Laurist put down the pen in his hand and looked at the crystal hourglass on the table. It was past five in the morning, but the sky outside the window was still dark. Through the blurry green glass, he could vaguely see large snowflakes fluttering in the air. It had been snowing for three days straight, and the snow outside was more than a foot thick.
On the table was a thick stack of animal skin paper filled with words. This was the result of Laurist's hard work. The conversation with Fatty Shi had made Laurist realize that he did not have a complete development plan for his territory. His family's territory was too remote. Even though he could unify his family's territory by defending Monolith Castle and not be affected by the wars of the outside world, the price he had to pay was isolation and being forgotten. The root of all this was the inability to establish good communication with the outside world.
The northern highlands were sparsely populated. It was the size of three or four Delemsk provinces, but the population was less than a million. Even the most prosperous southern part of the north ruled by Duke Lujins, known as the Essence Zone, had a population of about three to four hundred thousand. There were two reasons that restricted the development of the northern highlands. One was the inconvenience of communication with the outside world, and the other was the lack of manpower.
From the map, the so-called northern highlands were not the northern tip of the Galinthea Continent, but the central region of the continent. This was because the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range was recognized as the center of the continent on all maps of Galinthea. It was the source of the three great rivers of Galinthea.
The reason it was called the northern highlands was because it was the northernmost part of the human territory. If one went further north, they would have to cross the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range and enter a wild wasteland marked on the map. It was a place that humans had not set foot in for the past thousand years.
Unlike the highlands of Laurist's previous world, the northern highlands were also called highlands, but the terrain was about a hundred meters higher than the plains outside. There was no difference in the climate and environment. In fact, in the common language of Galinthea, the highlands did not refer to the terrain, but to an uncivilized, barbaric, and remote area. It was more of a derogatory term.
In Laurist's plan, as long as he brought back the seventy thousand people and one hundred thousand refugees, the lack of manpower in his family's territory would be alleviated, ushering in the climax of the development. At that time, he would guard the Monolith Castle tightly and ignore the flames of war outside. He only needed to focus on building his family's territory into a paradise amidst the chaos.
Laurist sincerely expressed his admiration and spiritual support for the Second Prince's ambition to revive the empire. However, he was not interested in joining in the fun. He did not even care about the title of Grand Duke of the Northern Region that was promised to him. So what if they occupied the entire Northern Lands? As long as the two crossings of the upper and lower reaches of the Mitubuluo River were sealed, he would still be trapped in the north obediently …
In the end, Laurist still set his sights on the Blade Peak Mountain Range, which faced the sea to the west of the family's territory. He did not believe that the mountain range that stretched for hundreds of miles could not find an outlet to the sea. As long as they could find an outlet to the sea, the family would be able to build a fleet to establish communications with the outside world through the sea. It would be much more convenient than using the roads on land. They could even use the fleet to transport the refugees to the family's territory, instead of organizing a fleet of carriages that would take nearly a year to reach their destination …
Laurist wrote down many things he wanted to do on the animal hide, such as making glass, smelting steel, prospecting for mines, building a city, developing wastelands, repairing roads, implementing an elite army, and so on. Now, the armed carriages and the family's military force amounted to about sixty to seventy thousand soldiers. Laurist was prepared to immediately implement an army policy upon returning to the family's territory, allowing a large number of young and strong soldiers to become the main force in developing the family's territory.
Now, in order to escort the carriages and refugees to the north, a large number of young and strong soldiers were enlisted. From Laurist's point of view, the family's armed forces should be maintained at a ratio of one to twenty soldiers. Forming an elite army with every soldier at least Iron-rank strength, even if there were only ten to twenty thousand of them, it would be enough to ensure that the Norton Family would not be affected by the flames of war.
In a few years, when the family's territory was developed and a good foundation was established, Laurist might then be able to take the entire Northern Lands into his arms. Laurist remembered a line that he had read in a biography in his previous life. Without a reliable base, all hegemony was built on sand, and a gust of wind could topple it. This line was very similar to what Old Zhu had done in China's history. If translated into ancient Chinese, it would mean building high walls, accumulating grain, and slowly becoming a king.
Laurist picked up his pen again and wrote down gunpowder and catapults on the animal skin paper. He would see if he could create these two weapons of mass destruction when he returned to the family's territory. Castles were everywhere in Galinthea, and relying on ballistae alone would be insufficient, be it for defending or attacking a city. With catapults and gunpowder, it would be much easier to deal with those heavily defended castles.
Mammoth had taken down more than a hundred castles in Wilbassia Province. Firstly, he had relied on the ballistae and longbowmen of the war carriages as cover. Secondly, the main force of the siege was the daredevil battalion that had been converted from captives. Thirdly, the strength of the nobles in the territory was not considered strong. But even so, the soldiers of the daredevil battalion had been changed a few times, and the total number of casualties was more than ten thousand.
