Chapter 265: 265:

They can see the potato fields from where they landed at the edge of the river valley, near the rocky hills that the Goblins call home, so they start walking, with Cain giving the Spider Queens and demons directions to all the locations he hopes for them to secure today.

Being so far away will affect the other group members' experience gain. Still, unless they find a bunch of high-level goblins, only James would be getting a noticeable amount from them anymore. Being more than a hundred levels above the target is the opposite of a hundred under them. Experience per kill drops to a single point before Cain's abilities modify it. 

They're almost to the farmhouse when Cain notices he has been receiving system messages. 

[Quest Reward Held at the request of Party Leader] 

The administrator must have put a hold on more than just the monetary rewards, even the bonus experience for completing the quests is on hold. James is definitely going to be knocked unconscious after those all hit him at once. 

The potato farmers are a young Wolf Kin couple with an excessive number of pups running around the yard. All have variations of the same gray-blue hair and fur, with matching gold eyes, just like their parents, who give the approaching group, especially the Giant Spider, a worried look. 

Cain would smack himself for the mistake if he weren't so concerned about the damage it would cause, changing back to a human form, but keeping [Ancient Resistance] active. The skill transforms him when he uses it, but being an Ancient, it's no big deal to shift back if he's not fighting.

"Sorry to alarm you all. We're clearing out the goblins today and wondered if you had a moment to talk." Cain greets the farmers as the others are swarmed by Wolf Kin children. They seem to be from two pregnancies, now aged two and four, by Cain's estimation, and there have to be at least a dozen in total, though it's hard to keep count with how they're moving around and climbing on people. 

"If you can keep the kids entertained, we're all yours. Dash and Amethyst at your service." The mother laughs, pulling a child off Nemu's head where it was going for her ears. 

"As I'm sure the whole valley will know by the end of the day, my name is Duke Cain, and I've come to clear the valley and claim the Manor and Territory. The issue is the actual finding all the monsters to clear them part. From what I can tell, there are thousands of low-level goblins, plus a handful of high-level Gnoll tribes. I'm assuming they're all hostile, but if they're not, I should know."

"They're all hostile. We've been at war with the Gnolls for generations already. They originally come from a kingdom far to the East of Skyview, but they breed so fast they can't stay there, so they constantly send raiders to the surrounding nations. It's all most of us can do to keep their numbers down; they're worse than locusts." Dash sighs.

"The Gnolls have been a problem forever; I'm more worried about what a new Lord might mean. What are your plans for the territory? Will you be making any big changes?" Amethyst asks, ignoring the two boys that have climbed into her lap to watch the conversation. 

"I don't know how things are being run right now, but everything seemed to be pretty well organized under the Administrator. Was there anything that needed changing?"

Cain can see the unpleasant memories flash through Dash's mind before he answers. "Not from what they are now. But the old Duke used to like random tax levies, plus he had a few policies we'd rather forget. The administrator doesn't enforce them, thankfully."

"Such as? It clearly bothers you, so I should do away with it entirely instead of having everyone hope it gets ignored."

"Well, you see, we're almost all Wolf Kin, werewolves, and Kitsune in the valley, so we have large families. The Duke insisted that was too much of a burden for the commoners, so he claimed one daughter and two sons per family once they came of age. The sons for the army, the daughters for his harem, or the army if they weren't pretty."

Misha hides her laughter, and Mythryll giggles at the look on Cain's face. "We can officially remove that once I've claimed the territory. I do not need a harem, and I don't see a need for a standing army."

"Oh, not for the territory. The Skyview army pays Nobles for recruits from their territory. So the previous noble family sent as many as they could without causing the commoners to flee. We never really had a defense force. The farmers band together to deal with anything that attacks."

"Don't you like Wolf girls? Or is your harem already too big?" One of the pups in Amethyst's lap asks, bringing Cain's whole group to open laughter. 

"You could say my harem is already as big as I want it to be." Cain laughs, petting the boy's head and making his leg shake. 

