Chapter 16: In Preparation

The formation of the militia guard took little effort. It was based on the volunteer teams already existing in Tulip Town, with over a dozen more villagers from Cropp added, bringing the total to 120 people. The guard was divided into two squads, each led by Macken and Woodrow as captain and vice-captain, respectively. The overall leader of the guard was Ebute, who was hired as an honorary instructor to teach everyone combat skills and various aspects related to warfare.

“Damn! Who came up with this awful idea?” Ebute cursed inwardly when he accepted this “honor.” He was skilled in acting, with great presence and attention to detail, but compared to real veterans, his knowledge and skills were neither extensive nor solid. Teaching others would only put him in a difficult position.

On the other hand, this role suited him well. There were no fixed tasks assigned, yet he could give orders in any position. His presence wouldn’t arouse suspicion, offering freedom while allowing him to interact closely with both military and civilians. This facilitated information exchange and helped boost his popularity and influence, enabling him to subtly guide people’s thoughts.

For these reasons, Ebute felt as if he had athlete’s foot—painful and itchy—yet he ultimately chose to scratch to relieve the itch. He thought to himself, “If water comes, there’s earth to cover it. My acting skills are also real talents!”

“Hmm, use your own brain to figure this out! That way, you’ll remember it better and learn more thoroughly. Come to me with your thoughts once you have them…” He could pretend to be an expert on things he didn’t understand, though it wouldn’t last long.

While Ebute tried to comfort himself, Nio was discussing with Macken and Woodrow the need for weapons for the guard. Nio personally opposed ordinary members using swords, suggesting instead that spears should be used.

With the invention of plate armor, especially modern wire plate armor, the longsword—the most common weapon, about a meter long, with double edges and a weighted hilt for balance—had largely lost its usefulness for ordinary people. It could be blocked, parried, or even cut by plate armor, not to mention the increasingly common combinations of plates.

Moreover, the militia were not professional fighters; their combat skills were crude and rudimentary. In such circumstances, longer and stronger spears were more effective. The militia tended to fight in groups of three or more, and spears could complement each other’s weaknesses, whereas swinging swords could easily harm their own side. Additionally, making spears required less iron and was faster than crafting swords.

The advantages and disadvantages were clear, so the proposal was approved early on. Now, Nio, along with Macken and Woodrow, was mainly discussing the design of the spearheads. According to Nio, these spearheads should not be traditional but more like short swords. Initially, no much effort needed to be put into polishing them. After being distributed to individuals, they could be polished or further refined later, such as by quenching the blade.

“Last year during our town’s militia competition, in the spear-throwing event, he came in first in Edrith. We certainly can’t lose that advantage.” Neo said to Macken and Woodrow, “Lord Dave, Ebutter, and I all agree that our guards should carry three spears each—they’re lightweight, easy to make, and help compensate for the lack of long-range weapons.”
Macken and Woodrow nodded in agreement. Woodrow asked, “What about the spear shafts?”
Neo took out the short sword he had specially acquired and explained, “The spearhead is similar to this short sword; it can be worn at the waist, and if needed, a spear shaft can be attached.”
He added, “Regarding the spear shafts, I consulted Old Rivai specifically. We don’t have white rhino wood here, but red ash wood will do as well. Everyone knows that the material for spear shafts is quite demanding—it needs to be strong, flexible, and go through some basic processing. It can’t be rushed. Lord Dave’s idea is to keep moving eastward while procuring more. With the Gale Team keeping watch, and us leading the way among the barbarian tribes, we should be relatively safe for now.”
Macken and Woodrow exchanged glances, both thinking Neo’s plan was feasible. But rushing things would only make things harder; taking more time would make the task much easier and ensure better quality.
The three discussed the technical details further. After all, this wasn’t a short sword, and when it came to weapon design, Neo, as a swordsman with skilled craftsmanship, clearly had the final say. Once that was settled, Macken and Woodrow would lead a group of men to carry out the project. With more people, the progress could be faster than Neo had expected.
After leaving the blacksmith’s shop, Neo found Edison, the leatherworker, who was also leading a group. His task was to work with Wendell from the cloth shop to have people skilled in sewing make tents and caravan covers. Tents and caravan covers were important equipment for the eastward journey and couldn’t be neglected. Concerned, Neo went to check things in person.
“Neo, we’re severely short of leather and cloth! Please talk to Lord Dave and see if he can help solve this,” Edison complained as soon as he saw Neo.
“Don’t worry. The materials will arrive soon. Focus on the production now—everyone will need them tonight. No one will freeze tonight, and Lord Dave will surely recognize your efforts. Once the Lord wakes up, you’ll all receive generous rewards. Everyone knows the Lord isn’t stingy with rewards.”
“In times of crisis, it’s only right to help each other. There’s no need to talk about merits or anything…” People spoke up one after another. Though their words were polite, Neo could tell that this temporary solution was effective—many workers’ enthusiasm had clearly increased. Neo found this completely understandable. Even without talking about benefits, after working so hard, some reassurance would make everyone feel better.

