Setting Off

A week later, after this period of time, Victor finally set off after modifying the immigration plan, allocating new supplies, and preparing the fleet with new guides.

With only two and a half months left until winter, the plan required all northern forces, 4,000 immigrants, and winter supplies to be transported to the northern territories and winter housing to be built before winter arrived.

According to the plan, the fleet's round trip would take 20 days. Three round trips would be sufficient to transport all personnel and supplies. Remaining immigrants and supplies would be transported in the spring when the inland rivers thawed.

This time, the fleet consisted of 11 ships of various sizes, carrying a total of 50 cavalry, 400 infantry, 2,000 young adults, and corresponding supplies.

Victor appointed Santos as the fleet supervisor, and Powell, a steward from the territory's merchant guild, led the fleet on its normal departure.

Victor himself set off ahead in another fast ship to Viscount Edelweiss's territory, both to visit his maternal uncle Soros and to seek help from Viscount Edelweiss's territory.

Five days later, the fleet would rendezvous in Bria County, and at the same time, they would meet up with the northern-bound team from the Blue Rose Territory. Victor had already exchanged greetings with James, and they would proceed north together after the full assembly.

After confirming the timeline, Victor and Ron set off with his ship. They traveled quickly, arriving at Edelweiss Territory in three days.

The entire Edelweiss Territory was located on the edge of the northern lands, at the foot of a branch of the mountain range the barbarians called "Wrath of Ice and Snow."

So when Victor's ship arrived here, he could see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, which was truly spectacular.

It was said that this mountain range extended all the way to the northern desolate snowfields, being exceptionally vast. Legends spoke of monsters like snowmen living there, but these were only barbarian tales, and no one had ever seen them.

There was a small dock on the shore with only three jetties, capable of mooring five or six ships. Victor nodded upon seeing it. He had visited Edelweiss Territory once when his memories first awakened, mainly to see his maternal grandfather. He had known then that trade in Edelweiss Territory was not developed, being far from the main current and tributaries of the Blackwater River, and its specialty products were few. It was no wonder its condition had worsened over the years.

The special circumstances of this world led to excellent quality and high yields of major grain crops. Especially in the Grand Duchy of Vera, even though most land could only be cultivated once a year, unless there were special circumstances like large-scale wars or prolonged natural disasters, grain prices would not fetch much.

Therefore, major nobles preferred to cultivate special cash crops to obtain money for trade, which gradually led to the custom of nobles taking surnames from magical plants.

"The difficulties in Edelweiss Territory are truly hard to solve. Father asked me to come up with a solution, but it seems I can only rely on my cheat, Number 1."

"Victor, please issue your command."

"I will be staying in Edelweiss Territory for two days. You need to pay attention to collecting all kinds of information and have the calculation module create a plan to make Edelweiss Territory great again, mega." Victor unconsciously uttered a phrase from his past life.

"Victor, the mission has been confirmed."

As they spoke, the ship docked. Several people were waiting not far from the pier.

Victor quickly called Ron to disembark. After getting off the ship, he saw who had come. Among them was an elder with white hair and a middle-aged man with blond hair—it was Victor's maternal grandfather, Viscount Roy, and his maternal uncle, Lord Soros.

"Haha, come and see this handsome young man, my good grandson Victor," Viscount Roy exclaimed as he walked over, embracing Victor and patting his back vigorously.

His grip is strong, Victor thought, before quickly pulling away from Viscount Roy's embrace. He then said to Viscount Roy and his uncle Soros, "Long time no see. Grandfather, you're still in great health, and so are you, Uncle."

Soros also nodded with a smile.

Ron, standing nearby, quickly added, "Father, and me too, it's been a long time."

"Go away, you muscle-bound idiot," Viscount Roy said with a look of disdain.

"Alright, Victor, hurry home. Your aunt and siblings have been waiting for you for a long time. We'll have a good drink together tonight," Viscount Roy said, pulling Victor along. Soros and Ron quickly followed.

Victor waved to the crew members remaining on the ship, signaling them not to worry.

The Viscount Edelweiss's mansion. The castle of Edelweiss Territory was located to the north, near the grasslands. This mansion, however, was situated at the foot of a hill, closer to the river, and had a better surrounding environment.

