“Hmm?”

It was early morning, and Ewald was waking up from his slumber. He felt something odd in his crotch. Something felt hard. He reached down there to find his penis erect.

Morningwood? YYEEEEEESSSS!

He had his fist up in the air, and he was ecstatic. He had become a man at last. He had been eagerly waiting for this moment, not because there was Flora but because he simply wanted to become a man. Jumping out of his bed, he danced around joyfully, celebrating silently that he was no longer a boy. There was another reason; He was somewhat concerned that he might be infertile. He had reasons to reach such a conclusion because his soul was forfeit. Thankfully, it looked like his ability to procreate was still given.

With that out of his system, he happily had breakfast and walked out of the manor to see an airship landing on the platform. About ten people were getting off the airship. Nestor was at the bottom of the platform, recording the number of people as well as their names on paper. There were six men and four women, and they were all from Gonne. They didn’t look impoverished; They probably came here for a different reason than escaping from poverty.

Now, it took some practice, but the pilot was able to land properly on the platform. There were two pilots, and they lodged a complaint that the platform was nothing more than a hindrance when landing. Cezary countered that the platform is for the future and that the skill to maneuver the airship skillfully was something that would be needed down the line. No one other than Ewald knew what he was talking about because it was top secret between the two. It was that Cezary planned to use the airship during wars. Basically, the platform was acting as a training target. The platform also acted loosely as a barrier to direct passengers to two choke points where they’d checked and recorded. Thus far, about 200 people arrived in Laufeld.

Meanwhile, a letter was sent out to every lord to inform them of the existence of the airship as well as what it did; Some of the lords did not believe it. It wasn’t entirely their fault because the very concept of being able to fly was ludicrous to begin with. So far, only wind mages could fly, and that was the fact to them. Then another wave of letters were sent, offering to sell the schematic. At this point, Lord Knell of Rokk had already secured the schematic at a price of 2 gold coins a while ago. And lord Weber of Tantan purchased it for a deeply discounted price of 50 silvers. Lord Flissing also purchased it without a fuss for a discounted price of a gold coin. He was Ewald’s father-in-law after all. He couldn’t overcharge it. The Harga initially declined to purchase it at a price of a gold coin, stating that their coffer was empty. Ewald gave it away to them anyway. Noah promised to pay back. Finally, it was given for free to Edmund. The other lords declined to purchase it. In total, they earned 350 silver coins with an additional 100 coins in the near future.

The negotiation and the sale took several months, during which Cezary improved the existing airship further and was sending the airship to Gonne upon learning that the citizens of Gonne were deeply dissatisfied with their ruler. Every time the airship arrived back in Laufeld, it had always been full of people. The influx of immigrants meant that the carpenter became even busier because he had to build more houses. The migrants chose to become laborers and lumberjacks since farming required a small capital to purchase seeds and lands. This was beneficial for everyone since laborers were direly needed.

image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/2061/8N9TGL.jpg]

Ewald surveyed his surroundings. Here and there, some sort of projects were going on in all directions. The only peaceful part of the town was where the Macomaco farm was. Some of the new immigrants wanted to build their homes close to the farm which was firmly denied. Ewald went as far as declaring the entire area a no-build zone.

“Run faster, men! Run!”

From afar, Martin was leading six men into running. They were running around the newly built barrack. Five guards weren’t cutting anymore, and they recruited more. With money becoming less of an issue, they had the fund to recruit more. However, Cezary insisted that new recruits must be local, not immigrants. He claimed that migrants could not be trusted with internal security which was understandable. This severely limited how many they recruited, however, since the majority of the local population were farmers who were tied up with farming. Only those who didn’t like farming, like Faro, were available.

He walked toward the market casually, watching folks going on with their lives. Some recognized him and bowed. As he approached the market, there was a fairly large two story house with integrated market stalls in front. It was Julian’s house. His entire house was acting as a warehouse, and he was selling goods directly from his house as well as three stalls in front of the house. Now, he was quite surprised to find Rivka there but kept his mouth shut about the discovery and chose to watch her from a safe distance. He was pretty certain that she knew he was the lord. Unless she was willing to approach him first, he wasn’t going to. It was the same approach he was taking with Faro who recently turned 10 years old and was starting to take on small projects on his own. In fact, Julian employed Faro regularly for small but numerous modifications he needed to make to his house. It looked like Faro and Rivka were getting along fairly well which brought him mixed feelings. After all, they were cousins. He was going to watch them from afar for now. However, if they were to develop romantic feelings toward each other, he wondered whether he would need to step in to inform them that they were related by blood.

