Chapter 384: The Missing Expedition Team
Chapter 384: The Missing Expedition Team
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
Ivoni offered a respectful bow without the slightest trace of flattery.
"I’ve traveled through most of the Empire, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen soldiers who can read, write, and do arithmetic."
"So you came all the way to my territory just to take a look?"
Phield chuckled.
"My biggest question is this. Why do you teach your soldiers how to read, write, and calculate?"
Ivoni glanced around cautiously before lowering his voice.
"They could die at any moment."
"Anyone can die at any moment."
Phield shrugged.
"Tell me, which do you think is stronger, slave soldiers or peasant soldiers?"
"Peasant soldiers, of course. They have stronger physiques and greater determination in battle."
"And what do you think is stronger than peasant soldiers? In my opinion, it’s soldiers who possess knowledge."
Phield spoke without hesitation.
"I’ve fought alongside Divine Chosen before. Against them, ordinary people can’t even protect themselves through courage or fighting spirit alone. But soldiers who possess knowledge can quickly master advanced weapons and execute more sophisticated tactics."
Ivoni fell into deep thought.
"So? Has that answered your question?"
"My lord... no, it hasn’t."
Ivoni answered honestly.
"I still don’t fully understand. If possible, I’d like to find work in Nightfall Domain."
He spoke frankly.
"I enjoy exciting and adventurous work, things like negotiations or serving as an advisor accompanying the army. I can prove my abilities immediately. Feel free to test me however you like."
Without another word, Phield took out a cargo manifest and tested both Ivoni’s literacy and mathematical ability.
Ivoni answered every question flawlessly.
"Interesting."
Phield’s interest was immediately piqued. His territory desperately lacked educated people.
"You should think this through carefully. Serving a noble lord usually comes with restrictions and responsibilities."
He continued, "Nightfall Domain is governed very strictly. It’s not a place where people can come and go whenever they please."
"Of course."
Ivoni smiled.
"After seeing the way you manage your territory, I’ve already decided that I’m a man of Nightfall Domain."
What impressed him the most was the management system before entering the fortress. It was so disciplined that it almost felt mechanical.
"Very well. You’re my advisor from this moment on. We’ll discuss your salary once we get back to the city."
Phield hadn’t expected that simply buying slaves for labor would bring him such an unexpected talent.
"Move out. Our destination is Starnight City."
With a wave of Phield’s hand, the convoy set off.
Tisiana immediately released her divine power.
Gentle holy light spread through the surroundings, dispersing the Gray Mist.
"A Holy Light Divine Chosen!"
"Could Baron Phield be affiliated with the Church?"
Hidden beneath a chicken coop, the two members of Night Owl both gasped.
The surrounding slaves were equally astonished, and large numbers of them immediately dropped to their knees to pray.
Watching the scene unfold, even Phield couldn’t help sighing.
"Holy Light Divine Chosen really are the ultimate counter to ordinary people. There are just too many believers."
"Enough praying. Get moving."
The escorting soldiers immediately urged the slaves forward.
With Ashina and Tisiana escorting the convoy, the journey was remarkably smooth.
Following the familiar route, they soon reached their first stop, Turnip Village.
The village was very close to the border fortress and was surrounded by a ring of crumbling stone walls left behind by previous generations. It had long served as an outpost.
Now that the fortress itself had been secured, Turnip Village’s value as a military outpost had dropped dramatically.
However, its value as a trade hub had risen significantly.
"Leave one hundred slaves here to repair the village and cultivate the fields. All future trade will pass through this village, so it’ll become prosperous soon enough. Once Alexia returns, she’ll serve as the village chief."
Phield had no intention of allowing Turnip Village to fall into ruin.
He stationed thirty soldiers and one hundred slaves there.
After a brief rest, the group continued onward.
Phield unfolded a paper map and continuously marked it with a piece of charcoal.
"My lord, what are you studying?"
The moment Ashina found herself with free time, she immediately ran over to Phield’s side.
"I’m planning to build roads connecting the fortress all the way to Starnight City."
Phield smiled.
"Of course, they’ll also connect to Iron Mine Fortress and Turnip Village."
"The harvest is still half a month away, so this is the perfect opportunity to put people to work building roads. Later, we’ll gradually raise workers’ wages to attract more residents into industrial construction."
"W... what about the farming?"
Food remained Ashina’s greatest concern.
"The slaves and draft horses can handle most of the work."
Phield explained calmly.
"Besides, as our technology improves, agriculture won’t require nearly as many workers. The plows are almost finished too. You’ll see once we get back."
When they finally emerged from the Gray Mist and approached the outskirts of the Starnight Grand Estate, every slave in the convoy stood frozen in shock.
Even the two members of Night Owl couldn’t stop themselves from crying out.
"A miracle?"
"A city within the Gray Mist."
Before them stretched a thriving, bustling town.
A city stood within the Gray Mist itself, as ethereal as a mirage.
Golden wheat swayed gently across neatly arranged farmland, and endless fields stretched northward until they reached what appeared to be another city.
Hwaily strained her eyes toward the distant skyline.
That city possessed towering ancient walls, but its appearance remained obscured by distance.
"There are actually... two cities inside the Gray Mist..."
"Could Baron Phield really have come here to reclaim the Northern Frontier? How did he accomplish something like this?"
Ivoni’s heart surged with excitement.
"I truly came to the right place."
Countless chevaux de frise and wooden walls were being hauled by wagons to the outskirts before being driven deep into the earth.
Nightfall Domain was filled with wandering corpses.
Anyone hoping to cultivate land or expand the territory had to build defensive lines without pause.
Only after surrounding an area with wooden walls could people work safely inside.
After passing through the reinforced stone walls and entering the area near the grand estate, everyone finally saw it clearly.
Everything remained meticulously organized.
Entire residential districts had been constructed from wooden houses and earthen homes.
It happened to be mealtime, and the free citizens were inside cooking wheat porridge and vegetable soup.
Yet the most mouthwatering aroma came from the newly built bakeries nearby.
Four or five bakeries surrounded a small warehouse, while not far away stood the flour mill.
Workers ground rye into coarse flour, packed it into sacks, loaded it onto wagons, and transported it to the warehouse for storage.
Whenever bread was needed, the flour was delivered directly to the bakeries.
The entire Starnight Estate was planned with an almost obsessive level of precision.
"My lord!"
A cavalryman came galloping toward them on horseback.
"What happened?"
Phield asked.
"The survey team has run into trouble. Two riders managed to return and report that they came under a large-scale enemy attack. The rest are trapped in the flooded ruins to the north."
"I understand."
Phield’s eyelid twitched.
His greatest concern had finally become reality.
Even though the survey area lay within the designated exploration zone, close to the city and supposedly free of powerful corrupted corpses, danger had still struck without the protection of a Divine Chosen.
"I’ll handle this personally."
He continued, "Have Tate take charge of this group of slaves."
After saying that, Phield glanced at the minimap before turning to Ivoni with a nod.
"I have something urgent to deal with first. We’ll discuss your position when I get back."
Just as Phield turned to leave, Alice suddenly hurried over.
It was rare to see her take the initiative.
She looked unusually awkward as she spoke.
"I... I need to talk to you."