When Pérot stepped out of the cabin, he did not smell the expected rotten wood smell. The pier on the side of the ship was obviously newly built, and the old dock had more than doubled in size. It no longer squeaked when he stepped on it, but made a reassuring thumping sound. Apparently, the joints between the planks were very strong, and the material was quite thick.
When he walked down the dock, several uniformed guards immediately came up to him. The leader of the guards looked at the family emblem hanging on the mast of the Lionheart. "Are you... Sir Hull of the Honeysuckle Family?"
"Yes." Pérot nodded. This kind of question was very useful to him. "I'm Pérot Hull. I came here at His Highness' invitation."
"Sir Iron Axe has already told us. Please follow me." The guard made a gesture.
"On foot?" Roland was slightly startled.
"Yes, the stables have been demolished." The guard smiled embarrassedly. "Don't worry, the roads in the town are very easy to walk on."
Pérot quickly understood what the guard meant by "easy to walk on".
The dark streets were flat and spacious. The snow on them had been swept away, and not much water could be seen. The road seemed to be made up of many black stones with small gaps in the middle. After being soaked in water, it looked clean and translucent. What surprised him the most was that there was more than one such path. Every hundred steps, he could see a straight and crisscrossed fork. The degree of regularity was like a square drawn with a pen. After walking for half an hour, he did not see a single piece of muddy land.
Pérot was surprised to find that this town was completely different from what he remembered.
"Sir, is this really... Border Town?" Seth's eyes widened as he looked around. "Didn't they say that this place is just a temporary shelter for mining?"
"It used to be like this," the guard said with a smile. "But since His Highness came, everything began to change. The roads in the town were all built half a year ago. At that time, thousands of people were busy every day, and one could be built almost every month. "
Pérot noticed the pride in his tone, as if he was proud to be a member of the town.
However … this was too inconceivable! Along both sides of the street were large trees, and he could imagine what it would be like once the summer came, when the green foliage would shade the sun overhead; and then the houses--no sign of the low mud huts or the ramshackle wooden inns, and all round were angular brick houses, each two or three stories high, of almost the same design, and evidently built by the same masons.
How could he transform a barren town into such a state in a year's time!
With surprise and confusion, Pérot followed the guards into the castle area. The guide was changed to a Knight in armor, and his attendants were all left outside the wall.
It was only when he stepped into the castle that Pérot found the feeling he had a year ago.
This place didn't seem to have changed much. Compared to the Fortress Duke's fortress, the prince's castle was obviously much smaller.
The Knight pushed open the door to the living room and made a gesture of invitation. He soon saw the prince sitting on the main seat.
His Royal Highness Roland Wimbledon.
"Welcome to Border Town," Roland said with a smile, "Mr." Ambassador "."
It seems that His Highness hasn't changed much, Pérot felt inexplicably relieved. He raised his hand to his chest and respectfully saluted, "The Honeysuckle Family pays tribute to you, Your Highness."
"Sit down," the other nodded, "I called you here because of a very important matter. This matter concerns the future of the entire Western Region, and naturally includes Longsong Stronghold. "
"Please say it."
"I intend to build a city here. The city's scope extends to the Misty Forest in the west and Longsong Stronghold in the east, encompassing half of the Western Region. At that time, Longsong Stronghold will exist as a stronghold in the east of the New City, and it will also be the first line of defense against the Church's army, unlike the current independent city. " Roland stated in an orderly manner, "In this vast territory, the same law must be implemented and unified under the management of the New City City hall. No nobles can intervene in the affairs of the city, and the five families of the Western Region are no exception. "
Pérot felt a fierce shock in his heart! A year ago, he also had the same idea – to let the Duke Of Ryan move the line of defense against the demonic beasts to Border Town, and at the same time use the land between the two places. But he didn't expect that a year later, the Prince would actually use this method, and the method was even more thorough than he had imagined. Turning Longsong Stronghold into a part of a city? Just by imagining it, he could understand how amazing the scale of this city would be!
He subconsciously wanted to raise doubts, but just as the words were about to come out of his mouth, he swallowed them back – since His Highness had told him about this matter, there was no doubt that he had already made a decision, and now no one could stop him from implementing this plan.
Pérot didn't even think about rebelling against the Prince … The crushing defeat of the Duke Of Ryan left a strong impression on him, and he even felt that this gray-haired man couldn't be defeated, at least … he couldn't be defeated. So the only thing he could do was to seek his own interests in this huge change.
"You said that the five families can't intervene in the affairs of the city, so how can the Honeysuckle Family serve you?"
The Prince was silent for a long time until Pérot felt a little uneasy, then he chuckled and said, "You really surprised me, Mr. Ambassador. Whether it was the previous offer to redeem Longsong Stronghold or the current positive attitude, it's a rare wise decision from the nobles."
After sighing, he stopped smiling and said seriously, "As long as the Honeysuckle Family is willing to accept my management, you can continue to assist me in managing the Longsong area."
"Whether it's me or my father, we've always followed your will …"
"I'm not talking about individuals, I'm talking about the territory." Roland interrupted, "From now on, the nobles who accept my protection will only have the ownership of the territory, but not the right to govern it – whether it's the law, law enforcement or other policies, they will all be subject to the decree issued by the City Hall."
"This …" Pérot hesitated.
"The territory can be inherited from generation to generation, just like the title of nobility, and your family can also run farmland, workshops or other businesses. These industries, together with the land, belong to the Honeysuckle Family, and will not be invaded by others – this is also the protection I promised. Apart from the right to govern, the land you own will not change at all, and it will even flourish under the stimulation of the new policy. " The Prince continued, "Of course, you can also choose to return to your own territory and continue to be a feudal noble in the traditional sense. But when I finish the expansion of the new city and expand outwards, the territory will no longer belong to its original owner. "
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