Surdak was clearly past the age of being adventurous, and he had no interest in war.

The village of Wall was located on the edge of the barren land outside the Paglos Pass, and even then it was not so peaceful, and Surdak completely gave up the opportunity to choose a small plane to open up the wasteland.

When it comes to the question of the location of the territory, he decisively narrows the choice to the city of Highlandza.

He didn't want to expand his territory, but Surdak hesitated for a whole night about whether to choose the land near Hylanza, and he also thought about whether to carve out a piece of rich land near Count Fornack's manor and become his own barony.

There are three main reasons why he hesitates.

The first reason is that Surdak is currently working hard to build the village of Wall, and all his family business is here, and once he gives up here, the loss will be immeasurable.

The second reason is that the knight on the side of Pubao Mountain has found a lot of sulfur mines, and if he wants to continue to mine the sulfur mines in Pubao Mountain, he must not be too far away from here, and he must expand the territory as much as possible to ensure that all the sulfur mines in the area of Pubao Mountain are in his hands.

The third reason is that neither the succubus Aphrodi nor Selena can withstand the investigation of the Magic Guild Enforcement Team, and they should stay away from the city of Hylanza.

So in the evening, Surdak asked for the advice of the elder Sheila.

When Natasha was washing the dishes in the kitchen, she didn't forget to take the time to make Surdak a pot of lemon tea.

Rita wiped the dining table seriously, the rag in her hand was a little sticky, and no matter how much she washed it, she couldn't wash it clean.

In the past, when I was poor and hungry, the food did not have so much fat, so there was no trouble of washing dishes and wiping tables, and those bowls and plates had to be washed with hot water at the end, and the last bit of food at the bottom of the bowl was swallowed into the stomach along with the soup, and now I can eat meat every day, and those bowls and plates are always hung with a layer of oil, and even the tables are harder to wipe than before.

Surdak stood at the door of old Sheila's room with a tea tray and knocked lightly.

Old Sheila's voice came from within:

"Come in!"

When Surdak walked into the room, old Sheila was sitting up from the bed and motioned for him to sit down on the edge of the bed.

Little Peter slept soundly on the wooden bed opposite.

"What's wrong? Duck. Old Sheila asked, staring at his face.

There was always too much in her gaze.

Surdak wanted to pour her a cup of tea.

Old Sheila waved her hand and said, "When people are old, if they drink tea at night, they can't sleep even more......"

Surdak put down the teapot in his hand before he said, "Today a messenger has news that I can still get some territories, and I am thinking about where to choose these territories. ”

Sheila Sr. didn't expect Surdak to say this, so she just casually asked, "What is there that you can't choose?" ”

Surdak then put his thoughts into words: "The land on the outskirts of the city of Hylanza is richer and more valuable. But this side of the barren land is also very good, and some very valuable sulfur mines have been found on the side of Pupu Mountain, which can bring a lot of wealth if they continue to be mined, but this side is too far away from the city of Highland, and in the future little Peter will go to the Highlands War Academy to study......"

"So?" Hearing Little Peter's name, old Sheila became much more sober.

Surdak continued: "I think if there was a manor outside of Highlandsa, it would be a good choice. ”

Old Sheila stared at Surdak and asked him, "You want to hear my opinion?" ”

"Yes." Surdak said.

Sheila Sr. glanced at Surdak again, then closed her eyes, and the room fell silent.

After a long while, old Sheila opened her eyes and said:

"I'm used to living here, so I want you to choose your territory here."

"I know I'm selfish, I'm thinking this way because of Peter, I don't think that kid will be as good as you in his life, you are a magician nobleman, and the title of nobility cannot be passed on, once you are old...... If it is gone, these lands will be reclaimed by the Grimm Empire, and if it is Puss Mountain, the situation may be different, it is a place that no one wants, no one is fighting to occupy it, maybe Little Peter's good life can live a little longer. ”

If it weren't for little Peter, Sheila Sr. would rarely talk so much to Surdak.

"So...... I understand. With that, Surdak stood up and walked out of old Sheila's room with a teapot.

Once things were settled, Surdak felt much lighter, and he began to think about how to re-erect boundary monuments around Puss Mountain.

