Pioneer Wizard's Notebook

"Do you recognize your situation and want to change it through the sunflower movement?"

Linde stepped out of the Ranch Guild, sighing inwardly.

Tinia Jacintos was a very intelligent noblewoman.

She saw through the true nature of the barons' military alliance early on—that it was a means to erode the interests of Windcliff City through her.

After her family was murdered and her power was stolen, this young girl did not sit idly by and wait for her fate.

Although she outwardly appears to be a naive young lady who places her hopes on the barons.

Secretly, she was trying her best to save herself and gather her own forces.

Lind was certain that he was by no means the only force that Tinia had courted.

Judging from the performance of the Ranch Guild and the Auster family.

During this period, Tina has likely used the Hyacinth Family's name to win over most of her subordinates and influence.

Not only are they smart, but they also know how to make good use of their strengths.

Lind recalled the tender look in Tinia's eyes when she looked at him, as if it could melt him.

A delicate and refreshing fragrance unique to young girls, intoxicating and captivating.

If it were me in the past, I probably would have been blinded by love and followed him relentlessly.

Unfortunately, everything has changed.

The love of those innocent years has been buried beneath the earth along with the Ice Demon, never to be found again.

Lind felt a little regretful, even now he actually quite liked the purple-haired girl.

Regardless of whether the other party had ulterior motives, the maned horses, wolfhounds, and even a flock of cashmere sheep they sent were real resources for development.

Offering help in times of need is truly invaluable.

Unfortunately, he has lost that youthful infatuation with his first love.

Even if he gets close to Tinia in the future, it has nothing to do with love, but rather he wants to control Windcliff City through her, just like the other barons.

Lind smiled and shook his head.

Regardless of what the future holds, at least for now, he has remembered this favor.

It's unlikely he'll be a loyal knight, but it's fine if he occasionally plays the hero who saves the damsel in distress.

......

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, barons continued to arrive in Blackrock City, angrily denouncing Jason, the usurper, for his shamelessness, and then joined the military alliance with righteous indignation.

The exchange of goods between barons.

Army and caravans from all over Bordeaux brought fresh blood to Blackstone.

Despite the harsh winter, the city is becoming increasingly prosperous.

Baron Falco, the leader of the alliance, has had a smile on his face for the past few days.

Even when he met the serfs of the castle, he would smile, pat them on the shoulder, and praise their hard work, making them feel flattered.

Unlike Baron Falco, who was a very busy man.

Linde has been quite relaxed these past two days.

On paper, his strength was at the bottom of the alliance; the barons would at most come over to say hello, which would be considered an introduction.

Despite being looked down upon, Lind didn't care.

Rather than engaging in social interactions among nobles, the best course of action is to quickly return to one's territory and develop one's power.

The reason he didn't leave immediately was simply because he was waiting for the ranch guild's maned horses, wolfhounds, and cashmere sheep to arrive.

That morning.

The shooting range at Blackrock Castle.

Mark, the knight's squire, drew back the yew longbow he had just acquired, his eyes focused intently on the target two hundred meters away.

Accompanied by a muffled tremor,

The arrow was shot out, covering a distance of two hundred meters, piercing through the center of the wooden target, and swiftly embedding itself in the stone wall behind it.

"Beautiful shot!"

Lind clapped and applauded.

Brod and the four soldiers who were watching nearby exclaimed in surprise.

They were not surprised that Mark hit the bullseye.

Having spent time with him, I've come to realize just how skilled this young man is at archery.

What amazed the soldiers was the terrifying power of the longbow!

Compared to their inferior hunting bows, it is a complete and utterly superior weapon, nearly ten times more powerful!

Hearing the lord's praise, Mark bowed and said, "Thanks to the excellent feel of the longbow, sir, there are no problems with this batch of yew longbows; they are all of superior quality."

"No need to be modest. Even the best bow requires an excellent archer to perform well. But Baron Roy is indeed a very honest man."

Linde knew nothing about bows and arrows, but he felt relieved after Mark confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the sixty longbows.

With the new weapons in place, the archers' battalion's lousy, broken hunting bows can finally be retired.

Provided training is adequate, the longbowmen's volley will replace the solar wind.

The effectiveness of legion warfare is even greater than that of extraordinary knights.

However, this will take some time, as drawing a longbow requires significantly more strength and skill than drawing a hunting bow.

Soldiers need extensive specialized training to transition from hunter archers to longbowmen.

Unfortunately, the territory currently lacks archery-related knight combat skills.

It was difficult to go any further and train knights who were experts in archery.

Linde wasn't greedy. He packed up the sixty longbows, had the soldiers deliver farewell letters to Baron Falco and Tinia, and then led his men toward the city gate.

He received word that the ranch guild had brought the livestock to the city gate, waiting for him to collect them.

It's time to leave and return to Sunflower Manor.

Outside the city gate, looking at the herds of maned horses, wolfhounds, and woolly sheep, Lind smiled broadly.

This trip has been incredibly fruitful, yielding far more than I had imagined.

In a sense, he should also thank Jason, the power usurper.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to enjoy the benefits of the military alliance and the investment from Tinia.

"Lord Linde, livestock are easily frightened in the heavy snow, so let me escort them to Blossom Territory for you."

Tony, a young man from the Auster family and the ranch guild steward, volunteered.

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Linde did not refuse.

The Frostfang Wolf is too intimidating as a top predator.

The livestock would be so frightened by even a slight approach that they would kneel down, lose control of their bowels, and become unable to move.

Linde had no choice but to let the Frostfang wolves follow at a distance, entrusting Tony to lead the livestock forward.

Similar to the way we came, we are moving forward by sled.

This time, however, the sleds were pulled by maned horses and wolfhounds, galloping forward at Tony's command.

Lind, along with his soldiers and knights, sat on a sled.

Fifty cashmere sheep were huddled together around me, bleating noisily all the way.

Linde grabbed one end and held it in his arms.

I must say, they're quite warm and fluffy, no wonder they're called cashmere sheep.

Cotton coats made from this wool are thick, warm, sturdy, and durable, and have always been the best-selling garments in the North.

If the wool textile industry can be developed, it can earn as much money as the arms trade, and the market is far broader than that of weapons.

Linde decided to go back and give it a try to see if he could raise these cashmere sheep and expand the business.

The sled continued on its way, and the sky began to darken.

"Sir, it will take us at least two more days to reach Sunflower Manor. How about we stop here tonight? I know a small village nearby called Pinecone Village where we can rest."

"Can."

Linde nodded in agreement, then suddenly frowned.

He noticed that Tony's heart was racing, and the guild leader seemed unusually nervous.