Redd was observing the progress of all this in the tent, and he rearranged these scattered gains in his mind.
If the current advancement speed is maintained, in a while, the coastal area of Valyrian Peninsula will be restored to a level suitable for human habitation.
At that time, he can mobilize more manpower from Free Cities and start the real reconstruction work.
What he wants is to re-establish a Valyrian Freehold on this land.
It is not a loose federation with forty House Targaryens checking and balancing each other, but a ruling entity that can continue to operate with him as the center, the Demon Dragon Legion as the pillar, and the resources and magic power of this peninsula as its foundation.
Red God's will prevented the reconstruction and occupation of this land, but it does not mean that Redd cannot establish a dynasty of his own on this basis.
When night fell, Redd lit an oil lamp in the tent and spread out the map again.
He drew a new dotted line on the edge of the marked area to mark the next stage of advancement, then placed the quill on the edge of the ink bottle and leaned back into the chair.
In the distance, the torches on the wall continued to burn in the night wind, dyeing the newly built wall into a warm yellow arc-shaped light strip.
A few days later, the construction of the port officially ended.
On the morning when Redd went to inspect it in person, the sun was shining through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the sea surface into a mottled bright color.
The simple port on the seaside consists of a trestle paved with thick wooden piles and stone slabs. The trestle is wide enough for two carriages to pass side by side at the same time.
The end of the trestle that extends into the water has been reinforced with large rocks and sandbags. After repeated water tests, it has been able to withstand the berthing and unloading operations of medium-sized transport ships.
Several thick bollards are also installed on the side of the trestle, which are fixed to the rocks with iron chains, which are enough to withstand the pulling force under ordinary wind and wave conditions.
Behind the pier is a flattened open space, where several batches of building materials and tools that have been delivered are stacked.
Redd walked along the trestle. The wooden planks under his feet made a slight sound under his weight, but there was no shaking or looseness.
He stood for a moment at the end of the trestle, looking at the gray-white route marking line on the sea in the distance.
He turned around and returned to the shore, took a warrant that had just been delivered from a messenger soldier, and unfolded it to scan it.
Douglas has arrived at the Volantis port and is coordinating the shipment of food and supplies. The first batch of reinforcements and craftsmen are expected to set off soon and sail to Valyrian Peninsula along the previously opened route.
Redd folded the warrant and put it in his pocket, and walked towards the center of the camp.
News of the port's completion spread through the camp faster than expected.
That night around the fire, speculation among some soldiers began to emerge about how the camp would be further expanded after reinforcements arrived.
Redd heard the intermittent conversations in the tent, but did not step out of the tent to participate, nor did he stop the spread of the discussions.
The port is a channel that continues from this foothold. Building it is equivalent to building a supply line.
Subsequent materials and manpower can flow more smoothly along this channel, rather than relying on sampans and manual handling to complete each round of transportation on the beach.
When reinforcements of craftsmen arrive, they will be able to do a better and faster job than his soldiers, repairing and reinforcing every joint in a professional manner more consistent with navigation and port construction.
Replace the makeshift timber and ropes and replace the existing simple structures with stronger solutions so that the port can withstand the docking of larger tonnage ships and more frequent unloading cycles.
Redd sat under the oil lamp for a while, picked up the warrant sent by Douglas again, confirmed the number of ships and expected shipment date listed above, and put it back into the pile of papers on the edge of the table.
Then he spread out a new piece of parchment and began to write a brief plan for subsequent port expansion and camp space allocation.
In the following days, the pace of construction in the camp slowed down.
The main reason is that the supply of wood cannot keep up.
Although there are forests on Valyrian Peninsula, the location of those forests is still some distance from the camp. Manpower and vehicles need to be organized to cut down the wood, and then transport it back to the camp through manpower.
This work requires far more manpower than Redd can currently provide.
The soldiers under him also need to maintain daily vigilance, fence maintenance, material transportation and assist Demon Dragon in cleaning tasks, which are already operating at full capacity.
Daily wood consumption in the camp has not decreased due to the slowdown in construction.
Fires and torches used for night lighting need to continue to consume wood, and the lighting lines used to dispel the black fog cannot be broken.
Redd ordered the expansion of the camp to be suspended, and priority was given to using the remaining wood for port reinforcement and daily lighting.
That night, Redd wrote a new message in the tent. He dipped his quill pen in enough ink and wrote a brief and clear order, urging Douglas to speed up personnel dispatch and material transportation, with special emphasis on the current shortage of wood and the urgent need to reinforce craftsmen.
He folded the paper, sealed it with wax, walked out of the tent, found the raven cage, took out a raven from it, and fixed the mailbox on its leg.
The raven stood quietly in his palm, tilted its head and glanced at him, as if waiting for the final instruction, then spread its wings and flew into the night, disappearing along the predetermined direction at the edge of the black mist in the distance.
Redd Standing in the night wind, looking at the direction where the raven disappeared, he felt a small but continuous vibration coming from the ground beneath his feet.
He glanced down, then raised his head again, looking at the edge of the fire outside the camp.
The vibration did not increase or decrease, but continued at a uniform amplitude, as if something heavy in the distance was slowly moving its position.
It continues through rock and soil, progressing through deeper, inaccessible layers, gradually becoming weaker and eventually disappearing entirely.
As night fell, the firelight at the edge of the camp spread along the newly repaired fence. Every few steps, a piece of firewood coated with kerosene burned steadily in the iron brazier. The orange-red flame illuminated the ground on both sides of the fence into a uniform warm-colored light strip.
Additional lighting points have been set up at several key locations inside the camp, and passages between the fires are wide enough for Demon Dragon and the soldiers to pass quickly in an emergency.
Redd stood on the upper floor of the wooden tower in the center of the camp, moving his eyes slowly along the outline of the wall, stopping for a moment at the intersection of firelight and shadow, confirming that there were no abnormal fluctuations, and then moved to the next corner.