A simple dirt road in the countryside cuts through fields of golden beans and wheat.

The polished beams of the carriage reflect the glimmer of summer insects.

Horse hooves kick up gravel, causing the wheels and carriage to bounce and sway.

These rural roads, unlike the Holy Alliance's mortar roads, are paved with gravel.

After the 1447 Road Maintenance Act, the Hundred Households District is obliged to maintain these roads every year.

Of course, this maintenance mostly involves picking up gravel and sand from riverbanks and tossing it onto the roads.

Most of the time, only agricultural carts with wicker carriages pass through these rural roads.

But today, the gravel crunches as a fully enclosed carriage, pulled by two large horses and escorted by four or five military police, passes by.

The iron-clad oak carriage, with white sandglass windows and black-and-red flags drooping from the poles, obscures the flag's surface.

Standing at the crossroads, the Hundred Households Captain squeezes out a smile, taking off his hat in a distant salute.

This is a black luxury carriage specially supplied by the Izod Carriage Workshop for the Imperial Priest of the ry Court Barracks.

For ordinary farmers and even the Hundred Households Captain, these are high-profile figures they might never see in their lifetime.

However, the high-profile figure they imagined is actually a "low-profile person."

Inside the carriage sits Harbin, a young dwarf whose experiences in the Hot Spring Castle of the Mountain County have matured him significantly, even streaking his temples with a few gray hairs.

At this moment, although Harbin claims he's reporting to purchase supplies, he's actually abandoning his post without permission.

But the situation in Lower Reif County and its surroundings leaves him less than optimistic.

Overnight, grain prices increased by 45%, with meat prices surging by 4% daily, not to mention wood and cloth.

Harbin can't even fathom where the nobles find the money to engage in hoarding and profiteering.

Initially, he thought, with Catherine's means and the Advisory Council, prices would surely be suppressed.

Instead, Catherine led a river of supplies to the front lines, while the Meigedi Commerce Association pretended to comply, and price increases became unstoppable.

After much deliberation, entrusting the Hot Spring Castle preparation to trusted subordinates, he set off alone for Rapids City to find Theodora.

Glancing out the window, Harbin immediately sees the chessboard-like stretch of fields under the old field system.

Soybeans and wheat alternate, forming yellow and green stripes like a finely striped cloak from windmill estates.

However, all he sees are numerous elderly, women, and children working in the fields.

Do not underestimate the impact of war on production.

Even the Holy Alliance's efficient system can only increase productivity from 50% to 70%, not 200%.

Horn is not a deity able to conjure labor or productivity out of thin air.

In this world akin to the Late Middle Ages, his exhaustive efforts only advanced the Thousand River Valley to a level resembling the 17th century.

Recruitment rates typical of the future relied on productivity levels of the future.

Despite Horn's extensive recruitment of Black Snake Bay People and Norn people, labor shortages remain rampant.

Especially as the Holy Alliance is once again expanding to its limits, requiring weapons, armor, iron ore, uniforms, and mountain copper.

Recruitment in Pingyuan County, especially the young people of Hotam County, has redirected many toward military production.

Those with skills or luck become blacksmiths, tailors, assistants, or construction workers.

The less fortunate or skilled either go to the front lines to build fortifications and transport provisions or to the mountains to mine.

Thus, Harbin sees children bearing heavy baskets, bent old women, and shaky elderly everywhere.

Of course, there are also numerous horse-drawn seeders and hand-cranked threshers.

These two simple machines are spreading in the outskirts of most cities in Langsande County and Lower Reif County.

Almost every Hundred Households District has one or two of these machines, using them to replace the manpower reduced by the war.

During the war, urban industries have instead flourished, especially these agricultural machinery workshops.

The Armed Farmers of Rangbang, who once stormed the headlines during the Bloodless Night, saw their assets multiply four or five times over a year.

Of course, only a small amount was in cash; most was "saved" in banks, inaccessible.

