Of course, even as he grumbled inwardly, Gwen knew that there was nothing he could do about the current state of the world.
There was a pattern to the development of civilization, but it was also full of uncertainties. Sometimes, an explosive technological innovation could allow an entire civilization to leap up a level, but most of the time, especially when feudal ignorance held an overwhelming advantage, the development of civilization would be stagnant for hundreds of years.
In this world where supernatural powers existed, class rigidity was extremely serious, and the world had experienced a Great Destruction, the situation would only worsen.
The existence of supernatural powers allowed this world to have many conveniences that were beyond the times, but at the same time, supernatural powers also shackled the development of this world's civilization. It allowed those at the top to easily live a comfortable life, and establish absolute dominance over most 'mortals' who had no power. But due to the rarity and uncertainty of 'magical talent' itself, it was difficult for this power to become a driving force for social development. It could not benefit the masses of this world, and the lucky few who occasionally awakened magical talent would only become the new aristocracy. They would not and could not change the fate of most people.
Supernatural powers did not belong to 'mortals' — it was a rule that was taken for granted.
It was precisely because of that that social progress was extremely slow. On one hand, ordinary people, who were the majority of the population, could not change anything. On the other hand, the upper class, who enjoyed the convenience of supernatural powers, did not think that there was a need for social progress. In fact, even the civilians did not think that there was a need for social progress, and they only prayed that they could awaken magical talent one day.
In a world where Frost Arrows existed, who would think of inventing refrigerators and air conditioners?
But Frost Arrows would always be Frost Arrows. It could not allow everyone to eat ice cream in summer, nor could it allow medical scientists to store serums and vaccines at any time and place.
At least, that was the situation in this era.
That was definitely not right. Gawain was well aware of that. Extraordinary powers should not be a hindrance to civilization, and this place should not be trapped in the Middle Ages forever. The so-called magic power was, in the end, nothing more than a way to utilize energy. Its flexibility and convenience should have been a driving force for rapid development, not a shackle. However, that was not something that could be solved now.
He explained in more detail to Heti and Rebecca the necessity of compiling the data, as well as some things to pay attention to when making the forms. Of course, since they had never counted these things, the uneducated commoners might not even be able to tell their surnames and ages. Therefore, he relaxed the requirements for the form and only allowed them to count the information of the craftsmen. As for the other commoners, they only had to register their names.
Everything would wait until the new territory was built.
No one had ever done such statistics on the civilians, because to the nobles of this world, civilians were almost worthless. They were not even enough to be cannon fodder on the battlefield. The only role of civilians was to produce food and serve as free labor. No one recognized the importance of "people", and naturally, no one recognized the need to register population data.
What was gratifying was that Rebecca, who was usually muddle-headed in other matters, was only clear in this aspect. She quickly understood Gwen's meaning and happily led her people to organize the information.
Recalling that she had previously issued a decree to allow serfs to become free people through service, it seemed that this "incompetent" lady lord was not really useless.
This child, if she was properly educated, she might be able to be in charge of human affairs (not really).
Fortunately, the number of people needed to be counted was less than 900, and after settling down in Tanzania Town, Knight Philip had already made a simple record of the survivors. Rebecca, with the help of Heti, quickly sorted out the information requested by Gwen.
After receiving the information, Gwen decided to divide the team into two groups to go to the "new home".
One group was the advance team, personally led by him, Rebecca, and Heti. The team included half of the soldiers and militia led by Byron and Knight, as well as the necessary craftsmen and a hundred laborers. The advance team would set up a temporary camp at the destination, check the water source and other conditions, and take precautions against the attacks of the surrounding beasts.
Then, most of the civilians would follow under the escort of Knight Philip.
It was unwise to directly bring more than 800 people into a barren land. Although there were basically no old, weak, sick, or disabled people among the 800 people (they did not manage to escape), it was safer for the civilians who lacked combat strength to follow behind the advance team.
To open up a barren land, no amount of preparation would be enough, but everything had to be done first. After making as thorough a plan and deployment as possible, Gwen and his advance team finally left Tanzania Town and set off towards the Dark Mountains in the southeast direction.
They followed the tributary of the White Water River and moved forward on the relatively flat riverbank. Knight and the lord led the way in front of the team, while the soldiers guarded on both sides of the team. The craftsmen and various materials and tools were protected in the middle of the team.
