Leslie's Letter

A month later.

It had been over a month since Roland arrived on Rising Light Island.

With more than a hundred slaves and over a hundred mercenaries working on construction, the eastern coast of Rising Light Island had undergone considerable changes.

A simple wall of earth and stone surrounded more than a hundred neatly arranged wooden houses. Though it could not withstand any real enemy, it greatly reduced the risk of nighttime beast attacks and gave the slaves and mercenaries a greater sense of security.

To the north of the settlement stood four tall, spacious granaries and warehouses, stocked with food and supplies for the entire territory.

To the south were newly built livestock pens, housing several wild rabbits and pheasants from Rising Light Island. They were occasionally used to satisfy Roland's cravings, while the pens would later be used to raise poultry and provide meat for the territory.

At the center of the settlement was a newly dug well. Although it was winter and its water reserves were not especially abundant, it was enough to meet the settlement's needs.

Moreover, the appearance of this well greatly reassured Roland. If wells could be dug even along the island's edges, then Rising Light Island's freshwater resources had to be quite plentiful.

With abundant freshwater resources, Roland could reclaim more farmland and support more residents.

As for the dock, currently the territory's top priority, it was still some way from completion.

The refined iron, ropes, and other materials needed to build the dock could not be made on Rising Light Island and had to be purchased elsewhere.

However, the reefs in the waters around the dock had now been cleared, allowing three-masted merchant ships to approach with difficulty. There were simply no berths for ships or passages for unloading yet.

Small boats still had to be used for the final transport, but even so, it saved a great deal of time.

At that moment, a tall three-masted merchant ship was docked beside Rising Light Island's unfinished pier.

Crates of goods were being moved into small boats one after another. Though the process was cumbersome, the slaves and mercenaries at work wore joyful smiles.

After all, these were the supplies they needed to survive in the days ahead. The more they moved, the better their quality of life would be.

At the same time, a faint smile appeared on Roland's face, and he finally felt at ease. Half a month earlier, once the territory had initially stabilized, he had sent Fili back to Highland City to purchase the supplies the territory needed from Leslie.

There was also an even more important matter: asking Leslie for help.

Yes, after much deliberation, Roland ultimately did not dare use potions to fill the gap in the territory's income and expenses. In the end, he decided to fleece Leslie a little.

So Roland wrote a heartrending plea for aid and had Fili take it back with him.

To make Leslie increase his support, Roland had specifically mentioned in the letter how he had responded when the Black Knight Pirates tried to recruit him.

Although Roland had used a few tricks, Leslie had already invested too much in him. Thus, before Fili returned, Roland could not be certain whether Leslie would agree to his request.

Only now, upon seeing supplies that filled three entire three-masted merchant ships, did Roland finally feel reassured.

"Greetings, Apothecary Roland." When Fili saw Roland appear by the shore, he hurried forward to pay his respects.

During this trip back, when he saw Leslie increase his support for Roland once again, Fili came to value Roland even more and did not dare show the slightest negligence.

"Captain Fili, you've worked hard. Did everything go smoothly?"

"Very smoothly."

"That's good. How many supplies did you bring back this time?" Roland asked expectantly.

"Reporting to Apothecary Roland, Young Master Leslie prepared a total of fifty tons of grain for you this time: thirty tons of rye, ten tons of wheat, and ten tons of barley."

"Five tons of wrought iron, more than three hundred pieces of farm equipment, over thirty pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry, as well as some leather goods, ropes, silk, and other daily necessities."

"This time, Young Master Leslie also specially purchased three slaves for you: a builder, a shipwright, and a craftsman."

"Oh, and this letter. Young Master Leslie specifically instructed me to place it in your hands personally." As Fili spoke, he took an envelope from his robes and respectfully handed it to Roland.

At that moment, although Roland's expression did not change after hearing Fili's report, immense delight had already risen in his heart.

He had been certain Leslie would not refuse his request, but he had not expected Leslie to provide such generous assistance.

It seemed Elizabeth's attempt to recruit him had given Leslie a profound sense of crisis. Otherwise, he could not have sent such abundant supplies this time.

After all, this batch of supplies alone was worth at least three thousand gold coins, and it even included wrought iron, a strategic resource in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

The Sea of Ten Thousand Islands was severely lacking in all kinds of mineral resources, causing ore prices to remain high. Although wrought iron was not a Magic Material, once it was shipped to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, its price multiplied several times. A single ton cost more than two hundred gold coins, yet Leslie had sent five whole tons this time.

Not only were Leslie's supplies expensive, they were also timely aid for Roland. They could greatly accelerate the territory's construction and stabilize people's hearts. Those fifty tons of grain alone were enough to sustain Roland until Rising Light Island's autumn harvest.

Filled with excitement, Roland opened Leslie's envelope, eager to see whether there were any more surprises.

Inside the envelope were three Oroko Family gold notes, each printed with a value of one thousand gold coins, along with a sheet of letter paper.

