4: Help your brother out

After recruiting his men, Reyn went to the Logistics Office to collect the supplies Count Sena had promised him.

"Good day, Baron Rex!"

"I've come to collect the supplies Count Sena granted to the Red River Territory."

Baron Rex was the Quartermaster in charge of logistics. Reyn had encountered him a few times before, but they were only on nodding terms; their relationship wasn't very close.

"Good day, Baron Reyn."

"I have received the Count's orders. This is the inventory list for the Red River Territory. Everything is ready; please take a look!"

Rex greeted Reyn warmly and handed him a list.

"The supplies are all here. You can have them hauled away at any time, Baron Reyn!"

The daily supplies required for an army of tens of thousands were massive. Piles of various goods rose like mountains in the Logistics Office. Reyn looked at them with envy; it would be wonderful if all of this were his, but unfortunately, he could only take a small portion.

"Food, clothing, weapons, medicine... The Count is not only a man of his word but also very generous!"

Looking at the items on the list, Reyn was overjoyed. Count Sena was even more generous than he had imagined, providing a wide variety and substantial quantity of supplies.

"Baron Reyn, the Count thinks very highly of you. I hope you don't disappoint his expectations!"

Rex was a noble under Count Sena, a vassal. His family had been granted a Barony for military merit, and he had followed Count Sena for many years. He understood his lord's thoughts well, so his attitude toward Reyn was very friendly.

"Of course, I certainly won't fail Count Sena's expectations!"

As Reyn looked through the list, he suddenly noticed something unusual and couldn't help but let out a sound of surprise.

"Eh?"

Seeing Reyn's reaction, Rex asked with some confusion.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem, Baron Reyn?"

"No, I just wanted to ask, Lord Rex, what does this entry mean?"

Reyn pointed to the last item on the list. What was written there made him a bit skeptical.

Rex took one look and understood the reason for Reyn's confusion.

"Oh, those!"

"The Count knows your territory is desperately short of able-bodied labor, so he specifically ordered me to hand these people over to you to supplement the Red River Territory."

"Well? The Count is quite thorough, isn't he?" Rex looked at Reyn meaningfully.

"This isn't just 'some,' Lord Rex; it's over three thousand people! That's quite a lot. The Count has truly given me a grand surprise."

Reyn looked at the last line written on the list, which clearly stated: three thousand able-bodied men.

Rex sighed and said:

"Lord Reyn, this number isn't high; in fact, it's quite low. You must realize that out of the over one hundred thousand people in the four baronies of the Red River Valley, these are all that remain."

Reyn realized then and looked at Rex in shock.

"Are you saying they are all survivors from the four baronies to the north?"

Rex nodded and said.

"Yes. Of the five baronies in the Red River Valley, only your father, Baron Bode, and Baron Luke of Redwood Town chose to resist the Fel Orcs. The other three barons abandoned their lands and fled."

"Your father and Baron Luke held off the Fel Orcs's southward offensive at Redwood Fort, so the Fel Orcs didn't strike your family's Red River Territory."

"But they slaughtered the four baronies to the north, including Redwood Town. Most of the inhabitants there were killed."

"Especially those three territories abandoned by their lords. They had no organized defense, and as a result, the Fel Orcs rampaged through as if no one were there, virtually wiping out everyone."

"After the Count defeated the Fel Orcs and reclaimed the four northern baronies not long ago, he began gathering survivors. Unfortunately, the results were meager. This is the total number collected during this time; it's likely these are the only ones who survived."

"Baron Reyn, tell me, is it a lot?"

Rex's words made Reyn's heart heavy.

"I understand." Reyn's face was solemn, and he said no more.

"These people are all refugees whose lands were destroyed. Those three cowards who abandoned their territories are no longer fit to be lords; according to Noble Law, their titles will be stripped. As for Baron Luke, his entire family died at the hands of the Fel Orcs, leaving no heirs, so no one will inherit the land. These people have no home to return to."

