Chapter 16: The First Snow
The first snow of winter had just fallen. Ten mighty cuirassiers, heads held high, carried the banner of the Hydra family as they escorted five fully loaded carriages. The tracks they left behind were quickly covered by the intensifying snowstorm.
Looking out from the castle, all one could see was a vast expanse of white. Heavy, lead-gray clouds were pressed low to the ground by the howling wind, tumbling and releasing a torrent of snowflakes. It was impossible to tell how high the sky was or how deep the snow lay, let alone when this blizzard would end.
The winter weather in the Northland was unforgiving. However, to avoid arousing suspicion, Owen had ordered the caravan to circle for three days before rushing back to the castle as the snow began to fall. Therefore, the fatigue from the long journey and the wear and tear on the carriages were genuine.
Owen, that sly fellow, really spared no expense to deceive Maya. It was unclear whether it was truly necessary or if he was simply playing mind games with himself. Like a married man instinctively hiding a portion of his extra income, he probably couldn’t explain it himself. Perhaps he was merely trying to conceal his own inner uncertainty, finding something to occupy his mind.
The arrival of the caravan injected new life into the territory. The cuirassiers, like knights of old, filled everyone with a sense of excitement, for they represented strength. The supplies they transported meant that the territory could weather the harsh winter more securely, ensuring their survival.
Although many people had arrived at the castle, the longhouses were ready, and the warm stables were filled with hay. The grooms swiftly prepared warm water, and the fodder was mixed with bean flour and coarse salt, enough to allow the horses, weary from their journey, to quickly recover their strength without suffering from the long trek.
Apart from the tedious task of inventorying the supplies, settling the farmers who accompanied the cuirassiers didn’t take much effort. They were soon enjoying freshly baked bread and hot soup, ready for a good night’s sleep.
The castle once again fell silent. Owen didn’t reveal the source of the soldiers and supplies, and Maya tactfully didn’t ask. They were adults, after all. At night, they were inseparable, but when it came to daytime and serious matters, they each attended to their own duties without interference. This was the mature side of adults.
Owen felt helpless about this. He didn’t want to lie, nor was he good at it. He didn’t want to hide anything, but the existence of the system was a matter of life and death, and he couldn’t afford to be careless. Forced into a corner, he could only resort to more troublesome and cumbersome methods to cover it up.
The problem was that the system’s units and supplies appeared out of thin air. He had to find a reasonable source or excuse for them. However, limited to his territory, all he could do was offer subtle hints, leading people to believe that the Hydra family had several tricks up their sleeves or received secret support from certain forces.
It sounded far-fetched, but even in his previous life, where information and entertainment were so advanced, no one would believe in time travel or golden fingers. It was even less likely in this world. So, as long as he left a few clues, they could easily fill in the blanks with eighty episodes of their own imagination. Besides, Owen had not only established temporary outposts but also adopted a system of segmented management, minimizing the risk of exposure.
Now, within the territory, Owen, as the lord, held supreme authority. He was responsible for setting the direction of development and providing resources and manpower.
As his second-in-command, Maya was the project manager, mainly responsible for utilizing these resources and manpower more rationally and efficiently, and incidentally preventing Owen from changing the course of development on a whim.
Charle, as Owen’s confidante, was responsible for managing the soldiers in the territory, a task she performed exceptionally well.
As for Charle’s maid identity, most of the territory’s soldiers came from the system, and Owen’s orders were paramount. Therefore, with his appointment, command was not an issue.
With power divided in this way, even if Maya had any ulterior motives, it would be difficult for her to overstep the boundaries of her authority set by Owen and interfere in other matters.
Owen didn’t know if his approach was the best, but it was the best he could come up with.
However, everything came to a standstill as the snow piled up, blanketing the entire world as if someone had pressed the pause button. There were no more people in sight, and even the birds and animals had long since vanished.
Even in the most prosperous and powerful Imperial Capital, people froze to death every winter, let alone in the frigid Northland. This was especially true for serfs. Their earthen shelters offered little protection from the cold. Malnourished and lacking warm clothing, at least a third of them wouldn’t make it through the winter, buried directly in the frozen earth come spring.
In fact, if the people of this world weren’t so tenacious, a single snowfall would have wiped them out. Even bears needed to fatten up before hibernation.
Fortunately, Owen had made preparations in advance. The village had been significantly improved. The original diagonally built thatched huts had been replaced with simple mud-walled, thatched-roof cottages. Though not aesthetically pleasing, with their low ceilings and dim interiors, they were practical, maximizing heat retention.
Mud walls could last a long time in the dry Northland, and the thick thatched roofs effectively blocked the wind and snow. The low height of the buildings also helped with insulation. As long as a small fire was lit inside, people could huddle in the haystacks, wrapped in clothes sewn from scraps of leather and cloth, and at least wouldn’t freeze to death in their sleep.
Moreover, Owen had distributed sufficient winter rations and firewood early on. The staple food was black rye and crushed black beans, supplemented by onions, round cabbage, and dried wild vegetables. There was also a small jar of precious lard and salt. Though not much, it was enough to ensure their survival through the cold winter, at least for most of them.
Unfortunately, the castle walls were still under construction, although a considerable section had been cleared.
This was no small feat, and naturally impossible for just a dozen bandit laborers to accomplish. The main reason was that Owen had redeemed twenty more farmers from Age of Empires. They were the main workforce.
Compared to the skinny serfs and the reluctant bandit laborers, the Age of Empires farmers were skilled and hardworking. With the metal tools from the blacksmith shop, their efficiency was quite high.
Unfortunately, it was just clearing. To fully construct the walls, at least a hundred people would be needed to achieve sufficient efficiency. Moreover, it had to be done in the spring when the ground thawed, otherwise, the frozen earth would be impossible to work with.
Although the walls were not yet built, the castle had undergone a significant transformation. The ground had been leveled, and some areas were paved with stone slabs. The original longhouse, which only had three rooms, had been expanded to ten. Stables and sheep pens had been built, and the blacksmith shop at one corner clanged from morning till night. The bakery next door also continuously emitted smoke, adding a touch of life to the place.
The damaged areas inside the castle had been repaired, and the carpets, curtains, and decorations added a touch of historical charm, at least making it look less like an archaeological site.
After months of tireless work, Owen finally had a chance to catch his breath. For the past six months, he had been racking his brains, trying to find a golden idea. Unfortunately, his wisdom wasn’t quite there yet. It was like stirring tofu pudding—no matter how much you stirred, you wouldn’t find abalone in it. He could only rely on his limited knowledge from his previous life to plan the development of the territory. However, when it came to actual implementation, he realized that the things he had traded his hair for were worthless.
It was like an author painstakingly crafting a detailed outline for hundreds of thousands of words, only to find the story going off track after a hundred chapters, irretrievably so. The urge to destroy everything was overwhelming.
