People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. Ed has been quite busy lately because people keep coming to Grey Castle Territory from the north.
Ed stood atop the castle, gazing at Novice Village by the lake. It was now bustling with activity.
There are already enough people here; his plan to poach talent needs to be put on hold.
As you descend from the castle, the fireplace is already lit, and Adelaide is boiling water there.
The fireplace was no longer burning wood, but rather coal that Eric had brought back from the valley.
These are the coal briquettes Ed made last time; now it's a good time to test how well they work.
" Adelaide, is this better than firewood?" Ed asked, watching the busy Adelaide.
The coals in the fireplace were burning brightly, their light illuminating the entire fireplace wall.
"Master, these coal briquettes are much better than firewood, very convenient. You just put them in and you basically don't need to do anything, and they burn for a long time. There's just one downside though," Adelaide said excitedly.
"What's wrong with it?" Ed asked, puzzled.
"Your hands will get all black after handling this coal, so you have to wash them."
"Yes, it is a bit troublesome, but you can take Gloves to get it."
"Oh right! How could I forget that? Those woven gloves were made for the convenience of working."
The two chatted for a while, and the water was soon boiled. Adelaide poured Ed a cup of hot water.
"Master, so many people have suddenly arrived in the territory. Could this cause any problems?"
Ed took a satisfied sip of hot tea. "Don't worry, nothing serious will happen. Compared to this number of people, we should be more worried about whether our northern neighbors will retaliate in anger."
Adelaide was startled and almost dropped the teacup in her hand.
"Master, didn't you say before that you weren't afraid of them attacking? Why are you worried about this now?"
" Adelaide, the past is the past, and the present is the present. Didn't you hear what Andrew said last time? More and more people are coming. There are people sneaking over from the mountains to the north."
Andrew has already reported on the situation in the north of the territory several times. Given the current scale of the population exodus, it would be abnormal if the other side didn't contact him.
"Master, what should we do? Maybe we shouldn't let anyone else come! The population of the territory is almost sufficient now."
Adelaide's point is valid. Novice Village is already packed with people, and while other parts of the territory aren't exactly crowded, there are still quite a few people. As far as inhabited areas of the territory are concerned, there are indeed enough people.
If more people come, they can only be sent to the desolate south or the mountains to the west.
But the living conditions and farmland there are not much better than where they used to live, and may even be worse.
" Adelaide, don't worry, I'm thinking of a solution. I've already brought Henry and the others back, and we won't be sending anyone else over on our own."
Ed will no longer allow people to spread those "rumors" about Grey Castle Territory. However, he will not stop others from coming to Grey Castle Territory for the time being.
If the population of his territory becomes too large in the future, he will have no choice but to expand further south.
"Yes, Master. But shouldn't we go and take a look at Novice Village? After all, it was just established there, and Chief Ding Xiang just arrived."
"Hmm, Adelaide, that's a good idea."