Chapter 36 Infrastructure: Entering the Jungle

After witnessing the miracle, the four earls no longer dared to show any contempt or disdain for the newly appointed Marquis of Gola. They knelt on the spot and presented the sword of loyalty.

Xiao Yun accepted their swords, accepted their loyalty, and asked the soldiers to clean up the Black Castle as soon as possible because -

"This will be the headquarters of the Maga Knights."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers agreed in unison.

The four earls looked at each other with complicated expressions.

(I originally thought that His Royal Highness the Grand Duke had lost the court struggle and was forced to allow His Majesty the Emperor to confer the title of Grand Marquis of Gaura upon his only brother and send him out of the capital. Now it seems...)

(Perhaps the conferment of the title of Grand Marquis of Gaura was the Grand Duke's plan from the very beginning—)

(The Maga Knights are not like the Holy Guard Knights and the Denos Holy Land Knights, who haven't seen the battlefield for at least a hundred years. Their members are all experienced mercenaries and fanatical followers of the Holy Family... If the Grand Duke asked them to commit suicide, they would immediately slit their own throats without a word...)

(The sky over Gora...I'm afraid it will change forever...)

…

…

In the evening, the four exhausted earls and their soldiers finally completed the initial cleanup of the Black Castle and walked exhausted into the stone hall that was still filled with a strong smell of blood.

"Your Excellency, the remains of the Black Knights and Barbarian Warriors have been sorted and placed."

"Nothing is missing?"

"I don't think we're missing anything."

"What about the inventory of supplies?"

Xiao Yun looked at John Deere.

John Deere smiled wryly and said, "There's good news and bad news. The good news is that there isn't much in Castle Black worth counting and recording, except for the armor, weapons, and personal belongings of the corpses. It only took me half a day to finish sorting. The bad news is that they're short of everything, including firewood for cremation and pottery jars for ashes."

"Cremation must be carried out immediately. If a large number of corpses are not handled, it will easily lead to foul odors and infectious diseases."

Xiao Yun looked at the four earls.

The four earls quickly echoed, "Don't worry, Your Excellency the Grand Marquis. We will gather the firewood and pottery jars needed for cremation before the sun sets tomorrow."

"And there are provisions—"

John Dill added, "The barbarians have emptied the Black Castle's granary. We need to immediately gather enough food and fodder for at least a month for the 3,000 men of the Maga Knights."

"Bruno, Karl, Andre, Banon, did you hear the words of my mentor and chief of staff?"

"Yes, sir!"

The four earls forced a smile and said, "We will definitely solve the food problem."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Yun said nonchalantly, "It's getting late, you all should go and get some rest."

"Yes, sir!"

The four earls lowered their heads and left the hall.

John Deere was about to withdraw when Xiao Yun suddenly stopped him and said, "Teacher, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to act so confidently and effortlessly in front of them."

"I'm just a staff officer used to dealing with trivial matters."

"Have your nightcap and lie down. The next month is going to be tough, and I need you to help me with a lot of things."

"Are you referring to the peace negotiations with the Jungle Barbarians?"

"Um."

Xiao Yun sighed softly: "Brother has sent people to negotiate with the magicians near the Gaola ruins. With their restraint, the Jungle Barbarians will not cross the border again in the short term, but I am still very worried-"

"Are you worried about a full-scale conflict between settlers and natives?"

"With the Maga Knights as our main force, and the mage troops my brother gave me, even if the other four castles completely refuse to obey our orders, we will not be at a disadvantage when a full-scale conflict breaks out. But I hope to subdue the Jungle Barbarians and make them our own strength. After all, they are human like us, and we have no right to exterminate them..."

Xiao Yun inexplicably thought of Suna, the brown-skinned and agile barbarian boy.

"The young master is indeed a gentle and kind person, just like His Highness."

John Deere bowed politely and left.

…

After John Deere left, Xiao Yun sat in a chair and thought for a long time before finally making up his mind.

(LA, are you there?)

[What are your instructions, Master?]

(Regarding the system card drawing, I have a question for you.)

[Excuse me? ]

(How can I draw the useful cards I want every time?)

[As long as you firmly believe that you are on the right path, you can create miracles.]

After saying this, the Golden Crow spread its wings.

[Do you want to enter the time-stop state to draw cards?]

(Can.)

[Please concentrate your thoughts, silently recite your beliefs and demands, and extend your hand——]

Xiao Yun followed his instructions, holding his breath and reaching out for the book that was shining with golden light.

The Golden Crow flapped its golden wings, and square golden characters gushed out, condensing into golden light and rushing into Xiao Yun's palm!

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning the SSR card: Houji, the God of Agriculture! You will also receive a random staple food seed gift pack!]

(Houji, the god of agriculture?)

[This card draw is over. LA will briefly explain the card contents and usage to the owner.]

