Home and Family

"Father is being too dramatic, sending you all the way here to greet me."

"To be honest, Uncle Bully and Aunt Ally miss you a lot. They heard that you did a great job in the Principality this time, and they are very concerned about you."

James circled around Victor, giving him a thorough once-over.

"Not bad, he doesn't look too badly injured. I should have gone back with Ron and let him experience the big scene by himself."

Victor laughed and punched James.

"James, what will happen to Baron Brown if you go? We can't really fight him all over again! Speaking of which, how's Baron Brown doing?"

"Both Baron Brown and Marcus are very good, especially after hearing about your great achievements in Boler County. They are both looking forward to going south with you next year."

Baron Brown also used his connections to help us recruit a Barbarian Tribes with over 300 Light Cavalry. Although the number is small, they are all skilled warriors, and they will fight alongside us next year.

There's something else I'd like to recommend to you. You can meet him when we return to the territory. He's a talented man named Sura, the third son of Baron Purple Clover.

Victor stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then remembered Baron Purple Clover's identity.

"Baron Sneider Baron Purple Clover? He's quite renowned in the Northlands, but Purple Alfalfa Fief is currently under surveillance!"

James nodded. "That's right. They've been taken under control by Viscount Edmund of Crimson Maple Territory."

"Never mind, let's talk about it when we get back. I'll probably have a lot of things to do. Just bring him to me when you're free later."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Victor. What are you going to do next? Continue by boat or come back to Wood Fort Town with me on horseback?"

Victor glanced at the ship behind him and said to James, "It won't be much slower. I'll take the ship instead. We have gifts for them on board."

"Okay, then hurry back to the boat. I'll help you on the shore. I also brought a batch of packhorses that can pull the boat faster with the boatmen."

Victor returned to the ship and continued towards Wood Fort Town. With the help of the packhorse caravan brought by James, the ship's speed increased significantly again.

When they could see the docks of Wood Fort Town in the distance, James said goodbye to Victor and returned to Wood Fort Town to inform others.

Victor stood at the bow of the ship, waiting to reach the destination. Just then, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, but fortunately they didn't seem to be very heavy.

Captain Jack walked up to Victor and said, "Viscount, this is the second snowfall of the year. After this, the entire Great Fish River will probably freeze over completely. I think we'll have to take all the sailors to Sea Song Town for training. The docks in Sea Song Town freeze much slower."

Victor nodded. "Then you'll have to work hard, Captain Jack. The entire fleet in Golden Sunflower Territory relies on your efforts, especially for bringing many talented people to the territory, like Blox is indeed very outstanding."

"This is my duty. Besides, you trust me so much, not only giving me such high treatment but also letting me build a fleet of ships. I should do my best."

"If you work for me, I will certainly not treat you unfairly. I'm entrusting the training of this batch of newly recruited sailors to you. Please pay attention to their safety and keep them warm, since it's already winter."

"Don't worry, sir. I can't speak for others, but I've been operating in the northern seas for years, and I won't overlook these issues."

At this moment, Captain Jack suddenly thought of something and said to Victor, "Sir, I've noticed that there are more than half more ships in the fleet this time. The sailors on board should all be regular naval personnel, right?"

"Yes, it was given to me by Earl Black of Great Oak Territory. They are all ships and soldiers of the Great Oak Territory's coastal defense fleet. It's a gift to me."

"This is really good news. Although I have fought pirates, I have only been on merchant ships and do not know much about naval warfare."

"You entrusted me with the naval fleet of Two Rivers Territory, but to be honest, I didn't feel entirely secure. With the arrival of this regular army, I no longer need to concern myself with naval warfare."

Victor looked at Captain Jack: "Is this what you really think? You should know that you built the entire fleet in the territory from scratch. If you hand over the naval battles, you're taking away your own power. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"My lord, the highest I've ever served was as a boatswain, which means I've been on a lot of ships and sailed a lot of routes. I've earned your trust and reached my current position, so what more could I ask for!"

Actually, I don't have much confidence in helping you build a naval force. Now that there are more suitable candidates, I certainly can't continue doing these tasks as before. At most, I'll just switch sides.

"I understand. In that case, don't worry. I'll bring Sodoma to meet you later so you can discuss this in person. If you think Sodoma is suitable, then we can hand over our current batch of warships to him."

"Yes, sir, I'll do as you say. We'll talk about it later."

Their conversation came to an end, and the ship was getting closer and closer to the dock. Victor could already see shadowy figures on the dock, and Captain Jack had also left to prepare to dock.

Victor had always wanted to divide the territory's fleet in two, at least separating the merchant fleet from the warships, but he had not yet found a suitable candidate.

However, with the addition of Sodoma and his men, and Captain Jack's willingness to step down, Victor's time was indeed saved.

Just then, a bell rang, interrupting Victor's thoughts.

"It's the clock on the dock!" Victor knew very well that the sound came from the dock's signal clock, indicating that someone was signaling the ships to come ashore.

The water surface at the dock in Wood Fort Town was wider, and the ice near the shore was thicker. The sound of the boats cracking the ice was getting louder and louder, like muffled thunder in the spring rain.

Victor watched as the dock pier drew closer, where several people waved to him—his parents and younger siblings.

Victor waved to them, and at that moment he noticed Veronica standing next to his mother, Lady Ellie.

She was still as beautiful as before, but Victor felt that Veronica seemed to have lost weight. He was a little worried that she might not have been eating properly lately because she was engrossed in her research, after all, Veronica had a criminal record.

Suddenly Veronica left her spot and ran towards the ship from the pier. Victor quickly braced himself against the gunwale and shouted to Veronica.

"Ronnie, be careful, the pier is very slippery. Don't move, I'll be there soon."

Whether Veronica didn't hear him or didn't intend to listen to Victor, she ran all the way to the pier and watched the ship gradually approach.

Victor looked at Veronica standing at the bridgehead with concern, just as the bow of the boat was less than five meters from the pier.

Victor took a few steps at the bow and then jumped off the ship's side. The guards around him didn't react in time and quickly lay down on the ship's side to look down.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Victor had landed safely on the pier.

However, once Victor regained his footing, he walked straight to Veronica and hugged her tightly, causing everyone to quickly turn their heads away.

Victor held Veronica in his arms, stroking her hair, which was wet, he couldn't tell if it was sweat or snow. Victor took off his cloak and draped it over Veronica, then hugged her tightly.

Veronica nestled against Victor and whispered, "Victor, I missed you so much!"

"Ronnie, me too!"

Then the two of them hugged each other tightly.

Just then, a voice suddenly interrupted, "Alright, you two, stop showing off your love here. Let's go home. It's cold and crowded here!"

Victor looked up and saw his mother Lady Ellie.