Free Web NovelOn the afternoon of the tenth day, the snow line gradually receded, and patches of bare, dark brown earth emerged in the mountains.
The long convoy finally stopped, with a dull thud as the wheels sank into the edge of the snow.
Heavy carriages, one after another, more than fifty in total, were parked along the mountain road.
The large escort team dispersed, patrolling the surroundings.
The accompanying families also got off their carriages to help with chores; this was their rare time off the carriages each day.
Mary carefully stepped down from the carriage, holding a small pot.
Her skirt was damp with snowmelt, but she didn't bother to wipe it, instead holding her three-year-old daughter, Annie, with one hand and helping other women set up cooking utensils in the snow with the other.
"Did you hear? Red Tide Territory is quite cold too."
"I heard that the land there was all fought over, and the houses were burned down—"
"But we haven't been short on food this whole journey; yesterday's porridge even had meat in it."
"It's just—we've been heading south like this, it feels endless."
Mary lowered her head, tearing a dry flatbread to feed her child, her movements pausing slightly, not responding.
She also wasn't sure where this road was leading now.
She only knew that a single word from Duke Edmund had made the entire Broken Fang Knights and their families set off with Louis.
Actually, she still harbored some small complaints, but she didn't dare voice them, as Duke Edmund was practically a god-like figure to them.
But honestly, this migration was far more dignified than the exile she had initially imagined.
Not only were the carriages laid with thick blankets, but clean water bags and wooden bowls were also distributed.
Hot porridge was delivered three times a day, and knights patrolled with lamps every night, ensuring they were safe from wild beasts and bandits.
Even if she still had doubts in her heart, all of this certainly didn't feel like banishment; it felt more like a well-arranged reception.
Mary sat leaning against a tree root, holding Annie. The child leaned wearily on her shoulder, her eyes still half-asleep and timid.
"—I really don't know what it will be like next," she murmured softly.
"Clop, clop, clop." Suddenly, hoofbeats approached from a distance.
Mary instinctively looked up, only to see a young, dark-haired knight appear in her sight, escorted by several other knights.
He rode a snow-white warhorse, clad in a dark red cloak, without armor, only a neatly tailored riding suit that outlined his slender figure.
Closely following him was another woman.
She rode a bay warhorse, her long blue hair tied back, her riding attire clean and sharp, her demeanor elegant and cool.
It was Emily, Mary recognized her, the daughter of the Duke of Frost Halberd and the wife of the Red Tide Lord.
"Stand up! Everyone, stand up!"
"It's Lord Louis, the Red Tide Lord!"
"And the Lady! It's Emily, the Duke's daughter!"
A soft commotion immediately broke out near the carriages, and people by the cooking fires rose to bow, their movements hurried but respectful.
Even from a distance, the figures in the red cloak and with blue hair were like two flames in the snow, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
Mary also slowly stood up, instinctively holding her daughter tighter, but found herself involuntarily holding her breath.
She had seen nobles before; in Frost Halberd City, as the wife of a knight squad leader, she had been fortunate enough to attend winter banquets with Smith a few times, where she had seen many nobles, and even exchanged a few pleasantries with Emily once or twice.
But the nobles in her memory were of two types.
One type was rough and boisterous like a general, often reeking of wine, with a gruff voice.
The other type was high and mighty, yet often carried an air of disdainful arrogance and indifference.
However, this young Lord, rumored to have defeated the Barbarian King, was completely different from all the nobles she had ever seen.
He was dressed simply, without a sword or armor, and had only a few guards by his side. freeweɓnøvel.com
But as he slowly walked into the crowd, he seemed to carry an invisible ripple, making everyone instinctively step aside and look up. It was a temperament like a lake surface in the night.
Seemingly calm and unruffled, yet beneath those serene brows, a deep current clearly hid.
