The valley was densely forested, and the large open space beside the small courtyard of the wooden fence was now occupied by a log and thatch hut sixty feet long, twenty feet wide, and about eight feet high, and when I entered the wooden house, I saw two rows of thick hay floors, and in the middle of the floor was a six-foot-wide aisle, at the end of which old Cooper and Scott were discussing in front of a large clay fireplace.

"Old butler, do you think this clay fireplace can stand up to fire? It won't take a few days to rip up."

"I added river sand and hay to the clay, and it didn't crack so easily after a low fire, even if it did, it would be a big deal to put a layer of clay on it. I guess it's time for them to come back, and I'll have to fix the shack before they come back. So saying, Cooper threw another piece of wood into the fireplace.

"Shacks? Old butler, if you call them all shacks, those real shacks must be called pigs' dens. Scott really admired the old housekeeper's ability, and built a dense wooden house in just over 20 days.

At this moment, Camille jumped into the hut and said to the two men who were squatting in front of the big fireplace, "Butler, grandfather, father, lunch is ready, and mother asked me to call you." ”

"Camille, go tell your mom, we'll be right here," Scott said, pinching Camille's little nose.

Scott picked up Cooper, who had been squatting for too long, and asked, "Old butler, you said that they have been out for more than thirty days, why haven't they come back yet?" It's really worrying."

Cooper patted the wood chips on his hands and smiled at Scott, "Are you worried about your son?" Don't worry, don't look at the old man's age, he is amazing, Ron will be fine with the master. ”

With that, he left the cabin and walked towards the small shed next to the Scott's cabin.

At the edge of the dense forest to the north of the valley hut, the remnants of the west side of the Poreshan Mountains and the remaining veins of the eastern side of Mount Lamel converge to form a densely forested valley mouth about a mile wide, with dense forests to the south and vast moors to the north.

At this time, the mouth of the jungle valley ushered in the liveliest day in hundreds of years.

A large group of displaced people and several armed guards stopped here.

"My lord, this is where we are stationed?" Kazak looked incredulous.

"Further inside, there is the forest, but there is no land in these wastelands outside!" Lawrence kicked the wasteland beneath his feet, so barren that even the weeds couldn't grow.

The displaced people in the back also stepped forward one after another, staring blankly at the large dense forest in front of them, not knowing what to say for a while.

Art said to the group of people next to him, "Everyone rest in place. ”

"Bass, take someone to unload all the supplies on the wagon, pull the cart into the dense forest and hide it, remember to cover it with branches and hay, and we will go into the dense forest in a moment."

"Ron, you ride my horse back to the valley hut, tell the old butler that we're back, and get him ready."

Art gave orders to the people around him.

After resting for a while, Art stood on a protruding mound of earth and said loudly to the homeless people sitting on the ground: "Walk through this dense forest, go south for half a day, and there is a new life waiting for you there." ”

After saying that, he jumped off the mound and came to the side of a few of his men.

"I'll lead the team at the front of the team in a moment"

"Otto, you are still weak, get on the green mule and follow me."

"Lawrence, you find a few sturdy men with food and farm tools on their backs, and beckon the other homeless people to go in the middle."

"Bas and Kazak are at the bottom of the line." After arranging everyone's tasks, Art began to direct the homeless people into the dense forest.

............

The afternoon sun pierced the dense jungle, torn into beams of spruce pine foliage onto the unmelted snowdrifts of the forest.

Art walked in the middle of it with a pleasant feeling, followed by a long procession of people who were both expectant and apprehensive about getting there.

The group had been walking through the dense forest for half an afternoon, and as they had rounded a low hill, a flat open field appeared in front of them—four thatched huts arranged from north to south, and on the northernmost side was a courtyard of two large and small wooden houses and stables and pigsty, surrounded by a pointed birch fence, like a miniature wooden fort. At the base of the south wall of the courtyard was a wooden house about fifteen feet long and wide with a fence as the north wall, and about sixty feet south of the wooden house was a long low-roofed wooden house, and on the northeast side of the low-roofed wooden house was a simple hut supported by several rods, in which a stove was made of stone. The whole flat land is surrounded by a half-man-high fence made of wood waste, and the gentle slope in front of the perimeter fence is planted with winter vegetables such as cabbage, turnips, and peas, and there is a trickling stream at the bottom of the gentle slope, and there is a large wheat field a little south along the stream......

In the sunset, it glows golden and bright, and everything seems so quiet and peaceful~

Cooper Sr. and the Scott family were welcoming the northbound party back at the wooden gate of the perimeter fence.

More than thirty people stood on the edge of the hill in unison, staring blankly at everything in front of them.

