Old Ford froze. That was the royal family's private hunting ground.
"I want that land." Su Li drew a large circle on the map with his finger. "The soil has to be fertile, and it has to be big enough. Once your rebellion succeeds, assign that land to me. I want to settle the old men and women from Wading Village there, along with the refugees fleeing the famine in the north."
Saina shot to her feet, knocking over her stool.
Old Ford clapped hard. "What kind of condition is that? Once we take over the royal capital, the entire Royal Wilderness will be put under your name—tax-free and exempt from conscription."
"Alright, get out. We need to sleep." Su Li began shooing them away.
Having gotten his confirmation, Old Ford practically had wings on his feet as he hurried away.
The days that followed were exceptionally peaceful.
Old Ford busied himself outside, moving troops and generals about, carrying out all manner of political schemes. Su Li simply took the three women out of the core area of Red Leaf Manor and moved into a large estate on the outskirts.
He did only one thing: forge iron.
Before dawn every day, the furnace would already be burning, and Elonore, dressed in a coarse linen short shirt, worked the bellows beside it.
An elf's skin, untouched by sunlight year-round, was pale enough to shine. Once she sweated from work, the fabric clung to her back, revealing the slender lines of her waist beneath it.
Bare-chested, Su Li swung his great hammer as sparks burst everywhere.
Using that box of top-grade magic stones, he was upgrading the family's equipment. Fourth-tier materials were incredibly hard; only by pouring in that overbearing, unreasonable aether of his could he forcibly hammer them into shape.
Saina