The few siege battles that Laurist had participated in had all been successful through surprise attacks, sneak attacks, and night raids. The only time he had directly attacked Northern Field Town had ended in failure. With these two weapons of mass destruction, Laurist believed that a frontal attack would not be a problem. When the development of the family's territory came to an end, he would reveal his claws to the north. At that time, even a well-defended castle like the Liedana Fortress would not be a problem.
Ever since he had returned to the family's territory in March to inherit the title and become the new lord, Laurist had been running around non-stop. He had not been able to calm down and think about the development and plans of the family's territory. Only now, trapped in Kebo City by the snow and bitter cold, did he have the time to think quietly …
Looking at the animal skin paper in his hand again, Laurist thought for a moment and added a few more lines. He wrote about culture and education, popularizing basic Battle Energy and making paper.
Culture and education were very simple. It was to teach people how to read, write, and calculate. Many people could speak the common language, but could not read or write because they could not read. As commoners at the bottom of society, they worked hard every day to feed themselves and their families. They did not have the ability to let their children receive a good education, so they lived like this generation after generation.
Popularizing basic Battle Energy meant that even though the Norton Family's territory was large, they still faced the threat of the Mountain Barbarians and Magical Beasts in the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range. Only by popularizing basic Battle Energy could the commoners have the ability to awaken Battle Energy and have the ability to protect themselves. In addition, those who awakened Battle Energy would have their physical strength, health, and lifespan greatly increased. To the family, this was a good way to speed up the development of the territory.
Finally, there was papermaking. Galinthea did not have the kind of paper that Laurist had in his previous life, so they could only use animal skin paper. If one really traced back to the source, they would probably have to blame the Magic Civilization from thousands of years ago. It was said that Magicians used animal skin paper. They used animal skin paper to make magic scrolls, record magic words, and write magic books. This was because in the legends, only animal skin paper could carry magic words. Thus, Magicians did not consider inventing a cheap type of paper for mortals.
The Magic Civilization had long since disappeared, and now they could only imagine the glory of that era in the legends. However, using animal skin to make paper had been passed down. Of course, the current animal skin paper was different from the legends. It was not made from magical beast skin, but cow skin, horse skin, and sheep skin. The worst ones were pig skin and rabbit skin.
Making animal skin paper was very simple and a very common skill. However, it was very difficult to make it well, because the process was very complicated. For example, parchment paper had to be cut into rectangles and soaked in water for a day and a night. After cleaning, it was then soaked in a lime solution for about ten days. Every day, it had to be beaten and stirred with a stick three times a day. This process had to be repeated three times, and after thirty days, it had to be taken out and dried. The blood, tendons, and minced meat on the parchment were scraped off with a knife, forming a skin membrane. Then, it was soaked in a straw pulp solution for two days. After drying it in the shade, it was polished with pumice powder. Then, it was straightened and fixed with a wooden frame. After three days in the sun, it was solidified. Finally, the parchment paper was cut into a standard piece of paper.
This was the reason why books were so expensive in the Galinthea Continent. If Laurist wanted to implement culture and education in his family's territory, he had to find a cheap and convenient paper. Otherwise, the cost of animal skin paper alone was not something a family could afford.
If he could create white paper like in his previous life, not only would he be able to popularize culture and education in his family's territory, he could also promote white paper to the whole continent as a competitive product of the family. Just like the newspapers in Moronte City, every time a new issue arrived, the newspaper deliverer would take the old issue away. This was because the old issue had to be taken back to be polished, erased, and then printed with new content. This process would repeat until the animal skin paper was worn out.
Laurist had always believed that there was no dynasty that would last for a thousand years or a family that would never be defeated. In Galinthea, people were used to using the names of places or countries. For example, Laurist from the North, Fatty Shi from the Limbo Kingdom, and so on. If he could make these refugees and the people in the caravan proud to be from the Norton Family, then Laurist would believe that the Norton Family would continue to exist for thousands of years.
Laurist's plan was to use long-term propaganda and brainwashing to make the people in the caravan and the hundreds of thousands of refugees submit to the Norton Family. In ancient China, there was a great dynasty, and its name eventually became the name of a great nation. Laurist wanted to make the name of the Norton Family a name that everyone in the family's territory would be proud of. They would become Nortonians and not Northerners …
This all depended on long-term propaganda. He could even write the journey of the caravan into a history book, so that future generations would remember the hardships of their predecessors. Laurist had thought of many things, but the prerequisite for all of this was that he needed cheap writing paper. Only then could he subtly instill pride and pride in the name of the Norton Family. Hence, creating a blank piece of paper like the one in his previous life became very important to Loriste.
