Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 154

As dusk approaches and the sun is about to set beyond the horizon, we manage to arrive at the village of our destination.

The village is surrounded by a fence with sharpened logs and a shallow moat to prepare for monster attacks. Torches are lit at the entrances, and a simple gate is set up.

Since we are close, it seems a notification was sent ahead; a priest from the church is there to greet us at the gate.

“Welcome. You’ve traveled from afar. We extend our heartfelt welcome,” he says, bowing deeply. In response, the deacons only give a simple nod.

I’m not quite sure about the hierarchy within the church, but the younger priests serving Priest Nicolo might be similar to bureaucrats in the central government, wielding power beyond their ranks.

Well, since I have no intention of becoming clergy, this is irrelevant to me.

We are assigned to stay at the church’s lodgings. Perhaps due to the fatigue from the unfamiliar journey, the deacons quickly fall asleep after a brief greeting and meal.

As for me, since I am here on the church’s request, I am given a room at the church, have a simple meal, and decide to go to sleep.

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The next morning, we begin on-site learning with the deacons in tow.

First, the deacons are to divide the tasks of confirming the local situation, researching documents, and interviewing the villagers.

The approach is left entirely to the deacons. They need to experiment and figure out how to build relationships with local people and how to investigate the documents.

Although the church has sent a notice in advance to cooperate with the investigation, the details are kept confidential. I often tend to forget, but what we are doing now is an extremely important and confidential plan for the church, the cardinal, and Priest Nicolo’s faction.

Sara and I also decide to follow the deacons around to ensure no critical mistakes are made. It’s fine to apologize later if they are rude to the villagers, but injuries would be troublesome.

Whether or not the deacons are aware of our concerns, they continue to cause a delightful commotion throughout the village. The situation is even worse than anticipated, so we decide to gather them at noon for a report.

“First, let’s hear from Deacon Clement. What did you do in the morning?”

Clement checks his notes and begins, “I decided to inquire about the current situation from the villagers. I thought it was correct to start by asking those in higher positions and trustworthy people, so I began with the church priests. I asked the church priest about this year’s harvest situation, and he mentioned that some fields were damaged by goblins.”

That is certainly something worth reporting.

I wait for the continuation of the report, but since Clement is moving on to the village chief’s report, I interrupt to ask, “Deacon Clement, don’t you think you should report the details of the damage?”

“Yes. The church priest reported that a reduction of about 5% compared to the usual harvest is expected. This is also noted in the report.”

Is that all? Hearing his answer, I feel it is truly a good decision to plan on-site learning. The deacons’ thought processes need to be properly corrected at this point.

“Deacon Clement, did you directly verify the locations of the damage yourself? A 5% reduction in harvest suggests significant damage. Even if repairs are made, remnants like new fences, soil from backfilled fields, and ash from burned crops would surely remain. There might also be injured or deceased individuals. Did you meet any injured persons directly? Did you check the graves of the deceased? Did you cross-check the records with the birth and death registers?”

“No… I didn’t. That’s what the church priest said. Are you doubting it?

“It’s not about doubting or not. It’s about whether it is true or not. Since we’re here on-site, how can we not verify the local situation?”

Deacon Clement looks frustrated when I say that, but he nods and replies, “That’s true… that’s right.”

Deacon Adelmo’s report is also quite shocking.

First, there is no accurate map of the village. The most recent survey record of the village is from 80 years ago, and even the shapes of the fields and the village itself have changed so much that it is no longer useful for reference.

The village’s fields are very complex in shape, and measuring the actual area is difficult. This complexity seems to be the result of the fields gradually expanding with land development, combined with a family being wiped out by an epidemic and their cultivated land being divided among the remaining villagers, leading to a complex adjustment of each household’s field size and distance to the fields.

The yield of the fields varies significantly by location, and it is common for wheat yields to differ by 30% even with just a few dozen steps of distance.

In short, the rights concerning the wheat fields have become entangled over decades, or even centuries. If irrigation channels or water wheels are constructed for development, disputes over the location and rights are expected to be a quagmire.

Deacon Michelino’s report was similar.

Although there are records of living and deceased individuals, those who have left the village or are temporarily employed in farming without permanent residence are not recorded. Therefore, it is impossible to calculate the labor force based on the birth and death registers.

“How are we supposed to plan with this situation…”

Deacon Adelmo’s voice of despair echoes the sentiments of all the deacons.

It seems that the on-site learning will turn out to be quite an enlightening opportunity for the deacons to understand reality.