However, this world still doesn't have stirrups, and the saddles are low-bridge saddles.
Although I can 'invent' stirrups and high-bridge saddles, these things are too easy to replicate.
Therefore, even if I use them later, I can't reveal them on small battlefields; they must be shown off on large battlefields.
Then, I'll quickly sell the manufacturing method and make a fortune. After thinking clearly, I couldn't help but sigh, "Alas! Why is there no such thing as a patent in this world?"
Hartfilia and four Attendant Knights also mounted their respective horses. Hartfilia's previous warhorse was taken back because she followed Allen.
She was replaced with the current black horse; although equally magnificent, it still couldn't compare to her previous warhorse.
The Attendant Knights rode ordinary yellow-grey horses, which belonged to Allen and were simply assigned for the knights to use.
"Depart." Allen pulled the reins, and Snow White neighed loudly, then galloped away.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop!
Before long, they arrived at Bianhai Town, as the town was the primary focus of the entire territory.
Bianhai Town is located at the northeast corner of Maple Ridge; on the map, the west side is the town's entrance and exit, while the east side faces the sea.
To the north is the 7-shaped Icefield Forest, specifically the lowest corner of the '7'. As for the horizontal line at the top of the '7', it is said to extend all the way to the North Pole, a place perhaps even Dragon Knights have never reached.
To the south is a 3-shaped Maple Fire Forest, divided into upper and lower parts.
The upper part of the '3' is located in the Steel Mountain Ridge Kingdom and is called Maple Ridge, which is the territory granted to the Earl by the Blackheart Iron Duchy.
The lower part is tens of times larger than the upper part, located in the Eagle Kingdom and called Maple Fire Forest.
And Coastal Town is at the very top small dot of the '3'.
The reason Bianhai Town could be developed amidst potential beast tides from both forests is entirely because the lowest corner of the Icefield Forest's '7' is cut off by a large river named Central River. Even if a beast tide forms, it won't be too strong and won't be attacked from two sides.
After 600 years of reclamation by the Tricolor Violet Family, 2/5 of the entire Maple Ridge remains wilderness.
Similarly, Bianhai Town has only reclaimed about 1/3, with most of the remainder being forest.
Allen and his group hadn't even entered the town when they smelled a foul odor from afar. Upon truly entering and seeing the dirt roads of the town, animal and human feces were visible everywhere.
Just like in the real Middle Ages, the sanitation was terrible, and they didn't seem to fear the spread of disease. Allen walked in with a frown.
The further he walked in, the stronger the smell became, and along both sides of the street, serfs and commoners constantly bowed.
Those kneeling were serfs; those bowing were freemen.
Serfs constituted the vast majority; they had sold themselves to the nobility, and their marriages, deaths, and everything else belonged to the noble, which was Allen.
If Allen told them to die, they had to die, and this world even had something like the "right of the first night."
Once exercised, they could only clean their daughters and wives and send them to the castle, with no room for refusal.
How should I put it? It certainly fit Allen's stereotype of medieval Europe.
Freemen were few, mostly engaged in manual trades such as carpentry, masonry, tailoring, and so on.
But their situation wasn't much better, after all, if you lived in a noble's territory, the noble could still kill men and seize women; in this territory, the lord was the only one.
Walking through this street that ran through the town, most of the houses were made of wood, dilapidated, and two-story buildings were rare.
Allen truly felt the poverty of the common people.
His heart was filled with emotion.
But he was even more grateful that he had transmigrated as a noble and could live in a castle.
He might even have the chance to become the ruler of a kingdom, or even an empire, with the opportunity to change the world.
With a heavy heart, he continued along the planned route, heading towards the seaside.
Fields stretched out, centered around the town and this main road, extending continuously outwards.
There were quite a few fields, and many of the crops growing in them were unfamiliar to Allen.
However, many of the crops were planted haphazardly, with large patches here and small patches there, and quite a few growing together with weeds.
Clearly, they were not planted with care, nor were they scientifically planned or managed.
Allen's mood grew heavier; his own territory couldn't even grow crops well, so how could he talk about future development?
Dragons and elves certainly made this world, but they also caused other developments to be relatively very backward compared to the real Middle Ages.
I hope the people in my territory are not truly lazy, but rather unable to farm diligently because they don't have enough to eat.
Otherwise, development will just be a slogan.
No, I must write this down and give it to Leighton, my teacher, so he can quickly start a literacy campaign and establish schools to cultivate talent.
Only then can the land be managed scientifically, and an industrial revolution can be attempted.
After advancing a while longer, they finally reached the seaside. There was a dock there, and next to it, a shipyard.
This place was where the previous Earl used to build ships. It was also the only place in the Earl's territory that could build ships before.
But as the Earl was promoted from Viscount to Earl, the Black Heart Iron Duke granted him a river bend city called Riverbend City, located at a bend in the nearby Central River and capable of building ships, along with the surrounding land.
The Earl then shifted the focus of shipbuilding, merely maintaining this shipyard to barely produce ships.
However, now it all belongs to me. Looking at it this way, the Earl doesn't seem to have disliked my predecessor; on the contrary, he seemed to have doted on him quite a lot.
Even with his poor talent, he still gave him one of the only two places capable of building ships.
Being able to build ships and transport goods via the Central River, which flows from the center of the Steel Mountain Ridge Kingdom, the town's development will certainly not be low.
So, the reason this place is so poor is entirely because it was replaced by Riverbend City and no longer had its unique status.
Transporting goods was closer via Riverbend City, and Riverbend City could also build ships, even more and better ones.
For the Earl, developing Bianhai Town would only increase a little tax revenue, making it a place with high investment and ordinary returns.
But for me, this place has strong development potential and is very suitable for me.
Once developed, it could completely rival the three major cities in the Earl's territory: the most fertile Riverbend City, Butterfly City next to Butterfly Castle, and Hurricane City, named after Naz's race.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the Earl was indeed good to all three children, just without showing that sense of closeness.
And his predecessor, due to his poor talent, believed the Earl neglected him, which made him appear somewhat reserved when facing the Earl.
After visiting the shipyard and watching the sea for a while, it was noon. They took out their packed food and simply replenished some energy.
They continued along the previously planned route, heading north of the town, towards the corner of the Icefield Forest cut off by the Central River.
Soon, they left the flat land and entered the sparsely wooded hills.
"Lord Allen, we are now in the Icewind Forest Corner. Magical Beasts may appear, so please be careful," Hartfilia said, then confidently added, "But please rest assured, as long as no High-level Magical Beasts appear, I can protect you well."
!!! Allen's eyes widened as he looked at Hartfilia. No, you just set a flag, you just activated a keyword.
How is this any different from a scumbag who, during a thunderstorm, swears he'll only love you for this life? Isn't this just asking for trouble?
The strongest creatures in the Icewind Forest Corner are High-level Magical Beasts. Their numbers are not large, but with you setting this flag, one is bound to appear! You will definitely encounter one.
