Chapter 348 - 100: News from Valentina
Chapter 348: Chapter 100: News from Valentina
Even though it was raining, it didn’t stop Elon from leading the column onward.
A small incident occurred along the way; the column was hailed to a stop by Robson’s scouts.
That’s right. Even with the initial victory on the Eastern Battlefield, Robson still maintained his habit of dispatching scouts. It was never wrong to be cautious.
Knight Commander Elon was a familiar face to Robson’s soldiers, and as it happened, a relative of one of the scouts was in the column.
So, there were no mishaps. The soldier had a companion return to deliver the news while he himself led the way for Knight Commander Elon.
Knight Commander Elon led the column onward. After crossing one last hill, they finally arrived at the Affleck Domain, situated by Dong’er Man Lake, just before nightfall.
Looking at the scene before his eyes, Knight Commander Elon could hardly believe what he was seeing.
Before him stretched a seemingly endless plain, dotted with strange, faint blue glows. The lights were so dim that Knight Commander Elon could barely be sure he was seeing them.
With the recent days of construction, Falan’s Water Conservancy Unit I was now fully operational. The Extraordinary Soldiers had grown more skilled in their work, and the Mage Team’s coordination had improved, so Robson had expanded the total area of farmland by a full fifty percent.
By the shores of Dong’er Man Lake, numerous long wooden houses had sprung up, arranged in neat, connected rows.
What was going on?
Knight Commander Elon was momentarily stunned.
’Aren’t they still supposed to be clearing this land?’
The last Knight Commander Elon had heard, Viscount Robertson had decided to move and start clearing a new area.
This wasn’t the first time Knight Commander Elon had dealt with nobles pioneering new lands. In fact, all the ones he passed on his journey were developing their territories with great vigor.
But compared to those other nobles, the speed of construction at Robson’s domain was simply too fast!
This no longer looked like a normal pioneer settlement. It would be no exaggeration to call it a small town. And how long had it even been? It was only about half a month since the war ended.
Knight Commander Elon looked around and noticed something else that was different: he couldn’t see a lord’s castle. He only spotted a larger-than-average wooden house near the swampy area of Dong’er Man Lake.
Many nobles he had passed made repairing their castle the first order of business upon arriving in their new domain. It wasn’t for the sake of luxury; this was a necessity dictated by the state of the Frank Kingdom. With the Kingdom constantly under the threat of Beastmen attacks, the first priority upon reaching a new territory was always survival.
’Thinking about it that way, I can understand,’ Knight Commander Elon mused. ’After all, with the kind of army Robson commands, it’s a blessing he isn’t the one picking fights with the Beastmen. And until the war on the central front is over, the Eastern Front is unlikely to see any more conflict.’
Of course, even if the central front war were to end, Robson probably still wouldn’t be afraid of the Beastmen.
And Knight Commander Elon wasn’t the only one who was amazed.
The entire column began to buzz with discussion.
Having left their homes behind, they had all been anxious about their new life.
But now, it seemed this new home was surprisingly wonderful.
For a farmer, the most important thing is land to till. Farmland means food, and food means a future.
The farmland in the domain before them stretched as far as the eye could see, which was more than enough to set their hearts at ease.
.....
The news brought back by the scout spread quickly throughout the camp.
The entire pioneer camp erupted with excitement, especially the First Regiment!
They had all heard the news: their families and friends had been relocated to this new domain!
After all, there’s nothing in the world more heartening than reuniting with loved ones in a distant land.
As for the other regiments, even though it wasn’t their relatives arriving, new people in the domain was still a novelty. No matter the world, people’s love for watching drama unfold never changes.
Robson immediately summoned Gerard and Ais, ordering them to prepare hot soup, wine, and meat to welcome this second batch of settlers. He himself led the Lord’s Guard to greet them personally.
Seeing their lord emerge in person, many of the current settlers followed behind him.
After a short wait, the approaching column of over a thousand migrants gradually came into view.
Robson could even see the group of Fengman Knights at the head of the column. A quick count revealed there were at least fifty of them.
He didn’t know if they were from the main Fengman Knight Order, but anyone permitted to wear the Fengman Clan’s crest couldn’t have a low status.
It seemed Valentino’s protection of this column was even better than what Robson had requested in his letter.
.....
"Elon! Ha! We meet again!"
Seeing the man arrive, Robson immediately spread his arms, smiling as he walked forward.
When Knight Commander Elon saw Robson, he immediately dismounted and strode forward with a smile.
"Viscount Robertson!"
The two embraced.
"You’ve all had a long journey," Robson said, turning to Gerard. "Get these new settlers settled in. Bring out the food and wine we prepared to host the knights from the Fengman Clan."
"As you command, my lord." Gerard nodded, then led a part of the Lord’s Guard to take charge of the newcomers.
Knight Commander Elon watched those soldiers with a strange expression. For a moment, he thought he had felt the faint stirrings of a battle aura from them.
But when he tried to get a clearer sense of it, he felt nothing at all.
Knight Commander Elon chuckled and shook his head. ’I must be getting muddled lately. How long has it been since Viscount Robertson started out? How could he possibly have Extraordinary Soldiers?’
