North of Tami Village, at the manor construction site.
A small path paved with stones ran in front of the manor. Around it stood a fence made of Tung Wood, with a stone wall half a man's height built at its base. These walls had been piled from discarded stones left over from quarrying. With such crude tools, even though they lived near the mountains, the villagers rarely used stone to build houses. It was simply too difficult.
Tung Wood was unique to the Amon Mountains. Its trunks grew tall and straight, and because the wood contained a certain amount of oil, it resisted moisture well and could remain intact for decades without rotting. The villagers used it for fences and houses. Its drawback was that it caught fire easily and burned for a long time once lit, yet it was still the villagers' preferred timber.
For a house, being flammable was certainly dangerous, but compared with the damp climate of the Amon Mountains, that flaw was nothing. Besides, being easy to burn was not necessarily a disadvantage.
Because quarrying stone was so laborious, only one small building in the manor was being constructed entirely from stone; everything else used wooden structures. The stone and timber had now been prepared and piled in the manor's open grounds like two small hills.
Colin was also at the manor, supervising the work alongside Abel. Looking at the two-story Stone Building that was already half finished, Colin was overjoyed. Ever since Lord Nord had arrived, life in the village had steadily improved. Especially after they discovered yams and solved the food problem, the smile had not left Colin's face for days. Helping Lord Nord finish the manor as soon as possible was the greatest repayment he could offer, which was why Colin had led the villagers to build it through the rain.
Nord was very satisfied with the pace of construction. He slowly surveyed the villagers around him and found them full of energy, without a trace of resentment over working in the rain. Especially these past few days, they had returned home each day to steaming yams and could eat their fill, no longer having to worry about where their next meal would come from after finishing the last. Now, even when they walked, they seemed to stride with force, as if they had endless strength.
Nord walked over to Colin. Seeing the spirited old man directing the villagers with such enthusiasm, even more invested than Nord himself, he stepped forward to share the good news.
"Village Chief Colin, I have good news for you. The yams have sprouted."
"Lord Nord, you're here. What good news did you just mention?"
Village Chief Colin was somewhat surprised by Nord's arrival and did not immediately understand what it meant for the yams to sprout. Besides, he did not care much about it. There were still plenty of yams in the nearby forests; as long as they searched carefully, they could always gather quite a lot.
"I tried planting yams. I just went to check, and the yams from a few days ago have all sprouted. That means we can start planting yams now."
"That truly is good news. Congratulations, Lord Nord. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for some people to help you plant the yams."
A faint smile appeared on Colin's face, though he was somewhat dismissive of Lord Nord's idea of planting yams. Colin believed that with so many yams in the forest, there was no need to cultivate them. With that effort, they might as well make a few extra trips into the woods and find plenty of yams. Still, he did not want to disobey Nord's orders, so he said he would arrange people to help Nord plant them.
Nord could hear Colin's indifference. Colin lacked foresight, but Nord saw no need to explain it to him. Telling him now would be useless; he would understand Nord's intentions in the future. Moreover, planting yams did not require much labor or many people. The villagers' main tasks were still building the manor and digging up yams.
"Don't congratulate me. And they won't be planting them for me. Yams take no more than three months to grow. If we plant them now, we'll have a harvest before the Cold Season arrives."
"I understand, Lord Nord. I'll make the arrangements."
Hearing that yams could be harvested in only three months, a flicker of surprise passed through Colin's eyes. Because of the climate, wheat here took five or six months to mature, and its yield was not high. Yet even then, Colin still failed to see the need to cultivate yams.
"Also, Marco told me they rescued an injured mountain dweller in the forest. He seems to be from a mountain stronghold somewhere deep in the mountains. He's still unconscious, but his injuries have stabilized. I'll head into the mountains to see him shortly."
When Colin heard Nord say they had found a mountain dweller, he showed no joy. Colin knew of Nord's fixation on the strongholds deep within the mountains. He did not approve of venturing so far in. As an old hunter who often entered the depths of the mountains, he knew they were far too dangerous. Recklessly going deeper in the future would inevitably lead to casualties, and now that the food problem had been solved, there was even less reason to enter the mountains. Looking at the eager Nord, Colin hesitated to speak.
"Lord Nord, if you have any questions about the mountain strongholds deep in the mountains... you could try asking... Old Mor."
"Understood. Old Mor is experienced, after all."
Thinking of the person from deep in the mountains whom he was about to meet, Nord felt excited and failed to catch the meaning hidden in Colin's words.
After greeting Colin and Abel, Nord left with Marco and the others. Though excited, Nord was in no hurry. The man was still unconscious, but his injuries were no longer dangerous, so there was no need to rush over. Along the way, Nord considered how he should deal with the mountain strongholds.
From the very beginning, Nord had held great ambitions for the strongholds deep in the mountains. Those strongholds would be the foundation of his future development. He had been in the village for more than half a month without hearing any news of them, and he had truly begun to feel anxious. Relying solely on the hundred-odd households of Tami Village, who knew how long it would take to develop.
But when he finally received news of a mountain stronghold, Nord instead calmed down and carefully considered how to establish good relations with them. Every stronghold deep in the mountains lived in isolation from the outside world, so they would certainly not be easy to communicate with. If this attempt failed, there was no telling when another opportunity would come. This chance was extremely important.
The air in the forest after the rain was exceptionally fresh, and raindrops still covered the leaves. Once they entered the woods, it felt as though heaven and earth had been washed clean, bursting with brilliant life.
Wild Boar Cave no longer looked as it had on Nord's first visit. Not only had the surrounding fence been expanded, but the ground at the cave entrance had also been leveled. Inside was a sizable training ground filled with all kinds of training equipment. It looked even more like a stronghold now.
The trees outside the fence had also been cleared in a ring, creating a buffer zone between the outpost and the forest. From the fence, they could clearly see toward the woods. The instant Nord and the others stepped into the clearing, the hunters inside the outpost spotted them.
As Nord reached the gate, Ryman had already come out with several men to greet him.
"Lord Nord, you came so quickly."
"I'm quite interested in this man. How is he now?"
"He's still unconscious, but there isn't any serious problem. You can tell he's physically strong. He should wake up soon."
When they arrived before Wild Boar Cave, Nord stopped. His heart was both excited and uneasy. The result might disappoint him, or it might open a new chapter for the territory.
Thank you to Jin Jun for the reward, and thank you all for your recommendation votes. My favorites went up quite a bit yesterday. Let me tell you something amusing: can you find my recommendation slot? I'll give you a hint.
Step one: turn on your computer. Yes, a computer.
Step two: open Qidian's fantasy section.
Step three: take out a magnifying glass and don't miss a single clue.
Haha, a true test recommendation slot. Fellow readers, if you think this book is decent, please give it a recommendation. I would be deeply grateful. With tears in my eyes, I know not what to say.
Before you continue