171: Chapter 171 Inspection and Reform

After morning exercises and breakfast, pristine, gentle snowflakes once again drifted down with the wind.

Observing for a moment and finding the snowfall not too heavy, Lister continued with the previously agreed inspection of Blackwood Town, accompanied by Bradley and other members of the Mandy Family.

Blackwood Town was the name Lister had given to the newly built core settlement of the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, named after the Blackwood Forest.

Accompanied by the slowly drifting snowflakes, the group walked at a leisurely pace along the newly laid and compacted gravel roads of Blackwood Town.

Taiwan Novel Network accompanies your reading, super considerate.

Originally, Lister had wanted to use Cement to rebuild the roads in Blackwood Town, but unfortunately, the frequent snowfall during this period was unsuitable for Cement laying.

Whoosh—

A cold wind blew past, causing Bradley and the other Mandy Family members to instinctively tighten their fur-lined coats, yet their faces still wore expressions of intense excitement.

Compared to their previous identities as merchants, most of them had now received positions in the Commerce Department appointed by Lister, essentially becoming official personnel.

This change in status made them extremely happy and proud, as was clearly evident from their upright, chest-out postures.

Although Bradley's expression remained steady and calm, the excitement and joy in his eyes were the most intense among the group.

After all, this was his first time accompanying the lord on an inspection of the territory in his capacity as the territory's Commercial and External Affairs Officer.

Even though this territory was still a Baron Territory in its early stages of development, it made him feel completely different from before, experiencing an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

Since Lister did not conceal the identities of Bradley and the others, after entering Blackwood Town, the Serfs greeted not only him but also Bradley, who now held an official position.

Glancing slightly and noticing the upturn of Bradley's lips, Lister asked with a smile, "Bradley, how do you think Blackwood Town is developing now?"

Putting away his smile and thinking for a moment, Bradley replied seriously, "In response to Lord Lister, although Blackwood Town is still in its early stages of development and lacks much in terms of public welfare..."

"...the spirit and work ethic of the Serfs are the best I have seen in any territory."

"Their work enthusiasm and the genuine smiles they exude are something most Serfs in Telris probably cannot match."

"Your governance ability in the territory is likely something even the top preparatory magistrate graduates from the church and Royal Academy cannot compare to."

Although the last statement contained an element of flattery, coming from Bradley's mouth, it seemed utterly natural.

Of course, these words were indeed Bradley's sincere thoughts.

"Haha," Lister laughed heartily and teased, "Bradley, you really are Kim's good friend. Even what you say is eighty to ninety percent similar."

"Do you two often study these things together in private?"

Bradley detected the teasing tone in his voice but hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "Nothing of the sort, nothing of the sort. What I just said was absolutely my sincere opinion."

Lister smiled and did not continue on that topic. Instead, he said, "Actually, in terms of territory governance, I don't handle many matters personally. Most are handled by my magistrate, Odinton. He is the true talent with governance ability."

Odinton, who had been silently following on the right, humbly replied upon hearing this, "Lord Lister, you flatter me. I merely implement things according to the general direction you set."

Although he said this, Bradley, on Lister's left, thought differently.

Even though their time together had been short, he could see that Lister was not someone who praised others casually.

If Odinton could receive such unreserved praise from Lister, then he must not be an ordinary magistrate. At the very least, he was not as simple as Bradley had thought.

For a moment, the importance and respect he held for Odinton in his heart deepened even further.

Seeing that his purpose had been achieved, Lister's eyebrows raised slightly.

His previous words were not spoken casually; they were meant to show Bradley that Odinton was a highly capable talent and to indicate his status in Lister's mind.

This could foster better cooperation between the two in future work and also prevent Bradley from getting carried away with his newly acquired identity as Commercial and External Affairs Officer.

Of course, this wasn't a reprimand, just a friendly reminder.

After all, Bradley had already led the Mandy Family in swearing allegiance to him, making betrayal almost impossible.

In such a situation, Lister naturally couldn't let them feel excluded.