The world can be so small sometimes.

Of all places, Rivka ended up in Laufeld. How in the world, he wondered hard.

Well, it looks like she prefers her old name.

He was aware that Rivka identified herself as Esther which was a name given by Edmond. He understood why she chose Esther over Rivka. It was just like how he preferred to be called Kamil instead of Ewald. His mother gave him the name, Kamil and he was proud of the name. In fact, he asked his inner circle to call him Kamil recently. He was also going to change his last name to start a new house. He was twelve years old which was the coming of age in the noble society. He was an adult in other words and had the right to change his last name if he desired. Edmund could force him to keep the name, Fenchel, however. Cezary advised him to wait a year or two before making the decision because changing his last name suddenly could raise a red flag. He wanted Laufeld to be stronger to cement Kamil’s position as the lord.

At the market, he spotted Raem and Lara. They didn’t appear to be on duty. Instead, it looked like they were dating. She had her arm locked with his and were merrily conversing in front of a market stall. Raem’s growth had stopped while Lara grew a bit taller. Still, she was a full head shorter than him. Her boobs certainly had become larger however. It was becoming really noticeable.

Compared to hers, Flora’s are …

Hers weren’t flat but were nowhere as impressive as Lara’s. He recalled that Fionara wasn’t voluminous, either.

Well, what can you do.

He shrugged, then he realized there was something he could do: Mistresses. After all, he was allowed to have two. Then he laughed at himself, feeling foolish.

Yeah, right, getting a woman because you want to touch bigger boobs? That ain’t right.

While he was casually enjoying his walk, he noticed an airship that was not from Laufeld. It was easy to distinguish since the wood had a clearly different hue, not to mention the linen balloon had a different texture. It was making its way toward the platform.

“Where might they be from?”

It was the first time he ever saw another airship that wasn’t built in Laufeld. The ship had a major trouble trying to land on the platform and eventually landed it on the ground, way off the target. By the time it landed, every official was gathered: Kamil, Cezary, Raem, and Nestor. They could clearly see who was aboard: Aaron Weber.

“Lord Weber!” Kamil exclaimed.

Aaron and his close circle had traveled all the way to Laufeld via the airship he built. There was a pair of workers at the platform who got down in a rush and placed a wooden prank for them to walk down gracefully.

“Lord Fenchel, it is good to see you.” Beaming a bright smile, Aaron looked back after getting off, admiring the airship. “Never have I imagined that I’d be able to travel like this, safely might I add.”

Nobody knew why he was here. Aaron had absolutely no reason to visit Laufeld of all places. But that wasn’t important for the time being. The issue was that they were unprepared for such a visit. To make the matter worse, the manor wasn’t exactly in a condition to receive such esteemed guests. Noticing the clear panic in Kamil and his circle, Aaron declared aloud.

“I have not informed you of my visit, thus it is fine. I don’t expect to be received.”

Having said so, he looked around. It was bursting with life. Numerous constructions were going underway, and everybody seemed to be busy doing something.

“You’ve been busy, I see,” He remarked.

“Just doing my job, sir.”

Aaron laughed. “If every lord did their job, it would have been easy.” He approached Kamil and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“I thank you for this wondrous gift. With this, my town might just have a chance to survive.”

“If I may ask, how bad is it?”

Aaron sighed with exasperation but kept his chin up.

“Parents who lost their sons went on about their lives with dead fish eyes. Children who lost their fathers went on about their lives with sagged shoulders. Our main source of food is fish, and men fish. It's very hard work. Retired men had to return to work, and many have perished, unable to endure the hard work anymore with their battered bodies. Our…” He gulped visually with a painful face. “Our current population is less than 2,000.”

Kamil was stunned. The town was in a really bad shape. Losing men to a war was one thing. Losing more to replace the lost workforce must have been painful for him to watch unfold before his eyes as a lord. He must have been so desperate that he latched on to the glimmer of hope that was the airship although nothing was known or proven about it. He literally had no other choice.

“Therefore, this airship is our only hope. I was told that this was your invention. Is that true?”

“No, sir. This man -” He introduced Cezary who was standing behind him. “- is the inventor.”

Cezary bowed and denied, “Lord Weber, it was my lord who came up with the core concept. I simply added flesh to it.”

