Chapter 31

"Um! Not bad! Quite beautiful! The wood grain of the World Tree's branch is very delicate, and it carries a refreshing fragrance that purifies the soul. It has a natural cleansing function, making it the perfect material for a toothbrush."

Tang En smiled broadly as he examined the freshly made toothbrush in his hand, eager to try it out immediately.

If the elves knew he was using the precious branches of the World Tree for such a purpose, even the most temperate of them would surely turn against him. The World Tree, also known as the Tree of Life, is the totem of the elves and one of their mothers. In other words, the branches of the World Tree are like the body of the elves' mother, a treasure they consider worth protecting with their lives. Tang En, however, was using it to make a toothbrush, which was undoubtedly a desecration! Absolutely a desecration!

Compared to being used as a toothbrush and constantly being stuffed into a human's mouth to clean teeth, they would probably prefer to be made into wands by other humans.

But Tang En didn't care. Things are meant to be used; otherwise, what value do they have, no matter how good they are?

"Unfortunately, the bristles are too poor. Oh well, I'll just have to make do. A World Tree toothbrush... of course, it needs a good cup to match. Yes, this one will do!"

Without hesitation, Tang En took out a piece of Starlight Gold. It quickly softened and shaped in his hands, soon forming a modern, simple rectangular cup.

"Too bad there's no toothpaste... Oh, I'll have to work hard these next few days to make some."

Seeing the toothbrush, Tang En instinctively felt something odd in his mouth, especially since he had been eating mostly roasted meat for the past two days. Not brushing his teeth was simply unbearable!

He casually placed the toothbrush and cup on the table beside him, then stretched lazily, only now realizing he was a bit hungry.

As soon as Tang En opened the door, he nearly bumped into the maid in front of him.

"Lord, Lord!"

The maid was startled and hurriedly bowed, but her legs, stiff from standing all day, caused her to stumble toward Tang En.

In that moment, the maid was so frightened that her heart almost stopped beating, her mind blank.

"Didn't you stand here all day?"

Tang En caught the maid and, seeing her appearance, immediately guessed what had happened. He was very surprised. He had only given a casual order, yet this maid was so responsible, something that would be impossible on Earth.

"To serve Lord is my honor..."

Being supported by Tang En and being so close to him, the maid was almost overwhelmed with happiness.

"What's your name?"

Suddenly hearing Tang En ask her name, the maid was stunned, her heart racing.

Why is Lord asking my name?

Could it be... could it be that Lord is lonely and wants someone to keep him company at night?

Am I really that lucky?

As mentioned before, Hogg was a very extravagant and lustful person. He wouldn't choose middle-aged women as maids; most of the girls working in the lord's mansion were very young and beautiful. Even if he couldn't handle them all, it was still a pleasure to look at them.

This maid, if placed on Earth, would be a natural beauty rated at least 70 out of 100. However, Tang En, having been exposed to heavily edited photos and having seen Fiona and Elsa, had developed a higher resistance and didn't feel much.

But this maid was different!

To her, the person in front of her was almost the most powerful person she could ever encounter. Being asked her name suddenly, she naturally started to overthink.

Especially since Tang En was young, handsome, and kind, a stark contrast to Hogg. The maids would secretly discuss the relationship between Tang En and Fiona.

"Tina, I'm Tina, Lord."

Tina blushed, her head lowered, feeling shy.

"Tina, right? I remember the former maid supervisor was dismissed, right?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Starting today, you will be the maid supervisor of the lord's mansion. Tomorrow, go and tell Fiona it's my decision. Now, Tina, go have dinner, and don't do anything tonight. Take a bath and rest well."

Tang En finished speaking, released Tina, and went downstairs to eat. However, he didn't realize that his simple act of concern had been misunderstood.

Maid supervisor?

I'm the maid supervisor now?

Tina felt no sense of reality. What made her even more nervous was why Lord had told her to eat dinner and take a bath.

Could it be... he really wants to...

What should I do?

Accept? Or...

Tina, filled with anxiety, came to the kitchen, where the maids ate.

"Tina, you finally came. You didn't eat lunch and stood there all day. Lord is too cruel..."

Tina couldn't help but say, "Marin, don't say bad things about Lord. Lord is a good person."

