The crisis had passed, but more work had just begun.
The wounded needed to rest, the aftermath needed to be dealt with, the frightened civilians needed to be comforted, and the production work in the camp needed to be back on track.
The first thing Gawain did was to collect the blood-red skeletons that were piled up outside the camp, scattered around the mountain pass, and piled them up on the south bank of the Whitewater River, forming a daunting mountain of skeletons near the sawmill beside the camp. Gawain sent out a third of his strong men to transport the skeletons back to the camp before they were completely decomposed by the power of Order. He then piled them up on the south bank of the Whitewater River, forming a daunting mountain of skeletons near the sawmill beside the camp.
The bodies of the monsters were so huge and ferocious that even after they died and their skeletons were decomposed for a day and night, the remaining parts were still horrifying in size and appearance. They were piled up in a mess, constantly rising black and red smoke and fog as if an invisible flame was burning. Among all the skeletons, less than 10% of the skeletons were relatively intact.
Most of the skeletons were left behind during the battle with the guards. Those monsters that were buried by the rock walls or killed by the 'landmines' were almost all dead.
Gwen picked out the relatively intact skeletons from the pile of bones, supported them with wooden frames, and arranged them neatly on the south bank of the Whitewater River. From afar, it looked like a terrifying new wall had been added to the north of the camp. In front of the pile of bones in the middle of the wall, Gwen set up a tall wooden platform.
Everyone in the camp could see the process of the pile of bones and the wooden platform being built. Most of the civilians and serfs were shocked when they saw the blood-red skeletons. The fear of their former home being destroyed spontaneously rose in their hearts. But the defensive battle that happened the day before had somewhat offset the fear in their hearts. Even the illiterate serfs understood one thing — since they were still alive and standing here, and the monsters were piled up on the river bank, it was enough to say that the lord's army had won a total victory. Then, the monsters were not so scary.
The soldiers were running around the camp, loudly reading out the lord's summons: "Duke Gwen Cecil is to summon all the people of this land to the platform by the river bank to hear the new orders."
It was easy to mobilize a camp of less than a thousand people. Soon, the square beside the sawmill was filled with people. Gwen stood on a temporary wooden platform. In front of him was the gathered people, and behind him was a pile of blood-red bones that was disintegrating and emitting elemental dust.
Heti cast a spell to amplify the sound, so the voice on the platform resounded throughout the square.
"Citizens of Cecil, today, I would like to announce three things." Gwen placed the Pioneer's Sword on the ground and glanced at the people below. Then, he suddenly raised his sword and pointed at the skeletons that were lined up along the riverbank. "First, I would like to announce a celebration. I would like to celebrate the defeat of these monsters that once destroyed Cecil's territory, slaughtered your brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends, and threatened our lives again not long ago! They were crushed and defeated head-on! There were nearly a thousand monsters, almost ten times the number of guards in the camp, but none of them were able to step into our camp. You should know how powerful and terrifying these monsters are, but now you should also know that these monsters are not invincible! "
These words caused a slight commotion in the crowd below, but also made them feel enlightened. These were simple and plain words. The people in the camp were already guessing when the lord would announce the celebration of this incredible victory. At this time, Gwen's words only confirmed everything, and a passionate and excited atmosphere brewed in the crowd.
And what turned this atmosphere into cheers was Gwen's next words. "To celebrate, after this afternoon's work, everyone in the camp will be able to eat meat soup and white bread! There's also ale from Tanzania Town! "
Soon, a few cheers were heard from the crowd. These cheers became the catalyst, and eventually, everyone started cheering as well.
Gwen waved his hand, and the crowd gradually quieted down. Then, Gwen continued. "Second, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the defense of the camp, including my soldiers and you."
Gwen deliberately paused, and the crowd below became restless.
Because this was the first time they heard such a strange thing.
A noble expressing gratitude to the commoners, and even to the untouchables and serfs — and in such a formal and serious occasion, this was definitely not a joke!
Some people began to look at each other because they were confused, and some serfs who stood at the edge of the crowd simply looked around because they did not feel that this matter had anything to do with them.
But they saw a few people coming out under the "escort" of the soldiers all the way to the stage and stood behind Gwen.
