Emon's first appraisal
The heavy carriage wheels rolled over the Frozen Tundra on the outskirts of Blackpine Fief, making a monotonous cracking sound.
The Special Envoy Priest Emon, pushed open the carriage door, grasped his Ashwood Staff, and slowly stepped down from the carriage.
A biting wind, carrying the lingering stench of burning, rushed towards him, causing his long robes to flutter loudly.
In Emon's original vision, a borderland that had just emerged from the Blood Moon Season should now be a scene of devastation.
The devastation was real; the huge bomb craters and the trenches blackened by fire on the outer perimeter are still there.
You can tell just how fierce the battle during the Blood Moon Season was.
Order was quickly restored, and the craters were being roughly but rapidly filled and compacted.
The broken Caltrops, twisted iron stakes, and ruptured pipelines were not piled up on the roadside like garbage, but were sorted and transported away by Auxiliary Soldier in batches.
The remains of Magic Creature that would otherwise pile up into mountains of corpses and emit a foul stench elsewhere are almost nowhere to be seen here.
The square was piled high with dismantled bones, leather armor, Raw Blood, and boxes of recyclable materials.
Further away, newly built temporary retaining walls, scaffolding erected by engineers, and repaired speed bumps have all been put back in place.
Emon, who had been looking at the scene with scrutiny and criticism, was slightly taken aback when he saw it.
He followed behind Shien, walking along the main street toward the Inner Fortress, his mind flooded with images of what he saw along the way.
Those veterans who had lost arms or legs did not collapse against the wall and wait to die. Instead, they sat silently in the cold wind, holding whetstones and scraping their dull, silver-plated spears.
Several Auxiliary Soldier pushed a wheelbarrow loaded with stones past, when they encountered a horse-drawn cart transporting military supplies.
Without the sergeant's orders, they quickly moved aside to clear the main road, their wheels whirring as they turned, and the formation quickly rejoined.
As Shien's figure, draped in a dark cloak, walked across the street, the entire street remained calm, and no one rushed up to shout any names Auxiliary Soldier carrying the timber simply paused for a moment, gave a crisp military salute, a fleeting glint of barely suppressed light in their eyes, before hoisting the timber back onto their shoulders.
A group of armored soldiers on duty saw Shien approaching from afar. The captain in charge did not announce it loudly, but simply made a hand gesture.
The entire squad of armored soldiers immediately stood at attention, pressed themselves against the wall, and cleared the main street. With a "click," silence returned.
A Recorder carrying a thick ledger was about to stop and bow when he was hurrying along.
Shien merely raised his hand slightly, and the Recorder nodded emphatically, clutching the account books and continuing to run forward without faltering in his steps.
A few steps ahead, two Auxiliary Soldiers were arguing quietly over a cartload of stripped Magic Creature hides.
A junior sergeant who was checking supplies walked over and said, "Go according to the registration order of the Third Storehouse, or you'll have your work points deducted."
The two immediately shut up, worked together to turn the car around, and pushed it toward the designated warehouse.
As Emon watched all this, his heart sank.
When the people here saw Shien, the respect and excitement in their eyes were genuine, yet the entire street didn't become chaotic at all because of his appearance.
That is precisely why this territory appears all the more terrifying.
Emon's fingers tightened around his staff. He had thought that Blackpine Fief would survive the Blood Moon Season because Shien had single-handedly suppressed everyone with his iron fist.
Now that he had walked this stretch of street, he saw something else clearly.
The thousands of people in this territory have learned to work according to the rules set by Shien.
Many things don't even require him to say anything; his subordinates will follow the established procedures and take over on their own. This is more valuable than simply establishing authority.
After passing through the outer city, Shien stopped at a fork in the road on the main street of the Inner Fortress.
He didn't continue walking with Emon inside. He turned his head slightly to look at Emon, his tone respectful but not obsequious.
"Your Excellency Emon must be tired from your journey. Your lodgings have been arranged. Please rest for the night and get some rest from the cold. Defense Zone defense files, existing ledgers, and project progress schedule have all been delivered to your room."
Emon looked at him but didn't reply immediately.
Shien didn't avoid his gaze, his tone remaining calm. "If you have any questions about the upcoming reorganization, conscription, and construction, you can come and ask me directly tomorrow morning, and I will personally explain everything to you."
These words were polite yet direct; they didn't sound like flattery, nor did they sound like welcoming a powerful military supervisor.
Emon remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Your Excellency has made very thorough arrangements."
Shien nodded slightly. "Since the Governor's Mansion has sent you here, Blackpine Fief should naturally prepare what needs to be prepared first."
In addition, the Workshop and warehouses have been reorganized these past few days, and the city is smelly and chaotic. Please forgive any inconvenience caused. I will accompany you to see the various locations tomorrow.
"Alright." Emon finally nodded. "Then let's talk about it tomorrow."
Shien raised his hand, gesturing to one of his Knight: "Take Lord Emon to rest."
The guard Knight immediately stepped forward, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed his head.
Emon turned and followed the Knight a few steps, his boots pausing briefly on the stone slabs.
After traveling for more than ten days under the Blood Moon, most other lords would have already returned to their bedrooms with blazing fires by now.
Shien didn't stop for even a moment. The silver-haired figure, draped in a dark cloak, turned directly into a gray-black stone corridor.
The heavy Pig Iron gate was pushed open with a thud, the hinges scraping together with a rough, muffled sound.
A deep rumble echoed from deep within the High-Pressure Boiler, the steam valves trembled as they spewed out piercing white steam with a hissing sound every now and then.
The distant hammer pounded on the red-hot steel ingot, clanging and ringing so loudly it made one's eardrums tingle.
The ground was littered with dismantled mechanisms, discarded Refined Steel arrowheads, burnt Alchemy Rail, and charred experimental parts.
Several apprentices were carrying iron materials and blueprints, moving back and forth between the various workbenches. The sounds of counting, recording materials, and the churning of the furnace flames mingled together, creating a chaotic yet cohesive atmosphere.
Someone looked up and saw Shien enter, their eyes lighting up instantly, but their hands didn't stop working for a moment, and they moved even faster.
Victor was hunched over, his withered body almost lying on a workbench covered in black grease.
His only remaining left hand gripped the carving knife, slowly nibbling at a mechanism part on a gear.
As soon as the door opened, the old Construct master who had lost his right arm turned his head, and the moment his gaze met that head of silver hair, Victor tensed up abruptly.
"My lord, you're finally back!"
Victor's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
He casually tossed the carving knife onto the table and strode over to Shien.
"Based on the blueprints and ideas you left behind before you left the city, I've selected two of the most promising solutions for testing. The Prototype's frame has already been built, and your arrival is just in time!"