All the camp management personnel were gathered in Gwen's tent to discuss the future.
Amber sat next to Rebecca, looking around from time to time, as if she was looking for a chance to sneak out. Noticing that Gwen had no intention of letting her go, she could not help but grumble, "If you want to have a meeting, just have a meeting. Why do you have to call me here? I don't even know what you're talking about."
"Keeping you in sight is to prevent you from going out and harming others," Gwen said casually. He then ignored Amber's grimacing face and went straight to the point. "I called everyone here to make one thing clear — the crisis is not over yet."
Rebecca's eyes widened as she stared at Gwen. "Huh? Haven't we defeated those monsters? "
"That's the key." Gwen shook his head. "We've only defeated them once, but they won't come again?"
Everyone looked at each other. Farmer Norris, who was called to this kind of occasion for the first time, shrunk his neck subconsciously. He was not frightened by Gwen's words. In fact, he did not even notice what Gwen had just said. The simple old farmer just felt awkward being here with his identity. Everyone around him was someone he had to look up to in the past, but now they were all sitting together with him, which made him particularly nervous.
Hanmer, who was sitting next to him, was doing well. Although the blacksmith was also a commoner, he was responsible for smelting steel for the lord, so he had a lot of experience in dealing with nobles. He was very calm at this time.
Heti noticed Norris's nervousness, but she did not say anything. Instead, she continued Gwen's topic. "Ancestor, haven't you confirmed the integrity of the Great Wall? Its self-repairing ability … "
"It has indeed repaired itself, but I'm not sure if it will break again," Gwen said. "Everyone, let's be clear about one thing. Although we have just solved a crisis, it is not a complete and reassuring victory. The Great Wall is not a god's creation. Even if it is a miracle, it is a miracle from seven hundred years ago. This time, the monsters from the Gondor wasteland are enough to show that the wall is not omnipotent. Now the wall is aging, so we have to be prepared for the possibility of it malfunctioning again. "
Amber scratched her chin and muttered, "Then let's just run away …"
"Run to where?" Gwen glanced at the half-elf. "Once the Great Wall collapses, the pollution will spread to the whole continent. Besides, do you think everyone is like you, able to run hundreds of kilometers away from the slightest disturbance and find a random corner to survive?"
Then he waved his hand. "I'm just reminding you that I don't want you to let your guard down. It doesn't mean that the magnificent wall that has stood for seven centuries is going to collapse. I've confirmed it last time. It's still functioning as usual. The leak is just a 'small problem'. According to the design and the durability of the elves, it won't collapse completely for at least a few decades. So, you don't have to be too nervous."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Knight Philip then said seriously, "Even so, there is a lot of luck in our victory this time. If there were more enemies, if the effect of the traps was a little worse, if the monsters were a little luckier when they triggered the traps, the result of the battle may be completely different. The individual quality of the mutants is far superior to that of humans, and as the number of mutants increases, their aura alone is enough to kill all living things in a large area. The more mutants there are, the more pressure the warriors have to face will more than double. Our victory … is not so reassuring. "
The honest young Knight did not hide his inner thoughts, and this was what Gwen wanted to say. "Yes, we can't be blinded by this victory. Our camp is still very weak, in all aspects. Now we are just surviving here, far from being able to establish a firm foothold. That is why I gathered all of you here to tell you my next plan. "
Heti asked curiously, "What's the next plan?"
"Build the wall, stock up on food, increase the population, increase the production of steel," Gwen said, gently tapping the table. He first looked at Rebecca and asked, "How's the progress of the 'cement' burning?"
"Well … it hasn't succeeded yet," Rebecca said, a little depressed. "In fact, there is already some progress. We made a very similar thing with a kind of porous rock and clay near the iron mine, but we need to do a lot of tests to find the best ratio, temperature, and firing time. Recently, almost all the energy in the furnace has been put into firing the crystal, so the progress of the 'cement' is very slow. "
In other words, they had actually seen the light?
Gwen was secretly happy. He looked at Rebecca, who was a little lacking in confidence. "Yes, finding the direction is the biggest progress. Your first task now is to hurry up and develop a usable cement formula, the sooner the better. In addition, the production of 'Rebecca's crystal' can't be stopped. At least keep one-third of the furnace firing the crystal at all times, and leave a group of people to do the washing. The newly built warehouse in the southwest of the camp is for you to store the crystal. "
Then, he looked at Norris and asked, "What about the reclamation?"
The old farmer stood up subconsciously, but then sat down awkwardly. After a few seconds, he sorted out what he wanted to say and said, "A hundred miles of farmland to the east and west of the camp have been opened up. We have planted sweetwood and fire leaf vegetables. Master Druil's magic and the potion he made are very effective. The crops are growing at a frightening speed. Maybe we can harvest before the Frost Moon, and there will be more to feed everyone …"
Gwen interrupted Norris. "You are the director of agriculture. You don't have to call people of the same rank as you 'master'. In fact, you don't have to call me that. Call me Lord or my title is fine."