It was true. It was Kamil who discovered that heated air went upwards although that discovery alone wasn’t enough for him to have invented the airship. It was ultimately down to Cezary’s ingenuity.

“No matter,” He concluded with a grin. “What matters is that it is here. I’ve come here in person to give you my gratitude, especially since it appears that you’ve given me a deep discount.”

“You should have been rewarded for your loyalty, not ignored like you’ve been so,” Kamil said bluntly, and Aaron took a step back in mild shock.

The king didn’t reward those who contributed to the army that was literally wiped out. He awarded the Fenchel, the Flissing, and himself only. In fact, the king enriched himself the most from the war. Perhaps, it was his plan to weaken the old guard. If so, then it worked in his favor. Regardless, every lord should have been rewarded for their combined efforts. Rewards didn’t need to be monetary. For Lord Weber’s case, a coordinated effort to bring some hundreds of migrants would have worked wonders for him. Yet, nothing was being done, and each lord was left to fend on their own. Kamil did not like that, especially after governing himself. He realized first hand how hard it was to govern.

“Perhaps, I shall have tea with you,” Aaron said, facing the manor.

“But…” Kamil trailed off. His manor was really not ready to receive guests.

“Fear not. I am not used to luxury. A lord like me has to be frugal.”

Because Avina saw lord Weber walking toward the manor, she rushed to tidy up the only living room as fast as humanly possible while letting Flora know that she must put on a dress on her own. By the time Kamil and Aaron entered the manor, there was Avina who showed her respect. Aaron looked around and instantly realized that the manor was short-staffed.

“Just as frugal as I am, I see,” He said, grinning widely.

“Nay, sir. We are just poor,” Kamil responded.

“It is my understanding that you’ve earned quite a bit of coins with the sale of the airship schematic.”

“We were spending far beyond our means. More than half of it went straight back to our coffers and the rest is being spent on the development of the town.”

Because they wanted to finish the airship ASAP, the earning from wheat tax collection was spent all at once which was about 180 silver coins. He was literally broke until money from the sale arrived.

Aaron nodded along approvingly.

“Lord Weber, please this way.” Avina led the way. Just as she led the two men to a living room, Flora rushed down in a dress. It was nothing fancy, but this was an unannounced visit. Nobody could blame her for not being prepared.

“Lord Weber.” She curtsied while holding the helm of her dress.

“Oh, lady Fenchel.” Aaron responded with a bow. “You are beautiful.”

Flora was indeed beautiful. It was that Kamil was used to seeing her every day. With her well-kept sparkling golden hair, she literally shined with the right angle of sunlight like a Goddess. She also had very refined facial features. Overall, she was proudly the first daughter of the Flissing.

They sat down at a table. Kamil and Flora sat next to each other, and Aaron sat across from them. Another maid knocked at which point Avina took a tea plate from her. Three cups of Macomaco tea were ready.

“Ah, Macomaco tea. You should know that being able to drink it is already a high honor,” Aaron remarked, sniffing the sweet scent. “Luxurious environment can only satisfy so much. In the end, what matters is what goes into our belly.”

For humans, food always came first. Only when their bellies were full, they would improve on other aspects of their lives. He was essentially stating that being able to drink the tea was already good enough, given how rare and expensive it was for those who didn’t have a good access to it.

“If you wish, I can give you a small bag which is enough for about ten servings,” Kamil suggested.

“I would very much like to refuse, but my wives and children would love to taste this. An opportunity like this doesn’t come often.”

Kamil discreetly nodded at Avina who quietly left the room to patch the tea bag and then told Aaron, “With the airship, it should now be much easier to purchase the tea. All you need to do is send a ship.”

Aaron took a sip carefully, enjoying it as much as he could before swallowing. “I won’t be using the airship to purchase goods for a while. I need migrants first and foremost. Do you have any recommendations on where I should send the airship to?”

“Gonne would be my choice,” He replied curtly.

“I see. I have the same conclusion. I’ve been told that citizens of Gonne are not quite satisfied.”