Old Sheila looked at Surdak's departing back, and then looked at little Peter lovingly.

The village of Wall has changed rapidly, but it still seems that it is still a little unable to keep up with Surdak's footsteps.

Little Peter lay on the bed opposite him and breathed evenly, and his young face was full of beautiful ......

……

Messenger Johnny didn't sleep very well last night.

He sat up from the bed and stretched, his bones making a 'click' sound.

Rubbing his sore neck with his hands, he jumped out of bed barefoot, the floor was actually covered with a layer of flat gray volcanic rock, there was no soft velvet blanket, which he could understand, but even the delicately textured oak floor, which was a bit unreasonable.

The ground was a little cold, and it was not very comfortable to step on it, so he quickly put his boots on his feet.

After looking around the room, there was not even a mirror in the corner except for a basin of water.

He walked to the basin and saw the somewhat haggard face floating in the basin, with puffy bags under his eyes and black circles like a clown in a circus.

Wall Village looks good from the outside, but living in it is completely two feelings.

The houses in the village were still some earthen houses, and the beds were also hardwood beds, and there was only a somewhat prickly reed mat on the bed, which was better than sleeping in a tent, but in order to make himself a good messenger, Johnny had to grit his teeth and live in this house.

What displeased him the most was that the village women here actually refused him last night, even if he took out a reward of five silver coins from his bosom and gave them a reward, the village women actually looked disgusted and walked away without looking back.

The conditions here are really difficult, I didn't expect Baron Surdak to be born in such a mountain village.

Johnny pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard, just in time to see a graceful woman walking in from the outside holding a basket of fruits and wheat cakes, with a faint smile on her delicate face, especially those blue eyes had an indescribable charm, as if there were 100,000 stars hidden in them.

She wears a long tunic skirt with a slender waist and a straight and slender large. The legs made her look half a head taller than Johnny's.

Even in the city of Highlandsa, it is rare to see such a tasteful woman.

Johnny stared at the woman's face with a foolish look, her eyes a little unable to pull out, but the woman did not greet Johnny, but turned back to her back and smiled and said, "Dark, Master Courier has woken up!" ”

Johnny woke up when he heard Surdak's name.

The woman took out a stack of wheat cakes from the basket, a clay pot of broth, and a plate of lantern fruits, and said to Surdak, "I am going to the children's home, and if you come to my place for dinner in the evening, you must tell me in advance." ”

After saying that, the woman kissed Surdak on the face before walking out of the courtyard with her long skirt.

Surdak walked into the courtyard and asked Johnny, "Messenger Johnny, you are returning to the city of Highlandsa today?" ”

Johnny quickly straightened up and said, "Yes, Baron Surdak, Lord Marquis is still waiting for your reply, do you want me to bring a message to the city for you?" ”

Surdak took out a piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to Johnny, and then said to Johnny:

"Please help me forward this letter to Bernard. Lord Marquis Christie. ”

Johnny glanced at the envelope, which had been coated with cement, and looked up and asked Surdak:

"Have you decided where to choose your territory? As far as I know, there are very few people who can do this to you, only choose your own barony! ”

Surdak nodded to Johnny and said:

"I'm going to choose the Barony's territory in the area of Pubao Mountain deep in the Barrenlands, and if possible, I want to expand a little bit into the Barren Lands region on the basis of the original knight's domain. I will take care of the affairs of the village of Wall, and in three days I will visit the Marquis Bernard in person. ”

Johnny's eyes were glazed, he had predicted several answers in his mind, and he didn't expect Surdak to choose this way.

Doesn't he know how many people in the city of Highlandsa are staring at Fornack Manor and Hoyle Manor?

Didn't he know that if he owned either of these two estates, he would have a ticket to the upper nobility of Highlandsa City?

Johnny found himself at a loss for what to say, and he was supposed to say something congratulatory to Surdak no matter what decision he made.

But now, the rhetoric I prepared is not used at all.

Johnny had no choice but to say cryptically:

"Baron Surdak, there are still a few days to go, you might as well think about it again, if you don't plan to choose the territory in a small plane, now there is a large vacant land around Count Fornack's manor, and there are some good options near Hoyle Manor, no matter where it is much better than the barren land."

