Chapter 319 - 317: A Satisfying Camp

Chapter 319: Chapter 317: A Satisfying Camp

The ship slowly docked beside a simple wooden pier, one even cruder than the one at Black Forest Port.

"There’s plenty of timber here. We don’t have sturdy oak, but there are lots of birch, fir, and pine trees, all of them mature old-growth. We’re not short on wood."

This place was originally uninhabited, so with no one to fell them, ancient trees were everywhere.

It wasn’t difficult for the Slaves to cut down trees and build a simple trestle bridge.

But making the bridge more stable and the pier more convenient for loading and unloading cargo would still require long-term effort.

’Once the expansion of Black Forest Port is complete, I’ll have that construction team come over and fix this place up.’

Near the port was a small hill, overgrown with a dense thicket of trees and weeds. A small path snaked its way to the summit.

There was no path here originally. The Slaves, frequently hauling supplies, had worn a trail into the ground—it was only wide enough for two people and completely impassable for a carriage.

Of course, there were currently no horses or carts here. Supplies were moved purely by hand and on shoulders, one hundred percent manual labor.

Captain Heck had been stationed here recently and was very familiar with the terrain.

"Over this mountain ahead is a valley of considerable size. Our people are currently camped there, developing the area."

Led by Heck, Duane left the sailors and Guards who were standing watch by the shore.

The two of them soon summited the hill. Duane looked down and saw a long, narrow valley carved out between the hills by a river.

The slopes on either side of this place were gentle, the flat valley floor was quite large, and a stream ran through it. It was an excellent spot to set up camp.

"Owington chose a very suitable place to begin the development."

Duane affirmed Owington’s work.

"Indeed!"

Heck deeply agreed, but then added, "It’s mainly because Sir Trenton changed the Territory’s orientation that we were able to build this port and discover this excellent spot."

"In Commander Kaelon’s words, this place is relatively far from the Jade Mountain Range, so the threat from Demon Beasts is lower."

Duane nodded and followed the mountain path down.

Although it was a valley, apart from the river, the entire area was covered in lush, dense trees.

They had only been here for a short time, so they had neither cleared large-scale farmland nor built extensive housing.

"The camp is just ahead!" Heck said, pointing forward.

A faint smile touched Duane’s lips. "I can already hear the shouts of the loggers."

Before they even neared the camp, Duane ran into a patrolling Guard Squad.

"My Lord, you’re finally here!"

The squad leader was the Middle Level Warrior, Hardy. He was a former member of the Broken Wave Gang. When Duane eradicated the gang, Hardy had surrendered beforehand, acting as an inside man to pass along false information.

"Hardy, it’s been a few months. You look sturdier!" Duane greeted him.

Hardy was an ambitious man, something that had become apparent back when Duane was short on manpower.

Later, as more and more people stronger than him arrived on Black Forest Island, he had reined in his desire to stand out.

However, he couldn’t help but talk about his recent achievements.

"Nothing escapes your eyes!"

He announced joyfully, "I successfully broke through not long ago and became an Advanced Warrior. From now on, Hardy can do even more for you!"

"Oh?"

Duane was taken aback for a moment. He activated his Starlight Eye and observed him. The Fighting Qi inside Hardy’s body was indeed stronger than that of a Middle Level Warrior.

"Congratulations. You are the sixth Advanced Warrior under my command!"

Duane said, "Remember to tell Owington that Advanced Warriors get the corresponding treatment. This applies to everyone, regardless of whether you’re on Black Forest Island or not."

Hardy bowed in thanks. "Commander Kaelon already spoke to him for me. My compensation is now the same as Moen’s and Theodore’s."

As the two were talking, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. It was Owington and Kaelon, arriving together.

Hardy stepped aside, saluted, and then continued with his duties.

"My Lord, you’ve come! It’s been too long!" Kaelon performed a Knight’s salute.

Duane stepped forward and clapped him on the arm. "You’ve worked hard!"

Camping in these wild mountains, they had to rely entirely on Kaelon, an Earth Tier Warrior, to deter any powerful Demon Beasts they might encounter. One could only imagine the initial hardships.

Fortunately, now that the camp had stabilized and the number of personnel had grown, the challenges were gradually shifting toward construction.

"Owington, show me around your camp."

"It would be my pleasure!"

The temporary camp that Owington had overseen was completely different from the one Haien had built on the Southen Plain.

Though simple, it was well-organized into different zones.

"The outermost layer is where we stack timber, tools, and the soil we collect for making mud bricks. Piling it this way also serves as a rudimentary defense."