The city had a population of 40,000 people. They had plenty to spare. Surrounded by forests in all directions, it was a mix of farming and hunting community, farming during warmer seasons and turning to hunting during winter although there was a certain number of dedicated hunters regardless. This city was about to be drained of its human resources because many of them wanted to leave. The reason being was that their first impression of the royal army wasn’t pleasant and, upon learning that the weather was so much better in the South, many sought to restart their lives elsewhere. The king also increased local tax a lot which fueled their desire to leave further. While they were shocked and very skeptical when they saw the airship from Laufeld the first time, the prospect of starting anew somewhere much warmer compelled them to venture into the unknown. Once they somehow got word that the migrants were doing okay, this opened the floodgate, and there would be a long quote whenever an airship appeared on the horizon. As far as Kamil was aware, there were only two airships in operation. His own from Laufeld, and Aaron’s. He had yet heard of Lord Kenll of Rokk launching his airship. Seeing Aaron was able to construct one, it appeared that the schematic itself had no issue. Something else must be hindering his effort to launch it.

“I do wonder how the king will respond to this,” Kamil wondered aloud to which Aaron beamed a crooked grin.

“He didn’t care about us. Why should we care about him?” He replied nonchalantly. It was a dangerous statement to make. He felt that Aaron was probing where he stood; Was he supporting the king or else? Truthfully, he was against the king but he also knew the current climate among nobles. Those against him were a minority at the moment.

“He is our liege regardless,” He replied, taking a sip. He was loosely taking the king’s side. Seeing he shouldn’t push further, Aaron took his sip as well. They had some casual chit chat afterwards. Kamil knew where he stood. Perhaps, the moment might come, but he wasn’t going to make it known that he’d side against the king, especially when he was a tier 2 lord where his land could be revoked at whim.

Aaron soon bid farewell and left on his airship. It was flying in the direction of Gonne.

I can see why Lord Weber is against the king, but he shouldn’t have probed me like that.

He felt that there must have been a reason why Aaron was quite bold in making such a statement. Was something going on in the background? He called Cezary and told him how the meeting went down and asked for a second opinion. He contemplated for a bit before his explanation.

“If my understanding of the situation is correct, there are three houses that are 100% against the king. Lord Weber, Lord Sprengen, and finally the Western Egra. They are, as you say, a minority. At the same time, they all have a good distance away from the capital. I am assuming here that they intend to drain the manpower of settlements ruled by the king.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

What does that even mean?

“Elaborate, Sir Waszak.”

“You can build all the army you want, but if you don’t have means to support them, it’s all moot. For example, let's say you have an army of 10,000 men. Do you think Laufeld will be able to support them? Provide them with food and lodging?”

“No, of course I can’t.”

“Indeed, at the moment, Laufeld can support perhaps a thousand men at the most. It does not have the population as well as the infrastructure to support an army larger than that. The former is more important since they provide tax and can act as an emergency reserve pool for an army although the later cannot be blatantly ignored as well.”

He made a pause before continuing.

“If the three lords plan to drain as much of the population off the king’s settlements, they will be weakening him indirectly.”

Kamil stroked his chin.

What a headache. I didn’t think the airship would be abused like this pretty much right away.

“None of our concern,” he declared. “For now at least.”

“True, this is none of our business. You’ve done well to deflect Lord Weber’s question, Milord. I assume Lord Sprengen and Lord Egra will be contacting us soon for the airship schematic.”

After that, Cezary claimed that there was an important matter to discuss and revealed that he recently surveyed the mountain to the east and found traces of quartz. That was pretty huge news. It meant that Laufeld had at least one desirable resource. But what he was about to say was even bigger.

“I would like you to relocate the entire town to the foot of the mountain,” He said quite casually.

Kamil blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just said.

“Come again?”

“Laufeld has no future. We must relocate to the mountain. We should not waste any more resources here.”

He had to rub his temple. “Seriously, Sir Waszak… You keep dropping bombs as if it’s nothing.”

“This needs to be done if we are to prosper. I am not suggesting sudden relocation. This will be done gradually.”

“Would people even move?”

“The farmers won’t since they spent generations taming their lands. That is fine. Let them stay. But anything new should be built on the new settlement.”

“I assume you’ve already picked a spot.”

“Yes.”

The mountain was about two hours away by foot. By the airship, it wouldn’t take long at all.

“How about we leave Laufeld as is and start a new settlement entirely?” Kami suggested.

“That is … a possibility but it gets complicated law-wise…”

He was supposed to rule only one settlement in Laufeld. Now, it wasn’t strictly off limits that he could start a new one. However, Cezary pointed out that it could get messy.

“The safest way is simply to relocate to Laufeld. Then we won’t have any issue with the laws,” Cezary claimed.

