The fire in the coal stove was burning brightly, and the kettle above it was steaming vigorously, dispelling the winter chill seeping in through the cracks in the door and filling the room with warmth.
Now, Kent and the entire guard camp had moved into the newly built lord's castle.
Built with a red iron rock frame and filled with earthen walls, the lord's castle resembled a massive, indestructible rock cylinder. The narrow, vertical windows facing outward also doubled as shooting slits for defense during wartime. The castle walls, painted with cement, bore a striking resemblance to modern concrete buildings, giving Kent a sense of déjà vu, as if he had once again crossed worlds.
From the fourth-floor window, Kent could clearly see the undeveloped valley stretching far into the distance, with the horizon ending in a series of rolling mountains. That mountain range spanned half the continent, reportedly extending all the way to the plateau.
From another window, everything happening in the territory came into view. Smoke rose from the workshops, figures trained on the drill grounds, and the clanging of hammers echoed as craftsmen produced weapons and runes. Lines of cavern laborers from the buffalo meadow, along with carts loaded with building materials, rumbled out of the valley.
The once-remote borderland was now bursting with life.
Although the castle wasn't large yet, it was at least a promising beginning. Currently, the territory had fewer than three thousand inhabitants, making it a small domain by size. Still, the wheels of development had been set in motion. To accelerate progress, it was necessary to train more middle-level managers.
Kent now lived in a room on the fourth floor. Though it lacked the tidiness of a woman's touch, it was already infused with a sense of life. Near the inner wall stood a coal stove, and beside it was a table made of ironwood by the blacksmith, surrounded by a few iron-legged chairs. Along one wall was a wooden bed, while the opposite side held cabinets containing stacks of roughly A4-sized notebooks sewn with gut thread.
After successfully producing toilet paper, Kent had classified the manufacturing process of this crude, natural-colored paper as a top-secret technology for the territory, naming it "Starweave Paper."
On the Red Soil Continent, parchment was widely known, but its production process was long and complicated, and its cost prohibitive. Typically, only large tribes used it. However, due to its excellent ink absorption properties, parchment was often used by foreign magicians to make magic scrolls, further driving up its price.
A dozen pieces of parchment formed a single roll and could sell for several gold coins in the Plateau Alliance—a staggering profit margin.
In Kent's eyes, the high cost of parchment hindered not just trade but also the dissemination of knowledge and the spread of civilization. With Starweave Paper, many of the technologies from the system could be preserved in books, used for training, or even compiled into textbooks. This would provide an opportunity to rapidly improve the territory's future educational standards.
In essence, Kent's ultimate reliance wasn't on the system but rather on using the system's support to build a robust talent pipeline for the territory. Before that, the foundation of widespread education had to be laid—at least ensuring everyone could read and write.
With this foundation, vocational and technical education could be expanded. Kent didn't aim to establish a complete educational model in the foreseeable future. However, within a few decades, he hoped to cultivate a large workforce of skilled laborers—a significant step forward for civilization.
The little girl named Udo was one of the few literate children among the original inhabitants of the territory, which surprised Kent. Reportedly, she was an orphan picked up by the blacksmith, Old Iron Hammer, during his wandering days. She stayed in the valley with him, learning to read in the smithy during his spare time.
Given her remarkable skills in crafting runes, Kent was convinced that Old Iron Hammer was at least a master craftsman, if not a grandmaster. Naturally, Kent treated such a skilled individual as a treasure.
At this moment, Kent's desk was cluttered with sheets of Starweave Paper, filled with strange writings in both the common language of the Red Soil Continent and Chinese characters. Some notes had been drawn, revised, and redrawn.
Water Stream silently appeared, carrying a plate of roasted potatoes. Her curious gaze wandered over the peculiar words and names Kent had scrawled on the paper.
"Edu...cation...system, the framework for industrial and agricultural...development, magic and alchemy workshops... reverse-engineering chemistry, basic physics and engineering... Here, try this," she said, handing the roasted potatoes to Kent.
Ever since the room had a coal stove, Water Stream had developed a fascination with it, frequently experimenting with roasting different foods like nuts, wild onions, and jerky. If not for the limited winter ingredients, she might have even tried roasting fruits.
Kent picked up a roasted potato from the plate. It was still hot from the oven. Water Stream watched him eagerly, her beautiful eyes betraying a hint of excitement, as if she were using him as a guinea pig.
"Hmm..." He took a bite. Beneath the slightly burnt skin, the flavor was rich and aromatic. But as his teeth sank deeper, the hard texture hindered further chewing.
Seeing Kent's somewhat awkward expression, Water Stream's face fell, and she asked anxiously, "Not good? It's undercooked?"
"Ah... it's delicious, delicious," Kent replied, chomping down on the half-cooked potato.
"Ugh—I roasted it for so long!" Hearing the crunching sound, Water Stream didn't need further confirmation; today's experiment had failed again. Frustrated, she slammed the plate onto the table.
"Careful, those are my treasures," Kent said, quickly rescuing the plate and smoothing out the wrinkled Starweave Paper.
Water Stream no longer resembled the fearsome assassin she once was; instead, she was just a defenseless young girl—crying, laughing, pouting, and even throwing tantrums. Kent chuckled inwardly, though his expression remained stern.
"You know so much; how come you can't teach me to roast potatoes?"
"Cooking isn't that simple. Girls just lack the talent for it."
"No talent? Then how did Udo learn so quickly?"
"Look at that little girl, rushing around like a whirlwind. She's nothing like a girl—more like a tomboy," Kent said with a laugh. "What other ingredients do you have? I'll make you something tasty."
"All I have is potatoes, nothing else!" Water Stream huffed.
"Potatoes are fine. I'll make you a magical delicacy."
Moments later, a plate of golden fries, sprinkled with fine minced shallots and a dusting of rock salt, was placed before Water Stream.
"What's this?" Water Stream swallowed hard, her fingers already reaching out.
"This… hmm, it's called…"
Kent picked up a golden fry and popped it into his mouth. The soft and sweet flavor instantly spread.
"French fries."