Surdak stopped at the door of the room and said:

"Johnny Courier, I'll take your suggestion seriously."

Watching Surdak leave, John took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead.

I don't know how, as long as Surdak stands beside him, it seems that the air around him is going to freeze.

Johnny's mission to deliver the letter was a complete success, and he didn't care if he could make it back to Highlandsa that night, and left Wall Village as quickly as possible.

……

Influenced by the southeast monsoon of the Endless Sea.

In July, the barren land is in full swing into the rainy season.

The plants here start to grow wildly at this time, and you can see a hint of greenery everywhere.

There are no steep hills on this side of the barrens, only some undulating slopes at most.

Standing on the top of the cliff in the barren land, you can see the scenery more than ten kilometers away, the river bend and the swamp in front of the village have been treated in a spring, and the large tidal flat has become fertile and fertile land, and the rainwater flowing down from the various hillsides flows into the canal, this artificial canal is like a shining necklace, around the swamp around the circle of most of the circle.

The old village chief, who had only been raising his home for a month, stood on crutches on the embankment of the artificial canal, and his greatest fear was that there would be several heavy rains in succession, which would exceed the flow of the artificial canal, and the excess rain would overflow the embankment and rush into the fertile field where a crop had just been planted.

The fertile fields turned into tidal flats are even more fertile than expected, and any seeds that grow are larger than the plants in the fields in the village.

The old village chief wore a linen coat and was on crutches.

He pointed to the hundreds of acres of fields enclosed by this embankment and said to Surdak beside him: "It won't be long before this field will be full of tomatoes!" ”

When talking about this land, the old village chief's eyes were full of smiles.

He told Surdak: "In the past, these vegetables were rarely grown in our village, not because we didn't like to eat them, but there was so little land in the village that we could cultivate in the past, and there was not enough wheat to grow in that land, let alone these vegetables that could not be stored until winter!" I prefer pumpkin to tomatoes, which can be stored for a long time in the winter as long as you put it in the cellar. ”

The old village chief stood on the embankment next to the canal, pointed to the depths of the marshland, and said, "Dark, I think we can make this artificial canal a little longer, if we can include the marshland over there......"

The swamp was now a swamp, and the reeds and red thatch were almost obscuring the water.

It is relatively easy to develop the tidal flats of the river bay outside the village, because the tidal flats are relatively high, as long as artificial canals are dug to intercept and drain the rainwater flowing down the surrounding hillsides, a fertile land can be obtained.

But the swamp is low-lying, and in order to drain the rainwater from the swamp, the excavated artificial canal will have to be deeper, and the amount of work will be multiplied, and Surdak has no plans to do so for the time being.

It was only for a moment that the old village chief had the idea of transforming the swamp.

Surdak took a step forward, bent down and picked up a piece of rock from the embankment, and threw it out casually, the rock page he quickly selected stirred up dozens of splashes on the surface of the river, he straightened up and patted the dirt on his hand before saying, "Uncle Bright, there's news from the city of Highlandsa." ”

"What's the good news? Is it a big order from the comptoir bank? The old village chief asked casually without care.

"I have been made Baron of the City of Highlandsa by His Majesty Charles." Surdak said with a calm face.

The old village chief's hand on his crutches shook violently, and he looked at Surdak with a look of astonishment.

"You said you ...... Became a nobleman? ”

"Hmm." Surdak nodded and smiled faintly at the old village chief: "It is said that because of the merits of the maca plane, the Marquis of Bena City and the lords of Bena Province jointly submitted an application to His Majesty Charles, and then waited for more than two months, and the news that I was awarded the title of baron came here." ”

The old village chief looked at Surdak again and asked him, "That Marquis Luthor and other lords recommended you to become a baron, did he want to make you his descendant?" Did he hint at you? For example, asked you to join his army? ”

"I don't know, probably not." Surdak shook his head, he didn't know what Marquis Luthor wanted, he only said: "I have only met Marquis Luthor a few times, we can count on one hand when we talk, and since the end of the war on the Maca plane, there has been no news over there, do you think I took the initiative to visit?" ”

The old village chief asked again, "Didn't you join his army?" Maybe you need to do something else! ”

Surdak shook his head again......