Chapter 18

Xia Zuoyi barely had to exert any effort to bring Como Castle into his territory.

The happiest of all were the commoners and slaves of Como Castle. Every estate owner immediately offered Desinia their loyalty and sincerity.

The heavy snow gradually melted, and the weather warmed slightly.

After spending several solidly decadent days loafing around in the castle, Xia Zuoyi summoned both Fernandi and Walker.

He placed a long table in the study.

Judith and Gibran sat on one side of the table, while Fernandi and Walker sat on the other.

Toby followed Kelly in with lemonade. After placing parchment and pens before the four of them, he left the room.

The two tiger cubs rolled around in the middle of the soft rug, biting each other as their thick little paws smacked at one another, letting out little growls.

Xia Zuoyi said, "Snowball, Coalball."

"Growl, growl-growl."

The two chubby tiger cubs immediately pricked up their ears, released each other, and scampered toward Xia Zuoyi, whimpering as they pawed at the legs of his chair.

At Xia Zuoyi's gesture, Judith picked up the two cubs and placed them in the wide chair beside him, putting up a barrier around them.

The two tiger cubs swished their tails and obediently curled up together.

According to 098, the Black-Blue Tiger had been born first and was the older brother, while the White Tiger was the younger brother.

The planet where the Idiot System came from was rather special.

The two fluffy creatures would live longer than ordinary tigers and were exceptionally intelligent. Once grown, their height and size would also be extraordinary; swatting an adult man to death with one paw would be effortless.

[The gift 098 selected for the host is absolutely, absolutely amazing!]

Xia Zuoyi stroked the fluffy heads of the two tiger cubs and received a paw-hug and kisses in return.

Walker said, "I've never seen white and black tigers before. I never expected them to appear on Mount Parr."

Xia Zuoyi said, "Finding them was only a coincidence."

"But it was precisely because we found them in that cave that we encountered something even luckier afterward."

Aside from Judith, everyone else looked puzzled.

Gibran asked, "My lord, what was it?"

Xia Zuoyi said, "Judith and I discovered a mineral vein in a small valley on Mount Parr."

Ferdinand and the others looked astonished.

Xia Zuoyi took out a piece of Rock Asphalt that he had stuffed into his pocket that day and placed it on the table.

"This is the ore."

Walker, Fernandi, and Gibran immediately leaned in to examine it.

Fernandi was well-traveled and recognized the mineral. "This is a type of black ore. I once saw it in the distant kingdom of Helgada."

"The people of Helgada mix this ore with straw ash, clay, and fine sand, then apply it to the surface of containers to make them waterproof."

Rock Asphalt was known as Black Ore on the Western Continent.

Helgada was a small country neighboring Gana, surrounded by the Ebdin River. Most travel there was done by boat.

Very little Black Ore had been discovered before this.

It had never appeared in Gadayat.

Moreover, because Black Ore looked remarkably similar to coal, it had initially been mistaken for a new kind of coal. Only after it was burned did people realize what it truly was.

So far, Black Ore had only been used as a waterproof coating on containers or walls.

Gibran looked at Xia Zuoyi. "My lord, you called us here today because...?"

Xia Zuoyi said, "I called you here for a meeting today."

"The topic of this meeting is the 'Wisas and Como Castle Five-Year Comprehensive Development and Infrastructure Reconstruction Plan.' I want to rebuild these two cities."

He casually said something astonishing.

Walker raised his head. "My lord, you should know that rebuilding cities will consume enormous manpower and resources, especially money..."

"I understand. That's why I called you here to discuss how to solve the problem."

Xia Zuoyi tapped the parchment and pens before them. "Remember to write down the key points during the meeting, so you don't forget them afterward."

Walker felt both amused and helpless. Rubbing his nose, he nodded. "As you command, my lord."

Xia Zuoyi cleared his throat. "The first item: arrangements for the Soldiers' Training Camp."

Ferdinand and Walker straightened in their seats.

"During the annual summer recruitment, new recruits must remain in the training camp for a full two years before they can leave. Afterward, the soldiers will be reassigned and arranged anew."

"For example, guarding the city gates, patrolling the city in shifts at different times..."

At that point, Xia Zuoyi looked at Fernandi.

He said, "I remember that among the reserve soldiers, Mike Andrew made the greatest contribution when he discovered the enemy ambush on Mount Parr. He was later rewarded and freed from slavery. What do you think of his abilities?"

Ferdinand said, "Steady and reliable. He has both judgment and strategy."

Xia Zuoyi nodded, then looked at Walker.

"Do you still want to return to the royal capital?"

"If you do, I can write to the king and have all twelve of you knights return..."

Before he could finish, Walker interrupted him.

"I swear by the Creator God, my lord, I very much want to remain at your side. Other than where you are, I don't want to go anywhere, not even the royal capital."

[An old book friend I've known for ten years recommended this reading app to me. It's fucking useful! I use its read-aloud function to pass the time while driving or before bed. Download it here.]

Walker felt that no one could be more interesting than the young count.

When he had first come to Wisas, he had done so with an indifferent attitude.

But now, he thought that his jealous older brother had finally done one tremendously good thing.

Xia Zuoyi said, "If those are your true feelings, then I want you to swear eternal loyalty to Desinia and never betray it."

Walker rose from his chair, walked before Xia Zuoyi, and knelt on one knee. Taking his hand, he said with rare solemnity, "By the Creator God, I will forever be loyal to Desinia. Not even the king's orders may surpass yours."

