Chapter 30: Inspecting the Territory

Finding Cyril is a must.

But it is impossible for Arthur himself to run into Blackwood territory to find a servant.

If he were recognized, they could capture him and demand a ransom.

Moreover, Cyril and his son Yuehan ran away, so they likely wouldn't dare to show their faces.

Without experience living at the bottom of society, an ordinary person wouldn't be able to find them.

Who should be sent?

As Arthur was deep in thought, Steward Amber walked in.

"My lord, the pit you requested has been dug."

Looking at him, Arthur suddenly thought of someone.

Uncle Yule.

After all, the first name he heard after transmigrating was Yule, from Amber's mouth.

As a drifter who has wandered for over twenty years, Yule must be very experienced in such situations.

"Hmm, I understand. Now go and call Yule and Javier," Arthur ordered.

Amber acknowledged and turned to leave.

If Yule were sent alone to track down Cyril, he would surely pocket the money and run off if he found him.

He needs to find someone skilled in martial arts to keep an eye on him.

Among Arthur's subordinates, there is basically no one who has received proper Knight martial arts training.

Even the original owner was only at a mediocre level.

In the territory's villages, those who knew a little martial arts had all been selected as soldiers.

Hui Pao An Bo knows quite a few weapons, but he is only at the level of an old soldier.

It is estimated that he is about the same as Yule.

Besides, Amber is responsible for coordinating the nine villages and really cannot spare the time.

And Javier fits Arthur's current requirements perfectly.

He is the captain of the one hundred soldiers lent to Arthur by Stone Hedge, and his combat ability is at least at the Knight level.

Keeping the scoundrel Yule in check is not a problem.

Arthur is very relieved to have the two of them go track down Cyril and Yuehan.

The three returned quickly, and after Arthur briefly explained the Task, he sent the two off.

"You only know how to order me around," Yule said, feeling dissatisfied.

He was just starting to feel that standing guard wasn't unacceptable; he only needed to stand there every day, and although it was a bit dull, there was no danger, which suited his current desire for stability.

He didn't expect his nephew to find him a job.

And it was to run into the territory of Raventree Hall, which is not on friendly terms with his family.

How dangerous that is!

"Find Cyril, and I'll give you a full set of Plate Armor, the kind produced in the Westerlands," Arthur said, knowing he had to offer some sweetness.

Just like a donkey will keep walking if you hang a carrot in front of it, only with some incentive will Yule do the work.

"Great nephew, just order me for any work in the future. I can handle it; don't feel embarrassed just because I'm your elder."

Yule patted his chest, and the look in his eyes changed.

Arthur smiled, "Go change your clothes."

He knew this uncle had zero resistance to things like armor.

Perhaps it was an obsession born from never being able to get a set while he was wandering.

The two took their leave.

"Let's go, we are going to inspect the territory," Arthur said to Amber, who had stayed behind.

After resting for two days, Arthur finally decided to go all out and mobilize the villagers to build a sufficiently sturdy stockade that could accommodate several thousand people.

It would be built around the home castle.

Considering the massive scale of the project and that The Mountain would soon be ravaging the banks of the Red Fork, it would require the efforts of over two thousand villagers.

So Arthur prepared to go for an inspection first to see if the villagers would support it.

Arthur could use force to make the villagers work, and a lord indeed has the right to make villagers participate in labor without pay.

But Arthur has the mindset of a modern person after all, so he couldn't force them.

Moreover, they are already tired enough just trying to survive; if he made them even more tired, he wouldn't have the heart to do it.

Arthur is not Harren the Black.

The two set off with a few guards.

The area around the hill where the home castle is located was being dug, according to Arthur's plan, into a half-man-deep, inverted trapezoidal pit circling the hill.

The circular pit is large enough that the small hill it encloses can easily accommodate several thousand people for temporary living.

According to his idea, a stone wall would be built half a step away from this circular pit.

The stone part doesn't need to be very high, just waist-high. On top of that, a wooden wall would be added, which is enough to deal with small groups of troops.

If a large army comes, he won't defend it; he'll just run away.

In the Riverlands, the only places that can withstand the Lannister army are Riverrun and The Twins.

And the master of the latter, House Frey, is an in-law of the Lannisters.

The purpose of building it this way is so that when the enemy attacks, they have to find a way to cross this moat.

After crossing the pit, at a distance of half a step, the attacking soldiers would be unable to exert force and would have to face attacks from above.

Just thinking about it, one knows the difficulty of capturing it!

Arthur was very satisfied with this idea of his.

The dozens of serfs digging pits along the road, upon seeing Arthur on horseback, mostly stopped and watched him with smiles.

Many people even greeted him from far away.

Arthur responded to them one by one.

Because the matter of him standing up for Daren had already spread, the serfs were exceptionally supportive of Arthur.

It was currently morning.

It was another cloudless, sunny day, and the breeze of the Riverlands blew through Arthur's ash-gold hair, making him look handsome and dashing.

Hui Pao An Bo followed closely behind the lord, and at this moment, he secretly sighed that his lord was truly handsome.

Forgive him for not having received enough education; he could only think of this word to describe the lord.

The first village was naturally the nearest one, Riverbank Village.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, Arthur and his attendants dismounted, as this could make him appear more approachable.

Otherwise, riding on horseback and looking down from above would make the serfs' necks uncomfortable.

"Look, it's Lord Arthur."

"It's Arthur of Justice."

Soon, some villagers discovered the few of them.

Some walked over to express their welcome, while others ran to notify the Village Chief so he could prepare.

At this hour, the adult laborers were all working in the fields or workshops, and those wandering in the village were either half-grown boys or elderly people with tottering steps.

But whoever they were, upon learning that this was their lord, they all greeted him with smiling faces.

Before long, Arthur walked to the center of the village, and a large crowd of people gathered around him.

Many were whispering about Arthur's heroic deeds from a few days ago, with various versions containing different details.

But no matter the version, it was as if they had all been there in person.

The speakers carried pride and the pleasure of confiding, and the listeners were also proud to have such a lord.

Arthur pricked up his ears to listen to the serfs' evaluation of him, and he was also immensely proud.

This feeling was just like in kindergarten or elementary school in his past life, when he did a good deed and received a little red flower from the teacher and praise in front of the whole class.

He admitted that when he stood up for Daren back then, he had not hoped for this kind of scene.

He just couldn't stand the way those nobles treated commoners like livestock or insects, and his blood had rushed to his head.

Although it was impulsive and offended many people from the Tully and Blackwood houses.

But if he were to choose again, he would still choose to handle it the same way.

Not for any reason, just for the bit of conscience in his chest and the hot blood surging through his body.

Just at this moment, a child walked over and peed on his cloth shoes.

Due to the hot weather, leather boots and Iron Armor were unbearable to wear, so Arthur was wearing cloth shoes and linen socks on this trip.

The child's puddle of urine made him clearly feel a trace of damp heat on his feet.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)