They all sat around the dining table. Viscount Roy sat at the head, with Victor to his left. Victor had initially wanted to sit below Soros, but Viscount Roy stopped him, saying, "You are already a Baron, so follow the etiquette, or people will look down on you in the future." Victor had no choice but to obey his grandfather's instructions.

Victor hadn't seen his grandfather's family in a long time. His maternal grandmother had passed away early. Uncle Soros and his wife had three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Douglas, was only 14 years old and a filial son. The second son, Robin, and the third son, Jackson, were 11 and 8 years old, respectively. Their youngest daughter, Sophia, was only 5 years old. Victor didn't really know anyone except Douglas, and this time he got to meet them all.

During the meal, Victor recounted many of his wartime experiences. Douglas and his two brothers listened with wide eyes; these young noble children were most curious and eager for such stories.

Viscount Roy and Soros also shared their views, and Victor agreed with them all. For a time, the hosts and guests were in high spirits.

After the meal, Victor's aunt took the children away, while Victor, his grandfather, and his two uncles went to the study.

"Victor, I received your father's letter earlier and already know the purpose of your visit. I have no problem with it. You know the territory's economic situation has been poor these past few years. You are heading north to pioneer, and I should help, but now I can only provide troops for you, and you will be responsible for their upkeep."

"Grandfather, it's already very good that you can lend me troops. We are already short-handed. With the elite cavalry from Edelweiss Territory, my pioneering efforts will be greatly secured. We will pay a usage fee for each cavalryman, 1 gold coin per person per year. We will be responsible for weapons and equipment. As for the warhorses, I'll have to trouble you. If there are losses, we will compensate at the full price. We will also provide death benefits for fallen soldiers."

Soros looked at Viscount Roy with a face full of joy. Viscount Roy sighed, "Let's do this. The entire territory currently has over 300 light cavalry and 600 infantry. You probably don't need infantry, so I'll directly assign you 200 light cavalry, each with two horses."

Victor was overjoyed. "This is much better than I initially expected. I thought it would be good to borrow 100 at most, but I didn't expect Grandfather to lend out 200 cavalry directly. As for the annual rent of 200 gold and daily maintenance costs, there are no problems. Even by the standards of Golden Sunflower Territory, the total cost per year would only be 500 gold. Victor had already discussed this with his father. For the first three years, Golden Sunflower Territory would provide Victor with 1,500 gold annually for pioneering, so 500 gold is not an unaffordable amount."

"Thank you, Grandfather. I'll send someone with a year's rent tomorrow."

"There's no rush," Viscount Roy waved his hand.

"Your fleet's transport capacity is insufficient, isn't it? How about this: my cavalry will travel by land and will not accompany the fleet north. The logistical expenses on the road will be my gift to you. I'll have Soros lead them directly to Northwind City to find you. Since they are all cavalry, it will be fast and not much slower than your fleet."

"Thank you, Grandfather." It was indeed easier to talk to family. If they had to rely on sea transport, the immigration schedule before winter could not be guaranteed. Viscount Roy had solved a major problem for Victor.

"There's no need for such words. I also hope you succeed this time. You will likely be promoted to Viscount soon. I don't know if I will live to see that day," Viscount Roy sighed.

"Don't worry, Grandfather. You're in such good health, you'll definitely be fine," Victor comforted him.

"Yes, Father. With our help, and Victor being so outstanding, he'll surely be promoted to Viscount in a few years," Soros added.

"After this, it will be up to you, Baron Victor. Oh no, the future Viscount Victor," Viscount Roy said with a smile.

After discussing the specific matters with his grandfather and maternal uncle, Victor rested in the guest room, still pondering the day's events.

"It went very smoothly. Including Jack's team and the light cavalry team accompanying the fleet, by the time we reach the territory, I will directly have 300 cavalry troops. Combined with 400 infantry, it will be enough to handle various situations." Thinking of this, Victor summoned Number 1.

"Number 1, how is the Edelweiss Territory prosperity plan coming along? Are there any suitable proposals?"

"Victor, after today's field research and analysis, we believe the focus of our plan should be on raising cashmere goats."