"The second ring is for the pens holding the goats and wild rabbits Kaelon caught. The latrines we built are also there, situated downwind."

"Further in are the longhouses for the Slaves; one house can sleep thirty of them. And even further in is the living area for myself, Kaelon, the Guards, and the other laborers."

Duane nodded repeatedly as he looked around. He even spotted watchtowers.

Owington noticed his Lord’s gaze and explained, "That was Kaelon’s suggestion. We have sentries patrol the camp at night to detect any danger at the earliest moment."

"It’s something Lord Carter often built when leading troops on campaigns. I just copied it," Kaelon explained.

"Wild beasts roam here at night. I’ve arranged for two Guards to stand watch in every direction."

"Excellent, excellent!" Duane praised repeatedly.

"Especially you, Owington. How did I never notice you had such a talent for territory planning?"

Receiving his Lord’s affirmation, Owington was blossoming with joy inside. This result made all his hard work and planning worthwhile.

"Actually, this is all stuff I learned from you."

Owington said humbly, "I’ve seen the city planning blueprints you’ve designed many times and just picked up a thing or two. With Commander Kaelon’s advice on defense, we ended up with what you see now."

Duane had indeed designed town plans before, mainly for the construction around the new castle.

Those blueprints were sometimes given to Owington to collect and organize. It was very impressive that he had managed to learn from them.

"It seems you’ve learned well. I’m very satisfied with the construction of this camp!"

Owington quickly took a deep bow. "Thank you for your approval. In truth, this is all thanks to you!"

"Without the preferential policies you created for the Slaves, which motivated them, I wouldn’t have been able to build this camp so smoothly in such a short time."

Freeing them from their status as Slaves was a long-term goal, meant to divide the slave population.

The real panacea for making them proactive in the short term was letting the hard-working Slaves have a piece of meat and a bowl of soup.

This was the advice Duane had given Owington during his last report.

He couldn’t help but give Owington a thumbs-up, feeling a little emotional:

’Putting this Male Servant in charge of the Silver Jade Territory is like letting a fish leap in the vast ocean or a bird soar in the boundless sky. Of course, Owington’s performance has to do with him always being by my side and learning from me. Still, the ability to learn is a talent in itself.’

"I value ability first, and background second."

Duane patted him on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. In the future, you will be the General Affairs Consultant of the Silver Jade Territory!"

Owington froze for a second, then was overjoyed.

Duane’s previous praise had been an affirmation of his work, but this sentence was more like a promise.

"Thank you for holding me in such high regard! I will do everything in my power to not disappoint your expectations!"

After finishing his conversation with Owington, Duane turned to speak with Kaelon.

This Earth Tier Warrior was one of Duane’s old guards; his loyalty and courage were beyond doubt.

Duane planned to have Kaelon permanently stationed in the Silver Jade Territory, leading the three Advanced Warriors—Moen, Theodore, and Hardy—two Middle Level Warriors, ten Basic-level Warriors, and several dozen Guards.

At the same time, he would later transfer a portion of the fifty thousand people sent from Silent Shore to Black Forest Island over to the Silver Jade Territory.

Once they had enough manpower, Kaelon’s mission would be the same as it was on Black Forest Island: to select talented individuals for training and development.

No matter the era, military strength was fundamental.

The current Duane had the resources to support the establishment of a regular army of five hundred.

Once Kaelon had enough men, they would use the camp as a base to sweep towards the Jade Mountain Range, improving their combat skills by fighting Demon Beasts and wild animals.

Duane would regularly send shipments of Warm Sun Soup, Red Sun Soup, and Intoxicating Honey Wine to the Silver Jade Territory to aid their growth.

Especially the Intoxicating Honey Wine that was currently being brewed.

This was a special medicinal wine that could stimulate the potential within an Earth Tier Warrior, allowing them to temper their bodies with twice the result for half the effort.

With this, Kaelon could accelerate his cultivation. Combined with the "Blessing" Magic Duane had mastered upon becoming a Level 7 Mage, he had a good chance of breaking through to the Celestial Tier within a few years.

Only with a Celestial Tier Warrior presiding over the Silver Jade Territory would its security be truly guaranteed.

In addition, on this trip to Silent Shore, Duane also needed to have Baron Cruz establish a Messenger Bird Passage from Black Forest Island to the Silver Jade Territory.

That way, Duane could be promptly informed of anything that happened here, unlike now, where it was effectively an isolated land.