In less than ten days after leaving the territory, Lord Kent returned with a massive army composed of foreign races. In addition to the Free Corps—consisting of over a hundred people from the human race, half-orc slaves, and barbarian slaves—there were also more than two thousand cave-dwellers.
The orcs and barbarians, whom many human tribes feared immensely, and the weak cave-dwellers who had never interacted with humans, had all come together under the leadership of Lord Kent! This event sparked even more speculation among the residents about Kent's mysterious background.
Considering that humans and other races had never lived together before, Kent re-divided the previously planned residential areas of the Spear Valley and designed different architectural styles for each group. Supported by Level 1 Building Arts and the recently developed methods for brick-making and rudimentary cement production, distinct architectural clusters quickly sprang up in the valley after several days of labor from over a thousand workers.
For the native human residents, Kent designed homes that were somewhat similar to prefabricated cabins from another world. Using newly fired bricks, square walls were erected two meters high, four meters wide, and twenty meters long, with partition walls every four meters. The roofs were made by laying red ironwood beams and covering them with thick layers of straw. This simple dormitory-style construction was efficient and didn't require a complex structure, and for the human residents, these new houses were by far the best they had ever lived in.
Kent paid special attention to the accommodations for the Free Corps, particularly the half-orcs and barbarians. The newly formed Free Corps held great promise. If these half-orc and barbarian slaves could fulfill their one-year contracts and obtain free status, it would be a beacon of hope for the countless slaves across the Red Soil Continent. Therefore, besides the institutional setup and daily training, Kent put considerable effort into their housing as well.
The barbarians, who held totem worship in high regard, preferred rugged stone houses. Kent had stone-domed houses built for them using red iron rock and cement, with each house surrounded by a short wooden fence.
For the half-orcs, Kent provided small round huts made from brick and wood. The half-orcs didn't have high expectations for living arrangements—they found happiness in constant combat. Therefore, on the hillside, Kent set aside a vast area of several thousand square meters, dug it half a meter deep, and surrounded it with wooden stakes, designating it as a training ground for combat exercises, wrestling, and fighting.
Kent hoped that through this setup, as well as other future methods, these freed slaves would choose to remain even after gaining their freedom. After all, they could become a formidable military force.
As for the two thousand cave-dwellers… They preferred cold, damp environments and were only willing to live in dug-out shelters. Kent designated a large area on the southern hillside of the Spear Valley for them to allocate freely. After noisy negotiations and seemingly childish fights, the cave-dwelling tribes eventually agreed to let Haka Chak's Green Moss Tribe, along with the Swirl Tribe and Mud Tribe led by Lukak and Luqik, occupy the areas closest to the river, while the other tribes spread out over the remaining zones.
The Spear Valley stretched out before Kent, blending into the misty expanse and merging with the cold winter fog. To Kent, a person from another world, the Spear Valley represented an ideal domain. Outside the valley, two major rivers of the Red Soil Continent flowed nearby, and the fertile black soil along the riverbanks provided prime land for farming. The Blackwood Forest could provide endless timber, game, herbs, wild fruits, and mushrooms.
The valley, sheltered by mountains, stretched for over ten kilometers inward. After setting out from the territory and traveling three to four kilometers, one would pass through the Centipede Canyon and the Spear Forest, areas frequently used for hunting practice by local children. Beyond the forest, the land opened into a vast, fertile area where the gentle Spear River flowed, encircling the expansive Red Leaf Valley. It was said that in autumn, the slopes around the valley were covered in red-leafed trees, giving the valley its name.
Gray Beard once considered moving the tribe to the Red Leaf Valley, but because caravans couldn't easily pass through the Centipede Canyon and Spear Forest, the vast, flat lands of the valley were left undeveloped.
This was a peaceful and idyllic domain. Without the threat of war, Kent might have created a pastoral paradise here.
However…
Hundreds of cave-dwellers, led by human craftsmen, were already working to modify the valley's rock walls. The layout of the existing walls was reasonable, even incorporating the rare intersecting defense design, but the current fortifications would be insufficient against siege machinery or multiple giant beasts.
Leo, an experienced stonemason who had devised a method for rammed earth construction, led a team of craftsmen and directed the cave-dwellers in constructing new walls. The new walls were built on the foundation of the existing ones, extending the height from four meters to ten meters, with a width of three meters at the top. With cement and wall bricks, along with Leo's rammed earth technique, they could add outer brick layers and cemented stones, creating a taller and sturdier defense line.
The new walls only needed to guard against attacks from outside the valley. Kent modified the existing four protruding sections into four rhombus-shaped parapet walls and added three layers of arrow towers, each with multiple shooting ports in three directions. Kent was confident that no allied force could breach these walls.
If the Tiger Tribe of the Forest Alliance indeed sparked an internal conflict, war would come.
It was just unclear whether it would occur in a few months or in three to five years.
Regardless, the territory's military force was now taking shape, and the population had surged. Mines were being worked, weapons and runes forged, cement and bricks produced, and coal furnaces and stone grenade pots manufactured. The wealth looted from the Bloodhammer Camp had swiftly been converted into wages for workers, fueling powerful productivity.
Kent had only one goal: to survive any potential attack from the Tiger Tribe army.