Today is a rare fine day—sunny and windless. This isn’t only advantageous for those fleeing their homes and preparing to move eastward but also for the barbarian tribes, as such good weather facilitates their raids and plunder. Fortunately, for the people of Tures, it’s a lucky day; the tribes haven’t come to this small village.

No matter how good the weather, the early darkness in early winter remains unchanged. By 5:30 p.m., the sun has already set. AsNeo came out from Edison’s place, he just happened to see the last rays of sunlight sink behind the western hills. Shaking himself,Neo headed straight for the Croop warehouse.

The warehouse had now become another construction site, filled mostly with laborers. Skilled craftsmen led by the Wayne and Webbo brothers were working inside to build “snow boats.” Upon seeingNeo, they greeted him.

“Your craftsmanship is truly remarkable. Just a rough outline was given, yet the actual product was already created…”Neo touched and examined a “snow boat,” praising it highly.

“Hehe!” Webbo, walking over with his messy hair, laughed and said through a puff of breath, “It’s not exactly intricate work, and it’s still a semi-finished product.”

“Even so, the craftsmanship is evident. Look at these wedges, these edges, and the upturned sled boards. I thought those parts would need metal!” The flattery pleased the carpenters. Indeed, the “snow boats” were well-made, with no signs of being hastily put together in a rush.

Wayne, warming his hands by the temporary campfire, said, “Young Master Dev is truly amazing. He’s read a lot. When needed, he has ideas and references. From what I see, these ‘snow boats’ resemble the sleds used by the North Kalid people in the icy tundras of northern Odde…”

“Yes, knowledge is power! Knowledge changes destiny! That slogan of the revolutionaries really makes sense,”Neo agreed. In fact, this temporary design came from him. Under Xavier’s strict supervision, Dev rarely had the chance to read books other than those part of the official curriculum. In contrast,Neo, having no systematic education, was already lucky to get any books he wanted. This was thanks to Mellian, who would occasionally steal some precious books from her collection to show him.

The general manufacturing process for these “snow boats” involved splitting large oak barrels used for storing wine vertically into two halves, creating two large baskets with flat ends and a semi-circular shape. Supports and upturned sled boards were nailed underneath, giving them the appearance of an enlarged basket—this was the “snow boat.”

The oak barrels were originally used for storing wine, so they were airtight. After simple treatment of the outer iron hoops, along with glue and internal wooden strips, they became an excellent carrying medium. On top of this, iron bars were used as supports, covered with leather or cloth to create a simple shelter. This made them suitable for the weaker members of the town, such as the sick, the elderly, and women and children.

Besides the “snow boats,” there were other types of sleds, simple and rough, used for transporting goods. With the snow covering the ground, sleds were far superior to wheeled vehicles, especially in areas without roads.

After chatting a bit more with the carpenters,Neo left to head toward the large single-story house where he had exchanged fire with the bandits earlier that morning.

From afar, one could see rows of smoke rising from stoves, with steam coming from large pots and barrels. Over a hundred women were busy here. Now it had become a large kitchen, run by Liz, the owner of the Malfoy Inn, and Sarah, the wife of Chief Asiborn from McKenn. As dinner was about to be served,Neo came to take a look.

There, he happened to meet Milien, who was excellent at cooking and was helping out by utilizing her skills.

In front of everyone,Neo remained polite, greeting Milien before asking about the dinner. The Dark Knight Fad and his dark minions had left Tulip Town in a despicable manner, stealing and burning everything they could. Coupled with their previous wastefulness, less than 30% of the food originally available remained in the hands of the townspeople. ThoughNeo was aware of this, he still advised Dave to make sure enough food was cooked for the day.

This approach indeed proved effective. The townspeople, having hot and delicious meals, felt much more at ease. Their own food supplies would last only a few days, and some didn’t even have any stored food. Now that they saw plenty of food and heard that Croop hadn’t been affected and still had plenty of reserves, plus the Gale Force Team had provided some military rations, their worries were finally eased.