Heti, riding on a horse, looked back at the team that was not too large, and suddenly felt emotional. "We seem to have become pioneers …"
"We are pioneers." Gwen looked at her and said with a smile.
Heti blinked and said, "I want to talk about the great pioneering seven hundred years ago …"
Gwen shrugged and said, "Isn't that still me?"
Heti said, "… That's true."
"Show some confidence." Gawain looked at the lady who seemed to be a little worried about the future. "Every time we step into the unknown, it's a great journey. Whether it's the second pioneering seven hundred years ago, the first pioneering in ancient legends, or what we're about to do now, they're all equally great in nature. We will not only build a new home — maybe we will also build a new era. "
Heti looked at Gwen in a daze, and then nodded. She did not quite understand what he meant by "a new era," but since her ancestor, a legendary hero, had said so, it must be a great and glorious thing.
Amber, who was accompanying them, clapped her hands. The thief lady's thought was simple. Anyway, Gwen was now the boss, and whatever the boss said was right. Whether she understood it or not, she could not go wrong by clapping her hands …
The closer they got to the Gloom Mountain Range, the more desolate the scenery became. The power of human civilization in this southern land showed signs of gradual decline.
Before the boom of pioneering had subsided, the descendants of the first pioneer Knight had set up small settlements in this barren land with swords and flames, and planned to expand their territory in the direction of the Gondor wastelands. But as the aftermath of the Demonic Tide stirred again and again, the dark and primitive forces at the border of civilization eroded again and again, the continuous breeding of monsters and the deteriorating natural environment made it difficult to maintain these settlements. When the civil war broke out in the Month of Mist, the forces in the south were reshuffled, and the last few pioneer villages in this land were wiped out.
Today, the counterattack of the barren forces had swallowed all traces of civilization, and between the withered and dilapidated settlements and primitive forests, only beasts and monsters were left.
Although the magic had calmed down and the Demonic Tide was restrained in the Gondor wastelands, humans seemed to be satisfied with their current civilized territory. Coupled with the decline of the Cecil family in the south, the Ansu Kingdom had no intention of redeveloping this land.
The caravan moved forward in silence on the rugged road. Although Gwen's encouragement to Heti was effective, the others in the caravan could not help but feel uneasy. No one knew what the result of this march to the barren land would be, even if it was the great pioneer seven hundred years ago who led them. It was especially so for the craftsmen found among the peasants and serfs. It was not so much the sense of glory that drove them, but the habitual obedience to the lord and the numbness to life that drove them forward.
Just like that, they walked along the river bank and stopped at an open area three days later.
This open land was close to the Gloom Mountains. In fact, it was sandwiched between the river and the mountain. It was a narrow and long plain where the tributary of the Whitewater River slightly widened. The river flow slowed down and flowed smoothly across the north side of the Gloom Mountains, all the way to the east and into the Typhon Empire.
Facing the south, looking up, there was the magnificent and daunting Gloom Mountains.
Gwen climbed up a boulder beside the river bank and looked around. He compared the scenery with the satellite view in his mind. He saw that there was a forest growing on the west side of the plain. Most of the trees there were hard black fir and giant trees, which could be a valuable source of timber in the early days of the territory. The mountains on the east side were more prominent. If Gwen Cecil's memory was correct, there should be iron ore there.
In addition to iron ore, there were several other mineral deposits nearby. The Gloom Mountains were a treasure trove.
Although the pioneering team led by Gawain Cecil and Charlie I didn't stop at the Gloom Mountain Range, they still did some basic investigation and exploration along the way. Gawain was very familiar with the mineral veins and resources that they found but couldn't use.
Since the Ansu royal family had given up on these, he gladly accepted them.
After observing the terrain, Gwen jumped down from the boulder and looked at Heti. "You will camp here. Set up the tents you brought. Let the soldiers escort the lumberjacks to the forest to get wood. But don't go too deep into the forest to avoid being attacked by beasts. Don't worry about the monsters. The Gloom Mountains are not as terrible as you think. The influence of the Dark Tide has already subsided. If you want to encounter any monsters, you will have to go near the focus of the magic. Except for the lumberjacks, the rest of the labor force will stay here to help build the camp. Rebecca, Byron, Amber, the three of you come with me. "
Heti was stunned. "Ancestor, you want to …"
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