The Oroko Family gold notes were essentially simple transaction certificates issued by the Oroko Family to its trade partners. After all, settling large transactions with gold coins was extremely troublesome.

With one of these gold notes, one could collect one thousand gold coins from any Oroko Family outpost.

Of course, the Oroko Family was not powerful enough to create fully counterfeit-proof gold notes. Therefore, the Oroko Family kept stubs and records for every note it issued, and anyone presenting an Oroko Family gold note to collect gold coins had to undergo multiple rounds of verification.

As such, these gold notes were generally used by the Oroko Family's long-term trading partners, for whom cashing them was somewhat simpler.

When Roland saw the three gold notes, the light in his eyes shone even brighter. There really was a surprise.

He had thought that after preparing so many supplies for him, Leslie would not pay him any gold for purchasing potions this month. Yet Leslie did not care about such trifling profits at all. Not only had he paid Roland in full for the potions, he had even given him an additional two thousand gold coins.

Feeling the sheer extravagance coming from the other side, Roland was deeply envious.

After carefully examining the Oroko Family crest on the gold notes, Roland directly tossed one of them to O'Neal beside him.

"Thank you, Apothecary Roland." O'Neal's face was full of smiles as he looked at the gold note Roland handed him.

Though he would never question an apothecary's ability to pay, only seeing the gold coins did he truly feel at ease.

"This is what you deserve." Roland patted O'Neal's solid shoulder.

Over the past month, O'Neal's performance had made Roland feel that the thousand gold coins had been well spent.

After giving the gold note to O'Neal, Roland carefully began reading Leslie's letter.

"Dear Roland, my friend."

"I have received your letter, and I am deeply troubled by the difficulties you face. I wish I could rush to your side and face them together with you."

"But family affairs are endless, and I truly cannot leave. Thus, I have specially prepared many supplies for you, in the hope that you can overcome this crisis."

"At the same time, the Oroko Family has also provided you with an interest-free loan of three thousand gold coins for your use."

"As for the Black Knight Pirates, I will resolve that matter as soon as possible. They will never affect the most sincere bond between us."

"My friend, remember that the Oroko Count Family stands behind you. With me here, you need not fear anyone."

"Finally, my dear friend, I eagerly await our next meeting. I wish you all the best."

"Your most sincere friend, Leslie Oroko!"

The emotions expressed in the letter could not have been more sincere, and every word revealed Leslie's most genuine feelings toward Roland.

Yet after reading the letter, though Roland still showed a faintly moved expression before Fili, the joy in his heart had completely vanished.

First, Leslie seemed to be expressing his feelings and backing him up, but in truth, he was reminding Roland that compared with the Black Knight Pirates, he should give greater thought to the consequences of betraying the Oroko Family.

Second, and most importantly, those three thousand gold coins had actually been loaned to him by Leslie. He would have to repay them in the future.

"Alas, I'm still too weak." After seeing Leslie's true meaning, Roland could not help sighing inwardly.

Whether it was the Black Knight Pirates or the Oroko Family, both were colossal forces to the current Roland, and he did not dare offend either one lightly.

This forced him to carefully struggle for survival between the two powers, treading on thin ice. The feeling filled Roland with irritation.

Since arriving in this world, it seemed danger had never left his side. Whether it was the Solomon Family, the Oroko Family, or the Black Knight Pirates, all of them harbored more or less hostility toward him.

It was only through a measure of luck, combined with Roland's cautious handling, that he had barely restrained their ill intentions.

However, this could not continue forever. Once Roland's value grew greater and greater, sooner or later they would be unable to restrain their greed and would make a move against him.

At that thought, Roland's body trembled slightly, a sharp glint flashing deep within his eyes. He reminded himself once more that he had to be even more careful from now on and accelerate the growth of his own strength.

Sensing Fili still standing before him, Roland adjusted his expression and said in a deeply moved tone, "Leslie truly is my best friend. Meeting him was absolutely the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."

Roland's expression was so sincere that not only did the people around him fail to notice any flaw, but their faces instead filled with envy.

After all, everyone had seen what Leslie had done for Roland. It could be said that eighty percent of Roland's ability to possess a territory and even develop it peacefully was due to Leslie.

"Apothecary Roland, the friendship between you and Young Master Leslie truly makes us envious," Fili said ingratiatingly, a jealous smile appearing on his face.

"You will have such friendships in the future as well. Now hurry and unload the cargo. Move all the aid from my friend into our warehouses." Roland swept his hand grandly and said proudly.

However, after saying that, he hurriedly left with Alice.

Because he was afraid that if he kept talking, he would not be able to stop himself from throwing up.

That night, to encourage the slaves and mercenaries who had worked hard for over a month, Roland held a grand bonfire party. He even took out some of the stored meat and distributed it among everyone.

It had to be said that in this world, human slaves were truly easy to satisfy. Roland had merely given each person a bowl of meat soup, yet they already called him a benevolent lord.