Free Web NovelWhen Emily first stepped into the Red Tide Territory, she didn’t actually have much expectation.
After all, before coming, she had looked at the Red Tide Territory’s previous information; it was merely one of the remote corners of the Northern Territory.
She had seen the harshness and desolation of the Northern Territory since childhood, accompanying her father.
Even with a Lord, what difference could it make?
Even when she first arrived at the border, all she saw were vast stretches of desolate, lifeless wasteland, bleached by wind and snow, with hardly any sign of human habitation.
She was almost certain this place was probably much like other territories—desolate, lifeless, at most with a few more dilapidated wooden houses stuck in the snow.
But as the carriage delved deeper, her thoughts began to waver.
The scenery before her began to change; Emily looked out the carriage window towards the distance, expecting only boundless, desolate Northern Territory scenery, but unexpectedly caught a glimpse of an unusual sight.
The residential area of the Red Tide Territory faintly appeared in her vision.
From afar, it was no longer the crude temporary camp she had envisioned, but possessed a strange sense of order.
The outline of the entire settlement was clear, with streets laid out in a grid pattern, orderly and well-arranged.
Those semi-subterranean houses undulated in rows across the dull gray Northern Territory land.
Although the details were not clear, they exuded an undeniable sense of neatness.
Even more surprising to her was that the outline of a market was vaguely visible in the center of the town.
The market's awnings and densely arranged stalls were connected like embellishments.
From above the continuous workshop area, wisps of white smoke occasionally rose.
Even from a distance, she seemed to feel that faint but continuous hustle and bustle and vitality.
Emily held her breath slightly.
She had seen too many towns in the Northern Territory, accustomed to their disorder, dilapidation, and gloom.
But from a distant perspective, this place looked like a flower quietly blooming in the wild land.
As the carriage drove closer, the outline of the Red Tide Territory became clearer.
The streets were no longer distant lines, but a tangible scene unfolding before her eyes.
Emily found that the shock she felt from afar was only the beginning.
When those blurry outlines became incredibly clear, it was almost unbelievable.
The gravel streets were wide and flat, and the wheels made a solid sound as they rolled over them, without any mud or looseness.
Simple wooden signposts stood along both sides of the road, their edges clean and neat, without any messiness.
Further in, rows of semi-subterranean houses extended along the low slopes, with thick stone walls and roofs covered with thick grass for insulation.
Although not beautiful, they gave a feeling of extraordinary solidity and durability.
Even the outermost houses were neatly intact, without any trace of dilapidation.
“Oh my God—” Nora pressed against the carriage window, almost shouting in a hushed voice, “Is this really a village in the Northern Territory?!”
Emily didn't reply, just stared intently out the window.
Those houses, those streets, were not a facade for inspection, nor a temporary centralized rectification, but a stability emanating from their very roots.
Her gaze fell on the people on the street, and a strange feeling surged in her heart. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Several rosy-cheeked children chased a clucking fowl at the street corner, their laughter so clear it made one feel momentarily disoriented.
An elderly woman with white hair by the roadside, carrying a heavy basket, was chatting and exchanging items with her neighbor.
The men and women coming and going on the street all had genuine ease on their faces.
It wasn’t the vacant numbness she had seen in other parts of the Northern Territory, nor the fake smiles forced out for survival.
It was a truly secure expression.
“They don’t look like they just survived winter,” Nora murmured, her voice filled with unconcealed surprise and doubt.
Emily nodded slightly.
Indeed, she knew too well the sight of other Northern Territory lands.
Winter had just ended; normally, the residents at this time should be sallow, emaciated, and listless, many even struggling to stand steady.
But the people here, both in complexion and demeanor, exuded an incredible fullness.
Her gaze swept over the nearby market, where several vendors were hawking their goods.
There were even cured dried meats, and some scattered fabrics; the goods were far richer than she had imagined.
Further in was the workshop area, where the blacksmith's furnace crackled, the sound of hammering metal was clear and rhythmic, and the sawing of wood came one after another, filling the air with the smell of sawdust and iron.
All of this... it was too unreal.
The thought that had been suppressed in Emily’s heart for a long time finally surfaced.
If this wasn’t a miracle, then it was a governing ability bordering on madness.
But no matter which it was, it was not something an ordinary person could achieve.
“Is this really the Northern Territory?” Nora asked again, her eyes full of complexity.
Emily took a deep breath, withdrew her gaze, and quietly said, “Yes, this is the Northern Territory, it is the Red Tide Territory.”
