Berserk: The Prophet

You start with fifty able-bodied men; the rest depends on development.

...Actually, even if they were all wiped out, it wouldn't have a significant impact on Green. If they all survived, they would become local lords or chieftains, making it easier for Green to come and go. If they were conscripted, wouldn't it be like infiltrating their ranks directly? He could also get some equipment and troop experience for free, since they were all his own people.

Well, it's like scattering beans to create soldiers; scattering more might bring unexpected rewards someday. It's incredibly satisfying.

Green was so excited by his sudden new idea that he couldn't sleep, but the winter nights were long, and he finally fell asleep in the latter half of the night.

After he woke up, the fifty men, disguised as refugees, arrived at the village carrying some supplies, seemingly intending to stay there permanently.

Village Chief Jarvan was a burly man with a resolute and loyal gaze. Upon seeing Green, he immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Good day, my lord. Jarvan reports for duty. What are your orders?"

Green smiled and helped Jarvan up, handing him a stack of white supply cards: "Jarvan, our 'Demacia Village' depends on you and everyone else's efforts to build it. Take these supplies and make arrangements for them. When spring comes, have the farmers cultivate the land and plant crops as soon as possible. The militia should intensify their training and set up sentry posts around the village to guard against danger."

"If we can improve the roads and build wooden forts on key routes, we should do it as soon as possible. Our pretext is to accept the refugees from the surrounding area. If the regular army of Baldian or anyone else asks about the purpose of building the forts, we should say that they are built to prevent bandits from plundering the villages and to defend ourselves."

“The villages around here probably rely on the nearby mining area for their livelihood. If we take in the refugees, we should let them mine the ore. We can’t let them eat for free.”

This was a lesson Gambino taught him, and besides, he didn't have the spare money to support lazy people. Giving a group of refugees who couldn't even afford food and were about to starve to death a job and food to survive was already a blessing.

Jiawen nodded in agreement, took the supply card, and quickly went to arrange the work. It seemed that he did not intend to be lazy just because it was winter. The houses were ready, and Village Chief Jiawen had already begun to lead people to search for nearby mineral veins.

Green was very satisfied with his decisive manner. "Just tell me if you need anything."

"clear."

Green watched Jarvan's busy figure, then turned to look at the "vagrants" who were tidying up their houses, and felt hopeful about the future of Demacia Village.

Jacob and the others were also awakened by the sudden commotion. They looked on in bewilderment as the old farmers of Pande were busy at work. As soldiers who had also been summoned, they could feel a faint connection between each other.

Jacob walked up to Green and asked with a puzzled look, "Sir, what's going on? Why are there so many people all here all of a sudden, and why are they all so busy?"

Green explained his plan to establish Demacia Village to Jacob in detail again, and added at the end: "I think this is a rare opportunity, and perhaps I can build my own network and resources in this chaotic region."

"By the time we come back, the village might have developed into a decent place."

Upon hearing this, Jacob's eyes flashed with admiration. "Your Excellency is indeed far-sighted. If we can develop this business, then we will have a foothold in this alien world."

“Yes, moreover, there are many treacherous mountain roads here. If we can solve the food problem, it will be easy to defend and difficult to attack.” Green looked at the continuous mountain range. This barren land could not produce much food, so it was no wonder that the church could not collect its tithes here.

Meanwhile, the old man hiding behind the house was bewildered by the noise outside. Why were there so many people all of a sudden? Judging from their clothes, they were a group of farmers. Were they refugees from other places?

Just as the old man was filled with doubt, Green seemed to sense his presence, turned to look at the back of the house, and gently called out, "Old man, come out, don't be afraid."

The old man, leaning on his cane, walked out cautiously from behind the house, his eyes filled with fear.

Green stepped forward with a smile and said, "Many refugees from afar have come to the village and want to settle down here."

Hearing Green's words, the old man's fear lessened slightly, and he stammered, "...Will these refugees behave themselves? Won't they cause trouble for the village?"

Two militiamen from Pande stepped forward and comforted him with smiles, "Don't worry, old man. We are all honest people from those remote mountain valleys. We only left our homes because of a famine. Besides, our village chief, Jiawen, will keep them in line and they won't cause any trouble."

The old man nodded, looked at the tall and strong militiaman, and assuming he was in charge, said, "Oh, he must have run away from the town near Black Rock Prison, right? He looks like he was a soldier. He must have guarded those criminals before, right? Ah, life is unpredictable."

“Everyone in the village has fled upon hearing the news, and the houses are empty and no one lives here. You can stay here for now.”

"I've lived in this village for most of my life and I'm quite familiar with the surroundings. If you need anything, just ask me." Seeing that the group of people were all well-mannered, the old man lowered his guard. After all, he was an old man with nothing to be concerned about.

...He hasn't talked to anyone in a long time since everyone in the village left.

The militiamen's eyes lit up, and they quickly said, "That's great, sir. Do you know of any mineral veins around here?"

The old man pondered for a moment, then pointed to a small hill outside the village: "There are mineral veins on that hill, but not many people mined them before. I don't know if they're still valuable now."

The two militiamen were overjoyed and patted the old man on the shoulder: "Old man, you've been a great help. We'll never forget your contribution once the village develops."

After saying this, the militiamen told Jiawen that they would take people to the mountain to explore for mineral veins when they had time.

Seeing the old man chatting so amiably with the militiamen, Green felt relieved. Not bad, this lifeless village had regained some life and was beginning to come back to life. Hopefully, it would flourish.

"Let's set off after breakfast. If the Fierce Bear Gang isn't here, they're probably heading north at the invitation of that Grand Duke," Green instructed Jacob and the others.

"Yes." Jacob led his men to get busy.

After breakfast, the temperature in the mountains gradually rose, and Green and his group headed toward Black Rock Prison, which the old man had mentioned. However, this place was different from the sparse vegetation and barren land on the outskirts.

The closer you get to the core area, the denser the forest becomes, clearly indicating that it hasn't been developed much, which contradicts the rumors circulating outside.