Norris looked at Gwen nervously and said, "Yes, yes, Duke … My Lord."
Pitman's face fell. "It's rare for someone to call me that. Can't you let me have some fun for a few more days …"
"My Lord," Norris said, "There's one more thing I hope you can allow."
"Just say it."
"I hope to reclaim the land on the north bank of the Whitewater River," Norris said. "I brought people to see the land there. The quality of the soil is very good, and there are very few rocks. But because we need to cross the river, I didn't include it in the reclamation plan. But I think it's a good idea to use it. This time, many people are worried about the invasion of the monsters. The farmers are especially worried about the land on the south bank of the Whitewater River. If we can reclaim the land on the other side of the river … "
Norris stopped, as if he didn't know how to continue. His dark and wrinkled face had a trace of uneasiness and expectation. Gwen quickly replied, "I agree. The reclamation of the north bank will be included in the second phase of the plan. But before that, we need to build a bridge over the Whitewater River. A few rafts won't be enough … Heti, record it."
"Next is about the population," Gwen said as he looked at Heti. "What do you think about this?"
Heti put down the dipping pen in her hand and thought carefully. "Actually … the easiest way is to buy serfs. Basically, they're of clean birth and we don't have to worry about their loyalty. But this requires a lot of money, and we may not be able to buy enough of them. The second is to accept refugees. Because of the poor harvest in the south in recent years, a few small nobles have a lot of conflicts. Until now, there are still many refugees without a fixed place to stay. For most nobles, the extra population is a burden. The refugees from other territories are livestock. So these people live a difficult life in the cracks. They're even 'cheaper' than serfs. They'll leave as soon as they're given something to eat … "
At this point, Heti could not help but shake her head. "But the problem is obvious. It's hard to find out where these people come from. In the process of wandering around, they've been infected with a lot of bad habits. If a large number of them enter the territory, public security will become a huge problem."
Amber's voice suddenly sounded faintly. "If obeying the law can make you live and work in peace, most of the rascals and hooligans will try to find a job. They don't choose to be rats because they like to roll in the gutter. Do you think people will voluntarily choose to live a life of hunger and being whipped because they like to steal things?"
Heti looked at Amber blankly. For the first time, she did not choke back the half-elf's words. After a few seconds, Gwen said faintly, "The day before yesterday, you wanted to steal my seal. But I threw you out of the tent. So even though what you said is very reasonable, do you feel embarrassed saying it yourself?"
Amber said, "I'm just joking with you. Do you have to?"
"Stop!" Gawain immediately waved his hand to interrupt Amber. He thought to himself, That was a close call. I really can't be careless when talking to this disgrace of the elves. You never know when you'll end up as a supporting character if you pick up on her next sentence. "We still need some planning to expand the population. Hanmer, let's talk about the progress of the steel industry … "
At the same time, upstream of the Baishui River, a beautiful white ship hung with the royal emblem of Ansu. It had three sails and was painted entirely white. It was sailing smoothly on the river with a few small boats in front and behind it.
On the side of the white ship's hull, there was a special light golden symbol. The symbol was a golden ring with two intersecting rays of light in the ring.
That was the symbol of the Church of Holy Light.
In the whole of Ansu, it was not common to hang the royal emblem and the church symbol at the same time, so this scene naturally attracted the attention of the residents of Tanzania Town on the bank of the river.
The people on this ship set off from the Captical of Ansu and drifted on the Dorgon River for a month. Then they turned from the canal branch to the Baishui River and drifted for another week before finally setting foot on this barren land at the border of the kingdom.
It was a really difficult journey, but no one on the ship complained. Because a person who didn't need to suffer such a bumpy journey was also on the ship, and this person had never complained.
On the upper floor of the "White Oak" belonging to the royal family, in a dedicated prayer room, the Saintess Princess Veronica, who had the title of "Lady of Light", slowly opened her eyes.
She had long pale blonde hair, and her appearance was somewhat similar to her brother Edmund Moen, but she was softer and more beautiful. Being immersed in the way of the Holy Light all year round gave her an incredible holy and calm temperament. Even if she was only wearing a simple white nun's habit, she was like an angel from heaven, surrounded by an inviolable aura.
It wasn't until a few minutes after she finished praying that this transcendent aura that didn't belong to human beings gradually faded from her body.
As if sensing the change in the atmosphere in the prayer room, a knock on the door sounded at the right time. An almost emotionless female voice came from outside, "Your Royal Highness, we have arrived in Tanzania Town. Do you want to see Viscount Andrew on the shore?"
The faint glimmer in Veronica's eyes gradually faded. She replied gently, "No, just send a messenger. The Lord has given me a revelation. I can't stay here. I have to hurry to Cecil. There … there is something the Lord showed me. "
The aura outside the door left. Veronica narrowed her eyes slightly, and the Holy Light seemed to float out of her eyes uncontrollably again.
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