“Do we really have to do this?” He asked him gravely.

“Yes,” Cezary replied back firmly. “Benefits outweigh negatives. I am already sending migrants to the location to dig out a mine. We also need to build a second airship just to make the transition easier.”

“That’s … another five gold at least -”

Cezary interjected, “Yes.” And he insisted, “It must be done.”

“Pray tell: Were you planning this from the very beginning?”

The scope of whatever Cezary was trying to do, Kamil couldn’t see the end of it honestly. At this point, he felt like he was using him to do what he had wanted.

“I was hoping that the mountain would have some resources. In such a case, I’ve thought about relocating the town, yes. Finding quartz isn’t something I expected. We need quartz. It is a crucial component for the airship. You know this, Milord.”

True, being able to mine quartz would cut down the operating cost of the airship a lot. And that was an understatement. Selling it would yield a health profit also, probably much more than wheat.

“Fine, do what you feel you must.”

There was no point in arguing against him. While it was hard to see what he was trying to do, it was pretty indisputable that whatever he was doing would ultimately benefit him. There would be more airships soon built by other lords, and the price of quartz would skyrocket with an increased demand. It was foolish not to take advantage of the situation.

And then several days later, a group of guild members requested an audience. It was a group of five men with their leader claiming to be Brian. Only he was allowed to enter to meet Kamil. Raem and Lara were present in the study in case of an attempt on his life. Of course, Cezary was standing next to him.

Brian showed his respect with a salute, an indication that he was from the Siwen. He looked to be in 30s. Sadly, his rescinding black hairline indicated that the guy was going bald, probably in a few years. Kamil quickly recalled that his father, Grent, showed absolutely no sign of going bald and breathed a sigh of relief.

“My name is Brian, and I am a member of Maiava guild.”

He was dressed in a half plate armor that had clearly seen better days. He left his weapons upon entering the manor.

“Alright, Brian, what brings you here to this humble town?”

“I will not waste your time. We’d like to open a guild branch here.”

“Very well, I will not waste your time, either. Approved. I think we are done here.”

Brian linked his eyes a few times, dumbfounded. “Uh.., that was easy?” He blurted.

“What did you expect to happen?”

He scratched his head in embarrassment. “Uh, a refusal? Nobles always seemed to love to say no to us, so …”

“Congratulations, you are not in the Siwen anymore.”

Sarcasm aside, Laufeld did need a guild. With an increasing number of incoming merchants, the need for professional escorts soared. Thus far, merchants, either, renewed their contract with escorts they brought in or sought out independent mercenaries at a local tavern. Finally, the reason Brian was so quick to say his piece and get it out with it was because he fully expected to be refused.

“I do have a question for you, Mr. Brian.”

He nodded.

“Why have you chosen to settle down here?”

“We were originally brought here by Julian, the merchant. We continued to do business with him ever since. Then we just don’t want to go back to Maiava anymore.”

“May I ask why?”

“The weather? That’s probably the biggest reason. I mean I can stay naked literally and won’t get really cold even at night. So, we don’t wanna go back. Figured we’d settle down here and set up a shop. Besides…” He trailed off, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Hmm?”

Finally, he continued, “I think the cold wind is the cause for my … hairline.”

Kamil wasn’t sure whether he was right but understood his dilemma. The dude chose to settle down in a warmer place to save his hair. As a man, he truly understood his desire to save his hair from the bottom of his heart. If he was going bald, he’d do anything to save it. Thankfully, as Tom, he died young. And extra-thankfully, it looked like his father, Grent, wasn’t the balding type. He thanked the Gods for this sincerely.

“Well, thank you for your answer. I already gave you permission, so go all out.”

“Will do ~” Brian replied with glee.

It was at this point Cezary interjected, “Halt.”

Looking a bit surprised, his attention moved to him.

“You may set up your guild but do it at a location I tell you to.”

He looked at Kamil for a confirmation to which he nodded back. Cezary knew better after all. Only then he looked back at Cezary.

“I don’t see a problem with that but … why?”

He briefly explained that Laufeld was to be relocated.

“To the mountain, eh…” Brian stroked his chin. “Yeah, makes sense.”

“It does?” Kamil asked out of curiosity. It was a rare opportunity to listen to a 3rd party’s opinion.