"You mean raising cashmere goats and processing the wool for cashmere?"

"Yes. Based on our observations, the cashmere goat breed in Edelweiss Territory is very mature. The wool produced has uniform fiber fineness, high density, and is soft and elastic, making it a high-quality cashmere material."

"That's indeed a good idea. However, if we do that, we'll need to improve the cashmere processing technology. Alright, that's not urgent. After the first phase of the territory's construction is complete, let's have the calculation module add a task to optimize cashmere textile technology. We can improve the machinery and have the artisans from the repair workshop build it."

With his mind made up, Victor began to rest.

The next morning, Victor toured Edelweiss Territory with Soros and Ron.

Using the collected data, Victor created a status panel for Edelweiss Territory.

Territory Data

Name: Edelweiss Territory
Population: 23,179
Area: 683.112 square kilometers
Towns: 1
Villages: 8 + 5 farms + 5 ranches
Military Strength: 1000 (including 300 light cavalry, 500 spearmen, and 200 archers)
Public Morale: 43
Primary Industries: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry
Annual Income: 1400 gold coins
Annual Expenses: 1600 gold coins (expenses exceed income, relying on Golden Sunflower Territory for support.)
Infrastructure:
Castle: A sturdy stone castle with defensive towers and a moat.
Farmland: Fertile land, primarily growing wheat, barley, and vegetables.
Pasture: Mountainous grasslands, raising cattle, sheep, and horses.
Wharf: A very small inland wharf, with few merchant ships passing by.

Although this territory was much larger than Golden Sunflower Territory before the land swap, its data was inferior in every aspect. It was no wonder Edelweiss Territory hadn't sent many troops during this civil war.

After bidding farewell to Viscount Roy and Soros, Victor set off with his fleet.

As the fleet quickly entered the northern territories, the number of ships on this tributary of the Blackwater River increased.

After sailing for one day, the fleet arrived at Brook City, the county seat of Bria County. With one more day until they met up with the other fleets, Victor took his men to explore the city. Bria County was the smallest of the three northern counties, but it was the earliest developed. Brook City was relatively prosperous internally, but it certainly couldn't compare to Blackwater City.

As usual, Victor went directly to the trading post for magical plants to see if there were any that interested him.

After a brief look around, Victor picked out two plants and bought a batch of seeds: one type of sugar beet seed and one type of alfalfa seed. While these two plants didn't have very special functions, this sugar beet was very suitable for cultivation in the north and had a high yield. Sugar was highly sought after by the people of the north, but due to limitations in processing technology, the quality of sugar made from sugar beets was inferior to that made from sugarcane in the south. Victor wanted to use the calculation module of the Beacon Lighthouse to upgrade the sugar-making process, increasing both yield and quality. It might even become a profitable business. The alfalfa seeds were even simpler. Victor planned to establish pastures upon returning to his territory and needed high-quality forage. Alfalfa was very popular with large livestock like cattle and horses, and it was also suitable for silage. It was seeing this alfalfa that reminded Victor about silage. Victor immediately set up a calculation task. This technology could be very important for animal husbandry in the northern grasslands.

Just as Victor was preparing to leave, satisfied, he saw a familiar logo at the entrance of a shop – the Gorn Trading Company, which he had encountered before in Blackwater City.

"I didn't expect this trading company to be so efficient, already starting business in the north so quickly," Victor thought, curious, and walked into the shop.

To his surprise, upon entering, he saw a familiar figure: the spherical being, Vitri Greenleaf, a court noble of the Raine Kingdom.

Dilit also saw Victor and immediately walked over with a smile.

"I was wondering why there was a magpie cawing at the shop entrance all day. So, a distinguished guest has arrived. Lord Victor, oh no, it should be Baron Victor now. Long time no see." Dilit bowed to Victor with a smile.

"Guild Master Vitri, long time no see. The Gorn Trading Company is indeed powerful. I'm surprised you managed to get news of my becoming a baron so quickly," Victor said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. The Golden Sunflower Baronage is quite renowned throughout the Grand Duchy of Vera, and its strength is not much less than some viscountcies. Our guild always pays close attention to influential nobles like yourselves. After all, being well-informed is the most important aspect of business," Vitri said with a smile.