After dozens of days of travel, Louis finally arrived at the Red Tide Territory with his convoy.However, what greeted his eyes was a lifeless wilderness."What a backwater," a knight from the South muttered, looking at the scene before him.Louis did not respond; instead, he dismounted and slowly surveyed his surroundings.Barren, dilapidated, and devoid of life, the entire land was desolate, with even weeds being a rare sight—it was indeed a desolate place.But Louis, who possessed an intelligence system, was very certain that this land was a potential stock, possessing many resources.Geothermal heat, mineral deposits, fisheries, and large tracts of land suitable for cultivation.As long as someone was willing to develop it, this place would surely become a land of wealth."This place will sooner or later become the richest territory in the North," Louis murmured, as if making a promise to himself.Thus, without wasting time, Louis began issuing development orders."First, set up temporary tents; once the living area is confirmed, we can start building houses, but we can begin felling trees to prepare.""Search for water sources by the river to ensure everyone has enough drinking water and food supplies!""Clear out an open space and set up a simple training ground; the soldiers cannot neglect their training!"As one command after another was issued, soldiers and slaves quickly sprang into action.The sounds of chopping wood and shouts rose and fell, beginning to echo across this long-silent land, injecting its first glimmer of life.As the new Lord of the Red Tide Territory, Louis needed to personally confirm the current state of the land before he could formulate the subsequent development plan.So, he spent a few days carefully inspecting the Red Tide Territory.When Louis arrived at the southern side of the territory, he noticed steam slowly rising from some areas where the snow had melted.He quickly walked forward, knelt down, and reached out his hand, feeling a hint of warmth."A geothermal vent?!" A surprise flashed in Louis's eyes.The intelligence system had indicated the presence of geothermal resources here, and it was indeed true.In an environment like the North, the presence of geothermal heat was undoubtedly an extremely valuable asset.If properly developed, it could not only provide warmth to residents but also facilitate the upcoming spring plowing.Even more surprising, he also discovered several hot springs nearby!Hot springs and the North.These two words together felt somewhat unbelievable.Thinking of himself soaking in hot springs in the icy wilderness in the future, while other lords shivered in the cold wind, Louis couldn't help but curve his lips upward; that feeling was simply double the joy.So, he decided to place his manor near these hot springs.Next, he came to the river, where the ice had already cracked, and the river water flowed slowly; a few birds perched on the riverbank, occasionally diving into the water to snatch small, not-yet-awakened fish.The number of fish in the river was not yet large, but according to the intelligence system's information, when spring arrived, this place would become a breeding ground for fish, providing a stable food source for the territory.Just as he was contemplating how to maximize the utilization of this [N O V E L I G H T] resource, a team of scout knights dispatched by Louis rushed back, bringing exciting intelligence.They had discovered rich mineral deposits deep within the mountains."My Lord, deep in the mountains to the northwest, we discovered a cold iron ore vein!""And we also found a kind of ore emitting a dark red glow even deeper, suspected to be magic marrow mine."Lambert gasped, "magic marrow mine?! If it's true, that's a mountain of gold!""Mmm," Louis nodded calmly.He had long known about the existence of this ore vein through his intelligence system, so he was not too surprised.The value of magic marrow mine goes without saying, but under current conditions, mining it would still be too difficult.But as long as this land could develop steadily, this ore vein would one day become the most important foundation of the Red Tide Territory.After this circuit, Louis and his knights' confidence in this territory increased significantly.The intelligence system was not wrong; this was indeed a land full of hope.However, compared to the potential value of this land, the current reality was very cruel.When they stepped into the aboriginal settlement, they were greeted by a scene of utter dilapidation.Standing water mixed with decaying mud on the ground, and the air was filled with a damp, rotten smell.Crude wooden huts and mud-and-thatch houses stood askew, as if they could collapse at any moment.Most of the residents here were ragged elderly people, women, and children.They were thin and weak, wrapped in clothes barely pieced together from old rags, which clearly could not fend off the chill of the North."Was this place managed by anyone before?" Louis frowned, looking at everything before him."The original acting official ran away long ago," an aboriginal replied.Several small, scrawny children huddled behind a door, their cheeks red from the cold, hiding their frail bodies in the shadows, observing Louis and his party.Their eyes were timid, filled with wariness and fear of strangers.Louis watched this scene, feeling very uncomfortable; having received a red education, he simply could not bear to see children suffer such hardships.He dismounted, took some dry rations from his pocket, walked forward, knelt down, and offered the food: "Take it and eat."But the children just watched him warily; no one dared to move, seemingly afraid it was some kind of trap.However, the aroma of the dry rations was particularly tempting in the air, and the children swallowed their saliva."Eat," Louis said softly.The children finally couldn't resist; they grabbed the food from Louis's hand and ravenously stuffed it into their mouths, as if afraid the food would disappear the next second.But Louis soon noticed that one small boy did not immediately devour his portion like the other children.Instead, he quietly hid his share in his tattered clothes."Why aren't you eating?" Louis knelt down and asked.The little boy looked up, his dirty face showing some fear.He answered timidly in a childish voice, "I... I want to save it to eat with Mama."Louis froze.He suddenly remembered that the nobles in the South fed their dogs the best meat.Yet here, children had to carefully hide even a single piece of dry ration.This was too absurd.He suddenly felt a sense of responsibility, wanting to do something for the people in this land.So Louis scanned the surrounding hungry and cold aborigines and announced loudly, "All who are willing to work can come to my construction site. I will give you food, shelter, and let you live!"The aborigines looked at each other, their eyes full of numbness.They had endured too much suffering and no longer trusted anyone, but looking at the children who had just received food, they finally nodded.Let's try it; anyway, no outcome could be worse.

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