In just a few short days, Seagull Town has transformed.
The biggest change is the Black Pine Forest outside the town. With the effort of the young and strong, the edge of the forest is receding at a visibly rapid pace.
According to the Kingdom's Forest Law, it is a serious crime for civilians to cut down trees privately. This Black Pine Forest is private property of another Count in the Southern Territory, and Lin Lan has no right to cut down the forest.
But Lin Lan's demand was:
Chop! Chop like your life depends on it!
As the saying goes, to get rich, first strip the trees; the resources are right there, why not take them?
A small portion of these woods was used to repair Charles's merchant ships, while most were stockpiled in the Lord's estate.
Just today, Lord Roland issued new orders, and the young men responsible for chopping trees were kept in the estate.
The crowd was a bit noisy.
They stared at Ed standing on the high platform, whispering among themselves.
Originally, the townspeople deeply feared Lord Roland, even not daring to approach the estate, but now, they strangely felt a bit of anticipation for the Lord's command.
Ed scanned the crowd beneath him.
As expected, there were only a little over two hundred young men from the town.
"Everyone, I suppose you have seen the plight of the new townspeople!"
Ed steadied himself and shouted loudly, "The Lion Heart Prince is mad and vicious. His Lionheart Knight Order is spreading plague on the land, slaughtering people!"
"Therefore, the Lord has decided to officially establish the Civilian Corps in Seagull Town to protect our home from harm!"
He loudly announced the Lord's command, "And from now on, I will be your commanding officer!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd instantly went silent.
Unavoidably, many faces showed fear.
Although they respected Lord Roland, the fear of authority was ingrained in their bones, hard to change.
Not to mention the Lionheart Knight Order, which even the nobles feared!
Ed took in everyone's expressions.
"Even if you choose to evade, the Lionheart Knights will still come to take everything from you!"
He took a deep breath and continued to shout, "They will burn your houses, kill your parents and children, and drive you, sick and cold, to even colder places!"
The fear in people's eyes seemed to have dissipated somewhat, replaced by sparks of anger.
Because they had personally built the camp for the new townspeople, the cruel facts lay right before them.
A moment later, a young man voluntarily stepped out.
"I... I am willing to protect Seagull Town! But Sir..."
He mustered the courage to look Ed in the eye, "What will happen to our lives after joining the Civilian Corps?"
Ed carefully examined the young man's appearance, finally showing a smile.
"Listen, everyone, becoming part of the Civilian Corps means you will be at the same status as the Lord's attendants!"
He loudly proclaimed, "You will enjoy free food provided by the Lord, and at regular intervals, you will receive a quota of timber!"
Ed pointed to the Black Pine wood piled in the warehouse, "You can use the wood as winter fuel, or even use them to renovate your houses!"
The young townspeople were stunned on the spot.
Attendant status... Free food... Winter fuel... House renovation...
Everyone's breaths became heavy; a string of benefits nearly overwhelmed their heads. The most important thing was:
The Lord had never deceived them!
But suddenly, someone shouted in dissent.
"No! I refuse to accept this!"
The crowd turned their heads, discovering the speaker was Bill, the attendant who often bullied the impoverished.
"I refuse to mix with these mud legs!"
He grasped the iron spear, glaring at the crowd, "Why should these lowly people easily obtain my status?"
However, the townspeople who used to fear Bill stood tall at this moment, simply staring silently at Bill's face.
This made Bill even more enraged.
"Resist the Lionheart Knights? I think Lord Roland has gone mad!"
He started yelling, "Can't you see it? This is a betrayal to the Kingdom! A desecration of Lionheart's glory!"
Ed, on the platform, coldly watched Bill's ranting without making any response.
"Damn it, a bunch of lunatics, I've had enough of this place!"
Seeing no one paid him any attention, Bill cursed and left the crowd, "I'm going to report you all!"
Splash!
The next moment, blood sprayed.
Bill widened his eyes, struggling to look down, in disbelief at the sharp weapon piercing through his chest.
Attendant Jay pulled out the long spear, and the body fell limply before the crowd.
"This is the fate of betrayal."
Jay scoffed coldly, turning to look at the other attendants of the Lord, "Does anyone else want to report the Lord?"
The attendants turned pale and bowed their heads.
Ed nodded in satisfaction.
This young man is very good, though he is a bit impatient.
Originally, he intended to see if anyone shared the same thoughts as Bill and then catch all the cowardly ones in one fell swoop.
Ed walked down the high platform, looking into the young attendant's eyes, "What is your name?"
"My name is Jay, Sir."
"And you?" Ed turned to the young man who spoke earlier.
"Colin, my name is Colin!"
"Good, from today onwards, you two will be Centurions of the Civilian Corps."
Ed said calmly, "I require you each to be responsible for a Hundred-man Squad, and during the upcoming training, select Decurions you trust."
"In the days ahead, you all must call me Commander!" He turned to the crowd and shouted loudly.
"Yes, Commander!"
The crowd shouted in unison.
At this moment, looking at the young men full of fighting spirit, Ed felt inexplicably dazed.
As an Alliance officer who emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he originally was able to lead his troops to fight for their glory on the battlefield.
But reality is always absurd.
They succeeded in halting the enemy's advance at a tragically high cost, pinning those emotionless Imperial Mechanical Soldiers on the blood-red coast.
But the Commander abandoned their souls, pushing all the failure onto the sacrificed.
There was no place for failures on the homeward ship.
Ed had thought he would die like a stray dog in a corner of a foreign country, but the mysterious young Lord gave him a choice anew.
Perhaps... this is an entirely new path...
·
Lin Lan wasn't idle either.
He rode his horse, carefully inspecting his own territory.
According to Wendy's statistics, Seagull Town has a population of a little over a thousand.
Currently, 'Mud Taste' biscuits are being continuously produced, and this food is enough to sustain the townspeople through the winter.
However, the Reconstructor requires consuming Nuclear Batteries, so he cannot entirely rely on the Reconstructor for the food problem.
Moreover, the deforestation of Black Pine Forest can't escape the Count's notice; apart from dealing with the Knight Order, he also needs to find a way to resolve the Guards under those nobles.
While pondering, he had arrived at the shore.
The new harbor was taking shape, and Charles's ship repair was nearing completion.
The big merchant eagerly approached Lin Lan, full of expectations.
He had already gained Lord Roland's trust, and what good things would he bring forth this time?