Chapter 18

Cyrus had barely needed to expend any effort to bring Komoy Fort under his territory.

The happiest of all were the commoners and slaves of Komoy Fort, while every manor lord immediately offered Desinia their loyalty and sincerity.

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

After lazing around in the castle for several days, Cyrus summoned Ferdinand and Walker.

He set a long table in the study.

Judas and Gibran sat on one side of the table, with Ferdinand and Walker on the other.

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

The two tiger cubs rolled around on the soft blanket, playfully biting each other and batting one another with their thick little paws as they let out little growls.

"Snowball, Coalball."

"Roar, roarrr."

The two plump cubs immediately perked up their ears, released their paws, and toddled toward Cyrus, whining as they pawed at the chair legs.

At Cyrus's signal, Judas picked up the two cubs and placed them in the wide seat beside him, surrounding it with a barrier.

The two 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 resided was rather special.

The two fluffy creatures would live longer than ordinary tigers and were extremely intelligent. Once grown, their height and size would be extraordinary as well; killing an adult man with a single swipe would be no trouble at all.

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

Cyrus stroked the two cubs' fluffy heads and received a paw hug and kisses in return.

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

"Finding them was merely a coincidence," Cyrus said.

"But because we found them in that cave, we later encountered something even luckier."

Everyone except Judas looked puzzled.

"Your Lordship, what was it?" Gibran asked.

"Judas and I found a mineral vein in a small valley on Par Mountain."

Ferdinand and the others looked astonished.

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

"It's this kind of ore."

Walker, Ferdinand, and Gibran immediately leaned closer to examine it.

Ferdinand was well-traveled and recognized the ore. "This is a type of Black Ore. I once saw it in the distant country of Helgoda."

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

Rock Asphalt was called Black Ore on the Western Continent.

Helgoda was a small country neighboring Gaina, surrounded by the Aibuting River. Most people there traveled by boat.

Very little Black Ore had been discovered before this.

It had never appeared in Gadayat.

Moreover, because Black Ore looked extremely similar to coal, it had initially been mistaken for a new kind of coal when it was first discovered. Only after it was burned did people realize the truth.

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

Gibran looked at Cyrus. "Your Lordship, you called us here today to...?"

"I called you here for a meeting today."

"The topic is—the 'Visas and Komoy Fort Five-Year Comprehensive Development and Infrastructure Reconstruction Plan.' I want to rebuild these two cities."

He said something astonishing in a casual tone.

Walker raised his head. "Your Lordship, you must understand that rebuilding cities will consume an enormous amount of manpower and materials, especially money..."

"I understand. That's why I called you here to discuss how to solve these problems together."

Cyrus 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 did not know whether to laugh or cry. He rubbed his nose and nodded. "As you command, Your Lordship."

Cyrus cleared his throat. "The first item—the arrangements for the Soldiers' Training Camp."

Ferdinand and Walker sat up straight.

"During the annual summer recruitment, new recruits must remain in the training camp for two full years before they can leave. After that, the soldiers will need to be reassigned and organized."

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

At this point, Cyrus looked at Ferdinand.

"I remember that Mike Andrew, among the reserve soldiers, made the greatest contribution in discovering the enemy ambush on Par Mountain. He was later rewarded and freed from slavery. What do you think of his abilities?"

"Steady and reliable," Ferdinand said. "He has ideas and strategies of his own."

Cyrus 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, Your Lordship, I very much want to remain at your side. Other than wherever you are, I do not wish to go anywhere else, including the royal capital."

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

When he had first arrived in Visas, he had come with an indifferent attitude.

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

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

Walker rose from his chair, walked before Cyrus, and knelt on one knee. Taking his hand, he said with rare solemnity, "By the Creator God above, I shall forever be loyal to Desinia. Even the king's orders shall not surpass yours."

"I accept your loyalty."

"Thank you for your trust."

Walker smiled and pressed a kiss to the back of Cyrus's fair hand.

"..."

Kissing was... really unnecessary.

After Walker sat back down, he received stares from Judas, Gibran, and Ferdinand.