Louis was already accustomed to his inherent aura of authority, so he didn't feel any discomfort from these curious gazes. He simply swept his eyes over the crowd with a gentle gaze, occasionally nodding in greeting, occasionally smiling at children, like a foreman inspecting workshops in a marketplace, without a trace of condescension.
As the crowd in the camp gradually gathered, low whispers and gazes surged like a tide.
Louis stood on a slightly raised snowdrift, and without a prepared speech, he spoke off the cuff: "I have indeed been too busy during this time and couldn't come to see you sooner. Coming now, I feel a sense of Guilt.
I know that for most people, Red Tide Territory is an unfamiliar name. Some of you worry about the future, which is normal.
But what I can tell you is, you don't need to worry about these things. Because you are already a part of Red Tide."
Louis turned slightly, his hands naturally clasped behind his back.
"Every family will be allocated independent housing, with arrangements completed within three days at the latest.
If you are willing to work and have a skill, we will also assign positions according to your abilities, ensuring no one is idle and no one is forced into something they can't do.
Furthermore, upon arrival at Red Tide Territory, each household will be issued fifty gold coins as a settlement fee."
He paused as he spoke, a hint of apologetic smile on his lips: "Though it's not much, it's—a small token of my personal regard."
There was a faint murmur in the crowd, and Mary heard a woman beside her quietly gasp.
"As for your husbands," he raised his voice slightly, "the treatment of the Broken Fang Knights will be increased by thirty percent on the original basis.
Equipment, horses, and military pay will all be issued in accordance with the Red Tide First-Class Knights. They followed me here, and I will never let them be let down."
His gaze calmly swept over the carriages and families before him, one after another.
"I dare not promise you overnight riches, nor can I promise a smooth journey. But I can guarantee that everyone who is willing to take root in Red Tide
will receive the respect and rewards they deserve."
For a moment, the surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
And in this silence, the little girl in Mary's arms suddenly stirred.
"Mama.." Her voice was very soft, but it fell right into Louis's ears.
Louis turned his head and saw the child with wide, round eyes, timidly peeking out from under the blanket.
He then offered a gentle smile, actually bending down and kneeling before the child, asking softly, "How old is she?"
Mary was startled, hastily standing up to bow, with a hint of unease: "She's three, Lord—her name is Annie."
"Annie, huh?" he repeated softly, as if memorizing the name.
"In Red Tide Territory, children start school at six. Even if they can't become knights, as long as they ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) are willing to work hard, they can become deacons, accountants, or even administrators of the territory."
Then Louis looked up, his gaze sweeping around: "Everyone present, if you have any suggestions or questions, you can bring them up now."
He spoke sincerely, but after his words fell, there was silence.
Several women lowered their heads, some children were still secretly looking behind him, but no one spoke.
Some were awed by the future he painted in his words, while others were intimidated by his status as Lord; in any case, no one dared to speak first.
Seeing that no one spoke, Louis nodded to several Broken Fang Knights nearby, giving a few instructions regarding the allocation of family carriages and accommodation arrangements.
After speaking, he mounted his horse, ready to leave.
Emily was already waiting by another horse, and the two rode side by side, traveling across the snow into the distance.
The crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The tense atmosphere relaxed like a snapped string, and whispers immediately spread among the carriages.
"He's Louis—my goodness, he's so young, and so handsome!"
"Did you hear just now? Fifty gold coins are being given directly!"
"My goodness, that's a whole year's salary for an Elite Knight! It's real gold!"
"I thought he'd talk to us about the greater good of the North, but he immediately arranged housing, food, and even work. That's too direct."
They didn't hear empty boasts, nor were they exhorted about glory and sacrifice.
What they heard was a house "truly belonging to the family," and "work if you want it, land if you want to farm."
It was "the treatment of Broken Fang Knights, thirty percent more than in Frost Halberd City."
And that resounding promise: "No one who follows Red Tide will be mistreated."
This blow was struck too precisely, hitting the mark.
They had left their familiar Frost Halberd with children, luggage, pots, and pans, all to follow their husbands' station.
