

A month ago, Raymond would have been the only person speaking while everyone else stared at him with suspicion.

This time, hundreds of heads lowered willingly.

Some clasped their hands.

Others dropped carefully to one knee.

A few elderly townspeople closed their eyes and quietly repeated parts of the prayer beneath their breath, while mothers pulled their children closer and bowed their heads together.

Raymond noticed it immediately.

He had spent weeks manipulating this religious narrative because it was convenient, effective, and far easier than explaining a floating blue System interface to medieval peasants. Yet watching hundreds of people voluntarily pray beside him felt different from watching terrified farmers fall to their knees after witnessing their first miracle.

These people believed.

Not because he ordered them to.

Because, from their perspective, something had finally answered them.

Raymond kept his expression steady.

He lowered his head slightly and finished the prayer with a quieter sentence.

"May no child of Althoff know hunger again."

The effect was immediate.

A woman somewhere near the front covered her mouth.

Another elderly man squeezed his eyes shut as tears ran down his face.

Several people looked away.

Raymond knew enough about the town by now to understand why. Almost every family had lost someone. A child. A parent. A sibling. Sometimes several.

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

Only the wind passed through the grain.

Raymond slowly opened his eyes.

The solemn expression softened naturally into a warm smile as he lowered his hands.

"Alright, everyone. We’ve prayed enough for one morning, and staring at food certainly won’t fill our stomachs. Let’s begin the harvest."

The response exploded across the basin.

Cheers erupted from hundreds of throats at once, loud enough to roll across the empty wasteland surrounding them. Some people raised their tools into the air, others clapped, and several children began jumping excitedly behind the crowd.

Even Captain Boris, standing near the edge of the platform with several guards, couldn’t completely hide the grin spreading across his battered face.

Raymond stepped backward as the workers immediately began moving.

There was no chaotic rush toward the crops.

Over the previous month, Gideon and Harlan had organized the laborers into proper groups, assigning different tasks according to physical strength and experience. The workers moved toward their designated sections in steady lines. Those responsible for wheat carried simple sickles and cutting tools.

Others moved toward the vegetable rows with large woven baskets. Several groups headed toward the cornfields, while sorting teams remained near the entrance where wooden tables had been set up beneath temporary shelters.

The weakest citizens were given lighter work.

A few children helped collect smaller vegetables or carried empty baskets.

The stronger adults handled cutting, lifting, and transportation.

Captain Boris directed his guards around the outer perimeter while several summoned knights positioned themselves near the crude wagons, ready to deal with anything too heavy for the recovering townspeople.

Within minutes, the quiet farmland became completely alive.

Raymond remained on the platform for a while longer, simply watching everything unfold.

The sound of sickles cutting through wheat mixed with shouted instructions, laughter, wooden wheels, and the occasional excitedcry whenever somebody discovered an unusually large vegetable.

Baskets began filling almost immediately. Tomatoes were carefully stacked into wooden crates. Corn was carried out in heavy bundles. Wheat was tied together into thick sheaves and arranged for transportation.

For the first time since Raymond had arrived, the Althoff Barony didn’t look like a place waiting to die.

It looked busy.

Alive.

Useful.

He slowly descended the wooden steps.The moment his boots touched the packed earth beside the platform, two familiar figures began making their way toward him through the workers.

Raymond immediately recognized Harlan and Gideon.

But seeing them up close still made him pause.

When he had first met the two farmers, he had genuinely believed they were elderly men nearing seventy. Their skin had been dry and deeply wrinkled, their backs bent, their hair grey, and their bodies so thin that their bones seemed ready to push through their skin.

Now, after a month of consistent food and clean water, they were beginning to look like the men they were supposed to be.They were still thin, and the damage caused by years of starvation hadn’t disappeared completely, but their backs were straighter now. Some weight had returned to their faces, their skin no longer carried the same sickly yellow tone, and their eyes were clearer. Even the deep wrinkles around their mouths had softened slightly.

Raymond looked them over slowly before a crooked smile appeared on his face.

"You two are finally starting to look like men who aren’t planning to climb into coffins before sunset."

Gideon stopped for half a second before bursting into a rough laugh, one hand immediately going to his stomach.

"My Lord, if that’s your way of saying we look healthier, I think you need considerably more practice giving compliments."

Harlan shook his head beside him, though the faint smile tugging at his mouth ruined the seriousness he was trying to maintain.

"His Lordship has fed us properly for one month and already thinks he has earned the right to insult our faces."

Raymond raised an eyebrow.

"I gave you food, clean water, fertile land, and enough work to stop you from complaining about boredom. I believe I’ve earned at least two insults every morning."

Gideon chuckled again while Harlan sighed dramatically.

"Then perhaps we were better off starving."

Raymond stared at him.

Harlan’s expression immediately stiffened.Then Raymond laughed.

Harlan relaxed and shook his head, while Gideon slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

The brief exchange faded naturally as Raymond turned his attention back toward the enormous farm behind them. His expression gradually became more serious.

Workers were already carrying the first loaded baskets toward the sorting area.

The harvest had begun.

Now came the part that actually mattered.

Raymond folded his hands behind his back and looked at the two farmers.

"Give me the report."

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