Siegel was fully dressed and sat by the side of the crib, gently stroking Isaac's newly grown soft hair. The pet had flown to call out to Mohr, and it was now getting better at speaking, and was able to make two or three jokes of its own - just that it was hard to make people laugh.

A moment later, there was the sound of armor and scabbards clashing outside the door, and Baron the raven flew back. The black raven took on the task of tending to the baby, and his master pushed the door open, beckoned to the squire knight, and the two of them went to the study together.

"How's your fortress going?" Siegel asked.

Moore looked very happy, "Everything is going well. The ropeway system transports stone and wood, and our masons are skilled craftsmen. The dwarves were also very helpful, and in some places they were reinforced with runes. It's certainly not as good as Mir City, but it's enough to face a normal attack. ”

As he spoke, he poured Siegel a light mead and took himself a glass. "It was a complete accident to come across these reptiles. Two days ago, a heavy fog covered the wasteland, which lasted all day, and when the fog cleared, the reptilian dragons were not far away, picking up the grass to find something to eat, it is estimated that they were lost because of the fog. Since the construction work of the fortresses came first, we didn't bother with them. But then, perhaps the light of the cooking fire caught their attention, and a large group of reptilian dragons rushed over, and we hurried to the walls to take refuge. ”

He laughed a few times, looking very relaxed: "The reptilian dragon rushed over to put out the fire and knocked over our food. Then they intensified their efforts to eat our food reserves, so I gave the order to attack and turn them into food reserves. ”

Siegel sipped his wine. Listen as he continues. According to More's recent observations. This area west of the Walled Mountains is very peaceful. Nothing usually happens, and the climate change isn't drastic. "If you can migrate, the land there can support the farmers. ”

"Is there a shadow of a barbarian?" asked Siegel.

"I haven't found it yet. More replied: "On the one hand, we did not send cavalry, the scope of reconnaissance is limited, and it is not appropriate to attract attention until the fort is built." On the other hand, when our careers are good, we look at the horizon for smoke, and for the time being, we still find nothing. ”

Siegel nodded. Smiling: "You've done a great job so far. But remember not to leave the fortress lightly in the future. In addition to supervising the progress of the building, you also have to pay attention to the movements of the dwarves. Sooner or later, they will have to go, continue on the road to the west, and even death will not stop them, let alone you and me. ”

"But now the construction of the fortress is inseparable from them. ”

"Everybody knows that. When I want to finish the stopper, they're leaving. We took what we needed, but they helped us a lot. Among other things, you have to prepare what they need for their trip. They may want to walk quietly and not attract the attention of Mora's Peaks. But we must not let them go on the road empty-handed. ”

Moore nodded, patting his chest to promise that he would be able to do it.

The mage heard his assurances. Instead, he laughed. "What are you doing with your chest?" he beckoned, spreading out a sheet of paper on his desk with dense numbers and tables.

"Moore came and signed the IOU. Siegel pointed to the end of the paper, which already had his signature as creditor, and the witness was Fezak's name. Moore didn't say a word, picked up the ink brush and wrote his name on it, in triplicate.

"Aren't you going to look at what's inside?" Siegel put away one of them, and gave the other two to Moore.

"I swear allegiance to you......" He noticed Siegel's stern gaze, swallowed the rest of the words, and quickly spread out the paper in his hand.

In the first half, Moore borrowed gold coins from Siegel to complete the terms of the castle, totaling 114,000. This is followed by a detailed cost, including the cost of stone, timber and craftsmen, as well as the cost of transportation. The detailed list was compiled by Fezak and was based on the general prices in the southern part of the New World. In fact, due to the proximity to the walled mountains and the fact that the forest is not far away, the cost of materials is not as high as on paper.

The huge sum of 110,000 gold coins can be said to be astronomical for Moore, especially since his fortress is currently only a siege of twin arrow towers, and it is still far from the castle. He looked up in confusion and looked at Lord Siegel, waiting for his next step.

"Give the fortress a name. Siegel said suddenly.

Moore blinked, and hurriedly said modestly: "Lord Lord, it's better for you to name it." ”

"That's your fortress, why do you want me to name it?" Siegel patted him on the shoulder and said, "You have to run that fortress and slowly pay it back." I don't have any other support, come and make an IOU whatever you need, and let Fezak pull it away from the warehouse here. To the west of the Walled Mountains is a vast expanse of land, and your fortress is built on the most critical choke points. Whether you can keep it, whether you can develop it, it's a very heavy responsibility, you understand?"

Only then did Moore understand the lord's intentions.