Otherwise, it would hinder the future work of Bradley and the entire Mandy Family.

Odinton naturally realized Lister's approach and trust, and a deep sense of admiration welled up within him.

Responding to a Serf's greeting, Lister continued asking, "Bradley, since you mentioned the lack in public welfare earlier, do you have any good development suggestions?"

Hearing this, Bradley knew Lister was testing his abilities and immediately said seriously, "Lord Lister, I am certainly not capable of overall public welfare governance, but I understand one principle."

"That is, to improve public welfare, the overall economic level must be raised first."

"Although economic improvement doesn't guarantee the Serfs' happiness, it will definitely greatly enhance their quality of life."

"And a crucial part of raising the economic level is the overall development of commerce. Therefore, I suggest————"

""

Next, a series of suggestions regarding commercial development were slowly articulated by Bradley.

All the content was strictly limited to commercial matters, not touching upon other aspects.

Bradley had a deep self-awareness of his own abilities, so he never wasted words on things he didn't understand.

Doing so would be irresponsible both to himself and to improving the public welfare of the Iron Thorn Territory Branch.

And indeed, his commercial development abilities were quite excellent.

Since the Mandy Family primarily dealt in agriculture and handicrafts, they had their own unique insights regarding public welfare development.

And currently, the development focus of the Iron Thorn Territory Branch was precisely on agriculture and handicrafts.

Agricultural development could ensure the Serfs were well-fed, while handicraft development could ensure they were well-clothed, create more livelihood opportunities, and open up trade with other territories.

As Bradley spoke, Odinton took out paper and pen to jot everything down, occasionally interjecting with his own thoughts.

The Mandy Family members at the back also occasionally chimed in, offering their insights.

Lister, acting as the macro coordinator, ultimately proposed his own improvement suggestions based on the combined ideas of everyone.

Unconsciously, amidst the engrossed discussions of the group, the subsequent public welfare improvements, or rather, the direction of commercial development for the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, were decided one by one.

As for the specific details, they would need to wait for Odinton to organize them upon returning and submit them to Lister for further refinement.

The morning passed in a flash. After returning to the lord's residential area, Lister once again shared lunch with Odinton and Bradley.

After lunch and handling some necessary official duties, Lister went to the training grounds for inspection.

After discussions with Red and others, the military defense force of the Ironthorn Territory had undergone a series of reforms.

The reformed military camp consisted internally of multiple operational units, primarily the Knight Battalion and Soldier Battalion, with several logistics departments established.

For example, conventional departments like the Food Supply Department and Medical Department. Besides these, new unique departments were established: the Special Operations Department and the Firearms Department.

The Special Operations Department comprised the Intelligence Division and the Special Forces Division. The former was responsible for various intelligence reconnaissance, while the latter was responsible for executing various dangerous missions.

Personnel in this department consisted of elite Soldiers and Knights, with Sejin, who had reached Silver Rank 2, serving as the Department Head.

The Firearms Department was a department composed of firearm units, consisting of Knights and Soldiers. The former were responsible for squad management, while the latter were responsible for firearm operation.

However, according to Lister's strict orders, all Knights and Soldiers within the camp, even those not in this department, must learn firearm operation.

The main purpose of this was to enable Knights and Soldiers, after losing most of their combat effectiveness on the battlefield, to conduct secondary attacks using firearms. This could both inflict damage on the enemy and enhance their own survival capabilities.

The head of this department was temporarily held by Aier, who had reached Bronze Rank 9.

As for why it was temporary, it was because his experience was still relatively limited, he was too young, and his strength had not yet reached the minimum Silver rank required for a formal department head appointment.

It could be said that Lister had made an exceptional promotion this time. Once Aier advanced to Silver Knight, he would directly become the formal department head.

The reason for choosing Aier was also because, after long-term observation by Lister and Red, they found his temperament to be the most steady, his cultivation the most diligent, and his progress the fastest.

Moreover, back in the Ironthorn Territory, Aier had shown considerable interest in firearms, making him very suitable for this position.