"Elon, let’s go inside."
.....
Robson ordered his men to see to the arriving column while he and Knight Commander Elon headed to the lord’s longhouse.
What Robson didn’t expect was that Valentino had even sent over the young maid who had served him in the Royal Capital.
For a moment, Robson had the absurd thought that she might be a spy, but he quickly dismissed it as ridiculous.
In this world, it was perfectly normal for a wife to make such arrangements.
Once inside, Knight Commander Elon handed Robson several letters.
"These are letters that Count Valentino asked me to give you, along with this show of support from the Fengman Clan."
"The Earl also gave me many verbal instructions. If you have any questions, feel free to ask," Knight Commander Elon said, looking at Robson.
Robson nodded, looking at the documents in his hand.
The first letter was about supplies. It was mostly the same as before, but with the addition of over a thousand sets of clothing, likely because she considered that Robson’s new domain wouldn’t be able to produce its own yet.
To Robson’s pleasant surprise, he was allowed to temporarily retain the two medium-sized Priest Corps that had escorted the convoy.
This was a huge relief, solving one of Robson’s most pressing problems.
Most of this second batch of settlers came from the south. If they failed to acclimate and a plague broke out, it would be a disaster.
The second letter was much more personal, filled with a lover’s greetings and stories of recent events. It was at once the least important and the most important, and Robson knew he would have to think carefully about his reply.
The third was about the Kingdom’s politics.
"This matter of conferring the rank of general, overseen by the Marquis..." Robson looked at the letter in his hand, then looked questioningly at Knight Commander Elon.
Knight Commander Elon nodded.
"According to the Earl, your spot has been confirmed."
"The batch of Magic Artisans the Marquis fought for you are also on their way now."
"After the battle report from the Eastern Front was submitted, the Kingdom’s rewards were decided. The royal family themselves will be granting you, the Viscount, some territory in the heartland."
"The award ceremony will probably be around April or May. The Human Alliance’s joint forces will have arrived by then. This is all basically the Earl’s exact words."
As he said this, Knight Commander Elon couldn’t hide the admiration in his eyes.
How long had it been? And Robson was already showing the makings of a Grand Viscount.
Compared to an ordinary Viscount Clan, a major one would hold many titles, which would provide a significant boost in their future bid to join the ranks of the high nobility.
What was truly noteworthy, however, was the significance of creating this new general position. The move was clearly aimed at Marshal Grantham.
This matter was personally overseen by Marquis Oscillate, so the intention was very clear. Of course, right now, this news was only circulating in a few small circles.
It was likely because the Human Alliance reinforcements were about to arrive, coupled with Marshal Grantham’s recent military achievements. Otherwise, with a great war looming, such rumors wouldn’t even circulate within these small circles.
This was all good news for Robson.
After all, in the entire outer territories, the southern faction had been won over, the northern faction was halfway there, and only the military faction remained.
’Previously, out of respect for the relationship between Marquis Oscillate and Marshal Grantham, I couldn’t play too dirty,’ Robson thought. ’Now, however, things might be different.’
"Yes, I understand. When the time comes, please have Valentino pass on a letter for me, thanking the Marquis for his support. Oh, and if you could also pass on my thanks for the Fengman Clan’s support..."
"You’re being too formal, Viscount. We’re all family here. There’s no need for that."
"You’re right. In that case, Knight Commander, please just deliver my reply to Valentino. Thank you."
"It is my duty."
The two of them talked for a while, discussing the developments in Affleck and trading anecdotes about the Fengman Clan. Robson also inquired about how Valentino’s efforts to consolidate power within the clan were proceeding.
When news of Robson’s great victory in the outer territories reached Fengman City, Valentino had acted decisively, purging a large number of opponents. Now, all that remained was to consolidate her new power.
Valentino was truly adept at seizing opportunities. It was no wonder she could afford to send two medium-sized Priest Corps to support Robson.
"By the way, how is the situation in Sri County?" Robson asked.
Ever since leaving Sri County, he, Lord Robson, had been thinking day and night of the southern nobles of Ehrlichland, eagerly awaiting the moment they could no longer hold on and would come to him for aid.
Of course, Robson didn’t dare play his hand too aggressively. The main reason was that there was one person in Sri County who absolutely could not come to harm: Viscount Jeffrey.
This was Marquis Oscillate’s own grandson; nothing could happen to him.
"It’s rather grim. Our advance party was attacked by Beastmen as soon as they entered the area. I had to detour through Auric Province to get here."
"Oh, right, Viscount Jeffrey has also been complaining recently that there are too many routed Beastmen forces. However, the Earl has already dispatched one hundred Fengman Knights to be permanently stationed there, so there shouldn’t be any problem," Knight Commander Elon replied.
’Now that’s what I call a perfect assist!’
Robson nodded. As expected, a good partner was like adding wings to a tiger.
Now, he, Lord Robson, no longer had to worry about Viscount Jeffrey.
As long as Viscount Jeffrey was safe, even if every other noble in Sri County was wiped out, Marquis Oscillate would have nothing to say, not with the brilliant precedent Robson had set on the Eastern Front.
And as long as Marquis Oscillate said nothing, it meant nothing was wrong.