Chapter 65: Chapter 61: Goodwill
"It’s considered important intelligence."
Rod handed the letter directly to Durant, letting him read it himself.
The lord of Ice Blade Valley comes from the War Blade Clan, and his name is Blom, the second son of Count Blade.
Sending his second son to the Northern Wilderness suggests the War Blade Clan’s lord is a straightforward person, executing the bloody summoning without compromise.
From the letter’s contents, it seems Blom is also a very straightforward person.
Blom shared openly about the movements of the alien race, saying they attacked Hurricane Valley.
Although Blom led troops to assist Hurricane Valley in repelling the alien race, they might strike again, possibly changing targets and entering Black Pine Ridge directly from Razor Plain.
Blom warned Rod to be careful and then expressed a desire to form an alliance.
He mentioned the dangers of the Northern Wilderness, hoping they could jointly resist foreign invaders.
Durant quickly finished reading the letter, put it back, and commented, "From the letter, it seems the lord of Ice Blade Valley aligns closely with the family style of the legendary War Blade Clan, straightforward and forthright."
"How do you plan to respond?"
"I am very grateful for his goodwill. If Ice Blade Valley faces a crisis, I will try my best to help, provided my territory is secure."
Rod is also willing to show goodwill to friendly people. After all, everyone hopes their allies are honest and upright, rather than someone who stabs them in the back at a critical moment.
"Forming an alliance is a very important matter that I need to consider carefully."
If they truly form an alliance, Rod would have to send troops to aid if Ice Blade Valley is invaded.
This uncertainty makes it impossible for Rod to predict what might happen.
Especially after the iron mining starts, Rod won’t have many soldiers to call upon, with only the guards remaining by his side.
If Ice Blade Valley were in a moment of crisis and Rod happened to be unable to help, wouldn’t he become a lord lacking integrity?
But if it’s merely a reasonable agreement, then there’s no need to worry.
"I will personally write back to Baron Blom to express my goodwill and also have Lawrence prepare some special products as gifts for the messenger to take back."
Rod sincerely appreciated Baron Blom, as his message reinforced Rod’s intention to recruit soldiers again.
"Understood, Lord Baron."
Durant nodded in agreement and continued to report, "I’ve arranged for the pigeon craftsman to be in the manor, in the farthest corner on the northwest side, where a new dovecote will be built."
With carrier pigeons transmitting messages, Rod would receive the returned messages at the first opportunity.
"The livestock brought back have also been organized. Tomorrow, we will plan out the specific location for building the livestock pens in the town."
"A bit farther from the manor would be better; it’s best not to have it directly facing the manor, or else the summer wind will blow the stench across the entire manor."
Rod reminded.
Even with daily cleaning, the animal pens would still have a strong odor.
"How are Tyr’s rabbits doing?" Rod inquired.
"They’re doing quite well so far. She asked for a separate yard to build a rabbit hutch, allowing the rabbits to roam freely. The latest wild rabbits caught are also living well."
Durant reported and then added, "Only two wild rabbits died the day after the hunting team delivered them, but I don’t think it was her fault."
It’s normal for wild rabbits to struggle and collide during capture, resulting in the odd death.
Rod nodded and asked, "How many rabbits are there now?"
In the progress of the [Stable Affinity]entry, the condition for fifty rabbits has already been met, but Rod wasn’t sure of the exact count.
"Sixty-three, Tyr brought all the rabbits from her home."
Durant asked, "Do you think she needs any compensation?"
"She can exchange work points for any supplies she wants."
Rod would never be stingy with anyone who worked diligently.
"She can bring all the poultry from her home as well, and they can all be exchanged for supplies."
"Also, inform the townspeople about recruiting experienced livestock and poultry handlers, prioritizing those who bring their own animals."
Durant nodded, "Yes, having them raised at home indicates experience in animal care."
The news of recruiting handlers spread quickly in town the next day, and any townspeople with some experience came to apply.
Providing meals and a stable income year-round ensured a basic livelihood, so there was no need to worry about starving.
The number of women raising poultry reached fifty, and with only three slots available, they almost came to blows fighting for a position.
Rod had expected this situation. He instructed Tyr to select three people based on the number of chickens, ducks, and geese they submitted, then interview these nine people.
The final selection would favor those who submitted the most and had the most experience, choosing one handler for each type of poultry.
For the remaining six individuals, their submitted chickens, ducks, and geese wouldn’t be returned.
Of course, Rod would let them choose corresponding supplies.
This process was entirely voluntary, with no force involved.
Meanwhile, others who couldn’t participate in interviews could also exchange chickens, ducks, or geese for supplies.
This approach allowed Rod to reach over fifty chickens, ducks, and geese in just one day.
However, the number of livestock was still somewhat lacking.
Seven applicants brought twenty-two goats; even accepting all of them, Rod couldn’t reach fifty goats.
He also only kept three handlers for the livestock, exchanging all the goats they brought.
To quickly gather fifty goats, Rod had to increase the supply exchange rate, collecting all the lambs in town.
The other four were temporarily retained, and an additional thirty people were recruited to build the livestock pens.
It’s worth noting that building the livestock pens and poultry houses occupied the last large open space in the town, forcing Rod to plan the town’s expansion ahead of schedule.
Rod temporarily abandoned the idea of directly building a high-walled city.
——That would take at least several years, if not more than a decade, to complete, with too slow returns.
The new town would still feature wooden spiked fences along with a five-meter-wide moat.
The second irrigation project nearby could channel water there.
The new town’s area would encompass the entire hillside, with initial plans to accommodate between three thousand and five thousand people.
This is a massive project, requiring over three thousand sturdy logs just for the front, even with the mountainsides temporarily not needing fences.
The upfront spiked fence project alone would take a month, leaving the moat for later.
Of course, all of this comes after building the livestock pens.
On another front, the papermaking workshop.
Rod invested four hundred and fifty pounds of torn linen cloth brought back from Border City, allocating the second waterwheel to the papermaking workshop.
Four hammer mills started simultaneously, marking the official start of paper production.
These four hundred and fifty pounds of rags would sustain production for at most one week, requiring more raw materials from Lawrence’s friends in the future.
Gang Le rested for a day in Frost Leaf Town and then regrouped to head toward the Black Stone Mountain Range.
Rod assigned him thirty slaves and two blacksmith apprentices, responsible for mining and smelting iron, working at Rein’s former mountain stronghold.
Rod had originally planned to go with Gang Le, taking the opportunity to explore the mineral veins in the northwestern part of the territory.
Unfortunately, Frost and Thunder required Rod’s personal feeding; anyone else approaching would face bared fangs and receive a taste of their sharp claws.
Rod had to postpone his exploration until the two little companions grew a bit bigger.
Fortunately, Rod hadn’t left, as on the third day after Gang Le’s departure,
While Rod was feeding Frost and Thunder, Lusen of the Dawn Society paid another visit.