A sudden gust of wind blew across the wilderness, lifting a large amount of sand and fallen leaves. It also lifted a corner of the thick tarpaulin that covered the heavy truck. An escort stepped forward and pulled on the loose rope and tied the tarpaulin back to the side of the truck. At the same time, he looked up at the clear and vast sky.
The sky was clear, and other than some sparse clouds, there was nothing else in the sky.
"What a strange wind …" The escort mumbled. He was puzzled by the inexplicable palpitation he felt just now.
The loud voice of the transport captain came from afar, "Car number three!"
The escort shook his head and shook the stories of the winter sprites and the plains out of his mind. He responded with the same loud voice, "Car number three is ready! Boss! "
"Car number four!" "Car number four is ready!" "Car number five …"
The mechanics in charge of driving the vehicles got into the driver's seat high up in the front of the vehicle. The crew and co-drivers also boarded the vehicle one after another. The humming sound of the power spine recharging brought a reassuring feeling. The voice of the convoy commander came from outside. "Check the condition of your vehicles. This is not a short journey. The Sacred Plains are freezing cold!
"The shipping of the Gorgon River has stopped, and we are the only transportation line this winter —"
"Let's go! Our compatriots on the plains are still waiting for the food and medicine! "
The magic engine let out a low humming sound. The gears and levers rotated and rubbed against each other under the mechanical power. The heavy, large magic vehicles gradually accelerated. In the vast wilderness of winter, the man-made steel behemoths let out a roar. They were loaded with materials that the Holy Spirit Plains Reconstruction Area urgently needed. They painted a black trail on the vast land, and the trail pointed towards the far north …
In the plains, the Gorgon River. The dry season had arrived as expected, and the drop in the river water level made it difficult and dangerous for large ships to navigate. As the managers of the various sections of the river issued warnings, the busy shipping on the Gorgon River finally stopped.
In the past, this meant that everyone who made a living on the river had to enter 'hibernation' like the farmers on the plains. Other than a few daring people, everyone would obediently return to the shack by the river, snuggle with their families, light a warm fire, rely on the stored food, and quietly wait for the end of winter. It was the same for the normal sailors, and it was the same for the ship owners.
But the situation this year was slightly different from previous years.
A team called the 'Joint Reconstruction Team' came from the Firmrock Fortress to the plains. This team built large and small camps on the scorched Eastern Sacred Plains and began the reconstruction work in full swing. They shouted the slogan of 'take back the land from the wolves and winter', and with an incomprehensible passion, they tried to rejuvenate the land.
The winter, which had nothing to do, suddenly became lively.
The boatman Du Lin brought his two sons and jumped off the wooden raft. The workers waiting on the shore immediately came forward and skillfully used hooks and ropes to drag the wooden raft to the shore. More people rushed up and untied the ropes that tied the wooden raft. They dragged the logs that made up the wooden raft to the shore and prepared to send them to the camp not far away.
The Whitewater River had been closed to navigation, but the river was not completely frozen. Although large ships could no longer sail, small rafts and boats could still sail on the shallower water. As a local who made a living on the Gorgon River, Du Lin was hired by the Joint Reconstruction Team. His task was to help transport the logs cut down from upstream to the camp area downstream. He used his ancestral craft of making rafts, as well as the courage and experience that he had gained from years of begging among the reefs.
The man who had floated on the Gorgon River for half his life stretched his neck and looked at the people in gray-blue winter clothes who were busy between the shallows and the highlands on the shore. In this cold winter, on this day that was not suitable for labor.
He could not understand the scene in front of him because this kind of thing had never happened before.
He did not intend to get too involved in these people's affairs because he was an honest "river person". Those who came out of the Rock Fortress carried the royal flag and were escorted by the army.
But he still stretched his neck and spent a long time looking at the southerners who seemed not to be afraid of the cold, and the natives who were mixed in with the southerners and were said to have originally lived in the eastern part of the Sacred Plains.
It was said that the natives were lucky enough to escape during the previous war and had been hiding in the cities and towns in the south. Now they had returned with the southerners and were planning to rebuild their homes.
Du Lin did not see any familiar faces among the "natives" — those people were most likely dead.
Du Lin looked at the people on the shallows and the riverbanks because he was a little envious of their thick winter clothes and the smell of their cooking on the riverbanks. Those winter clothes had no patches, so they were obviously new clothes, and when they were cooking, the smell of meat would occasionally waft over. They had meat to eat every week.
In this winter, Du Lin's life was actually much better than in previous years. Originally, he had planned to go through a difficult winter because of the terrible war and those terrible monsters. Because of that terrible war, because of those terrible monsters, the fields on the eastern bank were destroyed, the villages and towns were destroyed, the nobles were dead, and the merchants were scattered. The "river people" who relied on the nobles and merchants to make a living lost half of their livelihood. Everyone thought that the following days would be particularly difficult, but unexpectedly, the southerners brought their rumbling machines back to the land that they had burned.
The Joint Reconstruction Mission brought unexpected job opportunities, or rather, a chance of survival to the river workers, sailors, and captains on the Gorgon River who were preparing for a tough winter.
Du Lin was very grateful for the generosity of these outsiders and was quite willing to exchange his skills and experience for food for the whole family. But … he was still a little envious of those brand-new and neat winter clothes and the stewed meat in the big pots on the riverbank.
A tall and thin man in a gray-blue cotton robe walked by and stopped in front of Du Lin. "Citizen, today's share is completed. You can go to the camp to get your salary at any time."
This was a "government official" from the south. The special armband and the emblem on the chest of his clothes showed his identity.