The war forced farmers into an agricultural revolution and transformation.

Moreover, the war unexpectedly catalyzed the widespread implementation of agricultural cooperatives within the Hundred Households District.

Harbin flips through the report, reading line by line the half-yearly almanac reports of the Priests-in-Charge.

Due to the manpower draft, wealthier Hundred Households Districts purchase cattle, horses, and seeders to replace manpower, while poorer districts rely on mutual aid.

Those fortunate or disabled labor are in high demand, with rural women sometimes trading their bodies for labor assistance.

Madlan quickly halted this practice and began promoting agricultural cooperatives and the Gallar Inclusive Bank.

This issue was a historical conundrum left from Horn's initial setup of the Hundred Households District.

Lacking initial governance experience, the clergy attempted absolute egalitarian land divisions.

Additionally, farmers always preferred receiving new plots rather than giving up their own.

The result was fragmented land plots, scattered across.

Ultimately, only through free market transactions could land become slightly consolidated.

Some farmers with overly fragmented plots simply sold most and moved to the city for work.

Having labor at home makes scattered land bearable.

Without labor, running around to farm spells disaster.

Despite initially resisting, hunger drove them to consolidate fragmented land, pooling resources to buy livestock and equipment, farming collectively.

This allows oxen and horses to plow straight through, without turning back, vastly improving efficiency.

Harbin's page-turning hands pause on the Priest-in-Charge's final summary:

"...Currently, this policy has reduced the impact of absentee laborers, with believers enthusiastically supporting the Holy Alliance's grain industry...

However, this also presents a significant issue: unfair distribution and laziness.

They work diligently on their plots, but others' plots are tended negligently, or they lazily waste time...

As of now, we have no solutions and have applied to the Imperial Cardinal Conference for experimental local solutions..."

The last page shows this year's grain yield estimate.

Unexpectedly, but understandably, grain production hasn't decreased; it's roughly the same as last year.

Does this suggest that even without the laborers, the Thousand River Valley's agriculture is self-sufficient?

Closing the report, Harbin doesn't ponder these issues, for they're agricultural and beyond his expertise.

His strengths lie in commerce and transportation.

Through vast wheat fields, Harbin spots the dock at the field's end.

Workers from Norn and Black Snake Bay, using wheelbarrows for stone bricks, continue to construct tall warehouses.

The initial construction of six docks is near completion, now focusing on large warehouses for storage and transport.

The latest four-year plan aims to establish a distribution system reaching deep into Priest Town.

If not for being in charge of the Hot Spring Castle project, Harbin would be quite interested in it.

However, the current priority is to understand the situation in Rapids City.

Yet before he can figure it out, the carriage jolts sharply, and Harbin grips the window edge: "What happened?"

The military police captain raps on the glass: "Taking a shortcut through the dock area, we'll reach Rapids City before dark."

"Alright, remember to get me the latest Advisory Council Gazette and the Truth Daily when we arrive." Fighting the urge to vomit, Harbin steadies himself to prevent sliding off the seat.

Soon, the carriage enters the dock.

Bales of military canvas pile high at Dock Six, burlap bags yellowed by river winds.

Two wooden pulley cranes stand rigid by the barge, as a peak-hatted manager argues with the commerce manager.

"The river transport office fleet was diverted to carry iron ingots three days ago, with not enough ships for grain transport."

"I don't care; the scheduling department must clear twelve slots today! Otherwise, my Black Snake Bay fruits will spoil!"

"Stop arguing, find a boat quickly, His Excellency Harbin needs a ship."

"What the hell is Harbin? We'll deal with it after we're done negotiating..."

The bickering outside further agitates Harbin.

Who's buying fruit at a time like this?!

His unconscious tapping on the window gets faster until a military police hand him a freshly inked gazette.

Expecting some good news, Harbin's eyes widen at the gazette's first glance: "Bear Castle Territory, joined the battle?!"