In his previous life, as the director of a small handicraft factory, Laurist knew many crafts, such as making glass, making models of sailing warships, and designing. However, Laurist did not know how to make paper. He only knew some of the principles and materials, but did not know the process. Looking at the words "Make paper" written on the animal skin, he sighed. When he returned to the family's territory, he would find a few workers to slowly experiment. There would be a day when he would succeed …
There was a light knock on the door, and Laurist shouted: "Come in."
Redi opened the door and brought in a basin of hot water: "My lord, you woke up early. It's already six in the morning, but it's still as dark as midnight."
Laurist washed his face: "Redi, it's snowing outside, and you've been training indoors. Don't be careless. Training in martial arts requires determination and perseverance. Don't be lazy. You're already a 2-Star Iron Warrior this year, and I hope you can advance to Silver Rank in two years. "
"Yes, my lord, I understand." Redi said.
"Right, do I have any plans for today?" Laurist asked.
Redi thought for a moment and replied: "Yesterday, Knight Shredder said that he would be patrolling the refugees' residences at around eight in the morning. My lord, you said you wanted to go as well."
"Oh, then bring breakfast over at seven-thirty. I'll go find Shredder after eating," Laurist said.
"Yes, my lord." Redi left.
Laurist's unwavering morning training time in Kebo City was from six to seven-thirty in the morning. After circulating the Metal Water Scroll for a full cycle and stretching his limbs, it was time.
To Laurist, the most difficult thing was that he couldn't grasp the progress of his training. In his previous life, he didn't even reach the Inner Jing stage. He didn't understand it, nor did he hear anyone talk about it. He could only rely on himself to slowly explore. Right now, he was at the Inner Jing stage, but he didn't know which stage he was at. Just like the time when Laurist vented his desire on the maid Elina at Maple Villa, he suddenly felt enlightened and relaxed. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that he should have improved.
Sometimes, Laurist also felt that using impetus to train the skills passed down from his ancestors in his previous life was an unimaginable thing. However, he didn't find any disadvantages so far. On the contrary, the progress of the Metal Water Scroll seemed to be a little too fast. Laurist was very confident in his skills. Normally, a Gold Rank Impetus wouldn't be a match for him. He just didn't know when he would have the chance to compete with a Master Swordsman to see the difference. Laurist was looking forward to it.
Kebo City wasn't big. The northbound caravan and the hundred thousand refugees filled the city to the brim. Fortunately, the second prince had transported away a third of the food, leaving nearly a hundred large granaries empty. Together with the spacious drying field in the east of the city, they could accommodate a hundred and eighty thousand people.
It was still snowing. Laurist and Fatty Shi put on a black leather cloak and walked along the road cleared by the patrolmen to patrol the refugee camp.
"Locke, how did you think of building an igloo before setting up the tents inside? It's really warm this way, and it solves the refugee's accommodation problem. It saves on materials and manpower, it's really convenient. " Fatty Shi said as he walked, "Do you know that if we use wood to build temporary accommodation, the continuous snow will either collapse the roof or we have to send people to clean it up? I didn't think that it would be so troublesome to use an igloo. It'll even make the snow firmer."
Laurist replied, "Didn't you see me buy so many books at Dawn Academy? You were busy looking for people to fine me while I was reading. I learned this method from an adventure book. It's about an adventurer who lost his way in the wilderness and had to use this method to survive the cold winter. I don't know if it's true or not, so I just mentioned it and drew a picture. I didn't expect you to really do it … "
"You …" Fatty Shi was furious. "How can you say this? You don't know if it's true or not, so you just spout nonsense. You're lucky this time. If it's fake, someone might die in such a cold weather. "
Laurist chuckled. "I lied to you. It's your fault for not reading these miscellaneous books. You say that these books are made up by the authors to cheat money. You're determined not to give these liars a single cent. Let me tell you, it's a biography of the greatest adventurer, Kamen Pratt, from a hundred years ago. He drew the structure of an igloo at the end of the book. It's the same as the one I drew for you. Later, some busybodies specially built this igloo in the winter to test it. It's proven that it's very warm. "
"…"
After a while, Fatty Shi asked again, "Locke, it'll be the 36th of December in a few days. It's also a festival to celebrate the New Year. Do you have any plans?"
Laurist was silent for a moment. "Sigh, we partied all night at the Red Raven Tavern on the 36th of December last year, but this year we're in the faraway Kebo City. It's really hard to predict one's fate … How do you plan to arrange it? "
"Yes, at this time last year, none of us would have thought that we'd be leading so many people and hundreds of thousands of refugees north … I think there's a lot of food now, so let's take some out and distribute it. Everyone will also get a catty of meat and a glass of ale. The children will get sweets and biscuits instead. What do you think?" said Fatty Shi.
Laurist nodded. "You're very thoughtful. Let's arrange it that way. If the snow stops by then, we can also arrange some activities for everyone to have a happy New Year."
Lifting his head and looking at the dark sky, Loriste let out a deep breath. "Just hold on for another month or so, and then we can set off for home …"
… …
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