She could feel that her slight guard and wariness towards Louis were being forcefully torn open at this moment, and another emotion, a deeper curiosity and thrill, was rapidly spreading.
She really wanted to know how this man, Louis, could create such a miracle in this dead land.
The carriage slowly stopped; several guards standing at the street corner had already noticed them and vigilantly stepped forward to block their path.
“Who are you?” the leading guard asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping between the carriage and the accompanying few people.
Nora quickly poked her head out of the carriage, a perfectly appropriate smile on her face.
She raised both hands to signal harmlessness: “Don’t misunderstand, we are a merchant guild from out of town, hoping to find some business here. We specifically came to visit; we wonder if there’s a chance to meet your Lord?”
The guard narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Nora and scrutinizing her for a moment, as if judging her sincerity, then nodded without asking anything further.
“Wait,” he said, then turned and walked quickly towards the town, clearly going to report.
Emily sat up slightly in the carriage, her gaze passing through the curtain to watch the guard’s retreating back: “The discipline is quite good.”
Nora withdrew her gaze and chuckled softly, “They didn’t make it difficult at all; they seem quite rule-abiding.”
During the wait, Emily wasn’t idle; she continued to meticulously observe the surrounding scenery through the carriage window.
The streets were bustling with activity: someone was wielding a broom, sweeping away the last bits of snow from the street corner.
Someone else was setting up tables and chairs, wiping wooden tables until they gleamed, arranging them neatly in the open space.
And a group of young adults were working together to build a simple wooden stage, discussing something as they built, with unconcealed excited smiles on their faces.
Throughout the streets and alleys, red and gold ribbons danced in the wind, and bright banners were hoisted high.
The Red Tide Territory’s red-and-gold sun flag shimmered in the sunlight, and the Calvin Family’s black-and-red moon crest flag was also prominently displayed, adding a solemn air.
The entire small town seemed immersed in a warm and festive atmosphere, as if even the air carried a faint joy.
Nora’s eyes widened, captivated, and she couldn’t help but murmur, “This is really interesting—are they having some kind of celebration? It feels even more lively than our festivals in Frost Halberd City.”
Emily nodded, a moment of confusion in her mind, and finally couldn’t help but ask, “Excuse me, what are you preparing for?”
A middle-aged villager, who was moving decorations, heard Emily’s question and chuckled as he put down what he was holding.
He wiped sweat from his brow, replying with unconcealed pride, “Ah, us? We’re preparing for the Spring Opening Festival tomorrow!
To celebrate the Red Tide Territory’s first anniversary, hehe, and Lord Louis becoming a Viscount, we have to make it lively!”
“Viscount?” Emily was stunned, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes, “He—he’s already a Viscount?”
The villager smiled and nodded: “Yes, this time last year, we had nothing here, just a wasteland.
It was Lord Louis; he saved us! At that time, we could barely survive, but he pulled us out of the mud, and now we have such good lives.”
A young woman nearby also smiled and chimed in: “Yes, Lord Louis is so good to us.
Not only did he give ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ us houses to live in and food to eat, he also taught us how to support ourselves. After this year, we’ve almost forgotten those anxious days we used to live!”
“Look at that flag,” the middle-aged villager pointed to the red-and-gold sun flag fluttering in the wind, his eyes filled with heartfelt reverence,
“To us, Lord Louis is like that sun, illuminating the path for us poor folk.
We can never repay Lord Louis’s kindness!”
As they spoke, genuine smiles were on their faces, and their eyes sparkled.
It was a gratitude and respect that welled up from the bottom of their hearts.
Emily watched quietly, her heart long unable to settle.
He was only an Pioneer Baron (Pioneer Baron) last year, and in less than a year, he became a Viscount?
This speed was simply absurd.
And she had thought this Northern Territory wasteland wouldn’t be much different from other places, just a harsh land with a different name.
But now, these streets, this vitality, the smiles in the residents’ eyes, completely overturned her perception.
What surprised her most was Louis’s prestige here.
That kind of almost worshipful affection.
She had only seen it in the territory of her own father, Duke Edmund, the Governor of the Northern Territory.
But now, the expressions of these ordinary commoners when they spoke of Louis were even more sincere and fervent than those subjects who revered the Duke.
“Lord Louis is like the sun—”
That sentence still echoed in her ears, stirring a complex, ineffable emotion in her heart.
This was no longer a simple question of good governance or whether people could eat their fill; it was about thoroughly winning the hearts of the people.
Emily took a slight breath, her eyes full of curiosity: “Louis Calvin, what kind of person are you, really...
To have achieved such a degree after only one year in the Northern Territory.”
