Louis's fingers gently traced the surface of the notebook paper, his eyes swiftly scanning line after line of resource intelligence.
But what truly caught his attention was a line of words circled in red pen.
Cyan-striped Bee Swarm, produced in South Forest Gorge, harvests honey every year.
The honey slightly stimulates Fighting Energy coagulation. Although the effect is not strong, long-term consumption can stabilize the flow of internal Fighting Energy, suitable for knights' daily cultivation and consumption.
He blinked, and the next moment, a smile he couldn't suppress appeared on his lips.
"This is truly something precious."
The most daunting challenge in cultivating the Fighting Energy system is instability.
For those with poor aptitude, it scatters at a touch; those with high aptitude may still suffer from cultivation deviation.
However, having such a supplement that can gently nurture and stabilize breathing, though its effect is weak, can accumulate over time and nourish quietly.
Such a thing could be sold for a fortune on the market!
"Naturally, it cannot be easily sold," Louis murmured softly, "Such resources... must be completely under one's control."
His mind quickly conjured the image of the Frost Blood Redberry orchard in Red Tide that was about to mature.
The fruit forest located at the edge of the hot spring thermic zone was now quietly revealing its first batch of deep red fruits.
Frost Blood Redberry.
An extremely rare mutated berry, born at the edge environment where extreme cold and magic coexist.
Its flesh is deep red like blood, and its magical power concentration far exceeds ordinary spirit fruits. Moreover, this magic power, for the cultivation of bloodline knights... has an almost "catalyst-like" effect.
Not only can it directly enhance the intensity of Fighting Energy, but it also helps break through bottlenecks, compressing phases that originally took years into mere months.
If it can be refined and fused with the mild azure patterned honey...
An image of a golden-clear, slightly red-glowing Fighting Energy supplement instantly emerged in his mind.
The perfect Knight Growth Potion!
"Azure honey... paired with Frost Blood Berry..." Louis muttered.
His fingertips swiftly drew two striking red lines on the notebook paper, heavily circling and connecting the two.
This is a sustainable, expandable industry chain.
Moreover, it's a core project that could alter the future structure of combat effectiveness.
It's a true "knight-nurturing" war preparation workshop belonging to Red Tide.
"A core industry that can enhance knights' growth efficiency... is thus taking shape."
Not just for money.
But for the victory in the next battle.
The crisis is approaching step by step, and the future of Red Tide Territory needs more strong young knights.
And I must prepare the best supplements for them.
Louis took some time to list all the resources that could be utilized in his notebook, one by one.
When he closed the notebook, the cold dawn had already appeared on the horizon.
"Resources aren't afraid of being mixed, just afraid of being ignored."
He rubbed his somewhat sore neck and yawned.
Prepared to stage a "Lord personally surveys resources, diligent in governance, and loves the people" performance.
Then he really spent two whole days with people, pretending as if surveying Cold Fir Territory, confirming resource locations.
Until the morning of the third day, Louis finally took out the distribution map he drew himself.
A scroll of parchment was spread on the conference table, pointing at each color-marked area with decisiveness:
"Cold Berries shrub, collectively harvested and made into jam, establish a small boiling workshop, can be stored in winter, with a sweet and sour taste, perfect to be sold to the nobility.
Processed and sold externally as 'Snow Ridge Fruit', will definitely fetch a good price."
"Mountain Plum seeds, select healthy ones, transplant thirty acres on the southeast hillside. These have shallow roots and strong adaptability, perfect for expanding orchards.
Frozen Scale Fish, set a unified capture once per week, refrigerate a portion, and send the rest for salting and drying in Red Tide Territory.
A small processing point can be built along nearby riverways, allowing residents to earn some extra money during work exchanges.
Cold Gravel Stone and Red-striped Fir are even more indispensable, good for road construction and vehicle-making.
First, let people mark out the ore veins and forest areas, logging and mining in batches, and transporting them to each territory."
With each mention, the Town Mayor's eyes brightened.
After Louis finished explaining all the arrangements, the meeting table fell silent for several breaths.
Then the Town Mayor let out a heavy sigh.
"Lord, this... this isn't just an ordinary arrangement, it's paving an industry chain for Cold Fir Territory!"
There was an excitement in his eyes like rain after a long drought: "I originally thought our small, poor place could only produce some wood and dig some stones, relying on subsidies from Red Tide Territory for food... who'd have thought, there's so much potential!"
He spoke while looking at Louis with admiration.
This young boy, who is not yet too old, just circled Cold Fir Territory twice and seemed to see through the earth's veins, understanding the resources of the entire territory clearly and distinctly.
"No wonder he's the Commandery Princess of Snow Peak County..." a strange respect arose in the Town Mayor's heart.
This isn't a nobility that just sits and gives orders; this is a lord who truly knows how to turn a piece of land into a foundation and turn the people into power.
So everyone promptly accepted their orders, with each resource marked on the map detailedly explained, and every task orderly assigned.