Du Lin was awakened from his daze and quickly bowed his head in front of this "big shot". "Okay, sir, I'll be there soon …"
The government official wearing the armband laughed. "To be honest, you really don't want to consider signing up? We need more people in the north. We are recruiting experienced river workers there. If you join the reconstruction mission, you can go to the camp in the north to help. "
Du Lin immediately showed a humble smile. "I … forget it. I have a wife and children at home. My youngest daughter is only three years old …"
"In fact, you can bring your family there … but it doesn't matter. Everything is voluntary. When you want to sign up, you can come to me at any time."
Du Lin nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. Thank you very much."
When meeting the government officials, Du Lin had to address them as "sir" or "madam" instead of "lord" or "master". This was the rule that Du Lin had learned after dealing with these people who called themselves "grassroots officials of the Joint Reconstruction Mission" many times. Although he did not know why some people did not like to be addressed in a more honorable way, since the other party asked so, he would do his best to obey.
"You're welcome," the young government official waved his hand. "It's getting late. Go back after getting your salary. Be careful on the road, citizen."
"Yes, sir."
Du Lin and his two sons turned and walked away quickly. The tall and thin government official looked at the three of them leaving and shook his head with a smile.
A young man in a black winter coat walked nearby and stopped behind the government official. He said casually, "In fact, you don't have to call them citizens. First, they don't understand it. Second, the residents of this area have not been reorganized yet. The word 'citizen' is still a distance away from them."
"I like the word 'citizen'. I like to say it and I like to hear it," the government official said and glanced at the young man in the black winter coat. "Is Minister Norris still outside?"
"Yes, he is checking the soil in the north."
"… We didn't manage to cultivate enough land before the first winter. We can only make up for it in the next spring. Everyone has a sense of urgency, but Minister Norris is no longer healthy." The young government official sighed. "If only the snow this winter could be delayed by a week …"
"Yes …" The young man in the black winter coat frowned and looked to the north of the camp with a slightly worried look.
The flag of the Cecil Empire was fluttering in the cold wind. The temporary wooden wall of the camp was painted with large letters with eye-catching paint — "Take back the land from the wolves and winter." The craftsmen and workers were busy working in an orderly manner. They were reinforcing the windbreak walls and wooden houses of the camp, as well as preparing a warehouse for the incoming new supplies. The soldiers were vigilantly patrolling around the camp, guarding against the hungry beasts in the wilderness and the possible Crystal Cluster monsters that had luckily escaped the purge. The Minister of Agriculture, Norris, and his assistants stood on the high ground near the northern gate, staring at the large piece of land that had already been frozen.
Winter, snowfall, and frost.
Humans used their flesh and blood to trudge across the scorched land, rebuild, and reclaim the land. However, the mighty force of nature would not be merciful because of human courage and hard work. It operated more ruthlessly than a machine, dropping rain and snow according to the law, freezing the land according to the law, neither delayed nor forgave.
"The land in this area is less than 30% of the planned land … The winter in the Holy Spirit Plains is half a month longer than in the south. More than half of the reserved land will definitely miss the spring plowing next spring," Norris said in a low voice. "We are wasting the food that the west has painstakingly collected …"
"But at least a few of the camps are standing firm. The temporary roads have been built, Minister," an assistant could not help but say. "As long as these camps are standing firm in the winter, we can immediately reclaim the land as soon as the next spring thaw. At most, we will only miss a season of food …"
Noris sighed and said, "We can only try our best to think of the best … cough cough …"
He coughed violently.
The air flowed through his trachea, tearing at his damaged lungs. He felt as if the cold air had poured into his internal organs, melting the little strength left in his body little by little. But before the violent coughing caused him to lose his balance, two pairs of young hands reached out from the side in time and supported the Minister of Agriculture, who was on the verge of collapse.
"Minister," a young official called out nervously. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Norris finally recovered. He reached into his pocket and took out a small metal potion bottle. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip of the slightly bitter potion. A warm feeling spread through his body, giving him a little more strength in his words. "Alas, after all, I'm old. The cold wind in the Holy Spirit Plains is not very friendly to me."
Pitman's special rejuvenation potion was replenishing Norris' strength, but he could still feel his internal organs were steadily deteriorating. Alchemy potions and Druil spells may make an old man feel better, but the deep damage caused by aging was not something that could be reversed by human strength.
He put away the potion, which was still half a bottle, and looked at the worried, nervous, and concerned faces of the young people around him. He could not help but smile.
"Let's go back."
Norris shook off the two pairs of hands that were supporting him, turned towards the camp, and slowly walked forward.
He walked into the camp and towards his own barracks.
Those who were dedicated to rebuilding their homes were busy on both sides of the road.
The magicians from the Southern Territory were adjusting a magic obelisk. The crystal device filled with magic power was slowly rotating in the cold wind.
The craftsmen were measuring the foundation in an open space, preparing for the construction of the warehouse.
A few workers were working together to saw a huge piece of wood. The man holding the saw looked vaguely familiar. He was a refugee who had received help from the investigation team. His most precious possession was a small cart full of junk.
His wife was not far away, stirring the food in a big pot with a long handle with a spoon. She used a loud and clear voice to call the men to get ready for dinner.
The "precious" cart was also there. It was not abandoned, but parked in the open space next to it. It was filled with potatoes and radishes that were pulled out from the warehouse.
Norris recalled that he also had a cart that looked similar. He pushed it all the way from Old Cecil to the Gloom Mountains.
The cart was burned as firewood in the winter of the first year, and the land next to the Gloom Mountains had now become a wonderful place.
Noris' slightly stooped back straightened slightly.
He had not finished his work yet.
Wonderful Book House
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