Camp and Bonfire

Karl's troops marched until noon, then stopped at the edge of a relatively open woodland near a water source.

The days in the Northern Border were alarmingly short, especially in late autumn. It felt as though the sky began to darken with an eagerness to plunge into night shortly after midday.

Karl knew well that in the wilderness, without the protection of Fran City's walls, night meant amplified danger.

They had to establish a camp that could at least offer basic defense and shelter before the limited daylight ran out.

The greatest threat, naturally, was the Sauron.

Although it wasn't the season for the Sauron's large-scale southward advance – they typically moved south during the bountiful autumn and retreated north before spring, with most of their returning barbarian forces having already gone back north – scattered Sauron scouts and raiding parties could still roam the wilderness like ghosts.

With the current combat strength of Karl's detachment, even encountering a small Sauron reconnaissance team could spell disaster.

Besides that, hungry wolf packs, goblins, kobolds, and even more bizarre creatures in the Northern Border wilderness were all potential threats.

Orders were quickly issued, and camp construction began in full swing.

Slaves were gathered and, under the supervision of soldiers, began felling trees.

The Northern Border was once densely populated, with over two million inhabitants. However, after years of war and the continuous slaughter and plunder by the Sauron, it was now sparsely populated, with vast lands lying desolate.

The reduction in human activity had, conversely, allowed the forests to grow wild, making timber resources extremely abundant.

Karl implemented a simple and direct reward and punishment system: chopping and transporting a certain amount of wood could earn an extra bowl of thick barley porridge, while slacking off or attempting to be lazy would result in merciless whipping by the overseers.

More importantly, in this wilderness far from human civilization, escape was almost equivalent to suicide; freezing to death or becoming food for wild beasts was the only outcome.

Therefore, although these slaves were numb, their work efficiency was quite considerable for the sake of survival and that meager food reward.

Twenty fully armed soldiers stood guard nearby, enough to deter any restless thoughts.

The soldiers themselves handled the more technical work: digging trenches, ramming earthworks, setting up palisades, and pitching tents.

These were tasks the slaves couldn't perform; they lacked the organization and necessary skills.

Under the guidance of Old Morrell and the several rescued craftsmen – Hans, Vali, and Firth – the entire camp construction proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Old Morrell used rudimentary surveying tools to plan the camp layout, Hans directed the ramming and angles of the earthworks, Vali was responsible for timber processing and palisade construction, and Firth surveyed the water source and planned the drainage ditches.

Their professional knowledge and experience proved immensely valuable at this moment.

As the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky a bleak, orange-red, a respectable-looking camp had already been established on the wilderness.

Around the camp's perimeter was a trench nearly two meters deep and about one meter wide, with sharpened wooden stakes even planted at the bottom.

Beyond the trench was a solid earthwork, over a meter high, rammed from the excavated soil mixed with turf.

On top of the earthwork stood a row of sturdy wooden palisades, tightly joined from logs, about one and a half meters high, with thick wooden stakes reinforcing key positions.

Inside the camp, tents were neatly erected, divided into functional zones.

There was a soldier living area, a slave supervision zone, a supply storage area, a horse tethering area, and even a temporary command post and a casualty station set up with leather tents.

Campfire pits were cleverly positioned where they wouldn't ignite tents but would provide sufficient heat and lighting.

Though rudimentary, this was undoubtedly a military camp with good defensive capabilities and internal planning, far surpassing the haphazard camps of ordinary pioneering teams.

Looking at the wisps of smoke rising in the twilight and the flickering bonfire, as well as the defensive structures around the camp that appeared particularly formidable in the darkness.

All the soldiers, and even the numb slaves, felt an inexplicable sense of security.

Karl stood on the earthwork, observing it all, filled with a sense of accomplishment and placing even greater reliance on Old Morrell and the others.

The value of skilled personnel was particularly evident in the wilderness.

Brendan arranged for double sentries and patrol teams, and hidden sentries were also deployed into the darkness surrounding the camp.

Roland led men to inspect every palisade and trench, ensuring there were no oversights.

Night had completely enveloped the Northern Border wilderness, and the cold wind howled, but the bonfire in the center of the camp burned especially brightly, dispelling the darkness and the cold.

The next morning, just as the sky began to show a hint of gray light, Karl's camp was already stirring.

The smoke from cooking fires replaced the morning chill. Soldiers and slaves silently and quickly ate their simple breakfast, still the heat-providing barley porridge and dried meat.

In the Northern Border, daylight was precious, and they had to hurry on their journey.

Karl stood before the largely packed command tent, unfolding the precious map of the Northern Border.

It had been gifted to him by Earl Rochefort before their departure, detailed with mountains, rivers, old roads, and known abandoned strongholds and dangerous areas – invaluable.

His finger traced the route they had traveled the previous day, estimating the distance.

"We covered about thirty kilometers yesterday..." he murmured.

This marching speed, considering the large number of slaves and supplies in the detachment, was considered elite by the standards of the entire Goldflower Kingdom.

His gaze fell upon their destination, "Carnford."

The map showed that the straight-line distance from Fran City to Carnford was about one hundred and twenty kilometers.

This distance was also one of the key factors behind Karl's choice of location.

Too close, and they would be entirely under Earl Rochefort's watchful eye, lacking room for independent development; too far, and they would be deep in dangerous territory, where support from Fran City would be too slow to arrive in case of a large-scale attack.

One hundred and twenty kilometers, not too far, not too close, just right.

"At this speed, we should arrive in three to four days," Karl said, putting away his map and feeling a little more at ease.

By this time, the soldiers and slaves in the camp had finished breakfast and were starting to pack up the tents. They hadn't chosen to destroy the camp they had built, as it could serve as a relay station or outpost for future dealings with Fran City.

The slaves were also herded by the auxiliary soldiers into a loose but reasonably orderly formation, ready to depart.

Suddenly, a cry and commotion erupted from the area where the soldiers were camped!