The western border of the empire, Oak Shield Territory.

This is a county near the south of the western territory. The local lord is Viscount Robertson, Grace's father.

When Grace was very young, he was sent to the castle of the Griffin family and grew up as a playmate and follower of Jelann. The relationship between the two was extraordinary.

For this reason, Viscount Robertson was regarded as a staunch supporter of Jelann and was envied by the nearby lords.

Because of the relationship between Grace and Jelann, everyone can foresee that the Robertson family will be deeply trusted by the future Duke of Griffin.

But things changed. With the loss of power by Jerran, the Robertson family was gradually despised by the aristocratic circle.

Now, after leaving the Griffin Territory, the capital of the Western Territory, Jerran led his knights southward, constantly sending messengers to inform those lords who might support him to gather in the Oakenshield Territory in the south.

Among the rolling hills and forests, a tall castle appears halfway up the mountain. Its roof is made of light brown tiles, which is very conspicuous under the sunlight and distinguishes it from the tall trees around it.

Below the castle is a large plain close to the river valley, with some recently harvested wheat fields scattered across it, and you can also see some straw stacks that have not yet been transported away.

Farmers in groups of three or four were busy in the fields at this moment. Some of them tied the wheat straw into bundles and pushed them onto the horse-drawn carriages beside them. Then they wiped the sweat off their face and patted the wooden boards of the carriages with a little satisfaction.

"Get up and go!" The hoarse voice was full of energy.

After hearing this, the companion in front patted the pack horse's butt and led it forward.

There were many potholes on the dry dirt road. The carriage piled with haystacks seemed to have an unstable center of gravity. It swayed and creaked all the way, slowly moving towards the distant village.

Some gravel and mud were kicked up by the riveted wheels, forming a sandy yellow dust mist in the sunset, and covering the ruts and wheels with a layer of dry dust.

Although the empire has not been peaceful in recent years, it has had no impact on this remote village, and the local people still live a similar life as before.

If there is any real difference, it is probably that occasionally some merchants come to the town and sell some gadgets that have never been seen before. I heard that those are all made in the south.

The wobbly carriage pulled the straw stacks back to the village. It took a lot of time to unload the straw stacks. By the time we sat down to eat, it was completely dark.

The tired farmer came into the house, drank several bowls of water in big gulps, and then leaned on a chair by the wall to rest.

In the other corner of the room, an old woman was stirring the pot, and it took a while to scoop out the cooked food. Then the two of them sat around the table and prepared to eat dinner.

"Is Adi not back yet?" the farmer asked the woman. The Adi the two were talking about was their son.

"He was called in for training this afternoon by Li Weike from the village. He said he's in good shape and with more training he might be picked in next year's selection."

"That's a good thing." The farmer drank the hot soup and then took a bite of the dry and hard pancake.

"I don't want Adi to join the army." The peasant woman pursed her lips and said silently.

"What's wrong with being a soldier? It's better than what I'm doing. I work for the master every year, but I can't save much money."

"There's probably going to be a war in the empire now, so it's the perfect time to join the army. If we can get some benefits, it will be worth more than ten years of work."

Whenever there is a war, soldiers always have the opportunity to plunder after capturing a city or town. For the poor, this is probably equivalent to an opportunity to get rich quickly.

"If you're lucky enough to get into a nobleman's house, you'll be rich." The farmer said slowly while chewing a pancake.

"But what if he gets beaten to death?" the peasant woman said sadly.

"Now it's Adi. He used to have a younger brother, but it's a pity he didn't grow up..."

"Hey, why are you sighing? It's not here yet." The farmer stopped his wife from worrying.

"It's a gamble, after all. It can't get any worse. I didn't have the opportunity I have now. I wanted to join the army, but no one wanted me."

"The sons of servants are still servants. Their status is much higher than ours. They can just become guards and walk around the town a few times every day, and they live a more comfortable life than us."

"Now is always a chance." After eating a few pieces of cake, the farmer was not so hungry anymore. He slowed down his eating and chewed slowly, savoring the food as if he wanted to squeeze out some sweetness from the flour.

"But, alas, forget it." The peasant woman finished her meal and sat aside.

"But I heard that the one in the south seems pretty good."

"South?"

"Well, do you remember? I had a cousin who married to the Southern Territory at that time."

"Some time ago, I went to Alan's house and heard from them that my cousin asked someone to bring some things back."

"You didn't know that there was a jar of sugar in that pile."

"Sugar, what sugar?"

"It's that kind of snow-white, very good sugar." Speaking of the jar of sugar, the peasant woman's mouth was full of envy, as if it was an extremely rare treasure.

"Things like that must be very expensive." The farmer said silently.

"It's really expensive, isn't it? I usually go to town to buy a small spoonful during the winter festival and use it to make bread."

"But now, it's a whole jar. I saw it, and it's full."

"Well, it seems that your cousin has become prosperous."

"Yes and no. I just heard from Aunt Alan that her daughter, my cousin's husband, is now working as a worker in the southern border and can support the family. My cousin has four children and now she stays at home to take care of them. She doesn't have to go out to work anymore and has an easy life."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!