Galinthea Calendar, Year 1771, 21st of February.
After 28 days of arduous travel, the carcasses of the magical beasts had finally arrived at Gildusk City. This was all thanks to Lollister's careful planning and arrangements. All of the frozen magical beast corpses were fixed on the sleigh like specimens and transported in the snow. Otherwise, it was unknown how long it would take for the thousand men and horses to complete Count Kenneth's orders if they were to use the carts.
The panicked guards blew the horn to warn the public. After the misunderstanding was resolved, the entire Gildusk City was in an uproar. Braving the heavy snow and bitter cold, everyone flocked to the square in front of the Grand Duke's Mansion to see what was happening. A sea of people gathered to watch.
There were more than 200 magical beasts' corpses, and more than 40 species were arranged in several rows according to their size. The corpse of the four-meter-tall baby mammoth at the very front was especially sinister and terrifying. If not for the fact that they couldn't pass through the city gates, Lollister had wanted to transport two of the five-meter-tall mammoth demon mammoth corpses.
Earl Kenneth's face was red with excitement. Lollister had given him too much face. He had delivered so many magical beasts' corpses, and he had even written a passionate reply. Apart from the magical beasts that were to be given to Princess Silvia, the rest were up to Earl Kenneth to deal with. At this moment, Earl Kenneth had already thought of several ways to distribute the corpses. How could he use these magical beasts' corpses to build relationships for himself, gain the favor of beauties, and build connections for the Kenneth Family …
The Second Prince, the Queen, Princess Sylvia, and a large group of nobles, ladies, and young ladies looked at the corpses of the daemons up close. While the humanoid daemons behind him were shouting and yelling, the Second Prince paid more attention to the wounds on the daemons' corpses.
"Earl Kenneth, where is the person in charge of transporting these magical beasts' corpses? Call him over, and I will reward him handsomely. Now, I forgive Baron Norton for rejecting my invitations. So he's fighting these magical beasts. The person in charge of transporting the corpses should know the details of the battle. Let him explain it to us … "the second prince instructed.
Count Kenneth placed his hand on his chest and bowed. "I'm very sorry. The ones in charge of the transportation are the guards of our family, not the Norton family. According to the messenger I sent, the Norton Family has no manpower to transport the corpses of the Magical Beasts. All of their armed forces have been sent to fight against the Magical Beasts. "
"Oh, I see. Forget it then." The second prince was a little disappointed.
"My Lord Count, I want that Snow Leopard and those two green Winter Wolves. I like that white Demon Antelope very much too. I wonder if Lord Count is willing to part with it?" Unlike the Second Prince, the Queen's gaze was focused on the fur of the magical beasts.
"My beautiful Empress, your servant is more than happy to fulfill your little wish. However, the Snow Leopard and the White Magic Antelope were Baron Norton's New Year's gift to Princess Sylvia. As for the two green winter wolves, I'll give them to the beautiful queen as a token of my apology. "Earl Kenneth said humbly.
The Empress nodded, turned around, and whispered to Princess Silvia.
…
The Second Prince sat in his study with a middle-aged man standing in front of him.
"Did you find out?" The Second Prince asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The messenger said that when he saw Baron Norton, he was setting up a defensive line in the wilderness with his family's armed forces. They were building a wall of ice and snow to defend against the Wave of Magical Beasts. He made it very clear to the messenger that all of the Norton Family's soldiers were stationed at this last line of defense. There was no way they could spare any manpower to transport the Magical Beasts. So, the messenger had no choice but to go to the Kenneth Family's territory and recruit more men to complete the mission … "The middle-aged man replied respectfully.
The Second Prince drummed his fingers on the table as he pondered.
"Your Majesty, the messenger also said that he estimated that the Norton Family's armed forces were no more than 30,000 when he passed through the ice line. He was very worried that they would not be able to defend against the Wave of Magical Beasts that numbered in the millions …"
"Oh, is he sure?" The Second Prince's eyes lit up.
"Yes, Your Majesty. The messenger has always been by Earl Kenneth's side as a messenger. He has seen the Kenneth Family's 30,000-strong army many times in the past, so he can estimate the number of Norton Family's troops. It's only a little less than 30,000, "the middle-aged man said.
The Second Prince thought for a moment and changed the topic. "Have you seen the Magical Beasts in the square?"