"Most of these survivors are able-bodied; the elderly, weak, women, and children couldn't escape the Fel Orcs's pursuit. The Count originally intended to add them to the Iron Wall Fortress as logistical labor."

"You know the border has seen constant major battles lately, and the labor shortage in the Iron Wall Fortress is significant."

"Besides that, I heard Viscount Black Stone was also coveting this group of able-bodied men. He asked the Count for them several times, but was refused every time."

"In the end, knowing your Red River Territory was short of manpower, the Count decided to hand them over to you."

Understanding the reasons, Reyn sincerely praised Count Sena. He was indeed in desperate need of people, especially able-bodied ones. These three thousand people truly solved his immediate crisis.

"My thanks to the Count!"

With these able-bodied men, many of the ideas in his mind could be implemented, and there would be no shortage of labor for building the territory.

"Lord Rex, a word in private, please!"

After finishing the inventory list, Reyn looked around to make sure no one was paying attention and pulled Rex to a secluded corner.

"Baron Reyn, what are you doing?"

Rex was confused by Reyn's actions until he saw a pile of glittering, golden objects placed before his eyes.

"This is...?" Rex looked at Reyn playfully.

"Lord Rex, you know that the Red River Territory is currently destitute and lacks everything. Originally, I only recruited about seven hundred people from the army's Freemen. With the supplies Count Sena provided, it would have been enough to get the territory through the hardest times."

"But now, with these three thousand-plus able-bodied men, those supplies will be far from enough. So, I would like to purchase some more supplies from you for this emergency."

"Purchase?" Rex blinked repeatedly at the shining Gold Coins.

"Baron Reyn, the private sale of military supplies is a capital offense. It'll cost you your head."

"How could it be a private sale? Didn't the Count say he'd give me a batch of supplies? Did the Count personally specify exactly how much of each item to give me? Was every single item fixed in quantity?"

"The quantity of these supplies is entirely up to you, Big Brother Rex. This isn't a private sale; it's a 'reasonable arrangement'!"

"Wouldn't you agree?" Reyn explained with a smile.

"We're brothers, Big Brother Rex. See if you can help a younger brother out!"

Saying this, Reyn stuffed the bag full of Gold Coins into Rex's hand. This full bag contained exactly one hundred coins.

The purchasing power of Gold Coins in the Kingdom of Asriel was very strong. A single Gold Coin was enough for three months of daily expenses for an ordinary town family. For rural farmers, one Gold Coin could last a whole year.

Reyn giving away one hundred Gold Coins at once was no small amount. He had only found a total of less than five thousand Gold Coins in his family's castle.

The northern border of the kingdom had a harsh environment and low territorial output, especially along the frontier. Ordinary nobles were mostly not wealthy. Facing the threat of northern alien races, they had to fight wars from time to time. There were too many places to spend money, making it very difficult to accumulate any family savings.

Rex weighed the bag of Gold Coins in his hand, silently estimating the amount. Hearing the pleasant clinking of the coins, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Reyn's request wasn't unreasonable. Slightly increasing the quantity of ordinary supplies wasn't difficult for Rex. Considering Count Sena's attitude toward Reyn, Rex immediately tucked the Gold Coins into his robe.

"Brother Reyn, you're right. We are all brothers and should help each other."

"The Count personally ordered a batch of supplies for the Red River Territory. Looking at that list just now, it indeed seemed a bit meager. Moreover, those refugees have lost their homes and loved ones and urgently need to rebuild, requiring more supplies for their relief."

"We can't let the Grand Duke's subjects suffer, can we?"

"Come, Brother Reyn. Tell me whatever else you need here. As long as I, Rex, can help, I certainly won't be stingy."

After taking the Gold Coins, Rex's attitude became even warmer. He grabbed Reyn's hand and led him into the massive warehouse of the Logistics Office to select supplies.