"This land is not only my territory, but also your home. It is not only the lord and his army that guard this land, but also you," Gawain said solemnly. What he said was absolutely unorthodox and bizarre in this era. "Every one of you has worked hard for the previous defensive battle — the 'slag' that you burned, the crystals that you washed, the wooden boxes that you made, the runes that you carved, the herbs that you picked, the clothes that you washed for the soldiers, the holes that you chiseled in the rock walls of the Gloom Mountain Range, and the traps that you dug on the mountain paths. All these things have protected your own home and your own lives!"
There was a greater commotion in the crowd. At least half of them did not understand the logic and meaning of Gwen's words, and the other half could not believe what they had heard. Amber, who was in charge of cheering in the crowd, had forgotten what she was supposed to do. She just stared at Gwen and muttered, "Is this guy sick in the head? Isn't this admitting that the commoners and the nobles have the same value and role?"
After that, Gwen did not care about the reaction of the crowd. Instead, he turned sideways and motioned for a few people behind him to come forward.
Except for one of them who was a soldier of the fief, the rest of them were commoner coolies who wore coarse clothes and had thick limbs. These people walked nervously to the front of the stage, seemingly at a loss. They already knew in advance what the lord was going to do, but they did not know how to react. They could only move stiffly like rusted puppets, afraid that they would miss a single instruction.
Gordon, the stonemason, accidentally walked half a step ahead of the others, and as a result, he was almost at the same position as Gwen. At first, he did not notice this. He only saw the dense crowd below. This was the first time he was standing in front of so many people, and on top of that, he was standing on a platform. This made the muscular old craftsman's hands and feet tremble. Only then did he realize that he had crossed the line, and his expression changed drastically.
But Gwen just smiled and whispered to the others, "Stand on the stonemason line. This line is for you."
By this time, the people below the stage had already recognized who were standing on the stage. There were only 800 people in the camp, and they were all survivors of the Cecil disaster. They were already very familiar with each other, and they could even call out the names of the serfs.
"That's Gordon, the stonemason!" "That's Hunter? The one who hunts? "" Who's that skinny and small one? " "I think he's a serf from the territory. His name is Holme, and he's the one who burns the 'slag' in the furnace …" "I know that soldier, his name is Karim. I heard that he killed two monsters by himself yesterday. All his brothers and sisters did not manage to escape from the territory …"
At this moment, Gwen's voice rang out, interrupting the whispered discussion below.
"These people have contributed greatly to the defense of the camp. They are the most hardworking stonemasons and the bravest citizens. To them, I want to fulfill my promise in advance.
"Holme, Terry, Wakel, you were originally serfs and slave workers. Now, you are free people. You can own your own belongings in the future, and you can use your own hands to earn your own land and houses. But remember, the freedom to work and live is also the freedom to starve and degenerate. Your future lives are in your own hands. Don't let this freedom go to waste.
"Gordon the stonemason, Hunter Hunter, Karim the soldier, you are free people. Therefore, you will be given a piece of newly cultivated land in advance. You will also be the first to get your own residence after the houses are built. In addition, Karim, because of your exceptional bravery, the Byron Knight intends to guide you. If you agree, you can start as a squire of the Knight. "
The people whose names were called straightened their chests. Gwen took a few bronze badges from Heti's hands and pinned them on their clothes.
The badges were simple. In fact, they were just flattened copper pancakes with the emblem of Cecil engraved on it. On the back, the words "Commemoration of the New Cecil's First Defense Battle" were written. They were made overnight. No one, including Heti and Rebecca, understood the purpose of making these things. These "copper pancakes" were not currency. Gwen had also clearly stated that they were not to be used for transactions. In other words, these things were worthless unless they were melted down and sold as copper.
But Gwen had to make these things.
He pinned the badges on their clothes and whispered to them, "This is a symbol of honor."
The symbol was indeed a little simple, and in a hurry, he did not have the time to come up with a "Bravery Award", "Production Promotion Award", "Outstanding Contribution Award" and so on (not to mention, the people in the territory might not understand). But no matter what, this kind of honor system had to be established.
This was not only an encouragement to the people involved, but also a symbol to the others.
Although the people standing under the platform could not see what the badges looked like, they could clearly feel a sense of yearning and envy for the honor of standing on the platform.
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