“It’s kinda like Maiava, ain’t it? Having a mountain on your back makes defending easier with just two or three walls. A mountain provides a lot of resources as well. It’s just better, period.”

“Your job, for the time being, will be protecting miners and new settlers while a guild house is set up,” Cezary said.

“Right, we will be on our way then.”

Without much fuss, Brian agreed to everything and promptly left. Kamil crossed his fingers and contemplated what Brian had just said about the advantages of being adjacent to a mountain. Cezary’s reasoning was motivated by financial benefits while Brian’s perspective was from a soldier’s point of view. The bottom line was that there seemed to be more to gain than lose by relocating the town. In fact, for the future, it looked like relocating was the only sensible way. If Laufeld was to remain as a simple farming community, there was no reason to move. Of course, the town was not going to be a simple farming community.

We’ve already invested quite a bit of resources as well as money into Laufeld already… It’s a shame that it’s going to be wasted…

He summoned Julian and informed him of the decision to relocate the town as well as letting him know that quartz was found in the mountain.

“Quartz?!” Julian raised his voice at once. “That’s huge news!” He sounded really excited.

“Is it?”

“Yes, Milord. That’s more than huge. I am already seeing a clear spike in quartz price. If Laufeld can mine quartz, then we should absolutely relocate to the mountain. Farming can be done there, but quartz isn’t found everywhere.”

“We’ve already spent quite an investment here though…”

Kamil was intentionally sounding as if he was against the relocation to probe him.

“That doesn’t matter. This is for the future,” Julian replied flatly. “Besides, a town cannot be relocated overnight. Whatever we’ve invested here will be of use for a while yet.”

At this point, it was clear to him that the benefits outweighed whatever negatives it had since all three he asked were in favor of relocation.

“I see. Thank you. How are migrants doing?”

Julian could provide a unique perspective as a merchant who could watch folks coming and going.

“They seem to be in good spirits. Most of them were worried about job opportunities and are glad that they found jobs pretty much instantly. Their lodging situation is a bit bleak, but they also know that houses are being built to accommodate them. The bottom line is that they know that they are not being abandoned, which is good enough for them. After all, the Siwen was notoriously known to blatantly ignore commoners.”

“I see.” He nodded along. “If you notice any conflicts between the locals and them, please let me know ASAP.”

“Understood.”

Then Julian left. Alone in his study, he slowly stretched and stood up, approaching the only window in the room. It had been quite hectic ever since he arrived here and it looked like it was going to get only worse. Then he recalled how boring it was as Tom who always waited in the shadows to catch prey. At least, this whole shit wasn’t boring. But, boy, never had he imagined that he’d end up building his own town.

The very next morning, Cezary and Nestor were busy redirecting migrants to the mountain. The journey was about two hours on foot. While that seemed far, Kamil checked the place out with a levitation spell which took him about 10 minutes to reach there, meaning with an airship, it’d be a very short travel. The carpenter’s son was sent along with the migrants to begin building houses. The masons were also told to stop whatever they were doing in Laufeld and restart at the new location. The local residents, farmers mainly, were confused as to what was going on. Raem and Martin went to meet them to explain in detail what was transpiring. As expected, the majority of farmers refused to relocate. However, younger farmers who were just starting out were more than willing to relocate because their farms were located at the very edge of the farming zone, meaning they were always the ones that suffered damages from random monsters. Being given the prospect of picking prime spots was more than enough for them to relocate. Finally, Julian also tagged along to check out the mine. Everything developed rapidly within days. The mine was being dug, trees were cut down to clear the way and to be used to build houses, and dirt roads were swiftly paved. Most people had to sleep on the ground for the time being. The migrants were more than shocked that they could sleep in the wilderness. In Gonne, they would have frozen to death at night if they slept exposed. Finally, for security, about four guards were present all the time in case of monster attacks.

image [https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/9393/03cuKw.jpg]

Then something he had never seen occurred. It was early in the morning. Kamil had just finished his breakfast and was strolling around the town. It had become much quieter since migrants were being redirected to the new site. Then he noticed a small commotion at the gate. A wagon had arrived that was full of people, about ten or so. Well, it wasn’t just a wagon; There were wagons. Ten of them were arriving one after one, each full of people.

“What is going on?!” He wondered aloud. They weren’t traveling merchants. These wagons were specifically carrying people. There were also tens of escorts. Approaching one of the drivers, he inquired what was happening.