In fact, just today’s consumption had already reduced Croop’s total food reserves by one-third. As for the so-called military rations from the Gale Force Team, they were entirely a rumor concocted byNeo, Dave, and Ebute. If nothing was done to solve the food problem, the group would run out of food in four days. And in four days, they might not even be able to leave the southern plains.

“Have you heard? Young Master Dave wants to pay to collect our food and have the guard oversee it for unified distribution.”

“I heard. Weren’t we told there’s enough food? Why do we still need to hand it over?”

“You don’t understand. If you eat while others watch, it undermines unity!”

“Oh…”

“This is a good thing. It’s clearly the lord’s way of supporting us. Think about it—when we hand over the food, we get paid, but we don’t have to pay to eat. It’s like eating what’s ours and still getting paid for it!”

“Mm-hm, that’s true. But isn’t the lord losing too much?”

“That’s the lord’s benevolent governance. Of course, it’s also a way to keep us here. Think about it—Erdrit Lordship is in a remote area, and after this incident, if people lose confidence in its safety and choose to sell their land instead of returning to farm it, it will become a wasteland. You know better than anyone—the lower the population, the harder it is to attract people. That’s exactly what happened to Erdrit Lordship; it took many years and a lot of money to recover.”

“Right, that’s true. Before our family moved here, we lived in New Orleans Province in Od, right at the northeast corner of Od. Even flyers had to be sent there, which was a huge expense!”

After meals, the townspeople discussed the lord’s various measures. The source of these rumors was once again Dave and Ebut. Tulip Town had some “clerks” who were actually members of private “administrative bodies.” With not much to do, they mostly worked part-time. These pseudo-officials served as a link and messenger between the lord and the townspeople. There was no need to deliberately inform them; simply letting information “slip through” would quickly spread it, often with even better results.

Nio was also concerned that overly harsh methods might provoke public backlash, so he used this approach to create a buffer zone and then guided public opinion through more loyal members, thereby paving the way for the implementation of policies.

Such tactics were easily recognizable, but he remained calm and did not rush to incite unrest. Although the timing was good, the persuasion lacked strength and could easily expose him. Regarding food, Black Knight Fad and Eiruthus had already calculated that it would definitely be insufficient. The entire Erdrit domain was short of food. Even if mages created magical food, it could only suffice for a few meals and couldn’t replace regular food. Zhanza believed that when food shortages arose, it would be the perfect time to take action.

However, when the decrees were actually implemented, Zhanza realized he had overlooked an important factor: reducing burdens.

The decrees stated that the Manmoris family’s property, along with everyone else’s, would be sealed in several cellars in Croop, which would then be completely sealed off. To protect people’s property, a simple assessment would be conducted based on each household’s assets, and compensation would be provided. In other words, the lord was spending money to lighten people’s loads so they could set off on their journey.

Wine bottles and jars—were they not just property? Converting property into compensation was more convenient than carrying around a pile of stuff.

On the journey from Tulip Town to Croop, many townspeople had already suffered enough from carrying heavy loads, so there was little resistance to these decrees. On the other hand, the decrees were quite strict—aside from tableware and a few sets of clothes, items like commemorative cups were not allowed. After these burden-reduction measures were implemented, everyone would only have their clothes, tableware, and money left.

As for livestock, whether riding animals or poultry, the Manmoris family had purchased them all. In total, the Manmoris family spent no less than 10,000 dinars in gold. For those with closer relationships and greater loyalty, accounts were kept. Dave sent Ebut to present bank receipts—there was no lack of money; it was in the bank. Upon arriving in Asia, it could be exchanged without issue, and it would be distributed then. Moreover, the Manmoris family earned interest by managing this money.

The supplies confiscated and sealed with labels were just part of it; some were used immediately, such as the leather and fabrics thatNeo had promised Edison earlier, which came from here. Additionally, unified management of livestock was also very important, as livestock consumed food like oats and beans. Although these foods didn’t taste great, they were still edible, and savings had to be made wherever possible. In short, resources needed to be used wisely and effectively. Chicken feed could be found in the forests, while larger animals could be fed more chopped dry grass. Moreover, evergreen leaves like pine needles were nutritious and suitable for both humans and livestock. The hunting team had also been sent out early in the morning… In short, the purpose of confiscating supplies was for unified planning, which greatly enhanced the survival chances of the eastern migration group. Tight control over supplies could also be seen as a way to unite everyone’s efforts.

As various statistics were gathered and team leaders like Dave and Ebutter sat down to plan the allocation of supplies, there was no longer any doubt aboutNeo’s plan to spend money. In Dave’s words, “10,000 gold coins bought the survival of 700 people—this money was well spent!”