"Of course, I know he's a good person, or he wouldn't have reduced taxes. But how could he let you stand all day?"

"I wanted to stand there because Lord said not to let anyone disturb him... By the way, everyone, I... I'm the maid supervisor starting tomorrow..."

"Tina, are you sick? What are you talking about?"

"It's true!"

Tina said urgently, "Lord just said it himself!"

Marin was shocked, "What!?"

"Really?"

"Heavens! Tina, your luck is incredible!"

"Yes, your salary will increase by five gold coins..."

"You don't understand. An increase of five gold coins is nothing. The most important thing is that Marin got to talk to Lord!"

The maids chattered excitedly, while Tina stood there, at a loss.

Marin came over, took her hand, and said happily, "Tina, congratulations! As the maid supervisor, don't make us work too hard!"

Tina hurriedly said, "O-of course..."

"But why did Lord so casually make Tina the maid supervisor? Could he be interested in her?"

"What are you talking about? Although Tina is pretty, Miss Fiona is even more beautiful, like an angel!"

"Miss Fiona and Lord are clearly not a couple; they don't even live in the same room!"

"You don't understand. That's called romance, showing that Lord is sophisticated."

"Is Miss Fiona really that beautiful? I don't think so. Elsa is just as beautiful."

"Elsa is beautiful, but don't forget her strength. No man can handle her. If she uses her legs during intimacy, she could break a man's waist!"

The maids who understood the ways of men and women giggled, looking at Tina with suggestive glances. "Tina, if Lord really likes you, don't miss this great opportunity. Lord is much better than that fool Hogg."

Tina felt even more embarrassed. She had originally wanted to ask for their advice on what to do tonight but now decided against it.

After a hurried dinner, Tina returned to her room and collapsed on the bed.

What should I do?

Tina pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating rapidly.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally got up and walked to the bathroom...

Leaving aside the misunderstanding of the young girl, a different "war" was brewing in the dining room.

"Why aren't you eating? Why are you staring at me?"

Tang En, who was wolfing down his food, looked at Fiona in confusion. He was really hungry, and even though the food in Plandar was not to his liking, it tasted especially good to him now.

But no matter how good the food was, it was hard to eat with someone staring at him intently.

"I went to see Brian this afternoon."

Fiona was very angry and said irritably, "You made another rash decision, didn't you?"

Tang En wiped his mouth, "What are you talking about?"

"The agricultural tools innovation, and the iron ore consumption aside, what's this agricultural subsidy you told them about?"

Fiona's teeth were grinding, and she wanted to bite Tang En's arm.

Damn it, I knew Brian couldn't keep his mouth shut!

Tang En looked matter-of-factly, "It's an agricultural subsidy, as the name suggests."

"What do you mean, 'as the name suggests'!"

Fiona sighed deeply, "I've never heard of an agricultural subsidy in the entire empire, or even in other countries! Do you really think the lord's mansion has too much money to spend, so you're finding ways to spend it?"

Tang En's expression turned serious, "Of course not. There are many places where we need to spend money, and we must increase our revenue and cut expenses."

"You know there are many places to spend money?"

Fiona pouted, "Then tell me what this agricultural subsidy is."

"It's simple. Hogg plundered too much wealth from here, and part of that wealth is now in our hands. What I want to do is gradually return this wealth to the people. Gold only has value when it circulates; it's meaningless when piled in the treasury."

Tang En's expression was very serious, and seeing that he wasn't joking, Fiona listened attentively.

"The most critical point is that the farmers in Ellington can no longer bear the risks. Years of bandit raids have pushed them to their limits. What I want to do now is to help them release this pressure."

"The agricultural subsidy, 1,232 households, one gold coin per household, is only a little over a thousand gold coins, not much. But the value these gold coins will generate far exceeds their face value."

"These gold coins can reignite their hope for life, giving them more motivation to farm and produce more food for us."

"More importantly, with these gold coins, they can buy iron tools. With new tools, their farming efficiency will increase, and the yield of crops will naturally rise. With higher efficiency, they will have more free time, and their activities in Ellington will generate more economic value."

Tang En smiled, "Now, do you still think spending a little over a thousand gold coins is not worth it?"

Fiona was stunned!