Karl's forces marched until noon, then stopped at the edge of a relatively open woodland near a water source.
Daylight in the Northern Territory was terrifyingly brief, especially in late autumn. It seemed that barely past noon, the sky already began to take on a grayness eager to sink into night.
Karl knew all too well that in the wilderness, without Fran City's walls to protect them, night meant danger magnified without limit.
Before the limited daylight ran out, they had to establish a camp that could at least provide basic defense and shelter.
The greatest threat was naturally the Sauron people.
Although this was not the season for a large-scale southern advance by the Sauron people—they usually headed south in autumn, when the skies were clear and the horses were well-fed, then retreated before spring—the main bodies of those barbarian forces, laden with spoils, had mostly already returned north.
But scattered Sauron cavalry and raiding parties could still wander the wilderness like ghosts.
With the fighting strength of Karl's current force, even encountering a small Sauron scouting party could bring total disaster.
Besides that, hungry wolf packs, goblins, kobolds, and even stranger creatures in the Northern Wilderness were all potential threats.
Orders were issued swiftly, and camp construction immediately got underway in full swing.
The slaves were gathered together and chopped down trees under the soldiers' supervision.
The Northern Territory had once been densely populated, with more than two million residents. But after years of war and the Sauron people's continual massacres and raids, nine out of ten households now stood empty, and the vast land had become desolate.
The decline in human activity had instead allowed the forests to grow wildly, making timber resources extremely abundant.
Karl established a simple, direct system of rewards and punishments. Chopping down and transporting a certain amount of timber earned an extra bowl of thick Black Rye Porridge. Anyone who slacked off or tried to shirk work was whipped mercilessly by the supervising soldiers.
More importantly, in this wilderness far from human civilization, escaping was practically suicide. Freezing or starving to death, or becoming food for wild beasts, was the only possible outcome.
Thus, although the slaves were numb, they still worked with fairly impressive efficiency for the sake of survival and that meager food reward.
Twenty fully armed soldiers stood guard nearby, enough to suppress any rebellious thoughts.
The soldiers were responsible for the more technical work: digging trenches, tamping earthworks, installing palisades, and putting up tents.
The slaves could not do these jobs. They lacked both organization and the necessary skills.
Under the guidance of Old Morrell and the rescued craftsmen—Hans, Vali, and Firth—the entire camp took shape in an orderly manner.
Old Morrell used crude surveying tools to plan the camp's layout. Hans directed the tamping and angles of the earthworks. Vali handled the processing of the timber and construction of the palisades, while Firth inspected the water source and planned the drainage ditches.
Their professional knowledge and experience proved immensely valuable at that moment.
By the time the sunset's afterglow had dyed the sky a bleak orange-red, a proper-looking camp already stood on the wasteland.
Around the camp ran a trench nearly two meters deep and about one meter wide, with sharpened wooden stakes even planted at the bottom.
Beyond the trench stood solid earthen ramparts over a meter high, made by tamping together the excavated soil and turf.
On top of the ramparts stood another row of sturdy wooden palisades, formed from tightly fitted logs and standing roughly one and a half times a person's height. The crucial points had also been reinforced with thick wooden stakes.
Inside the camp, the tents had been arranged neatly by function.
There were living quarters for the soldiers, an area for supervising the slaves, a supply storage area, a horse-tethering area, and even a temporary command post and wounded-care station made from leather tents.
The fire pits had been cleverly positioned where they would not ignite the tents while still providing sufficient warmth and light.
Although crude, this was absolutely a military camp with sound defensive functions and internal planning, far superior to the haphazard camps thrown together by ordinary pioneering groups.
Watching the wisps of cooking smoke rising into the dusk, the flickering glow of the campfires, and the ring of fortifications around the camp that appeared especially grim in the darkness,
all the soldiers, even the numb slaves, inexplicably felt a trace of security in their hearts.
Karl stood atop the earthen rampart and looked at everything, his heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. He also came to rely even more heavily on Old Morrell and the others.
The role of professionals was especially important in the wilderness.
Brendan arranged double sentries and patrols, while hidden sentries were stationed in the darkness around the camp.
Roland led people in inspecting every palisade and trench to ensure there were no oversights.
Night completely enveloped the Northern Wilderness. The cold wind howled, but the campfire in the center of the camp burned especially brightly, driving away the darkness and cold.
At dawn the next day, when the sky had only begun to show a faint, hazy light, Karl's camp had already awakened.
The smoky aroma of cooking replaced the morning chill. Soldiers and slaves silently and swiftly ate a simple breakfast, once again Black Rye Porridge and dried meat capable of providing sufficient warmth.
In the Northern Territory, daylight was precious, and they had to hurry on their way.
Karl stood before the command tent, already mostly dismantled, and spread out the precious map of the Northern Territory.
Earl Rochefort had given it to him before his departure. It was detailed and marked with mountains, rivers, old roads, known abandoned strongholds, and dangerous areas. Its value was extraordinary.
His finger traced the route they had taken the previous day as he estimated the distance.
"We covered about thirty kilometers yesterday..." he murmured.
Considering that the group still contained a large number of slaves and baggage, this marching speed could be called elite even throughout the Goldflower Kingdom.
His gaze fell on the destination, "Carnford."
The map showed that the straight-line distance from Fran City to Carnford was approximately one hundred and twenty kilometers.
That distance was also one of the key factors behind Karl's decision to choose this place.
If it was too close, they would be completely under Earl Rochefort's watch and lack room for independent development. If it was too far, they would venture deep into dangerous territory, and should they encounter a large-scale attack, Fran City's support would be too far away to reach them.
One hundred and twenty kilometers was neither too near nor too far—just right.
"At this speed, we'll arrive in another three or four days." Karl put away the map, somewhat relieved.
By then, the soldiers and slaves in the camp had finished breakfast and begun packing up the tents. As for the completed camp, they had chosen not to destroy it. In the future, it could serve as a relay station, outpost, or something similar for travel between here and Fran City.
The slaves were also driven by the auxiliary soldiers into a loose but reasonably orderly formation, ready to depart.
Suddenly, a burst of shouting and commotion came from the area where the soldiers had camped!
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