"...Dear, what are you busy with?"
At night, Lottie softly opened the wooden door of the study room on the second floor of the wooden castle and walked in with a cup of hot milk.
Matt raised his head slightly, glanced at Lottie, then put down the quill in his hand, and reached out to take the milk that Lottie brought to hand. "It's nothing, it's all about the construction of the valley~"
Lottie walked to Art, fiddled with the valley map on the table, and looked at it carefully. "New village~" "Business road~" "Nanguan Army Fort..." Lottie looked at the marks on the map and read out loud from time to time. I was deeply fascinated by the map of the valley in front of me.
Since he spends most of his time in the wooden castle, Lottie's knowledge of the south of the valley is limited to a few villages such as the Valley. The situation further south was only mentioned by Art occasionally, and I only had a general idea. Now, seeing the entire valley on the map, Lottie couldn't help but yearn for the south of the valley.
"My dear, is the entire valley in the picture your earldom?" Lottie felt a little excited in her heart and turned to look at Art.
Ate put his arm around Lottie's slender waist, and deliberately kept it secret, saying: "This is the core secret of the valley, how can I tell you so easily."
" Can't even I know?" Lottie reached out and touched Art's handsome face, with a hint of pleading in her eyes. The candlelight on that smooth and delicate face was still charming.
“This~” Art was speechless for a moment. Looking at Lottie's delicate appearance, the defense in her heart was about to be broken through.
While Art was hesitating, Lottie's soft lips fell on his forehead~
"Okay, okay, I'll say it, I'll say it~ But you have to promise me one thing first..." Art wanted to use this as a condition.
"What's the matter?"
"You agree first and then talk about it."
Lottie did not speak, her intuition told her that her husband must be going out again. As an earl of a province, Art barely had a good day's rest. He was either busy with military affairs or entangled in government affairs. As a wife, Lottie certainly felt sorry for her husband, but she understood his difficulties even more.
Seeing Lottie turn her head away, Art was about to speak, but then stopped.
Just like that, neither of them spoke. Silence, bursts of silence.
After a moment, Lottie finally spoke. Asked: "Are you going to leave the valley again?"
"Leaving the valley?" Art was a little surprised, "How do you think so?"
"Then what do you want me to promise you?" Lottie felt a little aggrieved and pushed away Art's hand and stood aside alone.
"My dear, I just want to ask for your permission. I plan to take people to survey the entire valley again in two days to facilitate the later construction of the government office. I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany you and George for a while. You are already a little unhappy before I even say anything~" Art looked straight at Lottie, hoping to win her consent. After all, he promised his wife to stay with them just two days ago.
"Are you really just going to the south of the valley?" Lottie suddenly turned around and asked.
"When did I lie to you? I think you also know that the importance of the valley as the core of the earl territory is self-evident. As a provincial earl, I have the responsibility to open up the valley. There are tens of thousands of territorial people following me. If I don't put effort into making the valley territory a paradise, then what's the point of following me?"
"You have also seen that the entire Burgundy Kingdom is currently unstable, and my territory has a poor foundation. If I don't seize the time to complete the construction of the valley, if something happens, how can I protect you, and what can I rely on to defend my territory..." Art poured out all his bitter water in one breath.
Lottie who was standing aside slowly walked up to Art, hugged him, and said, "My dear, I'm just worried that your body can't bear it. You work so hard day and night, and I'm really worried about you~ Since this is your decision, as your wife, I should also support you..."
Seeing Lottie finally relax, Art's slightly frowned brows relaxed.
"Dear, thank you for being so considerate of my difficulties." Art reached out and touched Lottie's face...
…
On the second day, Art summoned Cooper and others again and told several people about his decision to go to the south of the valley to investigate again. There was no doubt that they met with opposition.
"...Master, you have been working so hard on the valley recently. I think you can just dispatch a few officials from the government office to lead some people to survey. Why do you have to go there in person?" Cooper tried his best to dissuade him, not wanting to see Art embark on a journey to the southern wilderness again.
"Yes, sir. If you are worried, I will personally take people to investigate. There are many officials in the government who are better at this matter, just let them do it." Scott, who was sitting aside, did not agree with Art going there in person.
"Okay, everyone, stop arguing." Art stretched out his hand to stop a few people. "I understand your feelings, but I have to do this myself." Art's attitude was extremely determined.
"There are two reasons. First, you government officials currently have heavy responsibilities, and the construction of the valley cannot be separated from you for a moment. If you leave, who will lead the people to build the territory. Second, the planning and construction of the valley are of great importance, and once decided, it cannot be changed at will. I just Only after the situation in the valley is fully understood can we decide how to plan and build in the future. Besides, no one among you knows the southern valley better than me, so it is perfect for me to go there in person. "
"But~" Cooper wanted to dissuade him again, but Art stopped him.
"Old housekeeper, I'm not here during this period, so all government affairs will be left to you. If there is anything important for the legion, ask them to report it to me immediately. I will mark it along the way so that you can find me when the time comes." After speaking, Art motioned for everyone to raise their glasses, poured a large glass of beer into his stomach, and burped with satisfaction.
"Sir, in that case, we won't say anything more. But now the weather is hot, wild beasts are rampant in the south of the valley, and venomous snakes and insects are everywhere. Have you considered bringing more manpower and equipment~" Although Cooper is old, he is still thoughtful and careful.
"Well, this time is different from the past. I will conduct a thorough and detailed survey of the valley, which does require a lot of manpower and materials. Well, old housekeeper, you will arrange five or six officials from the government who are good at drawing maps and can ride horses to go with me. In addition, I will mobilize some soldiers with hunter backgrounds from the army to follow. On the one hand, I can protect everyone's safety, and on the other hand, they can help open the way. In this way, I can also complete the investigation of the situation in the valley as soon as possible."
Cooper and others nodded repeatedly.
"By the way, sir, the weapons workshop has recently created a lot of tools for clearing land, and I think you might be able to use some of them." Cooper suddenly mentioned.
"Well, you can arrange it and we'll pick it up when we pass by the workshop area."
"Yes."
"Okay, let's get ready. We will set off in two days. Ron, go and select some troops from the army to go with us. Also, call Matthew, that guy also knows the situation in the valley relatively well and can be helpful."
"Yes, sir." Everyone stood up and answered the order.