"Oh, you're good. You've practiced that." The boy's mother laughs as Cain finds just the right spot on the first try. 

"You'd think it's a skill. He gives amazing headpats." Nemu agrees, not looking up from the tickle fight she's holding. 

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As they chat about crops, the neighbors, the joys of large families, and the threat of attacks, the Spiders clear one Goblin den after another, each one taking half an hour or less until every spot that was marked on the map is clear of goblins, as well as some that weren't. Amethyst has put an enormous pot of stew on the stove, much to everyone's delight, and Cain has brought out a smoked Dwarven Goat brisket and a wheel of cheese to add to the mix. 

Meat is a Wolf Kin favorite and inevitably in short supply in the valley, thanks to the Goblin attacks. They've still got some animals, but they've taken heavy losses. 

"Did they soak this in Ale? This brisket is amazing." One of the boys cheers, sneaking a bite early while his mother is distracted by pulling bread from the wood-burning oven. 

The kitchen is not technically inside the house. Instead it has been built under an awning outside. It's an excellent idea, in this tropical climate, indoor heating is not a good thing, especially during the daytime. Neither can use fire magic, both being from warrior classes, so wood is their only real option. 

Neither one looks to be more than twenty years old, though the system does slow aging, which gives Cain the impression they were childhood sweethearts.

Dash's mostly furred form gives the impression of a plain faced fellow, his gray and brown fur lightened a little from a life spent outside, the sort of man that blends into the background. At 180cm he's neither short nor excessively tall for a Wolf Kin, calm and steady like he was made to be the perfect fit for everything around him. 

Amethyst is the opposite in almost every way. High energy, short and slender with striking amethyst eyes that match her name. Cain watches as she flits from task to task, multitasking and always at something new, while Dash somehow manages to finish every task she started then abandoned without seeming to move from the table much. For a young couple, they're very in sync with each other. 

The cabin itself is well built and even better maintained, Cain notices. The furniture also looks handmade, but not by this generation of occupants. The only real hint at the struggle of the tenant farmers is the uniform clothing, which Cain almost missed until Misha pointed out that the floral pattern of the girl's dresses matches the design on the flour bags. 

Wolf Kin tend to be light on clothing anyhow, especially the fully furred ones like this family. They're warm enough naked, so it's just there for modesty. 

"What is the going rent for a tenant farmer?" Cain asks, knowing that they'd need at least a Baron-level title and associated wealth to be the actual owners of their farm.

"Twenty percent. Plus ten percent of the crop as tax to the crown and another ten in tax to the Duke, plus any other levies during the year." Dash informs him, pointing at the farm's generations of stacked records on a bookshelf. 

They said the previous Duke did like his taxes, so that's half the crop gone before anyone eats anything. 

James leans over to whisper in Cain's ear. "That's correct for the Kingdom; the tax is ten percent of crops or a flat fee for noncropland. The Duke was right at the legal maximum even before his additional levies."

"Farmlands are only taxed on the crops?" Cain verifies. 

"By the Kingdom, yes. The Nobles charge farm rent as their own source of income, not to pay the crown. City residents pay rent to the crown based on the size of the house and the Nobles are taxed on their personal estates."

Cain decides he's keeping the administrator around. He didn't like doing his own taxes, much less being responsible for doing taxes for a thousand others. 

The neighbors from all three sides come over after lunch, hoping to meet the group that is supposedly clearing out goblins. The idea that they were doing it with summons while chatting with the locals came as a shock, but any method that ends up in fewer goblins is a good one for them.

The simple fact that the prospective new local Duke wanted to get the commoners opinions of how things were run on his very first day has given the farmers a good impression of him, even without knowing his intentions for the land. 

Most of the villagers have a system, but a third of adults don't, and neither do any young children or livestock, so even low-level goblins are a real threat to the outlying farms. 

Everything is going smoothly until nearly dark when the Spider Queens who are looking for new targets start dropping dead. Cain is out of communication range, so all he has to go on is the combat log. 

[Gnoll Commander killed Spider Queen]

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