Chapter 286: Return and Regulatory Agency

Beast-drawn carts and Kuluoma-drawn carts transported the items brought by the Humans along the road toward Red Cloud Mountain. Sinuoli was surprised to find that the transport tools he had prepared were enough to finish the job in just one trip.

This was because the meager property of those peasants was truly too little; aside from farm tools, tableware, and clothes, there was nothing else. And the Knights had already spent most of their wealth to pay for the price of the land, so the remaining personal effects and a few of their own mounts were quite enough.

"It is fortunate that I did not skip the Knight class and deal with the peasants directly."

Sinuoli shook his head secretly as he watched the slow procession. He had contact and cooperation with peasant troops when he was in Bretonnia, but he did not expect that those conscripted for battle were already the best of the bunch; these immigrants were even more pathetic.

"Merciful Shallya above!"

"May the lords not be selling us to the devils!"

"Those Dwarfs, I hear they will treat us like livestock!"

The serfs of Bretonnia were different from the free men and individual business owners of the Empire of Man. They had no room for upward mobility and were squeezed until only their physical forms remained in this world. Compared to saving them from the root, Sinuoli felt it was more efficient to let them smoothly enter production and generate revenue.

"Everyone, are your rights and responsibilities clear now?" Sitting in the dining hall of Red Cloud Mountain after a full meal, Sinuoli looked at the Knights before him.

"Of course, of course!"

"We swear in the name of the Lady of the Lake that we will abide by the contents of the contract!"

"Respected Dwarf King, please let us go and see our fiefs!"

The first batch of thirteen Knights almost all had blood relations with the current Duke, and it was precisely because of this that they were the fastest to scrape together the gold to buy land and the serfs to develop the fiefs.

"Very well, Kangsitanting promised on my behalf that you, the most proactive pioneers, are qualified to receive some preferential treatment, such as choosing the best land first!"

As Sinuoli spoke, he unfolded a map of the Lost Plateau. He divided the plateau into three major blocks using the three fortresses as reference points, and further decomposed these three major blocks into several medium-sized blocks. These medium-sized blocks were secondary administrative centers, which were planned to be built into towns. And surrounding these towns would be individual Knight manors.

These Knights had all learned in advance of the news that Sinuoli was going to build a railway, and they did not hesitate to stake out plots of land around the fortresses and along the railway line. This also played right into Sinuoli's hands; a project as large as building a railway could not be done quickly by Dwarfs alone, and mobilizing Human labor when necessary was also within his considerations.

"Rest for another day tomorrow; everyone can take a look around nearby, and then we shall set off. If we miss the spring plowing this year, the pressure on subsequent food supplies will be great!"

After giving his final instructions, Sinuoli left the dining hall. He still had to go and mobilize the Dwarf immigrants who had already gathered at Red Cloud Mountain. Construction at Red Cloud Mountain and its surroundings had come to an end, and his clansmen still had many major projects waiting for them.

Returning along the way, Sinuoli settled the Humans, allocated his own clansmen to build residences for them, and assisted in land reclamation. The policy of "relief through work" had been studied long ago; the Knights gave the money to Sinuoli, and Sinuoli then stepped forward to arrange for the Dwarfs to start work, so even the most conservative Longbeard elders could not find fault with that.

Tumobao did not disappoint Sinuoli this time either. After he laid down harsh words, several Masters finally reached a consensus and began construction. Sinuoli planned for Tumobao to be built before the railway, serving as a key transit station.

"Finally back!"

The hidden gate of Gaoyuanbao appeared in Sinuoli's eyes, and several Rune guards at the entrance were diligently performing their garrison duties. Sinuoli felt that although Temple Guards were powerful, when it came to living creatures, they were really not as good as stone statues.

"I hope my territory can smoothly get on the right track in the future, and that plans don't fail to keep up with changes!" Sinuoli muttered as he sat at his desk. He had a very important matter to attend to next, which was to study the information provided by Outelakesi regarding the spirit veins.

At the moment, Sinuoli felt his strength had reached a bottleneck. With the increase in level, the experience required for each level-up had also increased. The experience gained from small-scale security battles was likely just a drop in the bucket, and mastering Rune techniques required painstaking effort. Therefore, he turned his attention to the methods of extracting power from the earth.

"I need a system to supervise on my behalf; who should this task be given to?" Sinuoli talked to himself. This was an unprecedented setup for Dwarf society, but there were many examples from his past life.

The situation in his territory was complex now. After introducing Humans, the original patriarchal and relatively gentle legal system of Dwarf society could no longer keep up with the pace. It was built on the foundation of a small Dwarf population that was also loyal and less susceptible to corruption.

Compared to the rulers of his past life, Sinuoli did not need to spend much energy on eliminating dissidents, but the spread of Chaos worship, the pervasive corruption of Skaven and Vampires, and, in his view, the "corruption of the Lady of the Lake" were also things that needed to be taken seriously.

"Andemuge, it has to be him." The people Sinuoli had on hand were limited. This Ranger had ideas, ability, and experience, and was an orphan without any clan forces behind him; he could be said to be the most suitable choice.

"My King, what are your orders for summoning me?" Soon, the young man appeared in the office.

"I have an important task to entrust to you. Do you have the ability and the courage to carry it out?" Sinuoli asked.

"I have never feared any challenge!" the Ranger replied sonorously.

"Good. I need to organize a supervisory agency and a secret police force. On one hand, it is to deal with the unstable factors that may brew among the Humans and our clansmen."

"Similar to... a Witch Hunter?" Andemuge quickly found a similar agency in this world.

"Not bad. We must guard against what the Witch Hunters guard against, and we must also guard against what they do not; do you understand?"

Sinuoli's mouth curled up slightly. Hemujiade Yaosai was sandwiched between the Empire and Bretonnia, and Andemuge, who had lived there, understood immediately and returned a wicked smile.

"However, your task does not stop there. The supervision of officials also needs to be done by you. Ensure they are loyal to their duties, honest, and upright," Sinuoli continued.

These contents should have originally been achieved through the checks and balances between gentle clan guilds. But now the territory was developing rapidly and the scale was large; Sinuoli had no way to solve it according to tradition.

"I understand, but this requires manpower. Even if a portion can be supplemented by part-time workers, there must be some full-time clerks," Andemuge was worthy of someone with relevant experience; his reaction was quick.

"Write me a report on the budget, staffing, and supplies when you go back. Anything within a reasonable range can be approved!" Sinuoli waved his hand. To make the horse run, one must first feed the horse.