It turned out that It was a combination of a few factors. Once word spread that the South was a much better place to live, those in Northern cities, namely Gonne and Maiava, wanted to go. Additionally, it looked like Lord Weber made to Gonne safely. Now, instead of taking migrants with him, he declared that those who wanted to migrate to the South should head to Laufeld as an intermediate stop. This was a wise choice since the distance was just too far even for airships between Tantan and Gonne. A trip between Tantan and Laufeld would have been much shorter and safer. As a direct result of those two events, people began hiring traveling merchants to abandon their goods and act as full transports. Since ten or so people were paying per wagon, it became worth their time to do this. Thus, they did. It was a mass migration to the south. The driver noted that not everyone headed to Laufeld. Some dropped off at Rokk and Lux. He also stated that every single day a massive amount of folks were leaving Gonne. Those who were reluctant to make such a long journey were going to Dido.

“I wager Gonna will be a ghost town soon-ish,” He remarked with a laugh. “Never seen anything like this.”

While Kamil wanted migrants to arrive, he did not expect this many so soon. Laufeld did not have the capacity to hold them. The accommodation capacity simply wasn’t there. Thankfully, food wasn’t going to be much of an issue due to the abundance of wheat. However, this was going to affect his bottom line as he’d need to feed them out of his own pocket.

When Cezary returned from the new Laufeld site, he was just as dumbfounded as he was.

“I did not see this coming,” He remarked.

“What should we do?”

“Well, simple for now. Those who wish to settle down in Laufeld will do exactly that. And those who wish to go elsewhere will need to stay at the tavern or around it.”

The local tavern had nowhere enough beds to accommodate all of them obviously. Some, the majority sadly, would need to camp outside.

“This could get really messy, Milord,” Cezary said with a concerned face. “This is happening too fast.”

Kamil agreed. It was indeed happening too fast too soon. But it turned out that both men were concerned about different things. Cezary was primarily concerned about the king’s reaction while Kamil was mostly concerned about the overall stability of Laufeld. Both concerns were valid. At this point, Gonne was going to vanish from the map. They could argue that it was hardly their fault but a result of a chain reaction. Regardless, the king wasn’t going to receive any sympathy from the others since he enriched himself the most from the war. As for Laufeld, the town was barely hanging on. The immediate problem was one thing. Another aspect Kamil was concerned about was that the place was losing its stability. It was known for its wheat, but that was going to change soon. With a quartz mine, it was likely to establish itself as a mining city sooner or later. How would the farmers who had been here for generations take the change? It remained to be seen. For now, everything was a question mark.

Then a few days later, Elias arrived with a group of guards. He was confronted with a chaotic scene where over a hundred of migrants were camping at the central market which had turned into a refugee camp at this point. Coincidentally, an airship from Tantan was approaching the town.

“My word…” Elias had his palm on his forehead on a horse. Kamil was swiftly notified of his arrival and he went to greet him.

“Sir Hunt, it has been some time,” He greeted him casually as if nothing happened.

“Ewald…, what in the world is going on here? We’ve been receiving some migrants but this …” He pointed forward at the market. “This is far beyond my imagination.”

Apparently, he had visited Laufeld to warn Kamil about a potential influx of migrants. He was completely unaware that Kamil was the one who started it. After guiding him to the manor, they sat down around a table. Avina presented Macomaco tea to him.

“This is not the Laufeld I used to know,” He remarked, sipping his tea. His troubled face smoothed immediately.

Hmm, should I tell him about New Laufeld?

Kamil wondered and decided to keep it under the rug for the time being.

“Have you built an airship yet?”

“No, we have not. We have no reason to build it.” His focus became distant, recalling the airship he saw outside.

“Was it yours?”

“No, sir. It’s from Lord Weber. We have one that’s already out there.”

Elias’ eyes widened. “He has already built one?”

“His town is in dire need of fresh blood. He desperately needed it and built it at lightning speed.”

“Those migrants… At least the ones who arrived at Lux told us that they were from Gonne.”

“Yes, the majority of them are from Gonne.”

After a moment of silence, Elias asked, “What are you trying to accomplish?”

“I am simply doing my job. I am the lord of Laufeld. Therefore, I am doing what I can to make the settlement prosper.”

“It doesn’t look like prospering to me. People were camping in the market.”

Truthfully, their current living conditions were atrocious.

“It will take some time for them to settle down. Given how many have arrived, this is only natural.”

“How many have you received so far?”