"Your Majesty, I've gone down to take a look. The cause of the Magical Beasts' deaths was indeed the fatal wounds on their bodies. The Demon Mammoth was first hit by three ballista bolts, then fell to the ground and died under the siege of the soldiers. The fatal wound was probably caused by the spear that the Gold Knight stabbed into its head. He used too much force, so the spearhead broke inside … I also noticed that there were bloodstains under the tip of the Demon Mammoth's nose and front legs. The Norton Family's soldiers must have suffered many casualties in order to kill the baby elephant … "
"The demon cows also have sword wounds and spear spurs on their bodies. I noticed that the Norton Family doesn't have too many ballistae. Apart from the mammoths and a few of the larger demon cows that have wounds from ballistae, the rest of the magical beasts have wounds from swords, axes, spears, and spears. However, the smaller magical beasts have wounds from arrows shot from longbows …" The middle-aged man's observation was indeed very detailed.
The Second Prince then asked another question, "Where did Baron Shahin get so much snow salt from? Did you find out where he got it from?"
"Your Majesty, Baron Shahin bought nearly ten million kilograms of grains from the Grand Duchy last September and shipped them all to the Norton Family's territory. That's why I suspect that the snow salt is produced by the Norton family. The Blade Peak Mountains in their family's territory are by the sea, and there are only two families that trade in snow salt. One is Earl Kenneth, and the other is Baron Shahin. They are both on good terms with Baron Norton and have business dealings with the Norton family, "the middle-aged man replied.
The Second Prince stood up and paced around the study.
"Three years ago, the Norton Family armed more than 40,000 people and robbed the Grand Duchy. They defeated the northern noble coalition led by Duke Lujins in a battle under the family's Rock Castle. They forced more than 200,000 citizens of the Northern Grand Duchy to migrate into their family's territory. Since then, the Norton Family has become a shadow over the Northern Lands … "
"Ever since I came to the Northern Lands, I have always felt deeply uneasy about the Norton Family's unclear attitude. They refused my kind invitation, refused to obey my orders, and even accepted the Andinac Royal Family's conferment. This is simply treason! Even though I have the First Legion, I do not dare to provoke the roaring bear that lies at the border of the Northern Lands. This is because I am worried that the army that I have painstakingly built will be defeated by the bear, and others will take advantage of it … "
"I am very worried. I am afraid that after the Norton Family obtains the 200,000 citizens, they will be able to rest in the family's territory and greatly expand their influence. But today, I am very happy, very happy, hahaha … "The Second Prince suddenly laughed crazily.
"So the Norton Family still has to face the threat of the Wave of Magical Beasts. Three years ago, they had more than 40,000 soldiers, but now they have less than 30,000 left. I wonder how many more people they will lose this winter. The Wave of Magical Beasts engulfed the Norton Family's territory, and they had no way of settling down their two hundred thousand citizens. They could only arrange for them to boil the sea salt and use it to trade for food. They even took out their own armors and sold them in order to get enough rations to feed so many people … "
"I have never seen such a stupid leader. This is a disgrace to us nobles. I have never understood why the bear would hide in their territory and not come out. It turns out that they have found a huge burden for themselves, and now they can't get rid of it even if they want to. Monolith Castle, haha, do they think this checkpoint can protect their family's territory? In fact, they don't even need to attack. As long as they surround them and cut off their access to food from the outside world, they will collapse in less than half a year. Unless they want to eat humans, they will obediently kneel in front of me and beg me to let them live … haha … "
"Your Majesty is wise …" The middle-aged man said respectfully.
The Second Prince paced around the study a few more times and stopped. "Let Viscount Sinderson be my messenger to the Norton Family on the 15th of March after the snow melts. He will deliver my ultimatum. Pretend to be a servant and follow him. Investigate the Norton Family's background and see if they have suffered a great loss due to the Wave of Magical Beasts … "
"Yes, Your Majesty." The middle-aged man bowed and retreated.
…
On the 15th of March, in the great hall of Monolith Castle.
Laurist was very satisfied as he faced the family knights and the many civil officials gathered together. "… Last year, it was May. That's why we were able to gather here and arrange a year's worth of work in the territory. But it is only March, and we are sitting here. Why is that? This is because we have finally eliminated the Wave of Magical Beasts that has plagued our family's territory for hundreds of years after our tireless efforts and long struggle! From now on, we will live here in peace and contentment, enjoying a peaceful and peaceful life … "
"Thank you, everyone, for your hard work. I want to thank all of you for your hard work, as well as the brave family soldiers who sacrificed themselves in the Wave of Magical Beasts for the peace of our family's territory …" Laurist bowed deeply to the family knights and civil officials.
Everyone in the great hall stood up and returned Laurist's greeting …
"Norton, Norton, Norton …" Then, rhythmic cheers rang out in the great hall.
Laurist pressed his hands down, waiting for the cheers to quiet down before continuing, "It has been three years. While we fought against the Wave of Magical Beasts, we also worked hard to develop our family's territory. We built villages and towns, built city walls, built new homes for nearly five hundred thousand citizens, and built roads. We even opened mines and workshops. From nothing, we turned the wastelands into our paradise. "As your leader, I am proud of your achievements. I am proud that our family has such outstanding talents like you …"
The great hall was once again filled with thunderous cheers.
