The town of Alano is located at the gap of an unnamed mountain range in the southern part of Montenegro. A road connecting the northern and southern territories of the Arias family passes through here and extends all the way to Floro. Originally, this place was just a resting place for merchants traveling through the mountains, but now it has become a landmark that divides the two territories.
The town is located on a high ground, backed by the Kalma River. It has about a hundred households and overlooks the northern trade route.
That morning, a huge group of people, either riding horses or sitting in ox carts, came across the mountains from the north.
Chen Hansheng was riding on the leading horse, thinking about something and not saying anything.
Karanda beside him asked, "Still thinking about the investigation."
"Yes. Chairman Guo and I are going to conduct a secret investigation inside and outside the company, and the connections I have made before cannot be severed. When we have established a firm foothold here, we can send two more people to Suero."
"Well, no problem. This time I brought Leo and a few others with me. They are all very smart young men. You can pick the right one when the time comes." Kalanda paused slightly, as if he had thought of something. "But it's not easy to gain a foothold. It's difficult for outsiders to get involved in a town like this. For many lords, it's enough for the tax collector to collect taxes. This time you brought teachers, doctors, and officials with you. You look like you're ready to do something big. I'm afraid that conflicts will escalate."
"We don't call them officials, we call them cadres," Chen Hansheng said with a smile. He patted Karanda on the shoulder and joked, "Why, you feel sorry for your man before you even start working?"
Karanda opened his hand and spat, "You old fool. Do you know? In a town like this, which is close to the center of the kingdom, unlike Frollo where all the farmers are self-employed farmers, many of the farmers are serfs of the lord. The count promised to give us land, but not to us farmers. I guess most of the serfs have been taken away. The rest are either serfs belonging to those knights and barons, or there are only a few self-employed farmers left. By then, I don’t know how many people you will see in the town.”
Chen Hansheng said happily: "It's good to have few people. Now that we have land, why should we worry about not having people? We have plenty of farmers who were converted from slaves to fill in."
On an oxcart behind them sat two men in wizard robes. The younger one was the magic apprentice Crete, and the older one was Glade, the book spirit of the Magic Book of Infusion. Although Glade was the book spirit of the Forge Tower, he majored in the magic of the Spirit Tower. After he became a teacher at the magic school, he found that Crete was more suitable for practicing the magic of the Spirit Tower than the magic of the Dream Tower, so he suggested that he change his practice method and switch to the Spirit Tower's mysterious magic "Heart Fire Magic".
Heart Fire Technique cultivates a little heart fire to condense the soul, and in the future, this little heart fire can be used to protect the life fire of the living, and it can also be used to ignite the soul fire of the dead. It is also another path that is not inferior to the Dream Tower.
Crete consulted Xiao Chen's opinion through a communication array, and after obtaining his consent, he switched to Glade's tutelage.
This time, as the magic tower took over a town, it naturally needed a wizard to support it. Glade, who had few courses, was chosen. Since the book spirit was not very familiar with the world of this era, he brought the local apprentice Crete, both to help and as a training ground.
"If it were in the past... How could we mages come here in person just for a small town? At most, we could just appoint an apprentice like you or a follower warrior to manage a town." Glade said.
"It is said that many magic towers are managed in this way now. But our China Tower is different from theirs. Didn't you attend the mobilization meeting before departure? They explained the reasons for doing this clearly." Crete said.
"Hehe. To be honest, I was distracted. At that time, I was thinking about how to modify a magic. What was their reason?"
"As I understand it, we need to control every person in every village, so that we can exert the greatest power of a country. Well... it's like, one person can control every finger of his or hers, while the other can only control his or her arms. If the two people fight, the latter person can't even make a fist properly, so he or she will definitely not be able to beat the former person." Crete clenched one fist and kept the other hand loose, then touched them together.
"Hmm, what a strange theory. The Tower of China is full of strange theories." Glade tilted his head to ponder the meaning of Crete's words, "But this is what makes it interesting, isn't it?"
In the car further back, the largest number were the armed escort teams. Chen Hansheng brought two squads of people. Not only did they have four five-six-and-a-half rifles, but each of the rest was equipped with the latest model 01 air rifle. This type of air rifle was slightly improved compared to the last test, with a strengthened ammunition supply structure, and it was no longer so easy to jam when installing multiple bullets.
Others include administrative staff sent this time, as well as professionals in agricultural technology, education, medical care, business, etc. The entire team is more than 50 people.
After turning the mountain pass, a high ground appeared in front of us.
Chen Hansheng shaded his eyes with his hands and looked at the town of Arano on the high slope. The town was in a dangerous position. Only the road leading up to it had a gentle slope. The terrain in other directions was very steep. There was actually a small wooden tower in front of the town. Villagers wearing leather armor and holding spears were guarding it. There were also archers holding longbows on the tower and the watchtowers on both sides.
"It doesn't look like many people have evacuated. It seems someone is in charge." Chen Hansheng said.
"Are there a lot of free people here?" Kalanda asked in confusion.
"You will know it naturally in the past."
The convoy turned into the road up the mountain, which obviously made the guards nervous. After a few people pushed and shoved at the door, a young man squeezed out and walked towards the convoy. The young man approached the slowly stopping team cautiously, looking between the imposing Chen Hansheng and the lazy Glade. He hesitated for a long time, and finally chose Chen Hansheng and asked: "Sir, where are you from, and what are you doing in Arano?"
To his future resident, Chen Hansheng put on a kind expression and said, "Don't be nervous, young man. Do you know that this town was handed over to the magician of the Tower of China by Count Carlos?" Chen Hansheng asked.
“Yes, I know.”
"I am the first mayor of China Tower. I am responsible for the surrounding areas."
"But, but sir, most of the land around here was sold to Baron O'Farrell by Count Carlos last year."
"What?"