Read I Was Reincarnated as a Poor Farmer in a Different World, so I Decided to Make Bricks to Build a Castle

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"Mr. Madoc, it's been a long time."

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"Oh, yes. I don't see you around much because you're moving up in the world, but I see you're doing well.

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Of course. How are you, Mr. Maddock?

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"Of course I am. I don't go to war anymore, but I'm always busy working here in Vulcania. It is still too early to feel old.

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"That's good to hear. It seems that Mr. Maddock's workload has been increasing for some time. Even though we haven't seen each other much, we've been worried about you.

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"That's right. At first I was a judge in the city of Vulcania and then I was in charge of checking the ratings of the merchants, but now I am also doing more and more other things. I can no longer say no when I am asked to do so.

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　After talking with Gran and the others in Vulcania, I met up with Mr. Maddock, whom I had been seeing less and less.

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　Mr. Madoc had always been a lumberjack.

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　He had been a friend of mine since I was a child when we would procure raw wood for magic mushrooms, and he had also come to my aid on the battlefield during the Barka uprising.

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　However, Mr. Madoc said he could not go to the battlefield anymore and started working in Vulcania, while I started living in the city of Fontana.

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　So we did not see each other very often anymore.

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　Mr. Maddock is doing a good job as a judge and so on.

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　Vulcania has been free from major problems because my father has been maintaining security and Mr. Maddock has been conducting the trials of disputes and other problems so that the residents are not dissatisfied as much as possible.

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　Furthermore, Mr. Madoc is asked for his opinion in disputes with other villages in the Balkan Knight Territory, and he is practically the chief judge of the Balkan Knight Territory.

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　Without him, I might not have been able to make Fontana my base of operations.

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"So, what is it this time?　I'm sure you had something to talk about if you came all the way out here to see me?"

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"It's true that I wanted to see Mr. Madoc's face. But I also wanted to talk to you. There's been a development that's been bothering me.

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"A curious move?　Is it about Barca or about the Fontana territory?　Is this something I would know about?"

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"Yes. ....... I'm not so much talking about Barca as I am about Fontana. It's about to thaw. Then people might make a big move."

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"...... people move. Maybe it was the earthquake that happened earlier?"

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"Yes, that's right. The earthquake that hit this winter shook a fairly large area. It caused a great deal of damage in Fontana, but it seems it was the same in the other nobles' territories. I heard that there were quite a few deaths.

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"Well, that's tragic. But what does it matter?　I thought you said that in Fontana you moved around and reduced the damage. The inhabitants of Barca were generally grateful for your actions."

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"Yes. The Fontana territory is still better off, even though it was hit by the earthquake, because the knights have been busting their asses to get it moving. But there are still people who have lost their livelihood. Many of them have fled to shelters, but they can't go back to their jobs. There is a possibility that these people will migrate to the area in search of work."

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"People are gathering for work, huh? It's just like that time.

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"Yeah, it was really tough then."

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　Mr. Maddock seemed to know right away that there was a reason I came to see him.

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　So I'm going to tell you something that's been bothering me.

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　If it is true, since it is a problem about the Fontana territory, I should probably go back to the town of Fontana and talk to the people who are in charge of the business rather than talking to Mr. Maddock.

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　But I still wanted to talk to Mr. Maddock.

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　It was because Mr. Madoc and I had once faced a problem similar to this one.

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　The earthquake that hit Fontana.

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　We rescued those who were affected and managed to do enough to survive the life-threatening winter cold.

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　However, those who lost their homes may not be able to return to their normal lives completely.

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　There will be a certain number of people who will leave their homes and look for work in a new place when they rebuild their collapsed houses.

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　Especially those who are the second son or younger of a farm family tend to do so.

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　However, it is not so easy to find a job for an uneducated farmer.

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　They go to a nearby town, take a day job and live day by day, and die the next winter with no savings.

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　It was more obvious than seeing the fire that this would be the case.

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　However, there is a possibility that this is not the case.

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　What if there were jobs that could be entered into without special skills and that guaranteed food, clothing, and shelter?