In Chinese oracle bone script, "Hou" (后) is the same as "Si," meaning one who issues orders, and "Ji" (纪) is the head of all grains. Therefore, Hou Ji is not only the earliest leader overseeing agricultural production, but also the Chinese god of grain and agriculture. Activating the Hou Ji card not only allows the owner to efficiently guide farming, improve agricultural tools, and build irrigation systems, but also assists in obtaining raw cereal genes from the wild, selectively selecting and cultivating new grain varieties, and increasing grain production.

[——Introduction complete, the time-stop state begins its countdown. Please use the card correctly and effectively after the time-stop state ends!]

[…Three! Two! One!]

The golden light suddenly disappeared, and the time-stop state ended.

Xiao Yun looked at the glittering card of Houji, the god of agriculture, which was gradually melting into his palm, and realized that he had drawn a top-notch card that would be of infinite use to him both in the present and in the future.

Food is the most important thing for people.

No matter how glorious and glorious the empire is, it is not as good as feeding the people.

The Gaola region happened to have a humid climate and a suitable temperature. It had both the abundant water of the Kashi River and the humus soil formed by the accumulation of dense forests over six thousand years. As the curse dissipated, the rainfall became increasingly frequent...

It’s a perfect start for farming and infrastructure construction!

The only problem is—

How to convince the jungle barbarians to give up their tribal life of hunting and gathering and accept the agricultural life of farming and breeding?

(Suna...we can start with Suna...it just so happens that I'm going into the jungle in a few days to discuss the return of the remains with the Sioux and Shem tribes...)

…

…

As daybreak approached, a tremendous earth-shaking noise was heard beneath the Black Castle. Following the sound, the outline of a team gradually emerged in the morning light.

The knights wore neat and uniform black armor, rode tall and strong horses, and their billowing cloaks were also black. Their resolute and serious faces were filled with eyes as sharp as hawks. In the black waves, only the emblem of the Holy Family painted in silver on the flag was as eye-catching as the stars in the night sky.

"The Knights of Maga! The Knights of Maga are coming!"

The guard immediately reported to his superior.

…

"Linus of the Maga Knights, under the orders of His Highness the Grand Duke, led 3,000 knights and successfully arrived in the Gola region!"

The middle-aged man with a white scar on his resolute face had just arrived at the castle. He immediately held his helmet in his hands and knelt down to salute the Marquis of Gaura who came to greet him.

"Young Master—"

"You've worked hard along the way."

Xiao Yun took the initiative to help Earl Linus up and asked John Deere, who was well prepared, to be responsible for settling them.

John Deere nodded understandingly.

At this time, Xiao Yun saw a very eye-catching and strong figure in the team.

"Monger?! You're here too!"

"The Grand Duke said this place is suitable for me, so I came here."

The greatsword warrior Monger laughed heartily and subconsciously wanted to open his arms to hug the Grand Marquis of Gola, who was as petite and slender as a girl compared to his height of over two meters, if the Knight Commander Count Linus did not stop him in time.

"Ha, I almost forgot."

Mung scratched his head awkwardly, then knelt on one knee, holding up the heavy sword with both hands: "Please accept my sword of loyalty!"

…

The sun had already risen completely, but when the team entered the dense forest, the vision immediately became dim because of the layers of leaves. However, the magicians who led the way - wrapped in black cloaks and leaving no footprints even when walking in the mud - made people feel that they belonged to this dense forest full of demons, monsters, poisonous insects and ferocious beasts.

The dense forest was very quiet. One could clearly hear the sound of huge and sticky creatures spitting out things in the shadows, as well as various panting and groaning sounds from far and near.

Xiao Yun couldn't help but tighten the reins in his hands.

Lance sensed his uneasiness and deliberately approached him to strike up a conversation: "To be honest, someone like your brother probably shouldn't have been born at all."

"Why do you say that?"

Xiao Yun was intrigued by Lance's words and asked in a low voice.

"Growing up in Kukuchia, I've seen countless women and men who toyed with their customers, blackmailed them into bankruptcy, and ultimately committed murder. But none of those women and men combined were even one ten-thousandth as terrible as your brother."

"ah?"

"Every time my master Alfonso mentioned him, he revealed a trance-like expression that was both painful and joyful, as if he was mesmerized by something ethereal... He said that he had wanted to sneak back to the capital countless times and stay by your brother's side like a dragon protecting a treasure, even if doing so meant he would accomplish nothing..."

"so……"

"Um."

Lance nodded heavily. "To be precise, the feeling he gave me wasn't scary, but demonic. A demonic quality that made me feel neither refusal nor judgment. It was like... like... death. Yes, death."

"die……"

Xiao Yun recalled the whispers about death in the room filled with the fragrance of Bisarua.

Lance was completely oblivious to this, and spoke with a mixture of respect and fear, "He makes me feel very much like death itself. Whether I like him or loathe him, the fear, hatred, and curses that come from the bottom of my soul, and the desperate attempts to escape him, will inevitably lead me to him..."

"In short, you, who are cheerful, lively, and approachable, are the most caring blood relative of this person who exudes the devilish nature of death. This is really great for the world."