Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 352

After the meal, I prepare to take on my new role as governor.

Since this is my first time, I have no idea what to prepare.

I start by writing down whatever comes to mind on pieces of wood and arranging them.

“This is the one I used before. Writing things down is really convenient.”

Sara glances over and says, “Last time… you mean when you had to deliver the Cardinal’s shoes on short notice?”

Managing your work in a way that others can see it is important.

Sara picks up one of the boards and declares, “I’ll make the governor’s clothes!”

Some people are better suited to certain tasks than others, and when you’re busy, getting help is the right call.

When others can see what needs to be done, they can easily step in and help where they can.

“Because if I leave it to Kenji, the clothes will end up looking dodgy.”

I think that comment is unnecessary, but I have no intention of arguing with Sara’s assessment.

To be honest, I don’t really understand the fashion sense of the important people in this world.

I definitely don’t want to wear tights at my age.

I suppose this is what happens when important people leave fashion decisions to the experts.

Since choosing clothes is something I’d struggle with, leaving it to someone else is probably for the best.

Besides, I have more pressing tasks to focus on.

“Thinking about how to manage the territory, huh?”

How can I be a governor while still running the shoe business?

“Sara, if you were in charge of both the shoe workshop and the rural governorship, what would you do?”

“Hmm… hire Kenji!”

“Well, I suppose that’s an option.”

The simplest solution is to hire a deputy governor.

Many nobles do this—they stay in town or at their mansion and send capable people to manage their territories.

In fact, that’s how I ended up becoming governor in the first place.

But that plan isn’t going to work.

For one, I don’t have anyone in mind who could fill the role. And even if I did find someone, the so-called “capable” governors in this world are often just those with a reputation for squeezing heavy taxes out of rural areas.

I can’t hire someone like that, so hiring a replacement is out of the question.

If I’m going to manage both the shoe business and the governor’s office, I need a new system.

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Previously, at the church’s request, I conducted practical training in rural areas with young deacons.

From that experience, I learned a few things.

One is just how unreliable the data and information collected in the city about rural areas can be.

The tax records were somewhat accurate since taxes are collected yearly, but even so, there was little oversight on the quality of the wheat being grown, and no proper maps of the villages or fields had ever been made.

Without accurate maps, it’s impossible to determine field sizes, which makes calculating fair taxes difficult.

This leads to constant struggles between tax collectors trying to collect as much as possible and farmers trying to hide their harvests.

On top of that, some rural areas have residents who come from other villages to work and settle down but aren’t registered in the local birth records.

Because these residents are landless and have unstable incomes, they are particularly vulnerable to extreme poverty.

Even back then, I encountered young couples in rural areas so desperate that they were considering selling their child.

Then there’s the issue of hidden fields.

I couldn’t deal with that before.

But this time… I feel like I can.