The future was unknown, the journey arduous; who wasn't anxious at heart?
But now, a young Lord stood before them, personally telling them: "Your husbands deserve the best, and you will also be well cared for."
This feeling was completely different from the high-and-mighty nobles they had encountered in the past.
It was no longer "Knights should obey their Lord, and you yourselves should seek your own blessings," but rather "Since you are willing to come with me, I will protect you."
Mary listened quietly, her gaze still fixed on the direction Louis had left.
She still held her daughter, but her arms were noticeably more relaxed.
She was always cautious, even pessimistic, and never expected to have a good life in a place like the North.
Even when Smith constantly told her: "Don't worry, the Red Tide Lord is a capable and generous man."
She only took it as her husband's loyal defense.
But today, seeing Louis for the first time, she felt that difference.
There were no grand promises, nor commanding authority.
When he spoke, his pace was not fast but carried sincerity.
She felt this clearly, even though she had never been involved in government affairs.
She looked down at Annie, gently stroking her hair: "Perhaps—it really is worth trying to believe."
The Broken Fang Knights are one of the strongest military forces in the entire North today.
In the past, Duke Edmund was able to stabilize the North for decades precisely because of the three Elite Knight orders under his command.
Now, the Duke had handed over the actual control of this legion, along with their families and descendants, entirely to him.
As for the upper echelons, such as the commander and vice-commander, Louis had already established a preliminary understanding with them through a series of negotiations and mutually beneficial arrangements.
But for the lower and middle-ranking knights, for the tired families with their children and belongings, whose carriages rattled on the journey.
The name Louis Calvin was too distant.
Could a young man under twenty-five really lead them?
They had doubts, suspicions, fatigue, and unease.
Louis didn't expect a mere order to win loyalty, which is why he specifically arranged this inspection.
It wasn't an order or a lecture, but a direct investment of heart-warming gold coins and concrete policies.
The fifty gold coins, a small token of goodwill, seemed like unnecessary extravagance to most people.
But in Louis's eyes, it was the cheapest investment.
Just a few carts of gold coins could build trust in the new Lord among the lower ranks of an Elite Knight order.
And this was affordable for Louis, the mine owner.
"If you want to gain the loyalty of an army, it's not just about treating the generals well; you have to make every soldier's wife, child, and parent
feel that following you brings hope."
This is a very simple and crude logic; after all, with eight hundred meal allowances before, six strikes per second is not the limit.
Of course, economic and material incentives were just Louis's first step.
Housing allocation, job arrangements, military pay increases, and the fifty-gold-coin settlement fee—these were the most superficial yet most effective ways to make people stay on a physical level.
But what he truly wanted to build was a comprehensive sense of belonging, from body to spirit.
To make the families of an army shut up, money alone is not enough; you have to make them speak up in your defense.
This is Louis's specialty: the construction of personal worship.
He was not doing this for the first time.
As early as Red Tide City, he had appeared on the stage under the title of a war genius, in classrooms with his record of personally slaying magical beasts, and in the mouths of ordinary people as a savior. Of course, these stories were all true, just expressed with some artistic exaggeration.
This time was no exception, though it couldn't be achieved overnight.
However, Louis had already made a good start.
On the first night after he left, the Broken Fang families, who had originally complained in low voices about "settling in the wasteland," no longer sighed.
By the campfire, the content of their complaints had quietly changed.
"I'm telling you, his aura is truly different from those rich young masters I've seen before—those eyes, they're like they can see right through you."
"At first, I thought it was already an exaggeration that he could fight so well at such a young age, but now that I see him, hmph, he's even more handsome than my husband. The key is that he's not just good-looking; those things he just said were for us families, right? Have you ever heard of a Lord personally distributing money and arranging houses?"
"And look at Miss Emily standing next to him, aren't they a perfect match? They look like a painting together.."
In the hearts of many Broken Fang Knight families, a kind of personal worship had quietly blossomed, even though they had only met this young Lord once.
