"Your Highness, do you know who sent these people?" Carter asked, leaning in after Vaid had left.
"Only the Church and Tefiko possess the pills. Jiasia has long since left Graycastle and probably doesn't even think about me anymore," Roland sighed. "Tefiko's more likely than the Church. He's too cautious to send troops out of the capital, but that doesn't mean he won't retaliate." Fortunately, the infiltrators only carried pills, not loaded with gunpowder. Otherwise, detonating them in the crowd would have wasted all those two months of effort.
Roland had no fear that his 'death squad' would endanger him. During Nightingale's absence, he always carried over a dozen bodyguards wherever he went, and even wore the God's Stone himself. Not to mention the drug-fueled madmen, even the most powerful witches found it nearly impossible to approach him under the relentless pressure of ten-barreled muskets.
He realized that within less than a year of assuming the Lord's throne, his mindset had undergone a profound transformation. When he first arrived here, such a commanding presence would have left him trembling and utterly bewildered. Yet just moments ago, despite his nervousness, he had maintained a composed demeanor—knowing the guards would stand firm to block any intruders, and as the center of attention, he couldn't afford the slightest lapse in composure. Even he found this thought astonishing.
"Summon all the members of the diplomatic delegation and have them explain the recruitment process in detail," Roland turned to Barov. "I need to know where these individuals boarded the sailing ship." "Yes, Your Highness," the town hall superintendent replied, his expression darkening. He had likely failed to anticipate such a grave error by his own trusted subordinate, leaving him utterly humiliated.
"Don't be too harsh on them—ask for details first." After all the refugees cleared the checkpoints, Roland returned to the castle's office. The envoy's report this time came as a pleasant surprise: the southern borderlands were teeming with displaced people, with Eagle City and Emerald Harbor reduced to ashes, and fields beyond the walls left fallow. Compounded by this year's bizarre weather, temperatures across Graycastle plummeted, food prices skyrocketed, and even slave prices dropped by half.
Once he establishes a reliable transport route, he can continuously bring these people into the western frontier. In fact, according to the envoy's report, many refugees have already begun moving westward spontaneously after hearing the recruitment call for Border Town's development.
The difficulty, however, lies in the "transportation channel".
The heavy snowfall of the Evil Moon has paralyzed all land transport. To bring people in, the only option is the Chishui River, but Border Town's sole vessel, the Township, can only operate with Witch assistance—a far cry from meeting the demand. To maintain constant navigation on the waterways, at least twenty inland sailing ships would be required.
For instance, the dispatched envoy team faced this predicament: only a fraction of the gold dragons they carried were used to attract refugees, while the rest were mostly spent hiring boats and settling personnel. Currently, only four hundred people have reached Border Town, with over three thousand still stranded in Willow Leaf Town, Silverlight City, and Dragon Fall Ridge, awaiting boat transport.
Given that all shipowners were well aware of the dire situation in the Western Frontier and had driven prices sky-high, the estimated cost for these three thousand people alone would rival the expenses of the previous grand rescue operation in the capital. This approach was clearly unsustainable. After careful consideration, Roland decided to send a plea to the Margary Guild, hoping they would show mercy and avoid charging prices that would multiply the original amount severalfold.
To completely eliminate this expense, however, we must build our own vessels. With the significant improvement in the quality of steel and cement, it is now entirely feasible to construct more robust and larger inland flat-bottomed ships powered by steam engines, thereby establishing this Chishui River transportation route.
...
After lunch, Barov knocked on the door and entered. "Your Highness, the situation has been clarified," he said. "Let me explain." "A disciple named Ceren, tasked with recruiting refugees in the Northlands, contacted friends from the capital during his return journey due to a shortage of ships. He hoped they could help gather information or hire merchant ships willing to sail to the Westlands," Barov sighed. "The leak probably came from here... He settled the refugees in Silverlight City, just half a day's journey from the capital. Tefiko could easily manipulate the situation." "How many are still stranded in Silverlight City?" "Around eight hundred," Barov whispered. "A round trip takes half a month. When the next batch arrives, we don't know what might happen. Maybe... recall the First Army squad immediately and abandon these people." "No, no. Whatever Tefiko sends in, we'll eliminate them one by one. Just ensure proper screening checkpoints for separate clearance," Roland shook his head. "If we abandon the refugees in Silverlight City, what if someone returns to the Northlands and spreads their plight? We'll never be able to recruit more from there." With Sylvie's perceptive observation and Nightingale's truth-telling inquiries, no spies or assassins could hide. He wasn't worried about this—just ensuring they didn't harm other refugees.
"Yes, Your Highness," Barov cleared his throat after two coughs before asking, "As for... Sir... what you think of Sir Caren's handling..." "What's your assessment?" He paused briefly, "This incident stems from his carelessness. I propose removing him from his position in the City Hall and imposing a two-month salary penalty. Caren's mistake wasn't intentional nor caused significant harm. Exiling him to the North Slope Mines would be inappropriate." Roland couldn't help but chuckle at the man's pained expression. "Rest assured, I've made my decision. Since his error was due to inexperience rather than intentional negligence, leniency is warranted. After all, this was his first time holding such a position... I recall he was barely twenty. With this lesson, he should grow rapidly. A two-month salary penalty seems fitting." "Understood," Barov bowed immediately, "I'll proceed accordingly." Prince shook his head with a smile. Though initially stern, he showed evident reluctance when punishment was to be enforced—Caren had been his protégé since the capital days and among the first disciples to arrive in Border Town. To Barov, the young man was like a child he'd raised.
"Go down." After finishing the task, Roland stretched lazily. He pulled out a few blank sheets from the drawer, about to sketch a steam-powered cement ship when Ye Zi suddenly burst in.
"Your Highness," she exclaimed excitedly, "The 'Far View' has returned!" "Really?" Roland sprang to his feet and hurried after her to the back garden. There, a massive hot air balloon was descending slowly, its shadow darkening the courtyard.
The moment the work basket touched the ground, Anna leapt down. Roland reached out his arms to meet her, and she smiled warmly as they embraced.
"I'm back."