“Four hundred people.”

Stone-faced, Elias stroked his chin after letting go of his tea cup. “I don’t think I saw that many.”

Well, I guess I can’t hide then.

Kamil told him about a new site to the east and the discovery of quartz.

“You are …” Elias looked shell-shocked. “Relocating the whole town?!”

“Yes.”

“I figured that you were going to pull some tricks when you insisted on becoming the lord of Laufeld, but this is …”

Kamil changed the subject. “How is the child doing?”

“He is doing well,” He replied promptly and was back on the topic. “I am getting a headache. Do you mind me staying here for a few days? I’d like to see what you’ve been doing.”

“Of course, feel free to stay as long as you’d like.”

At this point, Flora entered and curtsied while holding the helm of her dress. It must have taken her some time to get into a dress. She never wore a dress while around Kamil which he said was fine. She claimed that a dress wasn’t easy to move in and was uncomfortable most of the time. He had no reason not to believe her and permitted her to dress as she wanted.

“Sir Hunt,” She said curtly.

“Milady,” He replied with a bow. “You are becoming increasingly beautiful.”

Elias wasn’t buttering up. She had indeed become increasingly charming as of late. Similarly, Elias was something of a very odd ball also. The guy was pushing into mid 50s, and he looked like he was in late 20s. Not a single strand of gray hair was seen on his face. It was as if he was blessed with eternal youth.

I am pretty sure that he may actually be blessed with such. These Gods…, they are crafty.

“Sir Hunt,” Kamil said with a grin. “You should consider getting yourself a wife.”

He looked quite surprised at the suggestion. “Me? Lad, I am in my mid 50s.”

“It’s never late for men,” He pressed. “Besides, look at yourself. You don’t look like a middle-aged man. Isn’t that right, Flora?”

“He speaks truthfully,” She replied. “You look like someone in their late 20s.”

Elias waved away his hand dismissively. “I am too old.”

It was true that he was indeed old. He was too old to have a very young wife. It didn’t mean there weren't any candidates though. Kamil knew for a fact that there were plenty of virgin maids who were in a more suitable age group. However, since he was a noble, any maid wouldn’t do. It needed to be someone who hailed from a noble lineage, like …

Avina?

She was the first one who came to his mind. She was in her late 20s and was previously a member of the Mesurii. He was pretty sure that she’d reject such an idea though. She wouldn’t probably entertain it even since she was completely devoted to Flora. The point was that there should be plenty of choices for him if he was willing. But he didn’t press it further. Elias was not a child after all.

The next morning, Kamil and Elias visited the mining site and were surprised by how much progress had been made. The mine appeared to be fully operational. Crates of quartz were already outside which Julian was counting and calculating various costs. There was already a traveling merchant who came to specifically purchase the quartz. Interestingly, it looked like he had already set up a crudely constructed market stall not far from the mine and was already conducting businesses which Esther was looking after.

“Esther…?” Elias whispered upon spotting her. It was hard to miss with her crimson hair.

“Yes, that’s her.” Kamil confirmed her identity.

“So, are you two together?”

“No, sir. She is on her own. She has chosen the path of a merchant.”

He stared at her from a distance. Her stall was selling bread and some vegetables. Since mining was a backbreaking work, food was in a constant demand. Thankfully, Laufeld had the capacity to support the migrants when it came to food which was enough to keep them satisfied for the time being. And, because they could see that houses were being built for them, they had no complaints. In fact, there was already a house built, and another was in progress of being constructed by the carpenter’s son. Patches of cleared land with vegetables could also be seen. Farming wheat required extensive planning as well as execution. Therefore, it wasn’t something they could start right away. Vegetables, however, were anyone’s game, and some migrants were doing just that. Additionally, masons were already working on cobblestone roads which was a rare feature for what was essentially a village at this point. Even a town wouldn’t generally feature cobblestone roads.

“Not bad at all,” Elias remarked while nodding approvingly. In his mind, the most important aspect was whether the people wanted to be there. It was clear to him that these people were working their butts off to build a place to call home.

“I am glad that you are pleased,” Kamil said in response.

“I can see their enthusiasm. They aren’t being forced.”

“Well, I did tell them to work here. They are forced but voluntarily.”

Elias chuckled. “You know what I am saying here.”

“Yes, sir,” He replied gleefully.

Laufeld, once one of the most insignificant towns, was swiftly transforming itself into something else.