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　Who can blame us for wanting to jump at the chance when we find out that such a thing exists?

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　The people who run away from their homes because of the earthquake are headed there.

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　It is, without a doubt, the Fontana Army, an organization that was newly created last year.

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　Once you join the army, you will be provided with a place to live, daily meals, and even clothes.

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　Of course, there is a risk of losing your life in battle when you join the army.

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　However, it was expected that many would come without much concern.

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　Because I, at the head of the Fontana army, have so far made it this far without losing a single battle, and because of the low attrition rate of my army.

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　In other words, there is a good chance that people will flock to the city of Fontana once the winter is over.

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　First, I will go to the city and look for a job.

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　If you can find a job and have a stable life, that's all that matters.

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　If not, join the army.

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　There are a certain number of people who think that this way they will be able to eat for the time being.

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　However, this can lead to quite a problem.

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　For one thing, the Fontana army does not have an inexhaustible supply of recruits.

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　Or rather, they are already recruiting the number of men they think they need through conscription.

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　If more soldiers are recruited, the money needed for the army will increase, which will put pressure on the finances.

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　So, can the city of Fontana accept the influx of people?

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　This is because the city of Fontana is now a distribution center, where merchants are active as if they were living horses.

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　There may not be that many jobs available for an uneducated person from the village to work satisfactorily.

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　What will happen then?

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　Those who gather in the city cannot get a job and end up hanging out in the city.

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　In other words, they can only live in the favelas, and the next thing they do is to commit crimes.

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　People start to engage in criminal acts such as stealing and killing.

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　Something similar to this happened in Barca before.

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　After I was recognized by Carlos as a knight of Barca and received my lands.

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　At first it was a small fief with two villages, then a few more villages were added, but it was still a small knight fief with only a few villages.

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　People gathered there.

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　It was the same then.

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　The hungry came from all over when they heard of the bountiful harvest I had created with my magic.

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　I and Mr. Madoc still remember the time when thousands of people came to a territory with only a few villages.

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　Especially in the early days of Vulcania, there were only the inhabitants of the village of Barca.

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　More and more strangers were coming there.

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　They were not good at any particular job, and they were landless drifters.

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　At first they were accepted, but gradually there began to be a clash of opinions between the original inhabitants and those who came from elsewhere.

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　In fact, it is fair to say that the management of the estate was facing a major crisis at that time.

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　There was a clash between the former residents, the immigrants who came just after the establishment of Vulcania when there was still room to accept people, and the drifters who came after hearing about the activities of Barca, etc. Mr. Maddock, the judge, must have had a hard time.

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　In the end, the drifters without money or skills from elsewhere were forced to join the Barka army, and they managed to overcome the situation by making sure that they obeyed the rules.

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"But is this going to be like that time?　Unlike Barca back then, you now have influence over the entire Fontana territory, so shouldn't you be able to assign people to the right positions?

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"Yes, that's right. That might be fine if it were only within Fontana. But this time we might get immigrants from other noble families. The earthquake had a great impact on them.

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"I see. There may be spies from other noble families. It's going to be quite a problem.

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"Yes, I know. I was thinking that if we get more people than the limit in Fontana, we could send them to the Arbalest area where the number has decreased in the last year, but I heard about the spies and Vargas doesn't seem to like it either. I don't know what to do, it's going to be a headache now."

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"Fohoho. You're still a pain in the ass, my friend. Well, hang in there. If you want, we can build another new town and unite all the immigrants there. That way, at least you won't have any trouble with the existing residents.

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"......I see, a new city, huh? That might be a good idea.

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　If you have a problem with too many strangers, how about building a town with only strangers?

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　It would be too forceful a statement to make.

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　However, I can't help but nod in agreement with Mr. Madoc's opinion.

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　But I can't help but nod my head to Mr. Maddock's opinion, for when land is involved, as in business, people really start causing troubles that can even lead to killing each other.

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　Taking Mr. Maddock's advice, I started to think about building a new town.

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