"Build them a warm tent and quarantine them together. Also, have people boil water for them to drink. Make sure it’s boiled water, not water that’s merely been left to cool."

Whenever colds were mentioned, the only thing that came to Phield’s modern mind was one phrase: drink more hot water.

"Have the people delivering water cover their faces and mouths, otherwise the sickness may spread."

Kaor still insisted, "My lord, wouldn’t it be better to just burn them?"

"There’s no need. Randomly burning people alive would only create an oppressive atmosphere in the territory. To be safe, have Lydia take a look at them first."

Phield rubbed his temples. The last thing he wanted was literal burnings happening in the territory.

"Unfortunately, the territory has no apothecary, nor any medicine for colds. Holy Light can only heal certain physical injuries."

Phield wrote down the matter of finding an apothecary on paper and sighed.

"The rest will have to be left to miracles."

"My lord!"

Mick came running over excitedly, clutching a small box in his arms.

Seeing his vigilant yet exhilarated expression, Kaor suspected Mick had dug up some kind of treasure chest.

"The soap you requested, my lord. Please have a look."

Opening the wooden box revealed a pale yellow bar of soap with a faint fragrance. It looked almost like a slab of premium butter.

"This is it! Looks like we got lucky and produced it successfully on the first try."

Mick scratched his head shyly.

"It’s all thanks to you, my lord."

"Damn... how is this kid so good with compliments? He’s stealing all the flattering lines."

Kaor nearly smoked with rage and glared fiercely at Mick.

"Good, good. Say more things that help unity."

Phield pumped his fist excitedly, carefully examining the soap. He could barely suppress the grin on his face.

"Mick, I’ll reward you with one gold coin. The workers will each receive twenty silver coins. Continue producing more soap at all costs."

"I don’t need the gold coin. Serving you is already my duty, my lord."

"It’s fine. There’s no need to be modest about this."

Placing the heavy gold coin into Mick’s hand, Phield said seriously, "Rewards and punishments are rules. Work hard. When Nightfall Domain has more and more products in the future, you’ll find plenty of use for money."

At present, the market already had small amounts of agricultural goods and flour available for sale, though prices were high because demand far exceeded supply.

Fine salt, meanwhile, was something nearly as valuable as gold outside the territory, yet the market held quite a large amount of it.

Aside from that, there were only daily necessities and wooden goods.

"Yes, my lord."

Kaor was practically on the verge of fainting from anger.

"That damned brat is way too good at licking boots. Is he trying to replace me?"

The old man and the young man glared at each other, looking ready to start fighting on the spot.

Ignoring the two of them, Phield pondered for a moment before making a decision.

"This batch of soap won’t be used for trade yet. It’s already enough to give the nobles a small shock, but it still isn’t perfect."

"It still isn’t perfect?" Mick could hardly imagine it.

"Yes, far from it."

Phield thought of the countless varieties of soap from his previous life.

"For example, colors. We can use natural dyes like mineral powder or herbal powder to color the soap. We could even paint patterns on it."

"Additionally, we can carve words and designs into the bars. Adding milk or fragrances can alter the scent."

"Making the process intentionally more complicated will not only improve product quality and make the formula harder to replicate, but also create Nightfall Domain’s own exclusive brand."

Kaor and Mick were both completely stunned.

"For now, focus on refining the technique. I’ll prepare the rest. Newly produced soap will first supply the castle, and any surplus can be sold on the market."

"Mhm, understood." The two hurriedly nodded.

"Oh right, my lord. For the refined salt we’re planning to sell to Maple Leaf City, should we add decorative packaging too? Perhaps luxurious boxes?"

Phield instantly imagined refined salt sealed inside transparent plastic bags and placed within sleek black carrying cases. Just the mental image felt stylish.

"Excellent idea. Also, we collected plenty of ordinary gemstones before. They’re just sitting around unused anyway, so we can use them as decorations."

Not all jewelry was valuable. Some jewels scavenged from spoils were worth little on their own, so bundling them together with refined salt made more sense.

"I’ll leave this matter to you, Kaor. The more luxurious the packaging, the better."

Kaor proudly shot Mick a smug look.

"It’s about time we went trading again. The territory is running short on daily supplies."

Stretching lazily, Phield increasingly dreaded seeing Baron Maple Leaf, but matters of the territory had to remain separate from personal feelings.

"We’ll leave in three days."

"Yes, my lord!"

The three days passed quickly.

Most of the rubble blocking the gates of Starnight City had been cleared away. The enormous piles of corpses beneath the walls had gradually been consumed or transported away by Ophelia’s corpse hordes, making the city look far cleaner.

Phield also inspected the ranches. Most of the female livestock were pregnant, and within half a year, Nightfall Domain’s animal population was expected to enter a rapid growth phase.

Agricultural expansion had begun slowing down. The fields around the Grand Winery were already fully planted. To cultivate more farmland, they would need to expand beyond the city walls. While the slaves farmed, they also had to construct wooden walls to protect the fields.

Phield even planned to convert a portion of Starnight City itself into farmland.

"Alexia, you want to help build the iron mine outpost?"

Phield frowned as he looked at the application the girl handed him before glancing toward Tate.

"This isn’t a joke. The iron mine outpost is the farthest stronghold from the Grand Manor."

"Of course. I want to contribute to the territory."

Alexia planted her hands on her hips proudly.

"It’s good for her to gain some experience. Otherwise she’ll remain too immature."

Tate did not think there was anything wrong with it.

From another perspective, you two really do have similar personalities, Phield thought to himself.

"Once the defensive structures at the iron mine outpost are completed, I can arrange for her to train there. But not now."

Letting an overly curious and hyperactive little girl run around recklessly would simply be irresponsible.

"Thank you, my lord."

Alexia looked disappointed at first, but once she realized she still had a chance in the future, she immediately brightened up again.

After finishing the last of the administrative matters, Phield walked out of Starnight City fully armed.

Ashina approached him with a sorrowful expression.

"I’m heading to build the iron mine outpost. Don’t forget to visit me after you return."

"I definitely will."

Ruffling Ashina’s hair, Phield also looked reluctant to part.

"Once the walls are finished, I’ll rotate other Divine Chosen to take turns with you."

During the initial construction phase, only Ashina was capable of handling the situation independently.

She possessed enough prestige, enough strength to deal with most problems, and most importantly, incredible speed. If she encountered something difficult to resolve, she could quickly return to the Grand Manor.

"Oh right, take the Black Crow with you. I’ll be able to chat with you through it. As for daily matters, leave them to the maids."

"Okay!"

Ashina departed slowly from the Grand Manor alongside the convoy and vast quantities of supplies.