The Town Mayor and a few executives nodded repeatedly, leaving the hall holding their notes and diagrams, ready to embark on intense preparations.
Yet just as everyone was getting up to leave, their eyes couldn't help but fall on the area Louis left unmentioned.
At the very bottom of the map, close to the forest line of the Southern Territory, there was a line encircled in heavy crimson ink.
Louis noticed it and smiled, "I'll personally handle this."
......
The shadows of the forest danced, and vines twisted around branches.
The moment the group stepped into the South Forest Gorge, the air became strangely cold and oppressive.
This place was shrouded in cold mist all year round, the sunlight scarcely penetrated, and the ground was covered with decaying leaves and dense woods, resembling a certain ancient dormant giant beast.
Louis walked at the forefront of the group, draped in a thick cloak, his gaze slowly sweeping over the forest.
The dozen or more people accompanying him were all battle-hardened knights, carefully selected from the Red Tide Territory.
Under the protection of fighting energy, they would be unscathed even if attacked by bees.
However, they were not here to fight on this journey.
They were here to invite the bees home.
"Here we are." Lambert softly reminded.
In front, the shrub suddenly split into an opening, and an incongruous dark golden color swayed gently within.
That was not sunlight, but a swarm of bees.
Thousands of "Cyan-striped Bees," each with wings no wider than a thumb, entirely dark green, with faint blue stripes on their wings, clustered densely on the gigantic hive on one side of the forest wall.
They moved and flew silently, yet exuded an indescribable sense of oppression.
"Truly spectacular," a knight murmured but dared not take a step closer.
"Don't underestimate them," Louis squinted, "if the Cangwen Bee Swarm senses a threat, they'll immediately issue a self-destruct signal, destroying the hive yet slaughtering all intruders."
Lambert smiled wryly, "My Lord, these can't be transported, they can't be forcibly relocated at all."
Louis chuckled softly, but did not panic.
He bent down and took a small bottle of pale blue liquid from his wooden box, and as he opened it, a slight chill spread.
The liquid was a mixture of frost leaf vine dew, cold frost orchid powder, and night snow moss essential oil.
It was a marvelous scent.
Like the flower fragrance of a snowy night, or the grass juice in frost, carrying a profound sense of tranquility that seeped into the bones.
"This is...?" Lambert was stunned.
"It's Hillcot's 'Frost Fragrance Lure,'" Louis revealed a meaningful smile, "specifically prepared for the bee swarm.
When atomized, the plant pheromones released infiltrate the neural pathways of the Cyan-striped Bees, suppressing their attack and self-destruct instincts."
"You've prepared this in advance?"
"Of course, I didn't come to the Cold Fir Territory just for a stroll."
The knight pressed a mechanism, and with a "click," the atomizing device sprayed a wispy mist that quickly dispersed into the air.
The mist was mixed with the scents of several special plants, carrying a faint coolness.
It was a potion specially prepared by Hillcot for this mission, able to calm the Cyan-striped Bee Swarm so they wouldn't become agitated or even explode.
The mist soon seeped into the beehive, and the initially intense buzzing gradually diminished, as though enveloped by something gentle.
Each Cyan-striped Bee stopped buzzing madly and instead clung quietly to the hive entrance, almost hesitantly.
"Now," Louis softly commanded, standing among the trees, eyes focused.
The knights who had been standing by immediately sprang into action, with two carrying a wooden box to the edge of the beehive.
The box was lined with pieces of old hive and beeswax, with even the smell taken from the original hive, making the bees feel it was a familiar new home.
Another knight took out a small brush, dabbing a few drops of the special liquid on the edges of the wooden box.
Soon, a few Cyan-striped Bees were attracted, flying a circle around the box hesitantly and then gradually crawling inside.
"They're drawn in!" someone whispered excitedly.
Once a few bees went inside, more followed.
One by one, they flew out from the old hive, hovered over the wooden box, and then descended into it.
"The rhythm is excellent, keep drawing them."
"Don't rush, wait for the queen bee."
Louis stood aside, not intervening, yet constantly observing the overall situation.
They couldn't forcibly move the hive, as the swarm would lose control.
As long as the queen bee entered the new hive, the entire swarm would follow the relocation.
Several minutes later, finally, the slightly larger queen bee with light blue stripes on its wings slowly emerged from the nest, circling the air filled with fragrance for a while before entering the new wooden box.
The bee swarm erupted into new activity instantly, as if receiving a signal, and the swarm almost scrambled to fly into the new box.
"Close the lid, quickly!"
The wooden box was gently closed, leaving small ventilation holes but not sealing it completely.
The bee swarm buzzed lowly within the box but was no longer agitated, as if they had already regarded this as their new home.
"Move it back, transport it to the South Slope of Cold Fir Territory," Louis ordered, "there's good sunlight and a water source there, suitable for setting up a temporary apiary."
"Yes!" several knights responded in unison.
They carefully lifted the wooden box, as if holding an immense treasure.
Louis stood in the woods, watching as this first box of Cyan-striped Bees was successfully relocated, his lips curving slightly.
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