Xia Zuoyi said, "I accept your loyalty."

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"Thank you for your trust."

Walker smiled and pressed a kiss to the back of Xia Zuoyi's pale hand.

"..."

Kissing... really wasn't necessary.

After Walker returned to his seat, he received looks from Judith, Gibran, and Fernandi.

He raised a brow and silently asked, What?

Judith smiled at him.

Walker covered his chest, feeling a little chill.

Xia Zuoyi continued, "I will establish two cavalry units, led respectively by Fernandi and Walker: the Black Cavalry and the White Cavalry."

"When new recruits enter the Soldiers' Training Camp, they may be divided into reserve soldiers and ordinary soldiers. But once they leave the camp, they must be dispersed and assigned into the two cavalry units."

Otherwise, their identities and factions would be too clearly defined, and conflict between commoners and slaves would arise. In the long run, it would become irreconcilable.

Xia Zuoyi said, "Fernandi will be commander of the Black Cavalry, and Walker will be commander of the White Cavalry. The designs on the two units' banners... will be Coalball and Snowball."

He intended to use tiger heads.

Xia Zuoyi looked at the two tiger cubs licking each other's fur. One was black, and the other white.

The Western Continent was not peaceful.

Leaving aside disputes between nations, even minor lords often had friction or fought one another. Having a cavalry force of one's own was undoubtedly the greatest security and safeguard.

Walker smiled. "So the two little ones will become the spiritual symbols of the two cavalry units in the future."

He stretched out an arm to stroke the little White Tiger's head, nearly getting his finger bitten by the cub.

"Growl, growl-growl."

Coalball growled along with Snowball, baring his teeth and swatting at Walker.

"Hey, quite fierce." Walker laughed even more happily.

After rubbing the tiger cubs' soft bellies and quieting them down, Xia Zuoyi continued, "I need each of you to select two vice commanders. I assume you already have suitable candidates in mind."

Ferdinand said, "Mike Andrew has performed the best among the reserve soldiers. As for the other candidate..."

Xia Zuoyi said, "You can consider Dana."

"Before soldiers leave the training camp, they will undergo a final assessment. Their positions will then be assigned according to their merit and results."

"If you want Dana by your side, he must win everyone over and earn sufficient merit before the final assessment."

"I can trust Dana's loyalty. I hope he won't disappoint me."

Ferdinand stood and placed his right fist over his left chest. "I guarantee that he will not disappoint you."

Xia Zuoyi nodded.

Then he asked, "What about you, Walker?"

Walker said, "My candidates are Tyler Kennedy and Bana Larry."

"Taylor is intelligent and steady by nature, while Bana's scouting ability is outstanding."

After deciding on the vice commanders, they discussed several other matters.

Xia Zuoyi picked up the ore from the long table. "Regarding the excavation of this mineral vein... manpower will need to be drawn from the training camp. I hope you can keep the news under control and not let it leak for the time being."

"It does not need to be concealed for too long. It just must not become known to outsiders before we recruit enough craftsmen."

Ferdinand and Walker nodded to show they understood.

Xia Zuoyi said, "I hope the craftsmen can research other uses for Black Ore. Rather than only using it as a waterproof coating, can it be used for road paving or building houses?"

He stopped there and said no more, allowing Walker and the others to think for themselves and write down the important points on the parchment.

Rebuilding a city truly was not an easy task.

It would take a long time, and the consumption of manpower, resources, and funds would be enormous...

But when Xia Zuoyi looked at the upper-right corner of the system interface—the Plot Deviation Value had only progressed by a mere two percent...

He felt that if he did not want to die, he could not keep loafing around. He had to struggle for the future!

Xia Zuoyi used his reputation points to exchange for many more relevant books in the library.

They included Basic Regulations for Military Management, Urban Planning and Construction, A Complete Guide to the Uses of Asphalt Materials, and so on.

He was like a humble, overworked lord.

Xia Zuoyi suppressed the sigh in his heart. "The urban construction of Wisas and Como Castle must develop gradually."

"At present, the most important thing is to establish checkpoints at the foot of Mount Parr."

"Only one road between Wisas and Como Castle will be open for travel. Part of the southeastern woodland will be opened as hunting grounds for nobles and commoners, while checkpoints will be set up everywhere else, with soldiers taking turns guarding them every day."

Ferdinand and the others looked puzzled.

Judith asked, "My lord, your purpose in doing this is...?"

Xia Zuoyi tapped the table. "I'm moving."

"I'm going to build a new castle on the shore of Lake Parr. There is no need to demolish the castle on the cliff for now."

Perhaps it could serve as a base for developing a harbor in the future.

Judith strongly approved of Xia Zuoyi's decision.

Gibran said, "My lord, since we are rebuilding Wisas and Como Castle, should we invite in churches and temples?"

On the Western Continent, people believed only in the Creator God.

Every country took pride in the number of churches and temples established within it, but not every city was qualified to possess a church or temple of the Creator God.

For example, in Gadayat, only the royal capital of Caers and Niramore, the territory of Bass Riches, were qualified.

Usually, bishops, clergy, and priests only operated within those two cities.

The Creator God's holy temple was built in the Saint Airo Empire.

After thinking for a while, Xia Zuoyi said, "Don't invite them. If they want to come, they can come."

It would be best if they did not come. Too troublesome.