"There's a long way to go from being a knight to becoming a lord. The knight just needs to understand how to fight, how to maintain his equipment and horses, how to keep his oath in the face of constant adversity. If you become a lord, you need to understand the construction of the territory, the economy, food, and the training of soldiers. Now I'm going to give you a fortress, and there's no farming yet, but I'm afraid it's going to be a lot of trouble after that, so you have to be prepared. ”

Seeing that his expression was heavy and seemed to be a little worried, Siegel comforted him and said, "Don't worry, most things can be done slowly, as long as you can do a few things well." ”

Moore raised his head, put his right hand into a fist in front of his chest, and said firmly, "I will do it!"

"Very good!" said to Siegel with a smile, "After the fortress is built, you must first guard the entrance and exit of the tunnel, and check anyone who wants to pass through, whether it is a person or an object, even a beetle. I would use spell enchantments, and dwarves would use rune stones to ensure their safety, but the most important thing was not the secret words, but the people and systems that were checked. ”

After that. You're going to build a cavalry reconnaissance unit. It doesn't matter if it's from Hum Ke or from the mercenaries. You have to keep a firm grip on this force. I want you to find out what is going on around the fortress, and establish contact with the barbarians, and try to cooperate with them. The Heim Territory is understaffed and under-resourced, but with the help of the fortress we can mobilize resources west of the Walled Mountains. ”

Moore asked, "What if we hire barbarians to fight for us?" as long as we wear the same armor, no one else can see it." ”

Siegel shook his head: "In this elf-initiated war, the more troops are invested, the more losses will be. Later you will understand why. In fact, the power of the human race is still there, but it is divided into a small castle, and there is still a huge supply pressure. It's like a strong man falling into a narrow well, and he can't use it at all. But if they can get what they need in, it's like throwing a rope at this strong man and dragging him up, and his threat is different. ”

"I kind of get it. Moore replied, "What else do you need to do besides guarding the fortress and the entrance, and dealing with the barbarians?"

"Ding Bao will open a canned food workshop at the fortress, and Dennis will be in charge of selling it in the tunnel. and procure goods for you. Your purely military fortress is to be separated from these workshops and businesses, but you must also rely on the funds they provide to sustain it. You still owe me money. It will come out of this. ”

"My life belongs to the lord!"

"Stupid words! I have elemental guards to do the death, and I don't need you. Siegel said to him: "I asked Fezak to draft this IOU, and he gave you a lot of extra money, and I probably counted it." However, this is the deposit you have to pay if you want to lead independently. As long as you do a good job, the stronghold is just the starting point. By the way, do you have a good name?"

"I've got it figured," said Moore, "how about calling it the starting outpost?"

"Okay, that's it. Siegel waved his hand: "You go to your grandfather for specific things, and then go back to the starting outpost as soon as possible." He unfolded a written order, added the name of the starting outpost to it, and drew his own badge with his wand.

"This is an official order, and you are now the Supreme Commander of the starting outpost. But you're only a knight now, and you can only really own a territory if you have a knighthood, so you have to keep trying. ”

He threw the order to Moll and sent him out.

It's good to be able to solve things to this point, Heim Territory is just an emerging territory, and there are not many talents who can take it, so they must be cultivated one by one. Even with three heads and six arms, Siegel can't take care of everything in all directions.

To the west of the Walls Mountains was a vast expanse of land, and Siegel would love to go and see it for himself. If there is no territorial war, he will summon the Phantom Pony and gallop across the grasslands.

Dealing with barbarians is not an easy task, and although they do not farm, they are extremely sensitive to the ownership of land. The starting outpost does not cultivate farmland and focuses on commerce and workshops, which should make them less wary. But on the other hand, the accumulation of a large amount of wealth in one place may also attract hungry wolves.

It depends on Moore's level, whether he can become a lord from a knight, and the most important thing is the improvement of his vision. Think about yourself, if it weren't for Janet's suggestion, you wouldn't have understood the rules of the game between the noble lords. Fortunately, he is still a mage and has the power outside the rules, so he has gained a firm foothold in the south of the New World.

The same thing was more difficult for Moore to do, so Siegel asked Fezak to help him. While drafting this IOU, the one-eyed father burst into tears and thanked Siegel repeatedly. Their family finally has a quasi-lord, and their wish to spend years in orc territory has finally come true.

It took a lot of persuasion for Siegel to calm him down. "Fezak, Moore is a promising young man, you can give him more ideas about the fortress. I need to find a way to deal with the Knox Commons and the Elves, and the Tunnel Fortress is a rear base, so nothing must happen. ”

With Fezak's advice, there shouldn't be a problem with the starting outpost. Hum's soldiers and the mercenaries stranded in Myr have been doing nothing, but they can also be allowed to go to the West. But how do you make sure that the secrets of this tunnel are not revealed?

Siegel stood in front of the window, looking at the soldiers in the courtyard who were waiting for the kitchen door, and fell into deep thought. (To be continued......)