Gawain Cecil had returned safely, bringing with him a signed document from the king and news of royal support.
For the past three months in Tansan Town, Viscount Andrew felt he had made the right decision: the seven-hundred-year-old founding hero hadn't disappointed him. He wasn't the brute warrior Andrew had feared, but a figure with both cunning and strategy.
However, what Andrew hadn't anticipated was that this founding hero chose the Dark Mountains as the starting point for revitalizing his family.
As a small noble stationed in the southern borderlands, Viscount Andrew was no stranger to the Dark Mountains. In fact, both the original Cecil domain and the Leslie domain were located to the north of these mountains. On clear days, one could easily see the grand natural barrier of the mountain range.
The mountains blocked the unhealthy air from the Gundor wastelands and, due to the many monsters and frequent eerie tales associated with the range, many people feared to even speak of it. Even the most reckless hunters rarely ventured into the Dark Mountains, despite the southern lords opening up hunting rights.
The original Cecil domain was located slightly to the west of the Dark Mountains, with Tansan Town in the northeast. Gawain's selected "New Cecil Territory" lay to the southeast of Tansan, forming a rough triangle with the other two locations. The new territory was the closest to the mountains, with its southern border even extending into the foothills.
The Whitewater River that passed through Tansan Town had a tributary that fed into the New Cecil Territory. From a logistical standpoint, the area wasn't bad: it was easy to receive supplies from Tansan Town, and once the territory grew, trade costs would be reduced.
But that was only if Gawain and his people could establish a foothold in that barren land.
In Viscount Andrew's castle, this thin and meticulous nobleman appeared deeply worried. "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, Duke, but the first location you've chosen isn't… exactly ideal. While the land is abundant, it's too close to the Dark Mountains. There's a lack of protection from civilization, and the wild beasts in the mountains pose a great threat. Moreover, every year during the Fog Month, an unhealthy wind blows from the Gundor wastelands over the mountains. Strong soldiers may be fine, but those weak commoners and serfs won't be able to withstand it…"
"You must have seen the map. You should know that the places I could choose, while vast, all have similar issues…" Gawain dismissed the concern with a wave. "The land I chose is the best one near the Dark Mountains. The unhealthy winds can be countered with medicine and magic, and I'll handle the defense. As long as we survive the first year, we can mine ore from the Dark Mountains, and the territory will stabilize."
He couldn't exactly say he had chosen that location because there was an ancient national treasury buried there from seven hundred years ago, could he? At least he had to wait until he opened the treasury and secured all the items before anyone outside could know. And even then, only a select few would know. The items would eventually have to be used, and once that happened, it would be obvious. He just had to ensure that as few people knew as possible before then.
Seeing Gawain's firm stance, Viscount Andrew couldn't say more. He simply reminded him, "This is your decision, of course, I'll support it as best as I can. But please remember our original agreement."
Gawain smiled faintly. "Don't worry, the Cecil family never defaults. If you're really that concerned, I can give you a few antiques as collateral, would that make you feel better?"
At that moment, Rebecca, who had been sitting opposite Gawain and reporting her experiences in the capital, suddenly looked up with shining eyes. Her ancestor thought just like her! Did this mean she had inherited the family traits?
Heddi gave Rebecca a gentle knock on the forehead. "Stop daydreaming, continue your report. When you were at the king's banquet, you were too busy eating to pay attention to anything else?!"
"I drank wine too! I'm of age, I can drink a little…" Rebecca defended herself, but her naïve response made Heddi feel helpless. "Good heavens…"
As for Viscount Andrew, he naturally couldn't accept Gawain's "goodwill," and quickly waved his hand. "No, no need for that. I trust the Cecil family's credibility and the guarantee from the founding hero. When do you plan to leave?"
"As soon as possible…" Gawain nodded. "Once the supplies are ready, we'll head out. The king's promised support will take at least a month to arrive. I need to ensure my people can establish themselves in the new land first."
For the survivors of the original Cecil domain who had escaped the disaster, the three months of rest were over. With the return of the lord from the capital, they now had to prepare to embrace their new life, even if most of them had no idea what that new life would look like.
Knights Philip and Byron were dispatched to Tansan Town to procure necessary supplies and materials for the construction of the new territory: food, tools, tents, medicine, and many other items they hadn't even considered. The items to be prepared piled up, and even Heddi, who had been assisting with managing the territory, and Byron, an old servant of the Cecil family, didn't know where to start. No one knew what was required to build a territory from scratch, and only Gawain could lend a hand. Seven hundred years ago, during the Great Expansion, the ancestors of Ansu started from nothing, and Gawain's memories of that time proved invaluable.
Of course, because of the seven-hundred-year time gap, Gawain's knowledge and experience weren't entirely applicable, but the basic theories hadn't changed much. Regardless of how tools had developed, the problems faced by pioneers in the wilderness remained the same—food, shelter, medical care, and security.
As for the financial aspect, Viscount Andrew had previously returned the wealth of the Cecil family, and Knight Philip had saved some money. While the funds weren't abundant, they were enough to prepare the initial supplies.
The refugees from the Cecil domain, now wandering around Tansan Town, were buying goods and hiring vehicles, which naturally caught the attention of the townsfolk. They had heard of the resurrection of the founding hero and the return of the Cecil family's lady from the capital. So it was no surprise that the "outsiders" who had been staying in the town for three months were finally preparing to leave.
For the most part, the lower-class people of Tansan Town didn't care about the fate of these "outsiders," but they did take note when these outsiders began purchasing large amounts of goods. This brought a substantial profit to the local merchant guilds, and their complaints about the lord quickly diminished. Before this, the lord had requisitioned several huts for the refugees, and many of them were so poor they couldn't even scrape together a few copper coins, which had caused some resentment among the merchants.
While the family knights were busy gathering supplies, Gawain instructed Heddi and Rebecca to compile a detailed list of all the Cecil domain's survivors, creating an accurate register with names, ages, gender, health status, and skills, organized by family. Special attention should be given to carpenters, masons, and blacksmiths, and if possible, every person should be assigned a number for easy reference.
This was the task Gawain assigned to his distant granddaughters, thinking it would be simple. But he hadn't expected them to be utterly clueless about it.
"They've never conducted a basic population register?" Gawain was stunned when he saw their confused expressions. "Then how do you manage the population of the domain?"
Rebecca replied innocently, "Aunt Heddi manages the lands around the castle, and the knights manage their own fiefs. They roughly know how many men, women, old, and young there are. As for who's a blacksmith or carpenter, people around here know each other, so we just ask."
Gawain: "…"
"Wait, you just *ask*? You mean you govern the land just by looking at people and asking around?" Gawain was incredulous.
Noticing Gawain's changing expression, Heddi quickly asked nervously, "Ancestor… Did you and the founding ancestors conduct population registration using the method you just described?"
Gawain scrambled through his memories. After a while, he looked pale.
"Good grief… back then it was even more chaotic."
The Gundor Empire had collapsed in one night. The once prosperous and advanced central region was completely obliterated. The survivors from the first wave of destruction were all from the remote regions. That ancient empire had been a remarkably imbalanced society, with development in the central region surrounding the "Deep Blue" magical focus. In contrast, the outskirts were incredibly backward.
So when the magical surge erupted around "Deep Blue," advanced technologies and knowledge were wiped out, leaving only the surviving people in the outer regions. When the pioneers escaped, civilization had already collapsed.
In short: the Four Great Kingdoms were established by a bunch of amateurs, led by a group of illiterate people.
But… it had been seven hundred years! How had these descendants not improved at all?