"Then this year, we will reclaim the wastelands in Fengle Plains and build irrigation facilities. We will also fulfill our promise to every citizen who follows us to the family's territory. We will give them land so that they can live happily in our territory." Laurist announced the main focus of this year's work.
Reidi and Pat walked up and hung a large map in the middle of the great hall.
"Now, I will explain to everyone the future strategic arrangements and plans of the family." Laurist took a small wooden stick and walked to the front of the map.
"As everyone knows, the north is remote, far away from the center of human settlements. Originally, there were two passages from the north to the outside world. Now, with the addition of the Iron Chain Bridge in the east, there are three main routes to the outside world. But now, the crossing downstream of the Mitubro River has been completely sealed by the Madras Grand Duke. No one is allowed to cross the river from there. Speaking of which, this should be our fault. When the north caravan returned to the family's territory, it was indeed a little too much … "Laurist mocked himself.
Many people in the great hall laughed. They were all former members of the north caravan.
"Without this crossing downstream, there are actually only two exits left in the north. But we have to be clear that these two exits lead to the Iberian Kingdom. Just like the Kenneth Family who controls the Iron Chain Bridge in the east, they also have their own difficulties. Although they can collect a lot of fees to cross the border, they have to face the pressure of Duke Fisablun's border guards. They have no choice but to strengthen their family's armed forces to protect themselves.
"We, the Norton Family, have never set our sights on these two exits. The journey to the central region of the Galinthea Continent or even the other countries is too long, and there are too many unforeseen events. I believe that everyone, like me, does not wish to travel east in a convoy. Once is enough …"
"We have set our sights on the sea. Everyone, if we can find an estuary in the Blade Peak Mountains, we can build a fleet. From the north, we can follow the coastline to the Madras Duchy, to the Andinac Kingdom, to the west of the Reidis Kingdom, to the Lulm Duchy, to the Haneabada Kingdom. We can reach Morent City in a month or even the Ruins Islands. As long as it's a coastal country, we can reach it …"
"Unfortunately, we haven't found the estuary we need in the Blade Peak Mountains. However, this does not mean that our family's territory does not have an estuary to the sea. Everyone, look at this map. "Laurist gestured for Redi and Padt to hang up a large map that everyone was unfamiliar with.
"This map shows the most dangerous place in our family's territory, the Black Clay Swamp," Laurist said.
Everyone in the hall was shocked and started whispering to each other.
"Everyone, calm down. Perhaps everyone has heard of the warning that those without Silver-ranked combat energy should not enter the Black Clay Swamp. This is the truth. The Ironback Bay Crocodiles are the most ferocious magical beasts in the swamp. Only a Silver-ranked swordsman's sword aura can effectively harm them. However, take a closer look at the map and you will understand why we chose the Black Clay Swamp as the estuary. "
Laurist pointed at the map with a small wooden stick: "Everyone, look. This is the Blue Cangjiang. It originates from the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range and divides the Black Clay Swamp into two. The Blue Cangjiang flows through the swamp and into the sea. The Black Clay Swamp in our family's territory only takes up a quarter of the entire swamp, and it borders the edge of the Blade Peak Mountains. There is a large bay at the junction of the Black Clay Swamp and the Blade Peak Mountains. This is the best location for an estuary! "
"Actually, we've only discovered after looking through many documents that the true Black Clay Swamp should be on the other side, which is the side of the Blue Cangjiang river. The Black Clay Swamp in our family's territory is a part of the Black Clay Swamp because the ice floes upstream of the Blue Cang River did not melt every winter and blocked the estuary. The river water rose and flooded the land on the shore, and it gradually became a part of the Black Clay Swamp. "
"Now, we need to change the swamp once again, turning it into our home and estuary. Everyone, look, there is a tortoise-shaped hill by the river. We've called it Turtle Mountain. It's only around ten kilometers from Turtle Mountain to Crouching Ox hill. We'll build a wall from Turtle Mountain to Crouching Ox hill. That way, no matter if it's the magical beast tide or the mountain barbarians, they won't be able to threaten our family's territory from here.
Afterwards, we'll build a long embankment from Turtle Mountain to the border of the Blade Peak Mountains. It'll be a defensive wall to defend against the attacks of the Ironback Bay Crocodiles in the Black Clay Swamp, as well as a dam to prevent the Blue Cangjiang river from rising in the future. Once this 50-kilometer long dike is built, the Black Clay Swamp within our family's territory will become a fertile farmland for us, a flourishing port city … "
… …
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