"Tell the slaves not to go into the forest to gather firewood tomorrow; I have other more important work for them to do."
Jasmine turned to instruct the old Butler standing by her side.
Although today's pork stew took a long time and used quite a bit of firewood, Jasmine was in no hurry. It was only the beginning of summer, and the freezing winter was still a long way off; there was no need to rush to stockpile firewood so early while their stomachs were still empty.
Currently, the most important and urgent matter was still solving the food problem, both immediate and long-term.
Although Jasmine had only cursorily patrolled the territory once today, based on the land and manpower situation she had learned, this territory with its backward farming methods temporarily could not produce enough food for over three hundred people in a short time. It seemed she could only bring in food from outside for temporary famine relief.
The small town closest to the Black Dragon territory that could provide supplies and trade goods was only Ankera town, but it was also a full three days' walk away, and the road was difficult to travel.
Knight Isaac, the protector of the territory, was accepting commission tasks in Ankera town to maintain the castle's operations.
Although the old Butler kept saying Isaac was loyal and would bring food back very soon, the man had been gone for several months without a trace.
Even if Jasmine did not doubt Isaac's character, assuming the man despised the poor territory and found an excuse to leave like the others, Jasmine would not naively place all hope of survival on this knight she had never met.
She had to save herself and the territory.
Although Jasmine was considered exiled to the Black Dragon territory and had left the Royal Capital in a hurry at night without time to pack much luggage, that did not mean she brought nothing at all.
She had quickly grabbed quite a few gold coins saved since childhood, as well as gold and silver jewelry used daily, hiding them on her person.
If she truly lacked money to the point of desperation, she could still sell those noble dresses, intricately crafted and studded with gemstones, to get money to buy wheat.
Speaking of clothes, Jasmine really did not dare to compliment the gaudy aesthetic taste of the Royal Capital's upper-class nobility.
Whether male or female, clothes were embroidered with lace borders, frills, and attached with all sorts of heavy stones, which was one thing, but top-quality animal skin boots were made into sharp high-heeled shapes.
The first time she wore those shoes, Jasmine almost fell flat on her face before the old King during the ceremony, performing a memorable kowtow to him.
If going out to buy food, Jasmine definitely had to go personally to grasp the price and market situation.
Currently in the territory, apart from the frail old Butler, a second reliable person who could carry a large amount of money out for transactions could not be found.
Even though the slaves looked simple and honest, they had never interacted with society, so Jasmine did not dare assign such a major task related to survival to them.
She still needed to cultivate some trusted subordinates.
Jasmine rubbed her forehead with a headache, feeling that the road ahead still had many thorns.
Busy all day today, running back and forth, plus the lingering fatigue from the long, bumpy carriage ride before, Jasmine was also exhausted, her whole body aching.
Her dinner was like the slaves', but the portion was presented more beautifully and was larger; the sausages and meat-vegetable cakes were all re-fried in lard to be hot and crispy.
They looked golden and crispy, emitting a fragrant smell, just a bit too oily compared to her previous light palate.
Perhaps because she hadn't eaten appetizing food for too long, or because hard labor increased her appetite, Jasmine felt the taste wasn't bad, very rich.
Unlike the hastily eaten breakfast, Jasmine ate dinner completely clean, scraping the plate with nothing left over.
The old Butler and the female cook, who had been standing and watching Jasmine eat with trepidation, couldn't help but secretly sigh in relief upon seeing this.
As long as the Lord did not despise their castle's rough food, it was fine; they were most afraid she would get angry and refuse to eat.
Not sure if her body was too tired or if she worried about too many things, Jasmine did not fall asleep immediately tonight like yesterday.
On the contrary, she tossed and turned on the hard mattress bed, turning her body continuously, unable to sleep no matter what.
When the night deepened and the space became quiet, the murmuring of slaves downstairs had gradually ceased, replaced by snoring and steady breathing.
It was also at this moment she realized the slaves all huddled together to sleep on both sides of the large banquet hall on the ground floor at night to avoid drafts.
Jasmine saw that pile of tattered thatch scattered like garbage this morning; it turned out to be the slaves' makeshift bedding.
She didn't know how long since they had changed new grass, plus the lingering smell of sweat made the entire banquet hall reek of a strong, musty stench, wafting faintly up to the upper floor.
Jasmine's dinner was eaten right in her private bedroom; she had no interest in being watched eating by a bunch of slaves in that hall reeking of unpleasant odors.
Past midnight, the night which was originally quiet with only the wind whistling through window cracks, suddenly became unusually lively.
Jasmine, who had barely managed to nurse a fitful drowsiness, was immediately awakened by strange sounds.
She sat up abruptly, pricking her ears to listen carefully, discovering those noisy sounds and wild howls coming from outside the castle.
What happened? Wild beasts attacking? Or undead creatures in the Dry Tree Forest breaking the seal and running out?
Jasmine was suspicious and worried inside; she crawled out of bed, carefully walked around the Dragon Egg radiating warmth on the outside, and walked barefoot on the cold stone floor to the window.
Tonight the moon was not bright, dark clouds obscured the sky; looking out, everything was pitch black like ink. With the eyesight of a normal person like Jasmine, she could see absolutely nothing clearly.
But those noisy sounds and scratching noises did not stop; on the contrary, they sounded like they were getting closer to her, the sound of footsteps running wildly. Before long, that noise seemed to have arrived right at the foot of the castle wall.
Although the thick oak castle gate was tightly closed, because the outer wall had collapsed long ago and there was no tall perimeter wall to block them, given the dilapidated appearance and loose windows of the main building, Jasmine was genuinely a bit worried whether those things could easily grope their way into the main building.
Since she couldn't see the situation clearly from upstairs, Jasmine thought for a moment and decided to go out and ask the old Butler. They had lived in the Black Dragon Castle for so long, they must have encountered this more than once and would certainly know the cause.
Asking clearly would make her feel more at ease than sitting there guessing wildly.