Otto thought that Art's so-called cabin in the woods was nothing more than a low, dilapidated hunter's cabin. He sat on the back of the green mule, stared at him with his mouth open and stared at him speechless for a long time, and after a long while, he turned to Yate and asked, "My lord~this~ This is your territory?" Are you also a knight lord? ”

Art was also stunned, when he left, Scott's cabin was only halfway built, but now it has become a small version of the wooden castle village, "Otto, this is the first time I've seen it. ”

"Ah???h

"Let's go, let's go home first." Art said as the first one walked over.

............

When night came, this small hut settlement in the valley was full of fireworks, a large bonfire rose in the open space in front of the low wooden house, the homeless people sat around the fire and smelled the smell of meat and wheat wafting from the house, the children stared at the bubbling stew in the copper pot around the house, and the adults were telling the joy and happiness in their hearts.

They are all homeless wanderers, and today they have found a sense of home again.

In the wooden house, Art was spreading the chain mail on his lap and wiping it carefully, and Cooper sat on a low stool to report on the past period of time: "...... Ten days ago, Scott and I went to survey the land, and we have already demarcated several plots suitable for farming. Sir, that's what happened at home, and all the homeless people were arranged into newly built wooden huts, with hay floors and fireplaces to worry about them getting cold. I vacated my house for the three of them so they wouldn't have to huddle with the homeless. ”

"For food, I asked Scott to take out all the rest of our bacon and make a big pot of broth with onions and cabbage, and every homeless person will have a big bowl of broth and a small piece of bread tonight, and the porridge will be enough."

Art kept nodding, "Cooper, you've thought it through. So, in a moment, you call the three Odo, Ron, Lawrence, and the outcast guards to this room, and then ask Emma to bring us some food alone, and I'll treat them well. You and Scott will work hard to take care of the homeless people outside. ”

"Okay master, I'll arrange it."

"By the way, there's one more thing you need to arrange. It's too late to-day, and tomorrow morning you take the new homeless people to bathe in the stream, and then boil the water to burn their clothes and bedding, and I don't want them to bring their sickness here. "Note (1)

"Master, the weather is so cold, I'm afraid no one wants to go to the stream to take a bath~"

"Then I don't care, if the stream is too cold, boil the water and bathe yourself, anyway, you have to wash up, including Otto and a few of you......"

Art didn't want this group of displaced people to bring a large-scale disease here.

............

It was late at night, but the joy continued. Around the huge bonfire, the homeless people who have eaten and drunk are sitting together and singing and dancing.

In the fenced hut, Art was clinking glasses and drinking with everyone at the wooden table, and a large jar of fruit wine mixed with strong ale made by Emma from wild fruits was almost bottoming out, and everyone was already slightly drunk.

Odo had a good night's sleep in Cooper's cabin in the afternoon, and now he was in good spirits, and he raised his wine glass and burped to Lawrence, who was sitting beside him, and said, "Brother Lawrence, why don't you join the patrol of the adults?" You behaved bravely that day, and the adults will surely be willing to recruit you. ”

Everyone stopped their glasses and looked at Lawrence.

Lawrence glanced at the people sitting around him, and fixed his gaze on Art's body: "My lord, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint everyone, I'm just like a few of them, the reason why I took up arms is just to prevent my wife, son, and daughter from being attacked and plundered by robbers. We prefer farm implements and ploughshares to long swords and short spears. ”

"But if the adults need me one day, I will definitely put down the iron plough and give it with my life." Lawrence said it sincerely.

Art raised his glass to Lawrence and a few of the outcasts who participated in the escort, "Thank you for coming forward, you are all men who stand up to the sky, and you will become the best farmers in the future." ”

Everyone raised their glasses and drank the wine.

The moon had fallen to the treetops, and the supper in the Nameless Valley was coming to an end, and Art led the others out of the fence of the hut and into the clearing in front of the low house.

"Adult~"

"Master~"

The outcasts rose and bowed deeply to Arte. They have been wandering in a foreign land for too long since the day of war in their homeland, gasping for their last breath like wild dogs. They expressed their heartfelt love and gratitude to the Ranger who had brought them to this Paradise.

Art walked to the middle of the crowd, stood by the campfire, swept his eyes over everyone, and then said in a loud voice, "Everyone, from this day onwards, you will be home!" You are no longer homeless people, you can live in this wooden fort for generations, you will be the free people of this valley. ”

Art paused for a moment, then pointed to the south and said: "From here to the south out of the valley, there is still a large area of fertile land waiting for you to cultivate, to sow seeds, to harvest, as long as you work diligently and honestly, I will ensure that you have a stable life and no worries about food and clothing." ”

The crowd erupted in cheers, and their greatest desire was a stable life and a fertile land.

"Tomorrow everyone will continue to repair the day, and my butler Cooper will arrange the rest for you."

The crowd was full of promises.