Furthermore, in Lister's perception, Aier's rate of improvement was accelerating, much faster than several other talented youngsters from the same batch.

Clearly, the previous divination's statement that Aier would at least become a Golden Knight in the future was quite conservative.

After subdividing these departments, the overall commander of the camp was Lister, with Red serving as deputy commander. However, Lister generally didn't manage too many affairs, so daily operations were mostly handled by Red.

But for major matters, they needed to be reported to Lister immediately for joint discussion and decision.

The overall military defense force had now established a large framework, with further improvements needed later.

However, these matters would need to wait until the required personnel dispatched from the Ironthorn Territory arrived before they could proceed.

As soon as he entered the camp, the robust, powerful, and hormone-filled shouts of training instantly reached Lister's ears.

Under normal circumstances, without special missions or patrol duties, most Knights and Soldiers trained in the camp.

Everyone would first undergo unified military training, including those from the logistics departments.

This part of the training was led by Red. Anyone with questions about cultivation could ask him.

After the unified training, everyone would return to their respective departments to train and learn the main content of their department, led by their respective department heads.

However, currently, most personnel in these departments consisted of Knights and Soldiers. Professionals with specialized knowledge, such as the Forgemasters in the Firearms Department, had not yet arrived at the Iron Thorn Territory Branch.

So, for now, they were learning basic knowledge. Later, when the professionals arrived, corresponding explanatory learning sessions would be established.

Moreover, after careful consideration, Lister decided to establish a corresponding branch of the Weapon Development Department within the Firearms Department in the future.

Its personnel would primarily be responsible for teaching the use of new firearms and statistically analyzing various feedback information from Knights and Soldiers using firearms on the battlefield.

Based on this feedback, the Weapon Development Department would then make corresponding improvements and developments, forming a complementary model overall.

Accompanied by Red, Lister began his inspection of the camp.

Perhaps due to the establishment of new departments, the training enthusiasm of the Knights and Soldiers seemed even more fervent than usual.

As Lister's focus had been on territory development recently, he hadn't paid much attention to camp affairs.

Anticipating this, Red explained, "Lord Lister, due to your military reforms, many new departments have been added within the camp."

"Among them, the Special Operations Department and the Firearms Department hold great appeal for those lads. But because the assessment difficulty for these two departments is very high..."

"...they have been putting in extra effort recently, hoping to enter their desired departments in the end-of-month assessments."

Lister understood and then smiled, saying, "Having drive is good, but they must be reminded not to overtrain. Otherwise, hidden injuries to the body could become troublesome."

"I will convey your concern to them."

"Mm." Lister nodded slightly and asked, "By the way, how have Kuro and the others been recently? Also, Ulysses didn't join the inspection this morning. Has he been studying and cultivating all along?"

Red pondered for a moment before replying, "Kuro and the others have been very stable recently, diligently cultivating. Moreover, since the tribal totem was destroyed, Hicks and several other totem warriors have also switched to the Knight path."

"Among them, Kuro and Hicks have made the most progress, successfully advancing to Bronze Knight. The other three aren't far behind either."

"Especially Kuro. His comprehension is extremely high; he has already grasped the basics of spear technique and is progressing rapidly."

When speaking of Kuro, Red's expression was very excited, clearly surprised by Kuro's talent during this period.

Regarding this, Lister merely smiled faintly, not feeling surprised. After all, Kuro was destined to become a Great Knight, or even stronger.

Pausing for a moment, Red continued, "And Ulysses indeed is as you thought. He trained in the camp all morning and has already completed the condensation of his Fighting Spirit Seed."

"By my estimate, he should advance to Full Knight in a few days. Lord Lister, your ability to recognize talent truly inspires our utmost admiration."

Lister gladly accepted his praise. Even if it was due to divination, such things had happened many times, and his skin had long grown thick enough to be accustomed to it.

After inspecting the camp and encouraging everyone, Lister brought Red, Spartacus, Sejin,

and Aier to the lord's office.