Pei Luo stepped out of the cabin and did not smell the expected wood smell. The trestle on the side of the ship was obviously newly built. The original old wharf had more than doubled in size, and there was no more creaking sound when stepping on it. It's a reassuring thump-thump--obviously the joints between the boards are strong and the material is quite thick.
Immediately after walking off the pier, several guards in uniform came over. The person in the lead looked at the family crest hanging on the mast of the Two-Eyed Lionheart, "Excuse me, are you... Lord Hermon of the Honeysuckle Family?"
"Yes," Pei Luo nodded, this kind of inquiry was very useful to him, "I am Pei Luo Hermon, I came here at the invitation of His Highness."
"Master Iron Axe has already explained to us, please come with me," the guard made a gesture.
"Walking?" He hesitated slightly.
"Yes, the stables have been demolished," the other party smiled embarrassedly. "Don't worry, the road in town is easy to walk."
Pelor quickly understood what the guards meant by "good to go".
The dark streets are flat and spacious, the snow on them has been swept away, and not even the standing water can be seen - the road seems to be made of many black stones, with tiny gaps in the middle, passing through the water. It appears smooth and translucent after soaking. And what surprised him was that there was more than one such road. Every hundred or so steps, he could see a straight and staggered fork, and its regularity was like a square drawn with a pen. After walking for half an hour, I didn't see a muddy field.
Peiro was surprised to find that the town no longer corresponded to what he remembered.
"Sir, is this really... Frontier Town?" Seth looked around with wide eyes, "Isn't this just a temporary residence built for mining?"
"It used to be true," the guard continued with a smile, "but since your Highness came down, everything has changed. Like the roads in the town, construction started half a year ago, and there were thousands of people every day during that time. People are busy, and one can be built in almost a month.”
Pelor noticed an undisguised pride in his tone, as if he was proud to be a part of the town.
But... it's also incredible! The streets were lined with large, evenly spaced trees, and he could imagine once summer the lush foliage shaded the sun overhead; then the houses—the low mud huts and the battered wooden hotels were gone, all around. They are all angular brick houses, each with two or three floors, almost identical in style, obviously built by the same group of masons.
How could he transform a barren town into this look in one year!
Surprised and puzzled, Peiro followed the guards into the castle area, the guide was replaced by a knight in armor, and all his attendants were left outside the wall.
It was not until he stepped into the lord's castle that Pelor found the feeling of a year ago.
There doesn't seem to be much change here. Compared with the fortress of the duke's fortress, the prince's castle is obviously much smaller.
The knight pushed open the door of the meeting room and made a gesture of invitation, and he soon saw the prince sitting on the main seat.
His Royal Highness Roland Wimbledon.
"Welcome to Border Town," Roland smiled, "Mr. Ambassador. "
It seemed that there was no change in His Highness, and Pei Luo was inexplicably relieved. He raised his hand to touch his chest and bowed respectfully, "Honeysuckle family salutes you, Your Highness."
"Sit down," the other party nodded, "I asked you to come because of a very important event. This matter concerns the future of the entire Western Region, including Changsong Fortress of course."
"Please speak."
"I plan to build a city here. The city extends to the Hidden Forest in the west and Changsong Fortress in the east, including half of the western border. At that time, the fortress will exist as a stronghold in the east of the new city, and it will also be the first place facing the church army. A line of defense, not a city like the current one." Roland stated in an orderly manner, "In this vast territory, the same law must be implemented and unified under the management of the New City Council. No nobleman can interfere in the city's affairs. affairs, the Five Great Families in the Western Region are no exception.”
Pei Luo only felt a shock in his heart! A year ago, he also had this idea - let Duke Ryan move the defense line against the evil beasts to Border Town, and at the same time make use of the land between the two places. But I didn't expect that the prince actually adopted this method a year later, and the method was more thorough than he imagined. Turn Longsong Keep into a part of a city? Just by imagining it, you can see how amazing the size of this city can be!
He subconsciously wanted to ask questions, but he swallowed the words as soon as they reached his lips. Since His Highness told him about this, he has undoubtedly made a decision, and now no one can stop him from implementing this plan.
Peiro never thought of rebelling against the prince at all... Duke Ryan's fiasco gave him a strong impression, and he even felt that the gray-haired man could not be defeated, at least... could not be defeated by himself. Then the only thing we can do is to seek our own interests in this huge change.
"You said that the Five Great Families can't interfere in the affairs of the city, so how can Honeysuckle work for you?"
The prince was silent for a while, until Peiro felt a little uneasy, then he chuckled, "You really surprised me, Mr. Ambassador, whether it was the redemption of the fortress that was offered to me before, or the positive attitude you showed now. , is a wise decision rarely seen in aristocrats."
After sighing, he restrained his smile and said seriously, "As long as the Honeysuckle family is willing to accept my governance, you can continue to assist me in managing the Changge area."
"Whether it's me or my father, I've always followed your will—"
"I'm not talking about individuals, but territory." Roland interrupted, "The nobles who will accept my protection in the future will only have the ownership of the territory, but not the right to govern the territory-whether it is law, law enforcement or other policies, they will be based on The decree issued by the city hall shall prevail.”
"This..." Peiro hesitated.
"The territory can be inherited from generation to generation. Just like the title, your family can also operate farmland, workshops or other businesses. These properties, together with the land, belong to the honeysuckle family and will not be violated by others - this is also my promise. The blessing of the lord. Except for the right to govern, the land you own is unchanged from before, and even stimulated by new policies, it will develop more prosperously." The prince continued, "Of course, you can also choose to return to your own. Territory, and then be a fief noble in the traditional sense. But when I complete the expansion of the new city and expand outwards, the area occupied no longer belongs to its original owner."
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