He raised an eyebrow and silently asked, What?

Judas smiled at him.

Walker covered his chest, suddenly feeling a little chilled.

Cyrus continued, "I will establish two cavalry forces, one led by Ferdinand and the other by Walker: the Black Cavalry and the White Cavalry."

"New recruits entering the Soldiers' Training Camp may be divided into reserve soldiers and ordinary soldiers, but once they leave the camp, they must be dispersed and assigned to the two cavalry forces."

Otherwise, their identities and factions would be too clearly defined, stirring conflict between commoners and slaves that would become impossible to reconcile over time.

"Ferdinand will serve as commander of the Black Cavalry, and Walker as commander of the White Cavalry. As for the designs on the two forces' banners... use Coalball and Snowball."

He intended to use tiger heads.

Cyrus looked at the two cubs grooming each other. One was black, and one was white.

The Western Continent was not peaceful.

Leaving aside disputes between nations, even minor lords frequently clashed or fought. Having a cavalry force of one's own was undoubtedly the greatest security and protection.

"So the two little fellows will become the spiritual symbols of the two cavalry forces in the future," Walker said with a smile.

He stretched out his arm and patted the little white tiger's head, nearly getting his finger bitten by the cub.

"Roar, roarrr."

Coalball called out along with Snowball, baring his teeth at Walker and swatting his paw.

"Hey, quite fierce," Walker said, smiling even more happily.

Cyrus rubbed the cubs' soft bellies, calming them down before continuing, "I need each of you to choose two deputy commanders as well. I assume you already have suitable candidates in mind."

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

"You may consider Daina," Cyrus said.

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

"If you want Daina by your side, he must win everyone's approval and earn sufficient merit before the final assessment."

"I can trust Daina's loyalty. I hope he will not disappoint me."

Ferdinand rose, placed his right fist over his left chest, and said, "I assure you, he will not disappoint you."

Cyrus nodded.

"And you, Walker?"

"My choices are Taylor Kennedy and Bana Larry."

"Taylor is clever and steady by nature, while Bana is exceptionally skilled at scouting."

After settling on the deputy commanders, they discussed several other matters.

Cyrus picked up the ore on the long table. "Regarding the excavation of this mineral vein... manpower must be drawn from the training camp. I hope you can control the information and keep it from leaking for the time being."

"There is no need to hide it for too long. It only needs to remain unknown to outsiders until we recruit enough craftsmen."

Ferdinand and Walker nodded to show they understood.

"I hope the craftsmen can discover other uses for Black Ore," Cyrus said. "Not merely as waterproof coating—could it be used for road paving or house construction?"

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

Rebuilding a city truly was not an easy task.

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

But when Cyrus 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 lazing around. He had to strive for the future!

Cyrus used Reputation Points to exchange for many more related books from the library.

They included Basic Regulations for Military Management, Urban Planning and Construction, Complete Guide to Asphalt Materials, and more.

He was like a humble, overworked lord.

Cyrus suppressed the sigh in his heart. "The urban construction of Visas and Komoy Fort needs to develop slowly."

"For now, the most important matter is that I want to establish checkpoints at the foot of Par Mountain."

"Only one road between Visas and Komoy Fort will remain open. Part of the southeastern forest will be opened as hunting grounds for nobles and commoners, while checkpoints must be established everywhere else, with soldiers assigned to guard them in rotation every day."

Ferdinand and the others looked confused.

"Your Lordship, what is the purpose of this?" Judas asked.

Cyrus tapped the table. "I'm moving."

"I want to build a new castle by Par Lake. The castle on the cliff does not need to be demolished for now."

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

Judas strongly approved of Cyrus's decision.

"Your Lordship, since you intend to rebuild Visas and Komoy Fort, should we invite a church and temple in?" Gibran asked.

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

Every country took pride in the number of churches and temples stationed 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 Kaies and Niramo, the territory of Bass Riches, possessed that qualification.

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

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

Cyrus considered it for a moment. "Don't invite them. If they want to come in, they can."

Better if they did not come. They were annoying.