Although the Calvin Merchant Association's grain purchases were progressing splendidly.
Before long, wagon after wagon would arrive from the south, delivering heavy sacks of grain to the Red Tide Fief.
Louis knew perfectly well, however, that buying grain alone was nowhere near reliable enough.
It was only a stopgap measure, after all.
Winter in the Northern Frontier showed no mercy. If they truly wanted to survive it, they could not rely on outside support alone.
What if the snowline advanced early, transport was cut off, or enemies exploited their vulnerability...
There were far too many uncertainties, so he dared not pin all his hopes on outside help.
"We need to plan ahead and prepare on multiple fronts."
A few days later, he proposed two emergency plans that would increase food production within the Red Tide Fief, even if only somewhat.
The first was to build a system of "small greenhouses" around the geothermal hot springs within the Red Tide Fief.
Although the Red Tide Fief lay in the frozen lands of the Northern Frontier, it had a few rare hot spring areas.
Steam rose from them year-round. Even in winter, the snow on the ground melted away completely, and ground temperatures could remain above freezing.
To others, they might have been nothing more than a few "strange pools of hot water."
But to Louis, they were the most precious farming resources in the entire fief.
Standing before a densely annotated map, he drew a few more circles on it, placing the small greenhouses beside those hot springs.
After working out the designs in detail, he put Mick, his agricultural officer, in charge of the task.
"Gather the workers and use local materials. Build a few to start with."
Mick's eyes widened. He had no idea why Louis wanted to do